Issue 1361

INSIDE THIS WEEK... eight page sports supplement

THE LION Containing news and features from a host of university sports teams

REDBRICK

4th DECEMBER 2009 ISSUE 1361 VOL 73

THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1936

www.redbrickonline.co.uk

Taxi company continues to mislead students

News

Flyers bearing the University crest have been distributed on more than one occasion.

Music

The University of Birmimgham sent a 'cease and desist' letter to Falcon on the 9th of October 2009

Bursting to know the top 5 albums of the 21st C?

THE University of Birmingham is facing fresh concerns over abuse of its taxi affiliation scheme, after it has emerged that Falcon Taxis have appeared to have ignored legal requests to stop accrediting themselves as the official partner of the University, a status which is currently held

by Castle Cars.

This story follows on from the initial dispute, which occurred at the start of this academic term where it was revealed that Falcon had falsely claimed on their flyers that they were the official taxi partner of the University. These flyers were distributed widely across the main campus and Selly Oak areas, which alerted concerns over the potential welfare of students.

The Guild of Students did not renew their marketing contract as a result of frequent complaints by students including the unreliability in punctuality, inconsistencies in pricing strategy, as well as the wider concerns in terms of safety.

This prompted the switch to Castle Cars after a meticulous selection process by both the University and the Guild.

In response to the allegations, Falcon cited a 'smear campaign' to undermine them after these flyers had been proliferated and argued that there was a sinister attempt by an unverified source to recycle their old literature.

However, it has come to light that Falcon have indeed ignored

recent warnings. When asked directly via telephone, they still claim to be the University's official affiliate. Moreover, it appears that their flyers, which contain the University logo, continue to be distributed.

Further to Falcon's claims that the promotional material is 'old material' it should be noted that the Guild allowed their marketing contract to lapse in June 2008, any 'old' material would have to be at least that age.

The claim that it is old material is debateable because some of the flyers in question attempt to imitate the 'night-bus' campaign branding – a Guild scheme born in May 2009, meaning that the supposed 'old flyers' must be more recent than Falcon claim. Current flyers like the one in the picture (top right), bearing the University crest, have been distributed to Selly Oak houses within the last two weeks.

Johnny Davis, Vice President Welfare for the Guild said: '[Falcon] do not have permission to use our branding, logos, or to state/imply any relationship to either party. We are continuing to investigate the unauthorised use of trademarks... In order to be insured and safe when using private hire vehicles, that they [students] always ring ahead and book their taxi, and never get into an un-booked or unmarked car.'

When asked for comment Falcon made it clear that they refute all allegations made in this article.

3

Birmingham scientists invovled in big bang experiment

Travel

13

16

Solo or with friends? Travel debates the issue.

A scan of the most recent flyer using the University crest.

Birmingham’s Premier Private Hire Company

414 0000 472 2222 A scan of the flyers being handed out at the start of the academic year. They are using the University crest without permission and have imitated the official night bus flyers as you can see below.

A scan of the official night bus promotional material. On the inside of both flyers are the timetables for the respective services, further demonstrating the branding imitation.

2 Campus News

Calendar

University Drama 3rd-5th December: Article19 theatre group present 'Equus' in the Deb Hall, 7.30pm on the 3rd, 4th and 5th and a 2pm matinee on the 5th. Contact equusbirmingham@googlemail.com. 8th-12th December, Deb Hall, 6-8.30pm, Article19 theatre group present 'Peter Pan', £5 for students, article19@guild.bham.ac.uk Zest End-of-term Sale 4th December, Zest in the Guild. 20% off all stocks of university-branded merchandise.

ChurchCentral society Christmas Carol Service 6th December, King Edward's School (opposite the Guild), 8pm University carol service 7th December, 6.15pm, Great Hall.

RockSoc Christmas Social 8th December, Beorma Bar, from 8pm. Free entry, smart dress code.

Urban and Gospel Society 8th December, from 9pm, Jimmy's Kitchen, China Town, Birmingham. A night of urban & gospel music, featuring Beverly Trotman and Victizzle, live band and DJs, £12 on the door.

Guild Council 10th December, 6pm, Guild Council Chamber. Agenda to be emailed out in the next few days.

Dance Club Latino Christmas Salsa, 10th December, from 8.30pm, in the Underground in the Guild. £1 entry, all welcome. 9pm – salsa classes, 10pm latin dance line-up, 10.15 latin dance party. Featuring acclaimed teacher and DJ Mauricio Reyes.

Friends of MSF (Medicins Sans Frontier) photo exhibition 10th December, 7-9.30pm, Beorma Bar, live music, mulled wine, mince pies, photocomp09@hotmail. co.uk.

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

Students join national demo Edwina Moorhouse THE UNIVERSITY has seen countless events in support of the UN climate change summit in Copenhagen, but now Birmingham students will be flocking to London for a peaceful march from Grosvenor Square to Parliament called 'The Wave.'

The University Oxfam society, along with other groups, is organising for a group of students to travel by coach to London to take part in the demonstration.

This event has been organised by the Stop Climate Change coalition and will take place on Saturday 5th December.

It is set to be the biggest demonstration against climate change yet.

Organisers are confident that there will be a turnout of tens of thousands of people, all uniting against the common cause of the future of climate change.

According to the official website, the blue encirclement of Parliament is to push the British Government to 'protect the

poorest', 'act fair & fast', and to 'quit the coal'.

The day itself will be full of events and speakers, not just comprising of the march itself, set to take place at 3pm where everyone will be wearing something blue or have their hands painted in that colour.

Events include a bike ride to the demonstration, a 'splashdance' and a service from Archbishop Rowan Williams at Westminster.

When asked directly at the university's recent climate change debate what students could do to affect Copenhagen, senior researcher in Chemical Engineering Dr Ralph Oliver bluntly said: 'nothing'.

However, this show of solidarity is definitely something for everyone and proves that Birmingham students are still eager to cause change.

Promoters hope that by encircling Parliament, those representing the UK in Copenhagen will realise that the people are behind them in bringing down carbon emissions and encouraging other countries to do so.

New research centre for 2010 Jack Davis A NEW research centre to be built for use by 2010 has been unveiled by the University. It forms another aspect of the University's £60 million 'Circles of Influence' campaign which was launched recently.

The Specialist Neuroscience Centre will make use of cutting edge technology in order to 'unlock the secrets of the brain'.

The centre itself will bring additional laboratories and specialist equipment as well as ten new staffing positions.

The aims are to discover how the brain learns, ages and recovers from serious injury and what we can do to cure this.

Every year in the UK alone a quarter of a million people are recorded as having some form of brain injury, and a similar number are diagnosed with brain degenerative disorders.

Professor Glyn Humphreys of the University's School of Psychology said:

Picture of the week: Harvey McKeon

Students take part in a Santa Run round campus in aid of Acorns Children's Hospice

'Current forms of treatment have relatively limited effects and there is a need for innovative developments. By linking our research in computational neuroscience and cognitive robotics to our work in cognitive ageing, we will be able to help patients.'

'For example, stroke patients with the visual disorder don't always notice things on the affected side of their body, and they often end up bumping into objects or failing to find what they are looking for. An assistive device that cues them to look to their bad side or that registers when an obstacle is approaching would help patients become more independent.'

Professor Humphreys added: 'These are exciting developments for the University and for the field of neuroscience and robotics. We are confident that the coming years will be full of breakthroughs as we finally begin to unlock the secrets of the brain.'

Campus News

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

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Birmingham scientists play key role in Hadron Collider experiment Ned Murray SCIENTISTS from the University have been involved in the latest experiments at the cutting edge Hadron Collider in Switzerland.

A team from the University's School of Physics and Astronomy ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) group have been analysing the results of ultra-high energy proton-proton and lead-lead interactions at the underground facility in Geneva.

ALICE, which is one of four experiments at the Hadron Collider, is specifically looking at the first moments after the big bang. It consists of around 1000 scientists from 100 institutions in 30 different countries.

The ALICE group have also played an instrumental part in setting up the experiment by designing and building the ALICE trigger electronics, which allow recording of data when the protons start colliding.

The Hadron Collider smashes together protons at just under the speed of light. Scientists, such as those at Birmingham, are hoping to see new physics

as a result of these experiments, which might help us to understand more about the origins of the universe.

Dr. David Evans, who heads the ALICE group at Birmingham, said: 'I'm immensely proud of the

team that has worked so hard. They have been working around the clock at CERN [Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire, now known as European Organisation for Nuclear Research] in order to get these results out so

quickly. Although we may have to wait a while for the results of high energy collisions, getting results out this early from a new detector is a major achievement. It also shows how well the detector and the Birmingham-built

electronics work.'

The Hadron Collider is designed to produce results from proton collisions that will shed new light on the conditions at the time of the big bang and the early universe.

Protons were collided

Left: The head of the Birmingham ALICE group, Dr David Evans. Right: The Hadron Collider in Geneva. Photos: Dr David Evans Web Page

at a low energy for the first time in late November and it is hoped that high energy collisions will be conducted in the New Year.

Officials at CERN have said that scientific tests should be under way by 2010.

Rolf Heuer, CERN's Director General, said: 'We are still coming to terms with just how smoothly the LHC commissioning is going. It is fantastic.

However, we are continuing to take it step-by-step, and there is still a lot to do before we start physics in 2010. I'm keeping my champagne on ice until then.'

The experiment began in September 2008, though CERN was forced to turn off the collider after only nine days after an accident in the underground tunnel. The problem turned out to be an electrical fault involving the soldering between two vital 'superconducting magnets'. 53 superconducting magnets had to be replaced at a cost of £24 million.

However CERN, including the ALICE group from Birmingham, remain confident the experiment will be a great success.

Speaker highlights the impact of student support for workers' rights Helen Crane A WOMAN who lost her job after attempting to improve worker's rights has come to Birmingham to talk about the influence of student activism.

Reyna Martinez worked in the Russell Corporation's Jerzees de Honduras factory in Central America which produced Fruit of the Loom clothing. She suffered poor working conditions such as verbal and physical abuse and being forced to work during illness. Ms. Martinez decided to form a union.

She said: 'I wanted to gain respect for workers and to battle against numerous mistreatments.

All [the factory owners] cared about was profit.'

However, these attempts were met with condemnation.

Ms. Martinez and others received abuse and death threats.

The factory was closed without warning a year ago leaving 1200 workers

unemployed.

Reports from the Worker's Rights Consortium (WRC) said that the closure was, at least in part, to stop work-

ers organising for fair conditions.

Student interest in the matter came about because Fruit of the Loom

clothing is used for merchandise at many universities.

This included Birmingham before the Guild passed a motion to

Students worldwide protested against Fruit of the Loom. Photo: New York Times

boycott it in March 2009.

However, earlier this term the Guild accidently broke its own motion by ordering a batch of Fruit

of the Loom Fresher's Fest t-shirts.

The Guild cited a 'communication error' as the reason behind the order. Nine UK universities have decided to boycott the products, along with 100 more worldwide.

Student activism group People & Planet encouraged this as part of their protest campaign for Fruit of the Loom to improve and re-open the factory. This week, the company have pledged to re-hire all workers and make steps towards respecting worker's rights to unionise.

Ms. Martinez said: 'Students are the main reason that the factory has been re-opened. Their support is important because they live in the countries where these goods are imported to.'

'Students need to make their universities aware of the conditions under which their garments may be made.'

Local News

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

Robber steals £25,000 on his own street Scott Steinberg A CRIME involving £25,000 and a masked man attacking a security guard was easily resolved as the robber was seen running to his house five doors away from the scene.

Nineteen year old Christopher Walker, who was recently made unemployed from his job as a council grass cutter, saw a security guard transferring money at 2pm to Lloyds TSB bank in Lea Village and quickly grabbed a stick and pulled his t-shirt over his head.

He then hit the guard on the back of the knee and used his neighbour's house key and proceeded to run to the house, watched by all around the scene.

He hid the money box in the loft. The police quickly rang the doorbell and, perhaps surprised by what he had done, Walker told officers: 'don't put my neighbour's door in, I will tell you where the cash box is.'

Raglan Ashton, defending in court, claimed the recession was the trigger. He said: 'He was not working and he simply had no money'.

Judge De Bertodano replied : 'I accept that you are sorry and that it was not planned. Temptation overcame you'

Nevertheless Walker was given a jail sentence of two and a half years, after pleading guilty to robbery on the 22nd October.

Caught: Christopher Walker. Photo: BirmimghamMail

Lenny Henry made a star Anna Brown IT was announced last week that 51 year-old Lenny Henry will soon be joining the ranks of many of the most famous locals on the city's Walk of Stars.

Most recently, Henry has been winning critical acclaim for his lead role in Shakespeare's Othello, but he has been a household name since appearing on the TV talent show New Faces in 1975.

Since then, he has appeared on screen many times in hit shows such as Tiswas and his own sketch shows.

Other stars on the Walk that stretches down Broad Street include actress Julie Walters, who was born in Smethwick, as well as fellow comedians Frank Skinner and Jasper Carrott, musician Ozzy Osbourne and footballing legends Tony 'Bomber' Brown and Ray Graydon.

There has also been a recent campaign to honour Birmingham-born Cluedo creator Anthony Pratt with a star, however the Civic Society, who decide which celebrities get recognition on the

Walk, decided to put him on a waiting list for 2013.

Speaking of the award, Lenny Henry said: 'I am extremely honoured and humbled to accept my place on the Walk of Stars...my Mom said 'if you're not careful in show business, they'll walk all over you' and she was absolutely right – but in a good way. Thank you Birmingham. I salute you.'

Henry has been married to fellow comedienne Dawn French since 1984 and has an adopted daughter with her.

He also devotes some of his time and money to charity work – such as opening the Lenny Henry Sickle Cell Clinic at King's College Hospital in London. He is also well known for his work with 'Comic Relief'.

The comic, who was born and raised in Dudley, will receive the honour of a place in the Broad Street tribute on December 19th.

This will co-incide with his arrival in Birmingham to headline the Rock With Laughter 09 show at the LG Arena.

Teachers fund Compensation claimed library abroad for birth injuries Anna Brown A VISIT to Sierra Leone by some of Great Barr School's staff has resulted in the only school library in the whole country now being up and running.

Assistant head Daniel Locke-Wheaton visited the war torn nation in 2007 with colleagues Neil Morland and Alex Pearce.

There, he took photographs that comprised the True Colours exhibition at the Art Lounge and Three White Walls gallery in the Mailbox in Birmingham.

Money raised from the sale of the moving humanitarian photographs will go towards the campaign to amass more books for Peninsula School in Waterloo, Sierra Leone.

After discovering the school on their trip, and seeing the dire situation, Great Barr staff collected enough books, desks and other furniture to fill a container and send it abroad. The school have

also collected 150 computers, which have been checked over by Bill Gates' Microsoft, and are ready to send along with an old satellite dish.

Mr Locke-Wheaton said 'The conditions for children out there are pretty bad, with a large percentage of kids unable to get to school.' Sierra Leone has been in the grip of civil war for ten years, is officially the world's poorest country and tops the list for infant mortality. Schools are badly equipped, lacking in technology and are poorly attended.

Jacqui Smith, Labour politician, said of the scheme: 'Donate to Educate has the potential to change lives now. A lot of thought has gone into how the project will work and can grow, for instance by forging links between schools in Sierra Leone and the UK', whilst Microsoft education manager described the campaign as 'fantastic'.

Helen Crane A SOLIHULL woman has this week received approximately £3m in compensation for birth injuries suffered 37 years ago.

Helen Walker was born at the Birmingham Women's Hospital in July 1972, where she suffered brain injuries resulting from an extremely prolonged delivery. This has resulted in Ms. Walker now needing constant care from her parents, Maureen and Michael, with whom she lives in Dorridge.

They began proceedings against the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority ten years ago, and have been awarded the money by means of lifelong periodic payments made directly to Ms. Walker.

These payments will go towards costs such as attending day centres and providing the essential specialist care which Ms. Walker needs on a daily basis.

The money will also be used to finance various pieces of special equipment which will make life easier for both Ms. Walker and her parents.

Her parents are also hoping that the money will make sure that their daughter is taken care of when they are no longer there to look after her.

The West Midlands S t ra t e g i c Health Authority's counsel, Terence Coghlan QC, said that it greatly regretted the negligence which was admitted to Ms. Walker and that they wished the family well for the future.

Ms. Walker's solicitor, Tom Cook, said: 'Helen is a happy young woman given her circumstances, and her family love her and look after her very well.'

'She attends a day centre, but specialist care of the kind she needs and which might make a difference to her quality of life is extremely expensive.'

'Accordingly, the award is mainly to be

paid in annual instalments for the rest of her life. Its actual value will depend on how long she lives but her support needs should be met in the meantime.'

Compensation claims such as this are normally made whilst the injured party is a child. However, Mr. and Mrs. Walker have said that they were not aware that they could make a claim until more recently.

Mr. Cook added that: 'The commonly publicised time limit for bringing any sort of injury claim in the UK is three years, but where the injured party was a child who as a result of their injury does not have mental capacity then there is no time limit.'

'They realised it was a lengthy process and it has been a very anxious time for them, particularly during recent negotiations.'

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Other news Scott Steinberg NEW STREET REDEVELOPMENT

INSTEAD of the £600 million planned improvements to New Street Station, it has come to air that stainless steel and glass will cover the current concrete walls and light will shine through to the platforms.

This new plan has been put in place to save money and to avoid closing the station at various times causing problems for the thousands that pass through New Street.

There will also be 14 new lifts, 26 escalators and eight entrances to make access and moving around the station easier.

However, there will still be trains queuing and it is unlikely that anything else will be planned in a bid to improve the station.

WORLD CUP BID ELECTIONS ON the 26th of November, eleven pupils of Hodge Hill Primary School and Council and NEC representatives, were sent to Wembley with Birmingham's application to be included in the 12 to 18 stadiums to host the World Cup.

Supporting the bid are well-known characters such as Jasper Carrott, a comedian, Cyrille Regis, an ex-footballer, and Mike Whitby, the council leader.

Simon Topman from Acme Thunderer will present a whistle made in Birmingham for the 1966 World Cup.

The cities will officially be announced on 16th December by Brian Mawhinney who is the Football League chair.

ROADWORKS DISRUPT SELLY OAK ROADWORKS on the A38 Bristol Road and Vincent Drive will begin around campus soon and are expected to last for at least 18 months.

Students will be given as much information as possible on the work as the University will be talking with the council getting regular updates on the situation...

A map has been posted on the following website if you want to know further details on the work taking place. Visit http://www.bham.ac.uk/ visitors.shtml.

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

Online rating for lecturers?

Jack Davis IF the Conservatives were to form the next Government, one of the new measures that would be introduced would be to allow university students to rate their lecturers online.

A Government sponsored website will be created aimed at giving applicants a better insight into the courses on offer.

The website is being worked on by Microsoft in conjunction with Shadow Secretary of State for Universities and Skills, David Willets.

It would ask final year undergraduates to rate the quality of the teaching on their course, allowing them the freedom to express honest opinions of the teaching standards, and the quality of feedback on their work.

Currently there are websites in existence in which students can express opinions, but these are unofficial and not supervised by the Government.

In the past, sites such as ratemyprofessors.com

have outraged lecturers unions for publishing intrusive or rude posts.

They have also had their professionalism called into question for including ratings for such aspects of lecturers as 'hotness', as well as helpfulness and clarity.

Shadow Universities Secretary David Willets said: 'Some of the posts can be quite unpleasant and intrusive, but my view is that we need more places for this kind of information in a way that is properly monitored.'

Comments on lecturers on the website ranged from 'A bit of a legend' to 'This woman is a total jerk.'

The website would build upon the current National Student Survey, but it would also provide more detail than is currently published by universities about graduate employment levels and starting salaries. At the moment these statistics are released only nationally by subject or by university.

National and Campus News

Disabled students struggle as student loans remain unpaid Catrin Shi ONLY one in five disabled students has the received the essential funding needed to pay for specialist equipment and helpers at university due to delays with the Student Loans Company (SLC), it emerged last week.

More than 12,000 disabled students have been left without the necessary funding to lead a comfortable university life. Only 20 per cent of applicants for the Disabled Student Allowance have been cleared to receive the money that pays for specialist equipment or assistants, leaving many struggling not to drop out. Campaigners claim that progress is so slow that it would take 75 weeks for the backlog of applications to clear.

Official figures revealed that tens of millions of pounds in grants and loans are still unallocated two months into term. Thousands of students have received none or only part of their loan after the crisis caused widespread delays, lost

documents and jammed phone helplines.

Government statistics released last Wednesday show that the SLC has distributed £43m less in funding than last year, despite the increase in student numbers over the past 12 months. As a result of these findings, the Government has demanded an official inquiry, which is expected to report before Christmas.

Wes Streeting, NUS President, commented: 'This is a staggering amount of money and reveals how big the problem is. Students cannot get by without that money.

It’s disgraceful that so many disabled students are waiting for their allowances.'

Around £90m is allocated by the Government to disabled students every year. This year, the SLC took over the processing of applications, which are complex and often require medical evidence to determine. Figures obtained by the SLC from the National Association of Disability Practitioners show that by last week only 3,294 out

Santas appear early on campus to raise money for charity Nick Petrie WEDNESDAY saw the first ever Acorns Santa Run on the University of Birmingham campus. At 2pm staff and students gathered dressed in full santa suits at the Clock Tower for a quick warm up to ensure there would be no injuries during the 3k fun run.

After being taken through a brief but thorough warm up routine they moved to the start line, ready for a welcome from Acorns and the official start of the run. As well as the Acorns organisers, Emma Packham, Vice President of Student Activites and Development, said a few words to the runners before they set off.

Over 100 'santas' took part, raising well over £1000 for Acorns. Money that is very badly needed to help ensure that they can continue to care for life-limited children. The event was organised in association with the Guild's Carnival Rag society, who were clearly noticeable around campus in blue santa suits; ready to steward the willing runners. Although the

route was short, the runners were looking tired come the end of the race.

Yet, they could all be proud of what they have achieved for charity.

Acorns run three children's hospices that cater to life-limited children in the West Midlands area.

One of them is here in Selly Oak and they are impressed with the level of student participation in their fundraising events so far this year.

Organisers have indicated just how much these events matter and how much of an impact they have on the range and reach of the care that Acorns is able to provide.

There has been a fair amount of coverage of Acorns in the local press recently. With the larger fun run they put on each year taking place in October, which also included a 5k road race.

For more information on what Acorns do, or for how to get involved further, check out their website at www.acorns.org. uk. One of the most valuable things people can contribute is their time and imagination, so please don't be afraid to get in touch.

of 15,371 applications have been fully processed.

A statement issued by the SLC apologising to affected disabled students said: 'We recognise that

the work is more complex than general loan application processing, and so over the last two months we have doubled the size of the team working on the cases.'

Photo: Mike Roberts

Oxford college goes Potty Helen Clough

The winner of the Acorns Santa Run Photo: Harvey Mckeon

6

THE Junior Common Room (JCR) of one of Oxford University's most prestigious colleges, Magdalen College, has passed a motion this week to change its name to Gryffindor.

From now on, all official documents will use this name and there have been jokes about getting the college President, Professor David Clary, to change his name to Albus Dumbledore.

JCR President, Laurence Mills, has even contacted St Hugh's, Christ Church and Merton colleges asking them to rename their JCR's Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Ravenclaw respectively.

The respective colleges all seemed to welcome the idea.

This has caused a great deal of controversy amongst the other colleges.

Merton college was ranked only 2nd in the Norrington Table, which is the college league table, and their proposed name, Ravenclaw, is supposed to be the house of the very brightest students at Hogwarts , according to

the popular books.

Jason Keen, President of St John's college, which is currently ranked first in the league table, was aggravated by this news, saying 'Ravenclaw is famous for being the cleverest house, so to recognise Merton just flies in the face of fact.'

The name change was proposed by a Magdalen College third year and only six people voted against the motion.being put into place.

Everyone present at the vote acknowledged, unsurprisingly, that 'Magdalen College embodies the values of courage, daring, nerve and chivalry', the qualities Gryffindor house embodies in the seven novels.'

It has also been considered whether a version of the sorting hat, which allocates first-years to their Hogwarts houses in the films, should be used in the notoriously competitive interview process students have to get through to enter the university.

Sadly, however, this proposal was thought to be too difficult to impose.

8 Comment & Features

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

Feature:

In Brief:

End of a decade

Is complaining too easy?

Tom Lane reviews the highs and lows of 2000 - 2010

Amy Fitzpatrick Sunehri Malik

IT has been a little remarked upon fact that there are now just a few weeks until the end of this decade. The complete lack of media coverage and general sentimentality is almost unnerving, although an understandable hangover effect from the last big milestone is

risk of having their limbs blown off by religious fanatics whenever they venture outside. The enduring political debate of our age has been on the connected issues of civil liberties and national security. With passing years, hawkish attitudes have declined, but reactionar-

The new Mason Halls Photo: Rob Senior certainly in evidence. In stark contrast to the outpouring of excitement and emotion that gripped society on the eve of the millennium, the only vague point of interest this time appears to be whether Cliff Richard can release a chart-topper before Christmas to maintain his unique record of having had a number one in every decade since singles sales were first documented. At least on this occasion, everyone can be quite sure that at midnight on the 31st December their appliances won't spontaneously combust, aeroplanes aren't going to drop lifelessly from the sky, and world peace is highly unlikely to break out under a tidal wave of international goodwill and ruinously expensive fireworks displays. Perhaps there is a slight sense of retrospective embarrassment regarding the millennium fervour, and a recognition that nothing achieved since is worthy of much commemoration – but have we really been living in such dire times?

Yes, you could argue we have. The last ten years have been dogged by two disastrous foreign wars, an economic collapse and the idiotic perception of large swathes of the population that they run the

ies have left a real stamp on the decade: Guantanamo, water-boarding and internment without trial.

When terrorism has been off the agenda, the public have had any number of other moral panics to enjoy – knife crime, house prices, online videos of people fatally impaling themselves on the anatomy of a horse, and so on.

But good things have happened too. It is hardly exaggeration to speak of

would be unrecognisable to past residents. Remarkably, in 1999 they were all strictly gender segregated – a divide that continued until the merger of Lake and Wyddrington into new halls called Shackleton.

Thereafter, the old monstrosities of Chamberlain and Mason have been lost, and new residences have appeared around the Vale.

The university has also undergone broad structural changes, and as of 2002 students have been able to shake hands upon graduation with a chocolate tycoon instead of an ex-civil servant called Sir Alex Jarratt.

The key issue nationally has of course been the tuition fees reform.

Top-up fees were implemented, as we are all too aware, in 2006, after being passed into law in 2004. They have roughly trebled the amount of debt accrued by English students. The debate in parliament was the closest of Tony Blair's premiership; his Higher Education Act passed by a mere four votes. It is a forgotten nugget of history that the motion would have lost comfortably without the support of forty-seven Labour MPs in Scotland, where the legislation is not binding.

It must be said, however, that top-up fees have had scant impact on the fabric of student life.

Ever-increasing numbers of teenagers are applying for courses, even in the face of such expense, and the culture of fun surrounding most universities remains as strong as ever. The prospect of burdensome repayments

'Top-up fees have had scant impact on the fabric of student life' a cultural revolution. Ten years ago, the implications of an internet-connected world were only beginning to be understood. The explosion of available information has been astonishing, and its effect on our daily lives almost entirely wonderful. Everyday, boundaries are broken down to make the world a smaller place, and a massive range of conveniences are enjoyed by millions.

What of the changes in our universities during the 00s? Birmingham has probably seen more than most. Our student halls

have not forced us to take our lives more seriously, and for this we should give ourselves a good pat on the back.

All there is for us to do now is relax, enjoy the final weeks of the Noughties, and wait to see how Cliff Richard tries to keep that record intact.

What will it be this time – images of earthquake victims, the book of Genesis sung to the tune of Unchained Melody, or a duet with Tim Henman?

In any case, it will be interesting.

DOESN'T it feel like absolutely anything these days is complained about? It seems as though people are complaining not so much for change, but more to rant about their opinion. Isn't that what Speaker's Corner is for?

Take the example of Adam Lambert, runner up on the TV show American Idol, who shocked the nation by kissing another man on stage. This act sparked over 1,500 complaints to CNN. Although some closed-minded people were offended by this,

it was not a matter of censorship as they did nothing legally wrong. Would anybody have complained if he had been kissing a woman? The point is that these complainants were hardly going to get

1500 People complained

about Adam Lambert

anything changed regarding what is shown, so it seems as though they were just doing it to vent.

Complaints in general have become far too common. Whilst we agree that Jonathon Ross and Rus-

sell Brand in the 'Sachsgate' scandal, were in the wrong, the ridiculous thing is that more people complained having heard it retrospectively. Everybody just seems to want their two-pence worth.

It seems as though we can't just keep our opinions to ourselves. Unless the complaint is about an actual legal issue, does Ofcom really care what you think about the antics of the latest Big Brother contestants? If you're really that offended, just simply reach for your remote.

Should we be paid to recycle?

Benjamin Wilkins RECYCLING is a buzzword amongst politicians. It's a sensible move to demonstrate your party's willingness to 'go green'; recycling is practically everywhere. The 2012 Olympics are paying as much attention to the recyclability of their building materials as to their building budget.

The UK's greenest electricity company, Ecotricity, will convert British household food waste into clean gas.

Walk outside into the right street on the right day and you will find recycle bins for old clothes, glasses, and household boxes filled with cardboard and tin cans for

the green trucks to take away.

In the run-up to the elections, the Tories have proposed financial incentives for recycling.

George Osborne, Conservative Shadow Chancellor, criticised Labour by claiming they would prefer green tax policy; the Conservatives, however, advocate the rewards system, since 'carrots work better than sticks'. Those registered online for recycle bins are guaranteed to receive £130 a year . . . in shopping vouchers. It's also one of many promises – to reduce government emissions by 10% in 12 months, to publish Whitehall emissions rates online, to create a green 'investment bank' etc.

It's a rosy picture but, as with all roses, the

thorns lurk just below.

The incentive isn't spectacular – £130 in shopping vouchers a year seems trifling. Unscrupulous neighbours might pinch each others' bottles and papers and pass it off

123,572 tons

of waste recycled in Birmingham in 2008 as their own on collection day. People are not likely to pay attention, anyway – most people have never seen true landfills except on a television screen.

And, well, they're politicians – the only cycles in the Tories' policies are the ones they ride into the Commons, right?

Online this week The Student Trader - Part 3: What to look for in a company The next instalment from Mark Rogers' online stocks and shares column How to tell the truth about climate change Maud Wendling tackles the sceptics' views Have explicit music videos become the norm?

Jo Amaning wonders about therir influence on young people How to live to be 100 New alternatives discovered by scientists are considered by Simon Bishop MENS Society at the University of Manchester Why shouldn't there be male-only societies? asks Samina Amin Winter holiday insurance Why students should think twice before skiing and snowboarding holidays, by Stephanie Kleynhans

www.redbrickonline.co.uk

9 Comment & Features

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

More than a game?

Martin Theaker takes a look at the difficult relationship between sport and politics THE late, great, Bill Shankly once commented that 'football isn't a matter of life and death.' Without a trace of irony, he added, 'it's much more important than that.' The question of how seriously people should take sport is not new, and the connection between sport and politics in particular has always been strong. The International Olympic Committee has long taken the view that exercising national rivalries through sport is a lot more constructive than the military alternative. In fact a lot of sports, especially full-contact team events, are basically a form of organised warfare which involve using controlled violence to invade your opponent's territory. Of course, some teams choose to employ violence to a greater degree, as any Millwall fan will tell you.

It's probably inevitable that some sporting events will take on a political importance because of their timing, like Hitler's Berlin Olympics of 1936, or Maradona's 'Hand of God' which was all the more significant given that it came barely three years after the Falklands War. However, this is not to say that this doesn't

'Keep the arguments on the pitch': relations are at stake Photo: Tom Flathers still go on. Last week's football fiasco between France and Ireland took on a semi-farcical quality after the Irish government appealed directly to Nicholas Sarkozy to have the match replayed before the Irish FA even had a chance to react. Many sporting events in the UK also have an agenda behind them, from 'friendly' inter-city rivalries up to conflicts between teams with genuine religious and cultural differences. So, the question is, if sport and politics are irreversibly linked, at

what point does the marriage become destructive?

Politics can have a beneficial role in sport, and it's important to remember how far we've come. The infiltration of the far-right onto the terraces during the Thatcher era has been successfully reversed and schemes such as 'Kick Racism out of Football' have done a lot to reclaim the people's game for the people. Government funding schemes can be used to promote activities in schools and local clubs, which is ob-

viously great in an age where food and exercise are playing a greater role in people's lives. One of the main functions of sport is to build international relations and encourage co-operation.

Despite inevitably being a political exercise, the idea can work within communities too. For example, a recent initiative in New York saw policemen donning bat and gloves to play cricket and reach out to local Middle-Eastern communities. This has got to be better than the scenes of Parisian police crushing a 'riot' by Algerians celebrating their team's success, a reaction which was arguably more about lack of immigrant integration than any real security issue. Sport was also an instrument of positive political change during the seventies and eighties, when the apartheid regime in South Africa was banned from sporting events as a means of forcing the white minority government into negotiation.

Having said that, the relationship does seem to be a bit one-sided, because there have been miraculously few incidents of sportsmen going into politics. Let's face

it; you're unlikely to see your average Premiership footballer launching into a critique of market capitalism. In fact, most postmatch interviews seem to render them incapable of explaining very much at all. But maybe that's the best way to run the thing: the politicians can provide the structures and funding to enable the sportsmen -and women – to 'just get on with it' and provide role models for kids.

In short, you can't say that politics doesn't impact sport. Look at the way Israel is placed in European groups for qualifying tournaments while all her neighbours play in Asia to avoid security night-

they represent. Competitive games at least represent a constructive method of communication and interaction which can be carried out in an air of security, which is more than can be said for political bickering. It has often been the case that when diplomatic relations break down, sport continues to let people know that it is still possible to reconcile differences. Just look at North Korea, who have managed to qualify for next year's World Cup despite being the black sheep of the international community. There's no doubt that politicians can influence our national pastimes for the better. But,

'France and Ireland took on a semifarcical quality after the Irish Government appealed directly to Nicholas Sarkozy to have the match replayed' mares. Decisions taken by governments can impact on the way people enjoy these events, either negatively or positively. Even so, it is unfair to ask sport to relieve social tensions when teams are often a microcosm of the society

if we could just remember to keep sport about team achievement rather than petty squabbles, the arguments could be kept on the pitch.

Stateside studies Why are British students leaving for American universities? Edwina Moorhouse considers the finances IT seems that every year newspapers across the board are reporting on a greater influx of British students into American universities. This begs the question, what is the appeal? Here in Britain we have a wide spectrum of universities, with a degree choice for everyone and Government funding, but perhaps these words looking good on paper is no longer satisfying everyone and now is the time to seek alternatives.

The Daily Telegraph recently quoted statistics that show a 4 per cent increase in the number of British students moving to the U.S (about 8,700 in total), comprising of undergraduates and students seeking nondegree programmes like placements and visiting schemes. This increase has been relatively gradual up until recent years, where it has been increasing by at least 2 per cent since 2006. Some people have suggested the growing amounts of British students began with the lifting of Visa restrictions a few years ago, but since then we can attribute it to

Uni in the States: a great escape Photo: Lucy Percival far more factors.

When students consider American universities, their first thought is usually towards finance and the high cost of being an international student.

It is estimated that each year at an Ivy League university will set a student back around £23,000, whereas UK universities cannot charge more than a maximum of £3,225

for tuition fees. If British students were to apply to a standard good state accredited university (not the popular Ivy League, New York or San Francisco institutions) the fee is considerably less at £10,000 to £20,000.

Looking into the financial aid provided, the boundaries that restrict British families from receiving grants are tighter.

A British family's net income needs to be £23,660 to receive the maximum £2906 grant but this does not cover everything, whereas in going to an American university the net income has to be £32,000 or less to receive everything paid for. Furthermore financial aid in the UK stops at £35,160 but at around £64,000 for students going to America – aid is available to students from many walks of life. In addition to this, you are free from being prejudiced against because of your school or area; admissions officers care little for your educational background.

Finally, their universities also provide very generous bursaries that aren't

available here, and many scholarships, particularly for sport.

The concerns over money are particularly relevant considering the Government's proposals to raise tuition fees to £7,000 per year. For £10,000 you could go to a good American state university, or for a similar price a low league British university; correct me if I'm wrong but that's not the toughest of financial choices.

Due to their reliance on student funding, unlike our partial state funding, perhaps they are more attentive to student needs with more contact hours and good facilities.

For students who are unsure about what degree they want to do, their system is ideal because you don't choose what you will major in until your second year, unlike the three year specialisation in Britain. As a humanities student I would do a year of 'liberal arts' before deciding which direction to go in. First year students frequently change their course after a year or sooner; same needs, dif-

ferent system?

If I am free to speculate on the 4 per cent rise, look at the role of popular culture and the media.

With Obama as President, anti-Americanism has been waning and people have once again become keen to get involved in such a change of the times. Also, films and television shows are full of students going to beautiful redbrick universities and having 'like, the best time, like ever' – look no further than Gossip Girl or The O.C. In our slowly worsening economic situation as both students and common citizens, people want to experience something better.

Although I would not necessarily consider doing my degree there, I can understand a lot better why other students would. Despite every week there being posters around campus declaring the plans to raise hall fees, tuition fees and close departments, I still love being a student at a British university for a million reasons.

10 Comment & Features

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

When in Amsterdam...

Preconceptions of student vulgarity on halls trips abroad are unfounded, Victoria Bull discovered EVERY first year loves their halls of residence.

And every first year, I'm pretty sure, loves partying. So it's no surprise that, this month, hundreds of us leapt at the chance to combine our favourite freshers' pastimes in one of Europe's most notorious party capitals – Amsterdam. Birmingham's Residence Associations regularly run trips to a wide variety of destinations, including this notorious Dutch city.

You only have to mention 'the Dam' to the average fresher and images of marijuana, sex shops and prostitutes begin to dance in Tom and Jerry-style stars around our heads; it is, of course, what many people visit the city for.

I will point out now that I am one of those said freshers. Not only, in fact, did I reach straight for my Visa card and book a place on this year's Maple Bank trip, but I have also visited Amsterdam once before. At the age of 18 this may seem a little unusual – particularly if you haven't yet managed to shake that little halo of debauched stars away from your head. But both times I have returned and actually surprised people

Amsterdam has spectacular architecture, not just dingy coffee shops Photo: Mike Roberts by how relatively 'tame' my experiences were (this extended as far as having to explain to my extremely liberal stepmother the reasons why I didn't smoke any weed there) Is it too hard to believe that you can have a good time in 'that place' without spending every minute stoned and in a room whose window is suspiciously framed in neon red strip-lights?

Okay, so chances are

most of us Maple Bankers, and the other students from different halls who went this year, didn't actually sleep with a prostitute – or at least I'd hope not. As I've already said, I'd been to Amsterdam before, so I knew firsthand that it's a beautiful, interesting and culturally astounding place to visit.

But the worrying thought is that, to some students, this may have seemed the ample opportunity to

get high and wreak havoc in Holland. There are, of course, the unavoidable rumours of scandalous behaviour on previous years' trips, and, with recent news stories about students drinking to excess – most recently the controversies surrounding this year's Carnage UK pub crawls, and the Sun-dubbed 'lout' who, er, 'relieved himself' on a war monument after heavily drinking – I considered whether being a part of this trip was going to make me or my friends another embarrassing statistic.

Whilst we were not exactly beacons of moral decency – I mean come on, free shots in every bar? Find me a student who'd say no – we weren't the brawling, sprawling, vomming messes you hear about in the press, either. Some of us were actually quite the opposite, and made the most of our trip by getting up at the crack of midday (okay, it had been a long night) and going on a quite amazing walking tour of Amsterdam's historical highlights. Led by an apparently hung-over but incredibly enthusiastic New Zealander, we

trawled for almost four hours learning about the weird, wonderful and often woeful stories of a city nobody thinks of as being one of the first republics, the centre of 19th century overseas trade and the lesser-known sufferer of the Second World War. What also surprised me was the respectful way in which most people on

Vice President of Housing and Community, Ed Sparkes, assured Redbrick that 'all trips must be risk assessed and undergo a financial approval before myself and Student Development approve their go-ahead', and so I feel a certain sense of pride in the fact that, yes, there are so many students who let the side down and give

'Whilst not exactly beacons of moral decency, we weren't sprawling messes either' the trip acted both on the insanely long coach journeys (I for one welcomed the 15 showings of The O.C; some of the guys, not so much) and in our hostel, throughout the trip.

In fact, I would go as far as to say I was impressed with Maple Bank; whilst many of us may have succumbed ever so slightly to those revolving stars (a little debauchery never harmed anyone, right?), we all acted as responsibly as is humanly possible in the 'Dam. The Guild of Students'

universities a bad name, but thankfully there are few of them in ours.

So maybe some of us did take a stroll or three down the Red Light District for a laugh, and maybe those weren't just ordinary brownies, and yes, maybe we did shell out €10 for ten Jäger shots, but perhaps they should just change the old adage: 'When in Amsterdam…'

Red Tops, Red Flagged Robyn Harvey discusses why complaints are increasing and if standards are falling for tabloid papers NEWS International is allegedly shelling out over £1 million in legal bills on behalf of the News of the World because of claims of staff bullying and illegal phone hacking.

The Sun is coming under scrutiny from its readers for supposedly using the bereavement of a mother and the disability of Gordon Brown to turn people away from him. One only has to look at the huge list

ported to the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) than broadsheets. If we take a look at the amount of complaints on record about the Guardian and the Telegraph (105 and 93 respectively) we can see that they almost pale in comparison to complaints about the News of the World and The Sun (199 and 271). So why are tabloids more willing to take the risk of losing readers,

'Why are tabloids more willing to take the risk of losing readers, breaching codes of practise and sometimes even breaking the law to get the story?' of complaints on the PCC website to understand that this is the reality of tabloid newspapers today. It therefore begs the question: how far will the tabloids go and who will suffer in their attempts to acquire readership?

Tabloids do seem to get more complaints re-

breaching codes of practise and sometimes even breaking the law to get the story?

One of the reasons could be money. Tabloids, especially those owned by Rupert Murdoch's News International, have the ability to pay up if their practices are condemned

by law. Recently News International had to pay out £400,000 to keep the chief executive of the Professional Footballers Association, Gordon Taylor quiet after he threatened to sue over allegations of the News of the World's involvement in intercepting messages left on his phone.

In addition to that, just last week a former sports reporter for the News of the World was awarded nearly £800,000 in compensation for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination. This apparently began when the reporter in question, Matt Driscoll, failed to stand up to a tip-off that Arsenal were to be playing a match in purple shirts.

This could be another reason why standards are so low: pressure on reporters to perform, even if they don't have all the facts. After all, if the result of missing a tip-off about a certain football team's shirt colour is unfair treatment and dismissal, who knows what the penalty for missing more important stories is?

Another factor for

tabloids to face is what their political stance is and making sure that they scrutinise the opposition. The Sun came under heavy criticism a few weeks ago for condemning PM Gordon Brown for misspellings he made and the general untidiness of a letter of condolence to the mother of a soldier who died in Afghanistan. The Sun complained that this was disrespectful and a disgrace to the memory of this soldier, failing to take into account that Brown is blind in one eye, with only partial sight in the other and therefore his writing is not up to a high standard. Many saw this as using his disability, along with the bereavement of the mother, to launch a hate campaign against the PM, possibly coinciding with the newspaper's political allegiance changing from Labour to Conservative.

It seems unbelievable that tactics such as this and others mentioned can be allowed, but a lot of the time tabloids seem to use the defence that these sorts of stories are 'in the public's interest'.

Although this could be the case, it would seem that any story in the public's interest would clearly state all the facts, rather than taking them out of context.

But enemies make for good news and the more outrageous the story, the more readers it draws in.

There's a certain amount of personal, as well as corporate, responsibility to be taken into account. If we stopped reading these

sensationalist stories and demanded news with less of a focus on demonisation, the newspapers would have to oblige. Perhaps then, there wouldn't be scores of people who have been made to look bad in the tabloids due to misinformation, and there wouldn't be so much pressure on reporters, such as Matt Driscoll, with such harsh punishment for failure.

Tabloids are repeatedly breaking moral codes of conduct on stories Photo: Mike Roberts

Music

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th December 2009 WELCOME TO THE FINAL ISSUE OF 2009.

Alex Spencer Erica Anne Vernon HOLLA! Christmas is coming but, more importantly, it's the end of a decade. Got that heading-towards-2012-apocalypse angst? We're here to solve it for you.

First, a beautiful Flaming Lips interview (check out the sexy colour pictures). For a longer version of our chats with the Mssrs. Coyne, and a wider selection of those pretty gig photos, go to redbrickonline.co.uk Next up, the exciting culmination of our Top 40 Albums of the 21st Century, starting below and running through from #10 to #6. For the final 5 (all the way to the much-anticipated #1), turn to page 13.

Meanwhile, for those of you without enough of an attention span for full albums, we've got a one-hour rundown of this year's best (or at least, biggest) singles. To listen along at home, there's a Spotify playlist of the tracks at bit.ly/8iDcf8 for your enjoyment.

Have a very Merry Christmas, and think of us when you get the inevitable present of rubbish CDs. We'll see you in 2010.

BLACK EYED PEAS – BOOM BOOM POW Shameful; guilty of a lot of the the year's worst musical crimes; contains the lyric "I'm so 3008, you so 200-late" despite coming out in 2009. But – best pop catchphrase of the year.

Right? Right.

CASCADA – EVACUATE THE DANCEFLOOR A brilliant tune from the ever shit-pop Cascada.

Although despite having danced to it numerous time (in exclusive clubs such as Select'n'Save), I still can't really make out the lyrics. Evaluate the dancefloor?

DIZZEE RASCAL – DIRTEE CASH Yeah, it's not Bonkers (overplayed) or Holiday (failed single pushed until people believed they must like it). There's a little something more to Dirtee Cash; the playful Rascal of old striking out at the world at a speed that mean you don't notice. And that title can be only be a dig at the haters.

The Top 40 Best Albums of The 21st Century: #10 – 6 8

Arctic Monkeys Whatever you say I am... 2006

Amy Sumner 'ANTICIPATION has a habit to set you up / for disappointment' surmises Alex Turner on The View

From The Afternoon. The hype surrounding the release of Arctic Monkeys' debut had critics queuing up to watch them crash and burn. Yet, amazingly, they delivered.

Whatever... is a modern masterpiece, Turner's shrewd observation and wit delivered through John Cooper-Clarke-esque rhythm. The indie kid's wet dream. Except it appeals across the genres.

From pulling, to lamenting lost excitement, to throwing down some darn good shapes, Whatever... is so good that they can be forgiven for that third album. Maybe.

SHAKIRA – SHE-WOLF Like the stereotypical pop-female she is, Shakira sings about sex. But, damn, does she do it well.

Managing the genuine feat of sounding like a pop song from the future, She-Wolf mixes high-end modern pop, the sounds of Crystal Castles, The Knife, and pure undiluted insanity. It's genuinely deranged; a release of all the stuff the song talks about - that repressed sex and animalism. The kind of song which makes me want to talk about catharsis, computer glitches and tearing at my clothes.

2009 IN...

BRITNEY SPEARS – 3 Pop so sugary that it's unquestionably 500%+ of my RDA. An instant hit – the load synthy outburts lodged deep into the grey squiggles of my brain.

Britney compels you over to the dark side, 'living in sin is the new thing'. Fo sho.

60 MINUTES

EMPIRE OF THE SUN – WALKING ON A DREAM Blissed-out, just on the populist side of the psychedelic borderline, as dreamy as the title suggests. The song feels like a lucky coincidence, that it couldn't have come together any other way without falling apart and being rubbish. But isn't that line what pop is all about?

KID CUDI VS. CROOKERS – DAY 'N' NITE (REMIX) Perfectly generic, but so wonderfully competent.

Catchy chorus, interestingly original use of sound and a puzzling incorporation of alarms. Also, a video with girls' clothes coming off. Because the genre demands it!

10

Incubus Morning View 2001

Aisling Marks MORE chilled and infinitely more mature than its forerunner, Incubus' fourth studio album

7

Tool Lateralus 2001

Aisling Marks ONE of the most complex and progressive albums of Tool's back-catalogue, and certainly not easy-

LA ROUX – BULLETPROOF For the few memory-impaired readers who don't recall, Elly Jackson left the world of obscurity and guilty indie-crush for big fame with In For The Kill.

It killed La Roux's cred a bit. Bulletproof is the unexpected not-quite-overplayed hit. And at least she isn't Littleboots.

LILY ALLEN – THE FEAR Lily Allen makes a comeback with this wonderfully cutting song, catchy with just-clever-enough lyrics, then produces a mediocre album. Standard. Thanks, Lily!

LADY GAGA – PAPARAZZI Definitely my favourite dish of all the songs served should be in your music collection. The overall sound is softer than what is displayed on, say, Fungus Amongus, but songs such as Circles and Blood on the Ground still use Incubus' trademark heavy blurred riffs.

Wish You Were Here, Just a Phase and 11am are quality tunes, however, and showcase a languid, albeit up-lifting, side to Incubus that was mostly absent from previous albums. Featuring complex song structures and Brandon Boyd's genius lyrics, it's one of those records that can be listened to indefinitely. listening. But give this amazing record your time and attention and soon enough its brilliance will unfold.

It opens with a menacing groove on The Grudge and progresses into a slow, cleverly arranged array of tracks. The best by far is the title track, Lateralus, which incorpotates the mathematical Fibonacci sequence.

Don't let this put you off, though. While showing off their ostentatious musical expertise, Tool keep the album tribal, and at times even ambient. No more needs to be said – this album is genius.

in the musical banquet that is The Fame. Surely I can mention the accompanying video, safely assuming the majority of student have seen it? It's a masterpiece of its own. A mini-story mixing the best of the best: fashion, pop, sex, poison and murder.

Lady Gaga has absolutely owned the charts this year. Hail the new Princess of Pop! PRODIGY – WARRIOR'S DANCE 'The dancefloor/You and me, 'cause that's what it is for', indeed. Over the course of 4 minutes, a standard dance song is twisted into a full-blown Prodigy anthem. Somewhere between the two, a good song is created.

9

Muse Origin of Symmetry 2001

Ellen Tout AN undeniably incredible live band, Muse deserve recognition in this list for that alone.

6

11

Alkaline Trio Crimson 2005

Charlie Bailey PUNK riffs? Check. Emotive lyrics about misanthropy and screwball love? Check.

TINCHY STRYDER (FT. NDUBZ) – NUMBER 1 Self-fulfilling prophecy.

The Tinchy one takes a lot of the campy fun out of Dappy & co. But, at that cost, comes a more focused, ass-shakeable version of the N-Dubz hit machine.

THE LONELY ISLAND (FT. T-PAIN) – ON A BOAT Pinpoints every cliché in the hyper-macho materialist hip-hop book, whilst managing to still bring TPain on board (yeah, that was a pun.) Bye bye, autotuned R&B, you're now officially irrelevant.

YEAH YEAH YEAHS – ZERO Yeah Yeah Yeahs drop guitars, get synths. It's the normal 3rd album reinvention, right? No. This is amazing, if you disagree, heads will roll.

However, if more proof is needed as to why you should love Muse, then may I recommend Origin Of Symmetry. Their second album, it truly showcased their capabilities and established the distinctive Muse sound. A fusion of piercing vocals, piano melodies and unforgettable guitar riffs.

I can't help but turn up the radio upon hearing those first notes of Plug In Baby. Feeling Good adopts a more tranquil tone, but still manages to entrance listeners. Origin Of Symmetry is an album that will not and should not be forgotten in a hurry.

Reviled beyond their fanbase for inspiring the gothic pretensions of My Chemical Romance, Alkaline Trio seemed a spent force after their epic From Here to Infirmary. But with a single album they became a new and exciting prospect again.

From the opening salvo of Time to Waste to the more sedate Sadie, the record teems with great ideas, great songcraft and above all, great choruses.

Having since listened to their earlier material, I still rate Crimson as the crowning achievement.

This is how emo is meant to sound.

12 Music

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th December 2009

Redbrick Meets... The Flaming Lips

Hoping to milk this for all it's worth – three Redbrick editors Erica Vernon, Alex Spencer and Sam Langtree bounced along to the O2 Academy to meet the great Wayne Coyne On touring: We've been playing since last April. We've not played that many shows, but we're always sorta doing something.

So, y'know, it's a lot. There's a point I think where you get, like, oh we're really good at this, and there's a point where it's, woah, we're just playing all the time. But it's been good.

People seem to really love the new stuff, and we get to do our trip. But today's the very last day. I mean, I say last day, we're gonna play a New Year show and… we never really just tour for a year and then take 3 years off. We're always just kinda playing and recording.

On playing live: For me, I'm not a very good musician so I always feel a bit scared getting up in front of people. I'm just a weirdo doing weird things, y'know? I don't really know if it's any good.

I think people like that junk, and I'm glad they do. But I never feel like it's really a skill. Anyone could get in that space bubble. And maybe that's why people like it – anyone could do it, but I'm the one who does it.

The stage vs. the studio: When we're doing music and stuff, I mean recording, that just feels like you're doing art. I'm more comfortable doing that.

You know, when you're doing a show, there's a lot of things that have to go right. And when you're doing your art in your own space and time, that doesn't all have to go right. There's no-one

paying money, there's noone waiting in the cold.

I really care about the people that are coming to the show and I want it to be as good as it can be but there's a lot of things about it you can't control.

So I stress out about those things. Whereas when I'm doing art, it's just me doing shit, I don't care. It's just me and the guys and it is what it is.

Audience participation: At festivals, obviously, not everyone's there to see us. But they're there 'cause they're ready to rock. And they're usually drunk or on acid or something like that. We do a lot of stuff to get them to react. We shoot confetti and we throw balloons and I'm saying 'c'mon motherfuckers, let's do this'. I think, if you've seen us do a show you kinda know a little bit of what the routine is, or the way our shows go.

If you had never seen us play and you're there with everyone else, I guess it's kind of like going to someone else's church or something. At first you don't know what to do but you just join in with all the stupid shit they do.

The rock concert as an artform: We played some stadium shows with Coldplay at the end of the summer.

80,000 people in this giant stadium, and Chris Martin had everybody get out their cellphones and they would do the wave up and down the lengths of the stadium, and they turn off all the lights so

Photos: Erica Anne Vernon cellphones. And that's not music and I don't know if that's art but it's some kind of extraordinary experience that you can't get unless you have 80,000 people all willing to participate.

A lot of groups, y'know, they come on stage, they play their music, you listen, that's the way it goes. But a lot of groups will get the audience involved so the thing just becomes a bigger collaboration of the two energies or whatever. And I think there are probably some groups that don't feed off of that energy but I know we do. When the audience gives you that love and enthusiasm it just makes us play better.

It has more meaning to it.

Music is magic: I'm not a scientist but I know that your experiences enter into your mind or your consciousness through your eyes and your ears and your senses. And there's a moment there where you do really get to say, ooh, that's cool, I like it and I'm tasting it and I'm feeling it. But then it goes further into your mind and it becomes part of your experiences and mixes with everything else. Music is some sort of mysterious emotional thing. Y'know, you sing songs and even though the song is the same song, it means different things to everybody in the audience and they bring that with them. They bring their own reason why they love this moment.

So, yeah, it's cool.

THEY'RE on tour with the Flaming Lips, they share a similar psychedelic vibe, and, okay, the lead singer Dennis Coyne is Wayne Coyne's nephew.

But Stardeath & White Dwarfs are making it clear that they can be a great band on their own merits.

'We feel like we're a separate band. We know why we're associated. But we don't mind, it doesn't really bother us. We're doing exactly what we wanna do, making the kind of music and doing the kind of shows we wanna do. As long as we're doing that, it doesn't matter to us who we get associated with.

And we love the Flaming Lips, we don't mind people comparing us to them.

It's cool.'

But they're young – a band on their first tour with a record just out. 'It's what we've always wanted to do. I mean we're toured around a bunch with nothing out, ambiguously trav-

elling about. And people'll be like, 'have you got anything we could buy?' And you're like, 'no, we don't have anything, sorry.

We're working on something!' But having your record out, being able to hold it, and give it to people and them say 'oh, I like this, and I don't like this song. It's just awesome.'

As with any band in its early stages, journalists do tend to grab hold of something to mark them apart. In this case, their links to the Lips.

'I know that we are influenced by the Lips.

Not even just because we know them so well.

They've been going on 27 years now. So any time you can be around a band that's been together that long, you can't help but learn from that.

'I think with it being two bands that are as close as the two bands are, I think we're also influenced by some of the

all you can see is 80,000

We also had a lovely chat with Dennis Coyne, from support act Stardeath & White Dwarfs.

Christmas on Mars: I made this movie Christmas on Mars simply because I was around a bunch of people that were making movies and I started to see – oh, well, I see how you could do this. And it gives you ideas and it inspires you and it makes you think of new possibilities. And so, y'know, I say things like, anything is possible. Which is kind of a silly idea. But in art, it really is true.

Music is art: To me art is… it's really all the same. I just look at it as, it's all just dumb art.

If you're an architect or if you're a fashion designer or if you're a tattooist, y'know, there's elements of all that being exactly the same thing. I'm not gonna drop names, but Damien Hirst came to our show the other night.

And when I meet people, whether they're musicians or painters or whatever, everybody's relating to the same thing. You get some fuckin' idea in your mind or some idea gets a hold of you. The torture of doing it – which is a lot of torture – is not as bad as the torture of not doing it. So you do it.

Conceiving Embryonic: I guess it's really all connected – we'd be working on these big dense arrangements, we'd spend a lot of time working on them, and at the very end of that, something would trigger something and we'd just throw away all that shit we'd worked on for a year and go with this other thing. I think that's really what we've learned as we go – that you don't really know why you like something or how you're gonna like something.

The birth of Embryonic: We write songs all the time 'cause we think we're stupid songwriters, you know, but the songs don't always turn into anything.

Sometimes you think you've got the greatest song ever and you go in to record it and, it's not very good. It's not what you think, it's what you do that matters. A lot of times, people think it's the opposite. They'll say, I had this great idea, too bad it turned out like shit.

As if ideas are hard. I'm sure everybody has fuckin' great ideas of how to do things all the time. But doing it is really all that matters.

same things. Some of it, you're trying to sound like Yes or Pink Floyd, or something, and so are they and you end up having a couple of songs that sound alike.'

Having been part of The Flaming Lips road crew a year ago, they're now signed to Warner Bros, who put out their debut album, The Birth, this year. Is there any pressure, being signed to such a huge label?

'No, 'cause it happened so gradually. We started to talk to them and work with them a year and a half before we signed the deal. It wasn't just, like, one day you're not doing anything and the next you wake up and you're signed and they want to put out your record. It was a long process, which probably helped us.'

What are the band listening to? 'Our main influences are probably some of the '70s prog rock, you

know, like Yes and King Crimson. Black Sabbath and stuff like that.'

'At the moment, I know Matt [Duckworth, keyboards] has been listening to Passion Pit a lot.

I like the MGMT record, but everybody likes that, right? It's a great record. I think we all love pop music. I mean, we may not sound like we do, maybe it doesn't bleed into our music, but we like a lot of hip-hop and rap.'

Back on the journalistic clichés: the difficult second album: 'We don't have any concrete plans.

We'll probably start to, get together and start to decide, like, what kind of record are we gonna do: are we going to do the same record or are we gonna try to do something completely different? And we'll probably just start to make songs and let that tell us where we're going.

Let's see what we're interested in in a year.'

Music

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th December 2009

The Top 40 Best Albums of The 21st Century: #05 – 01 5

Radiohead In Rainbows 2007

Sam Langtree COMING completely out of nowhere, the manner in which In Rainbows was released initially appeared to create more hype than the album itself. Appearing for download on the band's webAS far as Albums of the Decade go, they ought to be as inspiring as they are entertaining, and as significant for the artist as they are for its audience.

With both of these being heavy traits of The Arcade Fire's debut, it's unjustifiable and damn surprising that it isn't in the top spot.

In 2005 the impressive septet carved in each of us a newfound respect for Canada's artistic output. Their hybrid of theatrical lyricism, laid bare on a palette of charming instrumentation, effortlessly paints a vivid picture that's difficult not to imagine.

It's safe to say that

1

site just ten days after it was announced, the 'pay-as-much-as-you-like' message made the album iconic almost from the start.

Looking past this, we can see a truly exceptional LP. It manages to connect the intimate melodies of OK Computer with the vast electronic landscapes of Kid A. Right from the off 15 Step with it's staccato beat and eerie half-melody, mixed in with Yorke's typically fey and mysterious lyrics set's the tone for the rest of the album. Once again the band broke the boundaries in both their music and their choice of distribution.

Arcade Fire's power took a hold of many of us, including the takeyour-head-out-of-theclouds-but-don't-putthem-in-each-others-arses U2 and Coldplay. Whilst Bono stole the stomping Wake Up for U2's Vertigo tour, the award for the most overt use of Funeral goes to Chris Martin & co, for turning their earlynoughties-indie Coldplay into the stadium bashing quartet of today with a little (unbeknownst) help from Win Butler & friends.

Quite surprisingly for an album so heavily permeated with the notion of death (note the bloody blatant title) Funeral is

4

Bloc Party Silent Alarm 2005

Matthew Way Innovatively compelling, yet enchanting, Silent Alarm deserves the respect of an album of genius. The term 'masterpiece' has never been so fitting. Running high on emotional declarations and political hammerings, Bloc Party's debut shows off a mixed bag of songs that fit tightly into a truly inspirational album.

As soon as the epic sounding Like Eating Glass opens, it becomes apparent that something special is going to pursue.

A powerful energy and rawness give the band a level of exclusivity over competition, displayed in unshakable crowd favourites Helicopter and Banquet. A softer and more

one of the decade's most life-affirming 45 minutes.

It's one hell of a paradoxical treat.

It has been profoundly publicised that many deaths in the family surrounded the making of this debut, and therefore it appears to have been the band's retreat at a time of sadness. The warmth of their hope infiltrates your mind each and every time you first hear the flooded piano introduction to Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels), or the mystical eastern twang fadeout of In the Backseat. Throughout the journey, you encounter a whole host of energy from the unnerving Neighbourhood #3 (Power

delicate side of the album produces the captivating This Modern Love and So Here We Are. Each song on this album tells a tale, thanks to Kele's characteristic voice, turning out lines of poignant poetry or equally hollering chants of protest. While managing to feel remarkably personal, Silent Alarm has captured the affection of many, as have the band themselves.

The musicianship is something to be admired, as it gave a scene something exciting to rave about, as well as giving a host of music aficionados a new favourite band. Doing an album of this calibre justice is a difficult job and I could babble on for pages in attempted persuasion; therefore, my proposal would be to simply listen, and the music will justify itself.

Out) to the water-wash mellowing Haïti.

Funeral is certainly proving to be a timeless effort, with clear references in more recent releases such as The Maccabee's sophomore album Wall of Arms. Arguably, this is down to Neon Bible collaborator Markus Dravs producing the album but, nevertheless, it goes to show its depth and the pathway it is yet to finish veering down. Funeral is just one of those fascinating albums that will undoubtedly will survive the test of time commercially, whilst still holding on to its cult credentials.

3

Radiohead Kid A 2000

Jessica Reynolds OR, how Radiohead learned to stop worrying and love dance.

In which, the 90s' primary peddlers of premillenial-angst take a step into the fresh millenium, take a look around and think, so people are starting to call OK Computer one of the best albums of all time. So what?

Kid A incorporated electronic synth sounds (anticipating a decade of bands' direction changes) and brass jazz cacophonies. From sparse opener Everything In Its Right Place to the dense mess of Optimistic, the album paints an aural landscape throughout.

2

13

The lyrics are obscure and sometimes throaway – a sign of a band beginning to lean on sounds more than words for meaning. See Idioteque: it's the broken dance beat you'll remember, provoking jerky Thom Yorke-esque moves.

Which puts the album firmly in the domain of sonic wunderkind Jonny Greenwood. Kid A was the first Radiohead album best heard through a sound system rather than headphones.

Looking back, all the talk of Kid A tearing the rulebook in two before disdainfully throwing it in the bin seems a little hyperbolic. Maybe that's just in retrospect, though, given the ten years of music this album has inspired.

The Arcade Fire Funeral 2004

Tom Hewson

The Strokes Is This It 2001 Jessica Reynolds Is This It fought off competition from the best of British and American indie to win the title of NME'S ultimate album of the decade, as decided by an impressive panel of top musicians and critics.

The fashionable New York band shot to fame and commercial success with the release of this, their debut album. The effect of the album was dramatic and instantaneous; critics were pretty much unanimous in their praise of the Manhattan privately-educated artsy types. Leading the garage rock revival of the early '00s, this album has an unusual, yet refreshing,

tinny, archaic sound. Despite advice from producers, the band went ahead and recorded the album in a dingy basement studio in Manhattan's Lower East Side. The low-budget, rebellious method of recording contributes to the album's youthful and inventive feel. Singer Julian Casablancas either casually accompanies the melodic acoustics, or strains emotionally over a mesh of soaring guitars.

The hugely successful single Last Nite has become an anthem, and is testament to the band's creative ability.

The Strokes help pioneer the concept of rock songs that you can dance to. This has led the way for countless commercially-successful

rock bands, bridging the gap between alternative/ indie bands and chart/pop music. Casablancas rather glumly admits his band has helped make 'indie rock' mainstream; 'I think we definitely helped… indie rock become more widespread. I'll agree to that.'

The engaging maleangst of the lyrics, set against a cool sense of complacency are evident in the successful Someday. The song mask its somewhat depressing lyrics like 'promises they break before they are made' is by the casual upbeat melody. Hard to Explain sums up the bands youthful hedonism and pessimism with lines like "I try but you see it's hard

to explain/I say the right things, but act the wrong way". The drawling, unenthusiastic, yet catchy, attitude of the title track sets the tone for the band's 'too cool to care' image.

All of which is heightened by the album's recognisably iconic artistic cover of a naked female model, by photographer Colin Lane. Prestigious director Roman Coppola even directed the album's music videos. Perhaps not surprising for a band whose members' names resemble a list of Italian models.

With Is This It and its follow up albums, The Strokes have, arguably, managed to live up to their arrogant persona and huge hype, emerging as a sellable brand.

14 Editorial

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

REDBRICK EDITORIAL

Please send all letters to letters@redbrickonline.co.uk. Letters/emails for publication must be marked 'for publication' and include your name and course title. Letters without these details will not be published. We reserve the right to edit letters.

Editor's Christmas Day Speech Nick Petrie Christmas is a fantastic time of year and, as always, we have a lot to be thankful for, not just in relation to unfortunate others but by any standard. We are living in a great country, in a great time of our lives, at a great university. Christmas is good in and of itself, but it is best for the spice it adds to the rest of our year.

It is easy to wax lyrical (and entirely unnecessary too, since every time Christmas is mentioned, someone inevitably gets slightly too poetic).

Throughout this term, the winter holidays came closer and closer, the assured reunion of family always approaching. No matter how busy we were, how many weekends we spent away from home, that guarantee of a (at least briefly) happy return always loomed – in the best possible way. Sure, after the third day patience wears thin and you are reminded of why you live with friends now, but that makes you appreciate your term all the more. Relatives' visits are always a welcome respite from the routine that gets everyone getting on.

Christmas is only as good as the runup, and a fond memoriy of years previous, to it is. The magic of Christmas is real just like Father Christmas or Jesus, but that makes no difference. There is no magic, but sometimes, just sometimes, it can feel like there is just a spark of it, and this time of year is one of the best for that feeling. The expectation of working is gone for a little interval, and if you do work, there's something satisfying about chosing to work rather than having to.

There's always food going around that you don't have to prepare and something different from the pesto & spaghetti routine that term so easily settles into. Drink flows freely and, even better for the alcoholics among us, without judgement – having a ten o'clock tipple is just as appropriate after sunrise as it is after dark.

Even each 'bah humbug' is really just adding to the appreciation. Sure, there are annoying parts to the season as a whole – as commonly pointed out, adverts especially – but then, even some adverts are perennial favourites; how many times have you heard that it's not Christmas until the Coca Cola advert comes on? As with everything, the majority is awful, but you can't blame them for trying. And that is essentially what is important, that they do try, even if it is just to suck that money out of your pocket with cheap sentimentalities – isn't there something slightly touching about that, too?

Editor Nick Petrie Deputy Editors Jessica Tarrant Nadine Baldwick Online Editor Pete Blakemore Treasurer Rosie Aggett Pictures Editor Thomas Walters News Editors Ned Murray Natalie Vincent Helen Crane news@redbrickonline.co.uk

Crossword Prize

This is an unashamedly rosy picture painted of Christmas. It's not a quite Disney take on it though; the reservation is there that maybe you don't have a family – or they're kind of horrible, even at special occassions – or some other event overshadows the holiday. But that's fine.

It belongs to this time of year, too.

There's not much appreciation to be had if you don't know about a downside. Your enjoyment depends on your take. Yes, your personal interpretation of life is difficult to change by force of will, but a reflection on things, a change in opinion, a little more knowledge can gradually shift how you feel. That is another side to Christmas, that period without work or real occupation (that perhaps those organising it do not get to enjoy, but that most students are still lucky to have) when contentment is generally high and reflection comes easily: a gradual shift for the happier. When we see our housemates, it's not just a few week's break from each other that restores the easy friendship from the start of term, but also a return to a life philosophy that hasn't been crushed into the ground by eleven weeks of work.

Life is what you make of it. This is an unfortunate tautology, a triviality, but as the surely scrooge Gauss said, the only things that are true are trivial. The point to Christmas is that it helps you enjoy life for the rest of the year.

Pete Blakemore SO the final issue of Redbrick is here and with it the 1st term of the Redbrick revolution has come to an end. It may have been a bloodless coup so far, but with the lights still focused on several companies that Redbrick is determined to shine on this is just a chance to refuel and give a few people a chance to change their ways.

Though my bias towards Redbrick's key success is based entirely online, the relationship between the redbrickonline.co.uk and our weekly issue has been second to none. What allowed Redbrick to bring you the student map of crime in your beloved Selly Oak streets, live coverage of the 1st american football game of the season, xpLosION 09 and endless photos, slideshows & interviews of the Acorns fun run in October has not just been innovation in

Features Editors Laura Hewitt Jude Hill features@redbrickonline.co.uk

Music Editors Erica Vernon Alex Spencer music@redbrickonline.co.uk

Lifestyle Editors Jessica Geary Alex Beard lifestyle@redbrickonline.co.uk

Arts & Culture Editors Jess Kim Sam Langtree arts@redbrickonline.co.uk

Film Editors Alex Jacques Rosie Willmot film@redbrickonline.co.uk

Television Editors Natalie Timmins Matthew Williamson tv@redbrickonline.co.uk

Travel Editors Pete Blakemore James Bunting travel@redbrickonline.co.uk

Sport Editors Tom Clarke Ben Whitelaw Simon Hall sport@redbrickonline.co.uk

For the last issue of term we have a bumper Christmas prize for the crossword winner.

Waterstone's Universisty campus branch have given us two £10 Waterstone's vouchers as well as Dawn French's bestselling book Dear Fatty.

All you have to do to enter is to turn to page 27, complete the crossword and return it to the Redbrick office downstairs in the Guild no later than Tuesday 8th December. We will then email the winner so that they can collect their prize.

If you have any suggestions for books to be given as the crossword prize next semester, please email n. baldwick@redbrickonline.co.uk

the way we work, but many who jumped at the opportunity to embrace the changes.

Though changes are often taken to be negative, the praise for Redbrick has been unbelievable. Taking on what seemed a mammoth task a year ago has been owed entirely to the hardwork & determination of the editors, photographers and writers that serve the student population through the newspaper.

When I considered the position of online editor back in June last year, my thoughts were around how the website could be improved. Thankfully, I didn't stop there. With the almost unrelentless support of Nick Petrie my editorial ideas are not far off taking on every major new corporation in the world. Everything has been considered on at least one occasion.

Having nightmares of being attacked by lifestyle podcasts, Sociology students on a protest breaking down my door and dreams of Stephen fry re-tweeting Redbrick has been plentiful, but we carCrossword Editor Sephron Mansell Chief Photographer Tom Flathers t.flathers@redbrickonline.co.uk Editorial Assistants Natasha Williams Anna Reynolds Victoria Shires Head Copy Editor Felix Rehren Copy Editors Kate Ashley Lisa Birchall James Cull Sian Evans Emily Haseldine Harriet O'Brien

ried on regardless.

It would be hard to call this term anything but a success, unless this was an editorial about my degree. Missed seminars, late essays and the odd lecture being missed to falling asleep in the office have occurred on occasion, but I sincerely hope my tutors forgive my absences for the greater good.

Second year is only 25 per cent right?

It's not just Nick that I owe a massive thanks to this term, but with the support of all the editors in the office, the deputy editors that remind me or Nick to actually visit my Selly Oak home on occasions, the staff of the Guild of Students who have provided the odd story, support on issues and legal advice when we need it. I owe a massive thanks to my friends who remind me to take some time to be a student saying 'It's only Redbrick'. You guys are right, which is sometimes the hardest thing to deal with.

Izzi Robinson Alex Smith

n.baldwick@redbrickonline.co.uk

Designed and typeset by Redbrick.

Copyright (C) Redbrick 2009 Redbrick strives to uphold the NUJ Code of Conduct. The views expressed in Redbrick do not necessarily reflect those of the editors, the Guild or the publishers. If you find an error of fact in our pages, please write to the Editor. Our policy is to correct mistakes promptly in print and to apologise where appropriate. We reserve the right to edit any article, letter or email submitted for publication.

To contact us: Redbrick Guild of Students Edgbaston Park Road Birmingham B15 2TU 0121 251 2462 editor@redbrickonline.co.uk www.redbrickonline.co.uk Advertising: Contact Aimee Fitzpatrick in Guild Marketing on 0121 251 2524 or a.fitzpatrick@guild. bham.ac.uk Redbrick is printed through www.quotemeprint.com: 08451 300667.

16 Travel

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

World News Bites

Cambodia THE ex-Khmer Rouge prison chief known as Comrade Duch, who oversaw the torturing of thousands of Cambodians at S-21 jail in Phnom Penh, has pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him, but has requested clemency on the ground that he has co-operated fully with the tribunal.

Morocco SWISS, ex-fighter pilot Yves Rossy failed in his attempt to become the first man to fly solo across the straight of Gibralta using a single jet-propelled wing. He crash landed into the sea just minutes after taking off but, luckily, was unhurt.

Australia TWO giant pandas, brought to Australia from China for a decade long stay, have been housed in an enclosure boasting refridgerated rocks to keep them cool in, what is expeted to be, a recordbreakingly hot summer down under.

USA Lincoln University is expected to deny up to 30 students their degrees because their BMI is over 30. The university introduced a policy of compulsary weight loss in 2006 and those students who did not adhere to it may have their degrees withheld this graduation.

Birmingham Christmas Market Photo: Pete Blakemore

Christmas markets are becoming ever more popular in England, James Cull runs down 5 of the best:

thing. There is also a smattering of stalls from Frankfurt, selling German grub, beer and handmade gifts.

5. Bath The market in Bath focuses on products from the South West, ranging from lavender Christmas wreathes to handmade chocolate Santas. The atmosphere is very family orientated with circus performers and a Snow Queen on stilts mingling among the crowds.

3. Manchester The Manchester Christmas market is one of the biggest in the UK, and even has a champagne bar. The mulled wine is sold in china mugs, which can be bought as a souvenir, and other highlights include a crafts fair and an outdoor skating rink.

4. Edinburgh The market in Edinburgh dominates most of Castle Street and Princes Street.

Stalls sell almost every-

2. London The Cologne Christmas Market, situated near the London Eye, has copied its counterpart in Germany in almost every

way. The market sells the usual German souvenirs and trinkets but with one unique product: Kölsch beer, a slightly sweet, hoppy beer only brewed in Cologne.

1. Birmingham The biggest (and best) Christmas market outside of Germany and Austria has over 100 stalls selling everything from traditional German food to hand-dipped candles and reindeer skins. Peruse through the stalls on New Street or have a ride on the Ferris wheel in Centenary Square, all whilst sipping a mulled wine.

The thought of The Wall still stands 20 years on from the fall of the Berlin Wall, Redbrick's James Caroll shares his experiences travelling through the ex-eastern block Eastern Europe is a fascinating region engulfed in history and conflict. I've visited the region twice this year and find it an incredibly interesting place to explore. Berlin is a fantastic city and, when I visited, there was a sense of immense pride throughout the capital. It does not shy away from its bloody, controversial and violent history. Rather, it displays many tributes and memorials to the divided city of the Cold War and exemplifies the feeling that, although its history has been littered with struggle, division and conflict, it now stands unified and proud. It is the Capital city and symbol of a new Germany. The Brandenburg Gate and The Reichstag still stand as testaments to the strength of Berlin-

ers, where once The Berlin Wall stood only metres away. The bullet holes in the walls of The Reichstag remain as a stark reminder of what used to exist there.

I have also been lucky enough to visit the former Soviet states of The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. The atmosphere and culture of these places is very similar. There is a divide in the culture and all these countries are still facing the idealistic conflict of twenty years ago. The older generations seem to maintain older traditions and hold onto the former communist ideals. In contrast it is not uncommon for younger people to be seen wearing very western fashions, skating and eating McDonalds. I endured

a 12 hour marathon train journey from Budapest to Krakow where I arrived in a train station connected to a spanking new, clean, totally Western mall, with Western shops and brands.

It was a complete juxtaposition to the train journey where I had stopped at the small, rural Czech town of Cseka Trebova, which reminded me of the town in Hostel. In Bratislava and Prague, I ran into problems with local authorities over purchasing incorrect tickets. I'll admit I was in the wrong, however it was handled in a very intimidating manner and the police almost seemed to resent our presence in their country.

Overall, I believe in terms of structure and ideology, Eastern Europe has made great advances

towards more Westernised culture, however, once you peel back the glistening new Eastern Europe, beyond the exterior there are still deepened roots, which are firmly ingrained in the mindset of the citizens. Eastern Europe is changing, but there is still along to go before Europe

is reunified in the hearts and souls of its people, and not just on paper in the political institutions.

Article continued online at www.redbrickonline.co.uk

Photo: Fauxaddress on Flickr

Debate: Travelling Solo vs. Travelling with Friends

Against: Louise Spratt

For: Liz Crump THE concept of travelling with people seems fantastic, but have you ever lived in another person's pocket for such a prolonged space of time?

Imagine all the bickering that could go on; even the closest relationships can be strained. You won't realise this until you have embarked on your journey, and then it's too late to avoid the awkward silences that you could have escaped by going it alone.

Furthermore, by setting off on an adventure on your lonesome, you will force yourself to meet more people because you simply have no other choice. Unless you want to be a 'Larry' for the whole trip!

If you're looking for a cultural experience, travelling with friends from home will only distract you from learning about the different ways of life abroad, and the temptation to talk about things

you do at home can be hard to resist; We all love the good old English drinking games but don't miss out on learning the foreign ones.

Travelling in a group can sometimes hold you back – you're more likely to push yourself further when it's only you that you have to question and worry about. The last thing you want is to have regrets because you missed out and, let's face

'You're more likely to push yourself further when it's only you' it, you're unlikely to travel half way around the world again to have another go any time soon. This highlights another negative aspect of travelling with others; compromise. You have to do it enough in every day life so do you really want to take it trav-

elling with you? Possibly not.

Equally, you don't get a true feeling of independence. For those wanting to integrate themselves into another culture abroad, and perhaps learn a language, travelling solo is a serious consideration—it's the best way to become fluent in the native language and consequently make friends.

It's all too easy to rely on your fellow travellers; yes, its great Jimmy can speak Swahili but does that mean you cop out and don't even have a go?

The friends you meet travelling can be as temporary or as permanent as you like and they won't remind you of embarrassing stories or awful arguments when you get home. So, if I were you, go it alone. Meet who you want, do what you want, experience what you want – after all, it's your adventure!

IT'S fair to say that friends know you the best and your relationship will often be enhanced on your adventure. Not only this, they can prevent you from getting up to your stupid antics and offending the locals. You can support each other when you undoubtedly get into sticky situations and you know you will be able to trust the advice of these friends.

The fun of travelling in a group is that you will never feel alone and could possibly meet other groups to intermingle with; you can guarantee that someone in the group will invent the next crazy game that will have you all in stitches!

Safety is an important issue when you travel and having a friend there to watch your back will take a huge weight off your shoulders. Getting out of situations with a mix of the group's lingo and amazing interna-

tional sign language skills will always be more humorous when you're in a group and will make for some of the best stories.

Furthermore, for the inexperienced or cautious traveller, taking a group of friends with you is the best option. Likewise, it's not a bad idea for girls to look out for each other or travel with male friends, especially in larger cities and countries you are unfamiliar with.

'You will also have more than one camera's worth of classic travel photos to upload on Facebook ' Sharing amazing experiences and memories will always be something special, and when you return home you won't be the only annoying person going on about your adventure in the jungle, or how much you miss the cli-

mate/culture/people and hate England in comparison, because the friends you took will be sharing the same woes. You will also have more than one camera's worth of classic travel photos to upload on Facebook and tag until your heart's content.

Also, for the forgetful ones, there will always be someone to remind you to take your passport, tickets, keys, money, ID or whatever else you will need on the next leg of your trip. Even better perhaps, there will always be a back-up supply of essentials, be it toiletries, books or pack of cards.

So, taking friends away with you on that trip of a lifetime will not only provide you with a barrel of laughs but also a safety net, should you need it. I'd say along with your passport, money and insurance, you're friends are up there on the list of essentials!

Travel

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

Travel photo of the week

For this other pictures from this photo essay visit RedbrickOnline.co.uk

Photo: Will Demaine – Taken in Meganebashi, Japan

Goodbye Aussies, g'day Yanks

Australia loses its coveted No. 1 spot as the world's top country brand Liz Crump The Country Brand Index 2009 ranked countries from best overall to the top ten brands across a breadth of categories and this year the Aussies have lost their consecutive three year win to the Yanks.

The report, compiled by brand consultancy FutureBrand, comments that the US may have boosted their credentials due to the 'Obama effect' and thus diminishing previous anti-US sentiment.

However, not only has the perennial favourite Australia been knocked from pole position but now rests third with Canada snatching second place.

Australia remains No. 1 in the Outdoor Activities & Sports category.

However, New Zealand and Costa Rica follow closely behind, highlighting the alternatives.

Australia only entered the top five in four out of the 29 ranked categories whilst the US appears eleven times with Canada matching this.

The revitalisation of Brand

USA and Canada's preparation for the 2010 Vancouver winter Olympics could explain their increased popularity yet we are left wondering, where has it all gone wrong for Australia? Will we see the Aussies springing back to pole position next year or are they really losing their touch?

In terms of both living and travelling, Australia isn't as appealing as it used to be. It is now harder to emigrate and tourists are still required to have Visas to enter. Though certain initiatives have been taken in the last year to improve this status, such as the 'Best Job in the world offer', Australia is no longer promoted sufficiently as a holiday destination and the tourist board's efforts are less encouraging than they once were.

It's not only this that is contributing to Australia's diminishing popularity but other destinations have become far more interesting, accessible and affordable. It's almost become fashionable to try new and better things and explore fur-

ther into unknown lands and in this respect Australia is 'old hat'. More often than not, regardless of its long-established name as a perfect backpackers destination, you get a sense of been there done that. What's more, for you eco travellers out there, Australia is one of the worst culprits for sustainability.

It is true to say Australia is on top of its game in some cultural arenas, take its emergence into the New World wine industry for example. Do we not like to see the Aussies become sophisticated and cultural? Having said this, their penchant for Vegemite and unique

Aussie slang leaves something else to be desired, not to mention the watered down nectar of the homeland – Fosters So it appears to me that there is more to life than 'slipping a shrimp on the Barbie'. This survey indicates that we should take the opportunity to branch out and discover more of the world at perhaps a shorter distance, lower cost and higher cultural value. Most of what Australia has to offer can now be found elsewhere and you won't be following the same well trodden path as every other Sheila and Bruce!

At One with The Road

17

Pete Blakemore on Travel - 'It's a glass half full thing' Well, we've finally done it. The by-product of a hellish journey over the summer, involving two trains & a bus ride from Amritsar to Rishikesh in India, with the intention on arrival of writing a blog piece about how the British Raj failed to account for the modern backpacker, Redbrick travel was born. Three months in and we've published pieces varying from people determined to do the strangest challenges in foreign lands for charity (http://bit. ly/6fc5Ui), allowing writers to condemn both British Trains and Natwest in one article (http://bit. ly/8OBsCZ) and even bring up the not so ageold debate of it being easier to travel as a man than a women – because of the toilet facilities (http://bit. ly/5eYx3v).

Granted these weren't exactly the pieces I imagined that would be produced as the Indian countryside flew past on one side and the Chai-wallah walked by shouting on the other, but looking back on those 26 hours of nightmare travelling brings back into perspective why so many of us travel. If the hotel manager hadn't lied about the local buses I never would have met a good travel companion for the penultimate leg of my trip; had the train not stopped in the middle of nowhere for several hours I never would have nearly missed getting back on due to a cheeky cigarette; and had that guy never tried to run off with my rucksack I never would have been so happy to actually send the blog post that was almost becoming a essay of Indian travel situations that could have been titled 'I hope this doesn't happen to you'.

Everybody knows that, more often than not, easy travel is boring travel. A first class flight to Dubai scares the hell out of me, not just because of the economic doom it's facing but the pampering

and protective shell that comes with such a trip would put me too much at ease. Call me a bit of a masochist but give me 48 hours to travel from Northen Laos to Sydney, on a journey of eight legs and takes a minimum of 44 hours to do, and I'll be packed before you can finish reading the itinerary.

Sure, there may be times where the frustration of travelling shows itself through the local culture or people, or perhaps just the fellow travellers you may be around, but getting to the destination cannot be the pure satisfaction in itself, it's the road you took to get there which can sometimes be more memorable; without the journey it just would not be the same. Kerouac, one of the greatest travellers to have lived, said that sometimes he 'felt like lying down by the side of the trail and remembering it all', and if that mentality was good enough for him then it's good enough for me.

Travelling refers to movement; it's not just visiting countries and exploring cities, it's not just seeing sunrises and sunsets, it's not just culture shocks and new cuisines, it's the road that joins these experiences up and, sometimes, the people who walk the trail with you; that is what makes travelling such a joy.

I know that some of my trips in the past have been harder than needed and I've tested myself in ways I never thought I could test myself in, and I know I'll end up in those situations again because such is the travelling life, but I guess we learn from them; patience, planning and the ability deal with dire situations. Easy trips are boring, it's the hard ones, the challenging ones, the ones we look back on and ask 'How did I get through that?' that make us who we are, and make Redbrick travel.

Travel Tuesday Online: • Matt Davis muses over the best that South America can offer; • Ed Gordon continues Redbrick Travel packing list with this week's five Essentials of Travel; • And the 2nd travel podcast is only days away; The editors contemplate border crossings, worst travel experiences & life on the road

18 Arts & Culture

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

Ballet

The Nutcracker @ The Hippodrome The festivities begin here with the the Birmingham Royal Ballet's latest production of the Christmas classic Sam Langtree As bustlingly full of culture as Birmingham is, you wouldn't typically laud the city for its dance. However, the Birmingham Royal Ballet has been going from strength to strength, approaching a status that is internationally renowned.

Of the 'high art' forms, opera and classic symphonies grace the Arts pages weekly but the arrival of ballet is a rare treat. It

Photos courtesy: The Hippodrome

Comedy

is fitting, then, with the approach of the festive winter months, that the society makes its talent known in the form of The Nutcracker, the quintessential face of ballet and the inspiration of 5-yearold girls for decades past and decades to come. It is here that the Royal Ballet lived up to their reputation, putting on a spectacular show. At times it caused jaws to drop in awe of the superhumanly sublime feats the dancers proved capable of, and at other times caused skintingling pleasure in seeing the warmth and love given to their entire performance.

Opening with a warm domestic Christmas Eve, we are introduced to a large gathering of families. The movement here is almost like a preview of things to come, being extraordinarily graceful, yet contained in the household setting. Boys and girls under the age of ten were present alongside those playing much older characters and it was as-

tonishing that no matter how full the stage was, it never looked cluttered.

The way in which every dancer moved never for one moment slipped and the entire first half of the first act built up to a huge climax in which the devilishly enigmatic magician Drosselmeyer, charismatically played by Robert Parker, 'magically' transformed the stage. This was an absolutely mesmerising spectacle and accompanied by a consistently terrific score took us and our heroine Clara, played by Carol-Anne Millar, from the realms of reality to fantasy.

It is here that Millar came into her own invoking both fear and wonder through her graceful, swirling dance moves. The arrival of the evil rats, the Nutcracker (Christopher Larsen) and his soldiers leads to an epic battle in which the timing of the male dancers was impeccable, yet also demonstrated their grace and power. The climax of the first act is then

brought to us through the transformation of the Nutcracker into the Prince played by exceptional ballet star of the moment, Chi Chao, who embodied all the traits of a perfect male ballet dancer. His dazzling interaction with Millar's Clara was wonderfully delicate, only surpassed by the finale of the act with the Snow Fairy and Snowflakes bringing about the coming of winter, which was evoked in a frenzied movement of kinetic energy, the dancers hurling themselves across the stage with a furious passion.

The second act wasted no time in getting completely stuck into the most complex and dazzling of ballet performances.

Drosselmeyer's welcome return brought about the elaborate arrival of many a different culture each with a distinct and acute style of dance. Through these performances, which ranged from comedic to mesmerising, The Nutcracker's most well -known scores were per-

Dear fans. Welcome to the world according to Ricky Gervais. It may be harsh, it may be stereotypical, and it may even be downright ridiculous. But above all, it will be funny.

From the get-go, Ricky does very little to mask his controversial self.

From receiving Christmas presents in which charitable donations were given to missing people on milk cartons, Gervais' schoolboy humour is highlighted by the lax attitude towards who he is offending. Disabled people, women, and the obese were all consistent targets. Those unused to Gervais' style would probably have been offended, but for the regulars this was what we came for.

The highlight of the show was Gervais' analysis of Noah's ark (accompanied with an onscreen picture, of course).

A would-be logistical nightmare, he claims.

'Two of EVERY animal?

But in the picture, the elephants already take up 1/3 of the boat!' His scholarly analysis doesn't end there, as he goes on

to criticise God's plan of action. Cue laugh from every atheistic audience member.

A Gervais-fan in doses, I did not have the same criticisms as others.

Upon listening to others complain about the content of the show not being 'Science-y enough', here is my response: fat people? Health and Medicine.

The Bible?

Religion and Evolution.

Homosexuality?

Psychology. There's only so much one can talk about atoms, cells, and white coats before it gets dry. It needed to be varied, and in this case, it certainly was.

However, the positives of his performance end here.

Despite having original jokes and hilarious one-liner Canadian support Stewart Francis, the length of Gervais' act was far less than expected. Timed at approximately one hour, he didn't leave you wanting more, just ripped off. His speedy exit, followed by a routineencore, had me thinking, '33 quid? Really?' Allin-all Gervais is still the master of offensively astute stand-up but his performance could use a lengthening out.

James Stephen Within the affable atmosphere and subdued lighting of the Town Hall, Lee opens with irregularly 'normal' set-pieces on being accused of stealing 2/9ths of a coffee and how emigrants insist on commenting on the 'quality of life' in their adopted country. However, suspicions that he may have softened are soon extinguished when mid-way through he exclaims that he wished Richard Hammond had been killed in his high-speed car crash back in 2006. At this point you couldn't help but think that the venue suddenly seemed somewhat incongruous.

However, never far from satire, he persists on qualifying the statement: 'It's a joke, like on Top Gear!'

Lee's comedy is always likely to be divisive; like the music of Radiohead, for example, or the oeuvre of Emily Bronte.

He thrives on being the outsider, not just tackling the aforementioned car show but also fellow comics. At one point he links a recent comment by the 37-year-old Frankie Boyle that comics 'are never really that great after 40' to an infamously controver-

exceedingly delicate yet full of panache, fantastical but never gaudy. It is full credit to the musicians to have provided an amazing take on the score, and the dancers completely blitzed every move as if they were the most simple of hurdles. Director David Bintley should be pleased with himself; in the twilight of 2009 he may just have put on the best show in Birmingham this year.

Photos courtesy: The Hippodrome

Theatre

The veterans are in town this week...

Ricky Gervais: Science @ Stewart Lee @ Town The NIA Hall Neil Chanchlani

formed once again flawlessly by the musicians below the stage. Here, the entire night peaked with Millar's Clara being transformed into Nao Sakuma's Sugar Plum Fairy. Her dance was quite possibly the most graceful, delicate and fantastic performance I have ever seen and I was left quivering with goose bumps. The footwork was so complex, and yet all those points left me feeling slightly squeamish at the sheer exertion needed to maintain such a pose.

In short, the Birmingham Royal Ballet's The Nutcracker delivered on nearly every level. It was

sial joke that Boyle made speculating about the Queen's genitalia being haunted. This, again, is not without it's own subtext. Age has transformed Lee's comedy. Whereas earlier in his career he was often seen as condescending and excessively vitriolic, he's now perceived as a lone bastion against the trivialisation of mass-culture.

This is only exacerbated with his triumphal climaxing piece, brandishing a guitar in an attempt to reclaim a sentimentalised song that he declared advertising for Magners cider ruined for him.

Photo Courtesy: Town Hall

Black Joan @ The Drum Teodara Barzakova A PLAY against government control and the lack of individual freedom in our society was presented at the scene of The Drum. As part of the initiative Stage It!, which encourages African, African-Caribbean and Asian playwright/theatre companies, Black Joan is Birmingham-based; writer and director Roux Gilbear's second definite success.

Black Joan lives in a world in which the state controls people's lives under the false pretext that it helps them. The government looks after

Photo Courtesy: The Drum

children, provides food, and treats everyone as equals. Or at least pretends to do so. Black Joan, however, does not think this world to be utopian.

The further she goes in her desperate 'war', the more she realises there is a wall at the end, a barrier that surrounds the people in power.

The play is a fringe theatre performance and develops the characters in an innovative way. Their inner thoughts and discussions, which are characteristic for the main roles, are represented with emotional dialogues between the characters and their imaginary ghosts.

The main actors change their roles a few times, making the performance quite hard to follow but also excitingly alternative. The innovativeness of the play is further developed with use of lighting and costumes.

Even though the cast has been carefully selected, some of the actors stand uneasy and a bit inexperienced on the stage, which contracts the very talented few. However, the play was overall an enjoyable experience that shouts against the control and domination in our society.

Arts & Culture

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe @ Deb Hall Emily Dodd PRODUCING a play in 48 hours seems like mission impossible, especially if it's the elaborate, fantastical The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. However, this weekend the Guild's improvisation society, Watch This, attempted the impossible and put together a pantomime version of the classic story.

The cast were given ten days to learn their lines and a weekend to rehearse. The product was one of the funniest nights I have had in a long time.

The set and props were made of cardboard and the infamous lamppost, where Lucy first meets Mr. Tumnus, was a cast member with a lamp on his head; but this amateur feel added to the comic value of the play.

In true panto style, the White Witch was played by a man, Chazz Redhead, and even Father Christmas made a feature appearance! The script was very cleverly written by the directors Sarah Lines and Abi Symons, with the mocking interjections of the narrator, played by the talented

The cast in rehearsal. Photo by: David Lewis

The cast in rehearsal. Photo by: David Lewis Mikey Lapham, creating complete hilarity. The informal atmosphere of the panto meant it wasn't uncomfortable when the actors forgot their lines; in fact, this created a lot of laughter within the audience and the cast.

The over-the-top, exciting action wasn't confined to the stage with many of the actors bounding into the audience, giving the fun sense of audience involvement that only panto seems to be able to achieve. The production accomplished the

Winter Previews Special No matter what neck of the woods you're spending the holiday in there's sure to be something to tickle your fancy...

Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Cinderella @ Theatre Royal, 1st December - 16th January: Pantomime, they're the mince pie of seasonal shows and are a necessary indulgence.

Take your little brother/sister and scream at the villainous radio presenter/news reader/fallen member of 90s boyband. Tickets £7.50 - £26.

Manchester: The Sound of Music @ The Palace Theatre, 15th December - 16th January: Musicals and Christmas go together like burgers and a pint - they just work. The hugely successful production with the doe-like Connie Fisher as Maria brings a taste of Salzburg to Manchester.

Tickets £12.50 - £35.

Nottingham: The Fantastic Mr Fox @ Screen Room, 11th - 23rd December: So we're swaying into our neighbouring section's territory a little here, but this was a wonderfully, artfully beautiful film, and the fact that it is the world's smallest cinema (21 seats!) makes it well worth the mention.

Stratford-upon-Avon: Arabian Nights @ The Courtyard Theatre, 5th December - 30th January: The reliably outstanding RSC present their production of the classic tale of the new queen Shahrazad and her many, many stories...Tickets £5 - £20.

19

Bristol: Hansel and Gretel @ Bristol Old Vic, 4th December - 23rd January: The darker and more sinister the fairytale, the better. This Kneehigh Theatre production is sure to be the perfect accompaniment to the blustery, cold winter's evening. Tickets £9 - £24 Brighton: The Brighton Toy and Model Museum: This one I just find frankly adorable.

Cinema had ingrained in the popular psyche the belief that toys are the true meaning of Christmas. Instead of whining about the shallowness of Western culture, I say infuse culture into the stereotype and find out about the history of toys! Tickets £4.

Falmouth: Mother Mae I's Special Christmas Cabaret @ Miss Peapod's Kitchen Cafe, 19th December: A night of wintery goodness including a Santa's Grotto, seasonal songs and games. Tickets £6 - £13.50 And finally, London: Raymond Gubbay Christmas Festival '09 @ The Barbican, 19th December - 29th January: Over a month of amazing nights of festive music, including the Carols and Classics on the 23rd, The Four Seasons by Candlelight on the 27th and Beethoven's Ninth on the 30th.

Tickets £16.50 - £36.50.

perfect balance between the original story and current comedy, with the fantasy of Narnia being laced with jokes about Jedward and Selly Oak. Watch This made me see The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe in a completely different light, and I have to say, I think I prefer the comic version.

I am excited to see what the improvisation society come up with next term.

'YOUR ARTS SECTION NEEDS

YOU'

Jess is stepping down as Arts & Culture editor after Christmas and Sam needs an enthusiastic, motivated and friendly new co-editor to make up for what a useless grumpy cow Jess has been this term.

To apply for the position or to ask for any details of the role, please email arts@redbrickonline.co.uk. Interviews will be held in the first couple of weeks of next term!

The Devil Has Quentin's Heart @ The Rep James Reevell & Mark Winchester IF women have the Vagina Monologues, Benji Reid has given us the hip–hop monologues with this surprising piece. Dark and brooding from the onset, something that is exacerbated throughout with superb lighting, this play takes an intense grip upon the audience. However this is also an entertaining piece, with dark humour and dancing intentionally befitting a bad night at Risa.

This is an introspective play, as it obviously should be, given the sole actor playing a conversation between both himself and Satan. With the story based on the familiar concept of selling your soul to the devil for success, the twist being that Quentin plays the role of the devil himself. This raises the question, is it the devil inside ourselves that we must compromise with in life? Needless to say this is a rather bleak play, proof of which can be seen that the suicide conclusion is the most optimistic part of the proceedings.

To focus purely on Reid's thespian qualities would not do this production justice, as it is the incorporation of a live DJ, providing mood-fitting beats. One highlight involves Reid removing his own heart, Indiana Jones

Benji Reid in TDHQH. Photo by: Irven Lewis style, with the DJ creating faltering heartbeats to match. This bold approach pays dividends; however the use of dance in the piece cannot be said to have the same effect.

When synchronised effectively with the music, the dancing was seamless, particularly the use of disco; however when the music stopped collaborating with the movement, Reid appeared to be flopping around like a fish out of water, quite literally. This is always danger when writing and performing a one-man show, with Reid occasionally having a dip in the sticky pool of selfindulgence.

It is Reid's charisma that pulls this production

together, gurning and dancing across the stage with a hellish energy. Reid is a man possessed as he body pops from one emotion to another. This is a production that does have a few demons to exorcise, but by the end the Devil clearly has a piece of the audience's hearts.

For more reviews from the past week and for events happening over the holiday, go to redbrickonline.co.uk.

Merry Christmas and have a lovely jubbly new year from the Arts & Culture section!

20 Film

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

Opening Credits

Film of the Week Nothing says 'festive cheer' like a film about a murderer

Alex Jacques Rosie Willmot

So another year draws to a close, and Redbrick Film provides you with your own personal rundown of the best films of 2009. It may be controversial, it may not be to your taste, but dammit, it's 110% correct, and that's democracy for you.

However, it's not all been brilliant cinematography and Oscar-winning performances (OK, maybe we're being a bit hyperbolic now), there have been some real horrors this year. The Ugly Truth was the worst, most shambolic, hateful waste of space ever to grace the big screen, and came out earlier this year to limp and unimpressed reviews.

Poisonous, boring and utterly unamusing, this was two hours of our lives we will never get back.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop, while not quite as bad as The Ugly Truth, was only seen because we thought it had Seth Rogen in it; when it turned out not to be Observe and Report, the full horror of our error dawned: we were watching a screenplay that a three year-old would have been embarrassed of. Public Enemies was the embodiment of disappointment. It could have been so much more, if they'd only rethought the cast entirely, completely rewritten the script and found another director. But oh well, mistakes get made.

No matter, we've found an awesome bunch of film writers this year who have done credit to the section, and 2010 couldn't look any more exciting. Have a lovely Christmas.

Matt Davis PUBLIC Enemy Number 1 is the second installment Jean-Franรงois Richet directs, depicting the career of French fugitive Jacques Mesrine (Vincent Cassel.) L'ennemi Public covers the illegal lifespan of Mesrine, his relationship with criminal comrade Franรงois Besse (Mathieu Amalric) and a brutal police shoot-out.

Whilst Part One focused on portraying Mesrine's criminal achievements from a glamorously sexy angle, Part Two depicts the gangster as an outlaw attempting to justify his illicit activities through the creation of a revolutionary status. Jacques Mesrine fuses a liaison with his scandalous colleague Besse, and it is here that Richet reveals

Next year...

based on the novel by Alice Sebold, about a girl watching her family from heaven after being raped and murdered. Our writers have seen it, loved it and will bring you a full review after Christmas.

Meanwhile, fellow novelisation Precious looks set to be the Slumdog of this year's Awards, telling the tale of an obese, illiterate 16-year-old who is abused by her family and twice impregnated by her father. This is basically The Color Purple set in modern-day Harlem. It won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and should sweep the Awards.

Oscar-baiting movies aside, there is some fun to be head in 2010. This is chiefly headed-up by a double-whammy of Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man 2 and Sherlock Holmes. We

ty, who persistently strives to advance his own celebrity.

After numerous stretches in prison, Mesrine challenges to reform his murderously psychotic mania to a character that attempts to rationalise his felonies through the invention of political associations.

Mesrine publicises his criminal pursuits and correlates his dishonest activities to terrorist groups such as the Red Brigades and BaaderMeinhof, European organisations of the '70s.

Vincent Cassel symbolises Mesrine's craving for fame by using a character infatuated with creating a Herculean image of himself in order to justify his numerous bank robberies. In one scene, Jacques kidnaps wealthy landlord Georges Wilson and plans

to milk the millionaire of his cash. However, the devious pensioner shrivels the status that Mesrine has worked so hard at to create, declaring that a genuine political activist would simply kill a man and not be so trivial to demand a ransom.

Cassel is cinematically genius in his role as Jacques Mesrine and thus his fellow casts consequently have difficulty in bringing their talent to the screen. The action scenes are also deliberately unrealistic to parallel the exaggerations made in Jacques autobiography.

Public Enemy Number 1 is epic in delivering a raw glimpse of Mesrine's tumble from fame, and whilst the second film is a pole apart from its influential ancestor, the film is utterly enthralling.

Silverscreen

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's Doris Doolan

Simon Fairbanks

According to Roland Emmerich, the world is going to end in 2012. In which case, we better make the most of popular cinema whilst we can and luckily 2010 looks set to be a cracking year.

January will likely begin with some rollover hype for Avatar. Like Titanic, word-of-mouth and repeat viewings will be the key to Avatar's box office success. Especially as the trailer looked like Smurfs rampaging across Ferngully.

Oscar season is next, so expect lots of political and depressing movies.

Indeed, we have Clint Eastwood's biopic of Nelson Mandela, Invictus (Latin for 'unconquered') which tells of Mandela uniting his people via the 1995 South African Rugby World Cup. Also Peter Jackson's Lovely Bones,

his cinematic motive for the film. The director contrasts Mesrine with Besse; Besse as the ruthless professional, fanatically logical with his approach to robbery, and Jacques as a wild madcap who won't stop shooting until everyone is dead.

Jacques focuses on the glamour of the press and it is the obsession to be recognised that can be exemplified in one particular scene. Commissiare Broussard (Olivier Gourmet) arrests Mesrine and the prisoner celebrates his own arrest by tantalising Broussard with a celebratory glass of champagne for attaining his capture. It is this demented fixation for recognition that captivates the movie and provides Broussard with the eternal ambition to stop Mesrine's criminal activi-

haven't seen this much of him since the fourth season of Ally McBeal.

Speaking of franchises, we will also be treated to Tron 2, Sex and the City 2, Twilight 3, Toy Story 3, Narnia 3, Shrek 4 and Harry Potter 7, whilst other franchises are being rebooted: The A-Team, Robin Hood, Clash Of The Titans and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.

Depp's Mad Hatter as the love interest? We're not convinced.

Never fear, there will be some originality in 2010. Following the success of The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan is bringing us the mysterious Inception, 'A sci-fi thriller set within the architecture of the mind' Nolan doesn't make bad films.

So roll on 2010. It's going to be legend...ary.

At this time of year A Muppet Christmas Carol, The Nightmare before Christmas and Home Alone both 1 and 2 are routinely trotted out all over the festive season. But what about The Santa Clause?

This is a much maligned classic. Yes, the sequels were awful but here at Redbrick we like to remember the good times.

The festive premise in The Santa Clause is that the semi-neglectful divorced father of one Scott Calvin accidently kills Santa Claus on Christmas eve and therefore falls foul of the Santa clause. Geddit?

(It's a pun).

The Santa clause states that 'In putting on the suit and entering the sleigh, the wearer waives any and all rights to any previous identity, real or implied, and fully accepts the duties and responsi-

bilities of Santa Claus, in perpetuity to which some time the wearer becomes unable to do so, by either accident or design; or as Bernard the head elf helpfully states, 'It means: If you put on the suit, you're the big guy'.

While the initial manslaughter of Santa may not seem like a terribly family-friendly plotline, children, surprisingly, lapped it up in the midnineties - myself and my housemates included.

This is largely and inexplicably due to the brilliant performance of Tim Allen as the curmudgeonly father fighting against the responsibilities of being Santa, in a part that was actually originally written for Bill Murray.

As it turns out, the responsibilities of being a city-slicker Santa involve massive weight-gain and a

beard that our illustrious film editor Alex would be proud of.

All this is on top of the magical Christmassy elements everyone secretly likes to revel in come the night before Christmas, including disapproving flying reindeer, Santa's elf PA who rejects his advances because she's seeing someone in Wrapping and last but not least, E.L.F.S: the elf based SWAT team that are incredibly concerned with making the new Santa flame-retardant, and not nearly concerned enough with what happens if he falls off the roof...

Film

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

Top Ten: Films of 2009

21

As voted for by the marvellous Redbrick film section writers It's been an interesting year for the world of film – we've had more than a few dry spells, teamed with weeks during the summer when we were spoilt for choice on what to see. At any rate, this week's Top Ten could not have been compiled single-handedly; there was just too much debate during the meetings (many of which involved a contentious editorial decision by Rosie to put 17 Again into the shortlist). So, we had a vote, and this is our definitive list of what we, as a diplomatic section, consider to be the films of the year. Read, enjoy, then go forth and bicker amongst yourselves.

10) 17 Again 'Not only did it have an awesome script and several laugh-out-loud moments, it even had a ten minute-long pure Zac Efron montage.'

Clare Doolan

9) The Soloist

'Bizarrely overlooked during the Oscar season.

Fantastic performances from Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx indicate that Joe Wright should sell out more often.'

of the few films Kristen Stewart has ever acted well in.'

4) 500 Days of Summer

Rosie Willmot

'A quirky, unique romcom with two great young actors, and a beautiful Indie soundtrack.'

7

Alex Jacques

9 8)Paranormal Activity

pires are dangerous, tragic and lonely, whilst breaking a convention: the vampire is a little girl, and the movie addresses lesser know mythology, specifically, that they have to be invited in.'

Simon Fairbanks

7) Let the Right One In 'Forget R-Pattz. This film reminded us that vam-

Izzy Sanders

5 5) The Hangover

Charlotte Fielding

6

1) Up

3 3) Inglourious Basterds 'Great fun; it's impossible not to really want to meet Tarantino after this.'

'Pixar's finest achievement, Up is the definition of everything wonderful about film: innovative, tear-inducing, visually stunning and utterly hilarious!'

Genevieve Taylor

Dan Richford

2) Star Trek

6) Adventureland 'Very funny and completely charming with a flawless cast; this is one

2 A perfect reboot to a sci-fi classic.'

'Funny the whole way through, and even where the storyline was a little far-fetched it just added to the charm.'

'A film that gave new life to a genre of film apparently out of ideas, and made Spielberg urinate in his trousers.'

Sam Jansen

Mike Brownlee

4

'Absolutely the greatest Star Trek film to date.

Bold, witty, stylish and unashamedly emotional.

1

Redbrick recommends Justified Existence Stuck for presents? Look no further than our essential Christmas gift guide

For Guys

For Girls

Genevieve Taylor

Modern

Modern

Buddy the Elf tells us, 'the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.'

While this may very well be true, at Christmas we have another way of spreading the love: presents. But faced with all the gift options of today, how do we choose what to bestow upon our loved ones? No need to worry, Redbrick is here!

What follows is a list of essential DVDs and gifts to suit all, because we all know that when we give someone a DVD, we want to watch it too. So while they're split into guys' and girls', they're awesome enough to be enjoyed by all.

Inglourious Basterds (£9.98 released on 7 Dec) For guys who enjoy violent comedy this Quentin Tarentino flick should do it. Starring Brad Pitt and and set in World War II Germany, it tells the tale of a not-so-truthful bid to kill Hitler.

17 Again (£4.98) A surprisingly funny Zac Efron film, it also stars Matthew Perry of Friends and the girls love it. Guys should too as the content is accessible and frankly hilarious so definitely not a bad choice to watch with the missus or a friend.

Vintage

Vintage

Grosse Pointe Blank (£4.98) A brilliant 90s black comedy about a hit-man forced to attend his high school reunion on a mission. The stars include John Cusack, Ghostbusters' Dan Aykroyd and Entourage star Jeremy Piven.

The Princess Bride (£4.98) A true classic and a must for anyone who likes their romantic fairytales and hilarious comedies; this gem stars the charming and ridiculously goodlooking Cary Elwes and will never age! They can't fail to laugh and swoon.

Parvitar Matharu pays tribute to the man himself, Jack Nicholson

Does anyone hate this man? Perhaps it is better to ask, can anyone hate this man? The distinct lack of an unjustified journalistic sparring partner for this week's article, and your startled silence as you ponder the genius or insanity of these questions is all the answer I need. Coincidentally Jack himself has always had an inexplicable twinkle in his eye that you can't quite explain – but you love him for it.

It is precisely this intangible quality that has made work for him throughout his illustrious career. Nothing is certain from a character Jack Nicholson disappears into – is he a genius or is he insane? The only thing you can be certain about from a Nicholson performance is that you will

be left in awe of his sheer brilliance.

With three Oscar wins, 64 other awards and 46 nominations already under his belt, the numbers pretty much speak for themselves here, but perhaps the most impressive number is Jack's age: he's 72, nobody's complaining and I doubt they ever will. Jack has proven time and again that he has staying power which in itself is an extremely rare luxury in Hollywood these days, and I think the secret behind such success is that any role Jack plays, he has fun with, and puts his own uniquely unforgettable stamp on the character.

One only has to mention Jack Torrance, Daryl Von Horne or The Joker and instantly people recall the film and one of his most

memorable lines from it.

Almost all of Nicholson's performances have ensured that the films associated with them have become instant classics; I was six when I saw my first Nicholson performance, and from that point on he was, and arguably still is the definitive Joker in my eyes.

Classics such as Easy Rider (1969), One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975), The Shining (1980) and The Witches of Eastwick (1987) just wouldn't be iconic without Jack's show stealing portrayals within them.

Quite simply, his infinite awesomeness is just too great to describe in this finite space.

Check out the end of year Redbrick Podcast out early next week on the website.

22 Lifestyle

Ciao Lifestyle Lovers!

Well we've managed a whole term – cue round of applause – and we may have lost pints of sweat, bitten our nails to the quick and shot our nerves to hell but by some unprecedented miracle we are still here and are writing our last editorial of 2009!

We have loved our first term as editors; there's been lots of laughter and even a few tears (metaphorically speaking) and have had a grand old time getting to know our fabulous lifestyle writers.

But do not fear, we shall be back with a vengence in January, revitalised – and probably 5lbs heavier – to provide you all with more jam-packed, tantalising Lifestyle pages – now there's something to look forward to after Christmas and New Year celebrations!

For the last issue of 2009 we have a bit of a festive theme going on: Ellen tells us how to deal with unwanted pressies, Charlotte and Briony fight it out in this week's debate; we find out more from Zoe about festive body pressure; Harriet reckons we can get away with almost anything at Crimbo; Neil wants us all to be safe this Christmas time; and let's not forget Lifestyle's very own Casanova – Jack gives us an insight into his sordid life.

Byeeee (off to buy our Christmas presents).

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

Catwalk: 'It's just what I wanted!' – Dodgy Christmas gifts

Ellen Fitzpatrick No, I don't want to smell like Paris Hilton, or 'Samanda' either for that matter. Perfume may be a seemingly failsafe Christmas gift but we are talking DKNY – not Katie Price (which, by the way, has a faint whiff of Mr. Muscle disinfectant about it). Unwrapping the Page Three girl's latest scent on Christmas morning has helped us to master the I-love-it-but-secretly-hateit face which can be rolled out for all occasions – Christmases, birthdays, those 'I just saw it and thought of you' moments.

This being said, the celebrity perfume industry in the UK is worth upwards of £250 million and after sniffing our way around Debenhams we can reveal that Kylie, SJP and J.Lo all hit the right notes, but be wary should you happen to open Avril Lavigne or Mariah Carey's scents on December 25th!

Tacky scents are just one of the many unwanted and often hilarious presents exchanged during the festive period.

Here at the Lifestyle team we've received thirteen, yes thirteen, pairs of socks from oh – so – witty parents, hand sanitizer (just what are you trying to tell us?!) and even dental floss. It seems that one too many Christmas songs when shopping

drives people over the edge and they succumb to a Supermarket Sweep style grab anything and run for safety policy. Whilst we know it's the thought that counts and Christmas is a time for giving, not receiving, there is nothing worse than that sinking feeling in your stomach when you know you have to wear the – insert hideous garment here – to spare feelings. I remember receiving a scarf from a boyfriend's parents; very thoughtful since I am always freezing, but the scarf itself looked a lot like road kill and made my neck itch beyond belief.

Then we have, of course, the eponymous cringeinducing Christmas gift: the home-made sweater!

Having never received such a gift myself I must admit I somewhat envy friends for whom this is a Christmas tradition;

there is something invariably nostalgic and cosy about the Christmas day sweater and you no longer need to worry about dropping Christmas dinner down your front. Plus, this Christmas, the animal emblazoned jumper is at the height of fashion so wear your penguin knit with pride and be grateful that it hasn't set you back £48 at Topshop!

And if you really don't want your gift someone else may, if burnt toast resembling the Virgin Mary can sell on E-bay I'm sure you can find a crazy online shopper willing to unburden you of that porcelain dog figurine.

Alternatively, what else can the gift be used for?

On a student budget, the woolly jumper becomes a draught excluder and almost anything can be turned into part of a surreal fancy dress ensemble. Or, in the spirit of the season, why not start the New Year by making a pitstop at your local charity shop en-route to the January sales.

So as much as I would like to champion the gift voucher as the holy-grail of Christmas gifts, maybe, just maybe, Christmas wouldn't be as magical without the occasional logic-defying, bizarre gift under the tree.

I'll be the first to admit it isn't easy being single at Christmas. Seeing cute couples holding gloved hands, remembering cosy nights in watching It's a Wonderful Life, the idea of being stood alone at midnight on New Year's Eve… all of these induce a sense of fear and rejection in us singletons over Christmas. But Christmas isn't an excuse to think about/ call/sleep with the ex, oh no. There are lots of reasons why it's great to be single at Christmas.

Firstly, you don't have to shave your legs as much. This is what tights are for. Genius.

Secondly, you can eat as much as you want without having to share your selection box, and know that no-one will be seeing you naked until way after you've made your New Year's resolutions to join the gym.

Thirdly, the £50 you would have spent on a present for him can now go on a fabulous new dress.

And this year it won't be

wasted on the guy who didn't even notice when you cut your hair short and dyed it a completely different colour.

And finally, you get to have a proper family Christmas like you had when you were a kid. No trying to split your time between your family and his, no Vicar of Dibley style multiple Christmas dinners. Just staying in and watching Love Actually and hoping that your next boyfriend will be more Colin Firth than Bill Nighy.

Photo: Lucy Percival

Photo: Harvey Mckeon

Taken: I will not try and claim that being 'taken' over the holiday period is better than being single; however I would like to fight the corner for the unavailable guys and gals, and the perks that lie therein.

I have spent three Christmases with my boyfriend and I can honestly say that there is not a time of year I enjoy more.

I come back from Uni and spend hours sat with decorations strewn around the living room, arrang-

Christmas presents – it's that time of year again; all make-up and underwear gets replenished without spending a penny.

Gerard Butler – bringing yummy British talent back to Hollywood.

Packed lunches – cost-effective with our dwindling overdrafts and to be honest far nicer than those cardboard sandwiches from Spar.

Reduced Christmas food – Bucks Fizz, party food, Schloer, Ben and Jerry's offers everywhere! – whose Christmas just got better?!

Crackers – we love those lame hats and seeing every relative wearing them!

Christmas drinking – drinking whatever and whenever over the season with no excuses needed.

New Christmas clothes – any excuse to buy a cute new dress, 'oh but I need a new one for Christmas day' – never fails to ease the guilt of spending money on ourselves this time of year.

Helping the planet – Barack Obama has announced he is attending the Copenhagen Conference – the best thing to happen to the climate since Al Gore.

Advent Calenders – a piece of chocolate everyday for 25 days? Who came up with such a brilliant excuse to stuff yourself?!

Urban Village Mondays – a cheap alternative to Loaded or Bambu and no need to get a taxi home. Smashing.

Finished Early Christmas shopping smugness – we get it, you bought your presents ages ago!

Dieting – who cares about dieting with the Christmas feasting coming up? Go on, one more mince pie won't hurt.

Break-up politics on Facebook – snide comments, bitchy status'… break up with some dignity!

Debate: Is it better to be single or taken this Christmas?Charlotte Crowley and Briony Singh investigate.

Single:

Fierce

ing presents under the tree with Christmas songs ringing out of my dad's old sound system.

There is something wonderfully warming (albeit awfully cliché) about spending Christmas with the person you really care about, not to mention the extra special present you may receive that only your boy/girl could think of.

Those silly and inevitable arguments are always a highlight; squabbling about what to put on the tree (it must have a particular colour scheme!) and the amount of mulled wine you may or may not have drank.

Personally, my favourite thing by far is curling up on Christmas afternoon with the rest of the family, surrounded by warm mince pies and chocolate, watching The Muppets Christmas Carol and other cheesy Christmas films.

Quiet, maybe. For some, a little boring, but for me, there isn't a more perfect time of the year.

(Cue to throw up.)

The winter grey – yes we know we moan about it every year but come on! If it isn't depressing enough already to be waking up to what feels like the dead of night, the daytime at the moment doesn't look much different.

Selly Oak crime – there have been recent spates of burglaries and muggings all across Selly Oak. This just adds to the list of things we need to worry about.

Lloyd – sadly his days on the X Factor are over. Sometimes it doesn't matter how pretty you are, it's just not enough.

End of term deadlines – the honeymoon period at the beginning of term is a distant memory – 3000 word essays are now in full force and there is no respite.

Lack of food – it's nearing the end of term, theres not much point in buying anymore food so now we're living off the dregs of our fridges and cupboards. Yum. Central heating bills – already they're rocketing as chilly night set in and the bad news is they aren't going anywhere soon.

Katie Read and Sophie Ellis Website of the week: rokit.co.uk Rokit is an online vintage shop with decades of fashion just a mouse click away.

Rokit caters for all budgets with dresses from only £25! Well what are you waiting for? Get spending!

Lifestyle

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

Bloke de Brum Jack* breaks all the rules this week...

Apparently good things come to those who wait.

Sometimes you simply want a quiet evening in playing Pro Evo and you get a month's worth of drama in one night. Last week before Vodbull the standard should I/ shouldn't I go out debate took place in the house.

I'm not Vodbull's biggest fan anyway, and I had a lecture at 10am, so decided to give it a miss and enjoy a quiet one. How wrong I was.

For some time now I've been good friends with a girl I met in first year; we get on well and always hang out together.

I'd often thought we got on well enough to perhaps go further than friends, and I always had the suspicion she thought the same; the only problem was she had a boyfriend. In the rugby team. The fact was that although I had my fair share of fleeting romances, this was the one girl who I genuinely liked.

the start of something great. On the other, more rational hand, she had a boyfriend in the rugby team. Did I really want to be the guy who girls cheat on their boyfriends with?

She led me to her room and made some weak gesture to some mistletoe hanging from her doorway, and asked for a seasonal kiss. I couldn't resist, this girl was amazing and I knew I wanted her right there and then. Before I knew what I was doing, we were on her bed our bodies entwined together. I began to take off her clothes, and she proceeded to take off mine, and within a few minutes I grabbed a condom from my wallet. The sex was going well. I was holding out for a respectable amount of time, and I interpreted her various noises as good ones, I actually thought I was doing pretty well. Then I heard footsteps running up the stairs. I knew all her

'I couldn't resist, this girl was amazing and I knew I wanted her right there and then' About midnight I was about to call it a night, when I received a text from The Girl. It made no sense and resembled a random arrangement of scrambled letters rather than a text, I knew she was out and probably drunk so thought nothing of it. Less than a minute later she called me, saying she was outside in a taxi, and asking if I could walk her back to her house. I obliged totally innocently, thinking I was doing my gentlemanly duty. That was until we got back to hers and she started stroking my leg on the sofa. Fully aware of her 'subtle' advances, it put me in a difficult situation.

I knew that there were possible connotations of this arrangement. On one hand I liked this girl, this could be an epic night of passion, and we could fall in love, run away together and move to Mexico. Well, not quite, but it could be

housemates were girls, and I also knew these footsteps did not belong to a girl. She suddenly stopped and told me to keep quiet. Five seconds later, thunderous knocking on her door started. It didn't take 21 questions to work out it was her boyfriend outside and he was not happy. It was like a bungy jump in reverse; from total elation to as scared as I've ever been in a matter of seconds. What the hell did I do now? I decided I had one choice: wait it out until he had gone and sneak out the back door. I even made my 10am lecture the next day.

I swear I don't go looking for this kind of drama, but it always seems to find me. Me and Girl With Boyfriend haven't spoken since, it would probably be a bit awkward, plus I've met this girl who I think could really turn out to be something special.

Issue:

23

Tis (not) the season to be hungry

Zoe Blackburn I have no problem in admitting to the fact that I am a foodie. I love a great meal, so it's fair to say that the imminent Christmas break is one that I am definitely anticipating with excitement. 'All I Want For Christmas'? A homecooked Christmas dinner, please.

For most of us this is a given, and particularly appreciated after a term spent experimenting with your own 'meals'. The turkey, mince pies, alcohol and general indulgences that make us dread the very idea of weighing scales come New Year, are just part and, excuse the pun, parcel of the festive season. Christmas is the perfect time to treat yourself; there's plenty of time to go to the gym in January, before breaking your well-meant resolution sometime around the 20th.

In a recent interview, the usually media-shy supermodel Kate Moss stated that 'nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.' So yes, we've all had those days when standing on the scales with trepidation, you look down and realise that the vodka, Coco-Pops

and toast diet you've been following has somehow resulted in losing a couple of pounds. Fantastic, brilliant, well done you. Even if nobody else notices, it's amazing how a tiny difference can cause your selfconfidence to soar. But it's surely all relative, and this leads me to think that La Moss' ideas about eating, or lack of, are nothing but completely, utterly, and absolutely deluded.

Photo: Lucy Percival

I'll be honest, the thought of money, couture, and a close circle of celebrity friends is slightly attractive. Designing a personal range of clothing for Topshop might be fun.

Being hailed as one of the

most successful models in the world clearly isn't torturous either. But if it meant I was denied the opportunity to oblige my foodie habits and instead was faced with the prospect of 'treating' myself to a cigarette or even, gasp, a few lettuce leaves, then I have to wonder how much I would really enjoy life.

Mossy's little mantra also packs a serious punch for anyone who's not completely secure with their appearance (hello, 99% of us – thanks, Kate), not to mention those suffering from eating disorders.

It's a pretty safe bet that her words were flashing around those shocking, pro-anorexic websites quicker than you can say 'skeleton'. Making such a comment achieves nothing but setting unrealistic standards that are dangerous and near impossibleto even attempt meeting.

And with as much experience in the industry as she has, Kate Moss should be well aware of how much damage a statement like this could do; if not, then her fashion IQ is clearly well ahead of any actual intelligence that she possesses.

It seemed that a certain amount of progress had been made recently

in shunning the size zero trend, with an increasing number of designers using what they deem to be 'larger' models. Okay, so a size 12 is anything but 'large', but it's a hell of a lot more reassuring to see in a magazine than a model who resembles a pre-pubescent boy. And at the end of the day, we, the so-called 'large' girls, can be smug in the knowledge that we might actually have a few things Kate Moss doesn't: perhaps most notably common sense, as well as the prospect of a Christmas enhanced by definite overconsumption of calorific and delicious treats. Bring it on.

Culture: Christmas guilty Health: Fa-la-la-ouch! pleasures Neil Chanchalani ers and drunken walkers Harriet Tisdall Christmas only comes once a year, so it is definitely an excuse to behave in ways you wouldn't usually dream of. Here are a few...

Christmas Clothes Jumpers with reindeers on, novelty earrings, joke hats – this is the season to wear them. Christmas jumpers are having a moment this year and are ridiculously warm; I recently admired an amazing koala version in Sainsbury's. Despite jumpers being acceptable outside of the festive season, snowmen earrings and elf hats are hardly high fashion items. However, it's only once a year so I say go for it, the cheesier the better!

Overindulgence It's only on Christmas Day that your own parents offer you alcohol before 10am. On the plus side this is usually champagne, though at any other time this would be referred to as alcoholism. Champagne definitely helps when opening your tenth pair of socks, but can lead to embarrassing drunk relatives. Chocolate is a personal over-indulgence and all those selection boxes can leave you feeling satisfied and sick.

Christmas Sex From kissing that embarrassing guy under the mistletoe to sex with the ex, the festive season is a perfect excuse to do it.

After too many glasses of mulled wine, it doesn't count really. For those in a relationship, there are sexy Christmas outfits out there to try; Anne Summers' selection includes Mrs. Santa for the girls and Mr. Elf for the boys.

Forgetting work

We've all been there; it's the 2nd of January and you suddenly realise you have not written a word of an essay, read a book or done anything work related since week 11. Due to all those Christmas films (last year I watched Ella Enchanted to avoid work), meeting friends and parties, it's easy to forget those approaching deadlines.

What's your perfect stocking stuffer? A new cd? 12-pack of socks?

How about a broken leg?

Christmas injuries are rising! More than 80,000 people will be sent to A&E across the country during the 12 days of Christmas, with about 6,000 being sent in on Christmas Day. Guess that lump of coal ain't looking so bad now…

Around the house…

Bah Humbug! The last thing you'd want at Christmas time is a silly, fat cast wrapped around your fingers preventing you from unwrapping the ribbon on all your presents or picking up all that chocolate.

Christmas tree burns are a growing problem, especially in the elderly. Watch your hands and feet, and try to make sure nothing flammable is situated nearby the tree. Watch out for wreath candles too, they've been known to be the second cause of burns following trees. If this advice is not followed, your white Christmas may turn a little red.

Hitting the booze…

Drivers and pedestrians beware. Road traffic accidents are in full bloom every Christmas. It's important to keep full alert while wandering the streets, as drunk driv-

tend to reveal themselves during the holidays, especially if a pub's within sight. Also, be sure not to write off any head-aches or blackouts just to alcohol; alcohol-induced injuries often get overlooked at Christmas time. A bad hangover sucks, but make sure it isn't anything more.

Out In the Cold…

No need to watch out for Comet, Vixen, or the rest of them… what you should be worried about is all the snow. Roof-top slips and driveway mishaps are common with the drastic change in weather; at Dewsbury Hospital in Yorkshire, three people had checked in with heart attacks while clearing out their drives! Talk about exercise.

Photo: Mike Roberts

24 Television

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

Visions of the future...

Charlotte Lytton and Natalie Timmins preview the programmes worth looking out for in 2010...

Ashes to Ashes 2010 will see the final series of the Beeb’s favourite cop show, and with eight one-hour long episodes, fans will certainly be satisfied as to Alex's fate within the time-twisted world.

This season will see the action set in 1983, and will culminate in the dramatic unveiling of just who Gene Hunt really is.

This show may have only been on our screens for a few years, but it will definitely be missed.

Desperate Housewives The ladies of Fairview are back for a sixth season, and with the identity of Mike’s new bride still unknown, this series is set to shock once again. Already airing in the States, the show will surely be worth the wait when it hits our screens in 2010. Dave may be out of the picture, but in true Desperate Housewives fashion, a new mysterious character (or family...) is never lurking too far away…

Lost Our catastrophe castaways are bowing out next year after six successful series and endless awards. The 121st and final episode will air in early 2010 on Sky One, which means saying a sorry farewell to Sawyer and the rest of the island’s hunks. The writers are keeping the plot of the new season under wraps for now, but it promises to be one of the most explosive series endings on television.

Money Martin Amis' cult '80s novel Money has just been announced as the latest programme in the BBC's spring schedule. The show will feature in two hour long episodes, starring Nick Frost, Emma Pierson, and Vincent Kartheiser.

Rooted in the decade's unhealthy obsession with capitalism, Frost leads as commercial director Nick Self, who moves from the comparatively slow paced world of British advertising to the fast and furious life of a New York film director. Battling with inflated egos and financial woes, Self can only rely on his wit and bold irreverence to pull him through his rough patch.

Self's gluttony and penchant for pornography and prostitutes paint him as the perfect rogue in this tale of greed, which was voted as one of TIME magazine's 100 best novels of 1923 – 2005. The show is due to air in 2010 on BBC Two. Celebrity Big Brother The BB enterprise may have run its course, but all true fans will be tuned in to the final series of its celebrity version in January 2010. Rumours have been flying about who will star this year, and with names such as Pamela Anderson and Boy George in the mix, CBB aims to go out in style. The show may have waned in popularity in recent years, but we will definitely be watching and waiting to see our latest and last Z-list winner claim their fifteen minutes of fame.

Doctor Who The long awaited and eagerly anticipated fifth series of Doctor Who sees eleventh doctor Matt Smith as our latest Time Lord, with beautiful new assistant Amy Pond (played by Karen Gillan) at his side. With filming pictures being leaked regularly, and the promised return of show favourites like Alex Kingston (who played the doomed River Song), series five looks set to shine, despite the absence of writer Russel T. Davies. So while Matt Smith sets his sites on the Tardis, we're setting our sites on the sofa for when we're glued to the screen.

90210 The Beverley Hills spinoff returns for a second series on the 5th of January on E4, and what a series it promises to be.

Having left off with Annie's hit-and-run, Liam being dragged to military school, Adrianna giving birth and Naomi being under her sister’s spell, 90210 promises gossip, scandal, and most importantly, drama. And it's not just the kids causing chaos: look out for Harry and Kelly getting on a little too well in the wake of the former arguing with his wife… It’s going to be a good year for us at West Beverley.

Oh...what's occurin'?

Dollhouse dilemma

With the return of the Welsh favourites to our screens, Simon Fairbanks explores why Gavin and Stacey will go down in comedy history.

Joe McGrath tells us why Fox has cut off its own tail in axing Dollhouse.

GAVIN and Stacey returned to our screens for its third and final series last Thursday, and we couldn’t be happier.

Since its debut on BBC Three in 2007, English and Welsh audiences alike have been drawn into the modern-day fairy tale of Gavin Shipman (Matthew Horne) and Stacey West (Joanna Page). An unlikely romance – the former from Essex and the latter from Barry – the first series had us hooked as their relationship blossomed into their marriage.

The second season focused on their best friends, Smithy and Nessa (played by writers James Corden and Ruth Jones), who find themselves having a baby despite their mutual disdain. And after a cracking Christmas episode, we now have the long-awaited third series.

It very nearly didn't happen. Last December, both Corden and Jones commented that the characters had become predictable and both were busy working on the American adaptation. However, after much demand, Jones asked Corden live on BBC Radio Wales if they should do another series and Corden replied: 'I’m in if you are.'

And so the ball started rolling.

In fairness, how could they not make another series? Gavin and Stacey has successfully scooped up a heap of British Comedy

and Television Awards, migrating Torchwood-style from BBC Three to having repeats shown on BBC Two and now finally onto the flagship of BBC One. Plus, the fans deserve closure for these much-loved characters and Christmas left Smithy hanging in the air, alienated from Baby Neil and confused about his feelings towards Nessa.

Well, it's back now and closure has been promised. The first episode was a joy. We joined Gavin on his first day of work in the Welsh office, shortly followed by Baby Neil's christening. There was no shortage of great comedy moments, including Uncle Bryn (Rob Brydon) singing Something Inside So Strong at church, Gavin being repeatedly hassled at work by his extended family and the revelation of Baby Neil's middle names: Noel and Edmond.

Admittedly, comedy is subjective and a few people might not be charmed by its humour. However, laughs aside, the characters have always been Gavin and Stacey’s biggest selling point. All of them are incredibly well-written and much-adored: Uncle Bryn, Gwen, Dave from Dave’s Coaches, Smithy’s little sister Rudy. And Gavin’s parents, Mick and Pam (played by Larry Lamb and Alison Steadman), have such great chemistry that you would think they were married in real life.

Most excitingly, new characters have been introduced. These include Smithy's alcoholic, narcoleptic mum (the everbrilliant Pam Ferris) and Nessa's convict-on-the-run father (Welsh actor Ifan Huw Dafydd). Both are great additions to the cast.

Tough times lie ahead for our characters: Gavin is homesick, Mick and Pam are adapting to life without their son, Dave is taking Smithy’s place as Baby Neil's father and Nessa is caught in the middle.

But you can be sure that there’ll be a happy ending on the horizon and Gavin and Stacey, like The Office, will go down as one of Britain's best-loved modern sitcoms. Tidy.

IT'S a tough task, attempting to endorse a television show that has already been condemned to cancellation. Dollhouse is the latest Joss Whedon vehicle to be sent out to die, by evil, corporate, in-it-for-the-money television giant, Fox. Some of the more astute observers may be able to detect an element of exasperation in this article with regard to the aforementioned network. But why?

Well, it is true that there is some high quality programming in the Fox roster. No one is debating Fox's potential to produce some television classics. The issue I have is with its ritualistic butchering of young, budding, innovative shows that do not necessarily find their feet immediately with the ratings. I mention this referring specifically to an immensely, stupendously, outrageously fantastic series that, for me, propelled Joss Whedon from mere mortal to living deity.

The series is, of course, Firefly... Not heard of it?

I am not surprised.

In this mournfully short single season of entertainment gold, Whedon spliced sci-fi and western genres to achieve something truly great. And what did Fox do? They crushed the

dream with not even a flicker of humanity or regret.

Tears literally cascade onto my keyboard as I write this.

However, I was thrilled by the prospect of a new creation by the man who brought us this underappreciated masterpiece, the glorious universe of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and who was a credited writer on everlasting animation picture Toy Story. This creation is Dollhouse. It is another high concept series from Whedon who appears to revel in this sort of narrative.

Dollhouse follows the story of Echo (Eliza Dushku), a resident of the Dollhouse, an underground corporation who are hired by clients for just about any task, usually illicit. The Dollhouse provides individuals, who with the aid of super technology are wiped of memory and personality and implanted with new skills appropriate for the requested task.

The concept provides an enjoyable framework that enables the protagonist to become entangled in a variety of differing and thrilling situations. It is in these portions that Whedon shows his true talent for immersing the audience in rich and flowing dialogue that can be both hilarious and profound.

The casting is generally very good, with a nice dynamic between Dushku and Harry J. Lennix, playing Echo’s 'handler'.

There are some inherent flaws.

Despite Dushku competently portraying numerous different personalities, the lack of consistent characteristics makes it hard for the viewer to engage with Echo.

However, the positives do outweigh the negatives and it certainly did not warrant cancellation.

Though, this opinion may be a manifestation of my depression over the fate of Firefly.

Television

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

Top Ten: Christmas Moments Simon Fairbanks remembers his all-time festive favourites 1. The Office (2003)

Witty, hilarious and observant as ever, Gervais and Merchant ended The Office on a high. Not only do we see David Brent on a series of hilarious blind dates but we get the ultimate pay-off: Tim and Dawn finally get together over a Secret Santa gift. Pure Christmas joy.

2. Only Fools and Horses (1996)

The greatest Trotter Christmas special and the true ending of Only Fools And Horses (ignore those lame entries between 2001 and 2003). The Trotters finally get their break when they auction a watch for £6,200,000 and walk off into the sunset as millionaires. A landslide 24 million viewers tuned in.

3. Knowing Me, Knowing Yule (1995)

Alan Partridge attempts a Christmas edition of his chat show and manages to offend a devout Christian, a paralysed former golfer and a transvestite, shortly before punching the Commissioning Editor of BBC2.

4. The Vicar of Dibley (1996)

The best of the Dibley Christmas specials, this saw Geraldine Granger eat four Christmas dinners at different houses throughout the day. This is most definitely Dawn French and her fantastic supporting cast at their best.

5. Gavin and Stacey (2008)

Last Christmas, we were shown a perfect snapshot of family life at Christmas: the excitement of Christmas Eve, bickering, board games, sharing gifts and a handful of ill-timed revelations. It doesn't get more warm and fuzzy than this. There's no Christmas special this year, but watch out for the continuation of series three over the festive season.

Editors' Picks

TV Editors Matthew Williamson and Natalie Timmins preview what to look out for this Christmas with their festive TV and radio highlights WITH one term down and a long, relaxing Christmas holiday to look forward to (or at least three days off within four weeks of essay writing), we thought we'd bring you our top picks of what to watch on the TV this Christmas. When you've stuffed yourself beyond what you thought possible and you can take no more family time, sit down and indulge yourself in this year's killer festive line-up…

The centrepiece of the festive season on BBC One will undoubtedly be David Tennant's final outing on Doctor Who. Screening on both Christmas Day and New Year's Day, these two specials will see the return of Catherine Tate, John Barrowman, Billie Piper and legendary actor Bernard Cribbins.

Here at Redbrick Television, we are unashamed Doctor Who fans and

these specials will most definitely be unmissable. Whatever happens, eleventh Doctor Matt Smith has some very big shoes to fill…

Beloved Nana may have passed away, but The Royle Family Christmas Special lives on following last year's success. This Christmas sees Jim and Barbara have an unexpected windfall and they spend the festive season debating how to spend their newfound cash.

Christmas specials also feature in the schedule from My Family,

6. A Close Shave (1995)

Each Wallace & Gromit film has debuted over Christmas and this was their third and finest outing. Wallace finds love with Wendolene Ramsbottom, Gromit goes head-to-head with a psychotic cyber-dog and we are introduced to lovable Shaun the Sheep.

7. Shameless (2004)

Kev and Lip steal the meat from a stalled delivery lorry and sell it to the locals. Unfortunately, the meat has been deliberately contaminated for an army training exercise and so the army are called to lockdown the area. Very Shameless and a truly original Christmas special.

8. Merry Christmas, Mr Bean (1992)

18 million people watched as Mr Bean plays with a store nativity scene (adding in daleks and a tank) and gets his head stuck in the turkey. All in a day's work for the classic Mr Bean.

9. Doctor Who (2005)

The Doctor Who Christmas specials have occurred annually since its re-launch in 2005. This marked the first full-outing of David Tennant's Doctor and saw him fighting remote control Christmas trees and defeating the evil Sycorax with a satsuma. Quality entertainment for all the family.

10. The Snowman (1982)

Based on the book by Raymond Briggs, this was first aired on Christmas Eve in 1982 and has been shown every year since. The 26-minute film is completely wordless except for the song Walking In The Air. An all-time Christmas classic.

25

Victoria Wood and the brilliant but underrated Outnumbered. And if her return to Doctor Who doesn't quite fulfil the needs of Catherine Tate fans, they can look forward to her very own Christmas special, which sees comedy genius Nan having her very own version of A Christmas Carol.

ITV focus on their celebrity specials this year, with Ant and Dec hosting the first festive special of their career.

Not one to miss out, following the success of Girls Aloud's Christmas Party last year, Cheryl Cole will be going it alone this year with a host of celebrity guests and a chance to perform her own solo hits in a live special. Harry Hill's TV Burp Review of the Year will see the comedian's take on the best telly moments of the year, while classic Christmas drama for all the family comes from The Fattest Man In Britain, which finds ITV favourite Timothy Spall trying to compete in a competition to find Britain's biggest man. And all of this is before we even mention the pressing matter of The X Factor final…

Over on the radio, Friday 18th December will be a monumental day. In his final breakfast broadcast, Terry Wogan entertains his listeners for the last time in Wake Up To Wogan on BBC Radio 2. Initially ruling the breakfast airwaves from

1972 to 1984, Wogan regained his breakfast banter slot from 1993.

Although this isn't the end to Sir Terry's radio career, we're sure his TOGs (Terry's Old Geezers!) won't quite love Chris Evans' replacement breakfast show in the same way.

Monday 21st December sees Radio 1's Festive Festival with Nick Grimshaw promising top talent to put you in the party season spirit, with Kissy Sell Out and Toddla T providing the mixes to begin your Christmas nights out!

And last but not least… if you're obsessed with the festive season, then we've found the ultimate yearround Christmas radio station for you. Yes, all year round, extreme Christmas love is found on merrychristmasradio. com, where the mince pies are always cooking and the tree's lit up 365 days a year!

So sit back, relax and enjoy a fantastic line-up of Christmas TV. Merry Christmas to all our readers and see you all in 2010 with the very best of the New Year's television.

Festive cheer?

Matthew Williamson previews this Christmas' soap action EVERY year, Christmas sees our favourite soaps pull something extra special out of the bag and this year is certainly no exception.

Murder, heartbreak, revelations and romance – this year's soap festivities have it all…

Eastenders fans will finally see evil Archie Mitchell get his comeuppance. Having ousted the Mitchell family from their beloved Queen Vic, Archie is set to meet his maker on Christmas Day. Suspects include scorned lover Peggy, her loyal son Phil, Archie's daughters Ronnie and Roxy, evil Janine and even good old Ian Beale.

But, as always in the world of soap, don't expect a quick resolution to this one – the show's very first live episode to mark their 25th anniversary will see the killer named and shamed… in February 2010. Meanwhile, Max hits rock bot-

tom and, after years of ups and downs, Stacey and Bradley decide it's finally make-or-break time.

Over on Coronation Street, get ready for the show's most disgusting affair ever to reach its climax. Molly and Kevin plan on telling Tyrone and Sally about their post-running-session antics, but before Kevin can declare all over the Christmas dinner table,

Sally has a confession of her own: she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Kevin rushes to stop Molly telling Tyrone, but does he make it on time? And for those who agree that what Coronation Street does best is comedy, get ready for the sight of Ken Barlow drunker than we have ever seen him before – think post-Fab level of drunkenness in Adam's Place and you're almost

there…

Hollyoaks steps up the drama this Christmas, with characters in danger left, right and centre. Not only does Hannah's anorexia return, but Zoe is lured to Sarah's grave by an increasingly deranged Lydia and Mercedes and Calvin's affair looks set to be rumbled by poor Malachy. To top it all off, Hollyoaks is set to push boundaries when Loretta's long-lost friend turns up and reveals that the two of them killed a child when they were just twelve years old and have been living under false identities ever since! The controversial plot has angered many who claim it is too similar to the real-life murder of James Bulger in 1993. See www.redbrickonline.co.uk for further discussion on this hard-hitting and provocative storyline.

26 Sport

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

Birmingham left with pride but without points by brilliant Leeds

Brum undone by classy Khalil Women's Basketball 1st: Birmingham v Leeds Met 31 – 82 James Phillips

Birmingham are left deflated after Leeds Met score a fourth

Women's Football 1st: Birmingham v Leeds Met 0–5 Dave Rudge THE University of Birmingham women's 1st XI went down 5-0 to a supremely talented Leeds Met side at the Metchley pitches on Wednesday afternoon but could walk away with their heads held high after a valiant performance.

The home side went into this match as rank outsiders having only won once in the league so far this season. They were up against a Leeds Met side with a 100 percent record, including a 5-1 victory away at Loughborough.

The hosts began the brighter of the two sides, with diminutive forward Aiofe Commane forcing a panicked clearance f r o m Leeds M e t

keeper Emma Higgins in only the first minute of the game. Birmingham were almost rewarded on five minutes when, after a neat one-two, Commane threaded a superb pass through to Kelly-Anne Willis inside the penalty area who drilled a shot inches wide of the righthand post.

This near-miss served as a wake-up call for Leeds who began piling forward and creating chances.

They got the breakthrough on 15 minutes when England U23 striker Carla Cantrell stole a march on Birmingham centre-back Katy Norris, powering down the left wing before centering to Emma Lipman inside the penalty area who confidently slotted home. The visitors doubled their advantage five minutes later when Birmingham's Lucie Vickers was caught in possession by Leeds winger Jess Wright. Wright turned her marker inside-out, dribbled into the six-yard box and fired low right-footed across the keeper to make it 2-0.

Although Leeds were doing all the pressing, the hosts looked dangerous on the counter. On 28 minutes, Birmingham's Layla Salter stole possession in the Leeds Met defensive third and played a great through ball to Commane who, in an almost carbon copy of her team-mate's 5th minute effort, fired wired. Leeds were almost out of sight on 36 minutes when midfielder Jade Moore's 20-yard humdinger produced a brilliant diving save by Edwards to her left-hand post to keep her side in the con-

test. The first half petered out with the score remaining 2-0 to the away side.

Leeds had undoubtedly been the better team but had rode their luck.

The hosts started the second half with a great chance. Willis played in winger Carly Brown down the left, who beat her maker to whip in a tricky cross which was almost turned into her own goal

by Leeds centre-back Natalie Haigh. Moments later at the other end, an under-hit back-pass allowed Wright to surge into the penalty area. She squared to Cantrell who laid it off to Rachel Lee but she spooned her 12 yard shot way over the bar.

On 54 minutes, a bad mistake by Norris allowed Sarah Danby to steal in on the left of the penalty area. Her excellent pull back found Lee who again, this time from ten yards, proved profligate. Norris, however, redeemed herself on 61 minutes when her last-ditch tackle on Laura Gillespie denied an otherwise certain goal.

Leeds though put the result beyond doubt on 65 minutes when stand-out performer Jess Wright latched onto a sumptuous ball over the top, chesting it down neatly to set herself up one-on-one with the keeper. Edwards saved the first effort brilliantly but was powerless to stop the rebound, which Wright back-heeled into an empty net for 3-0.

Six minutes later a deflected Danby cross bounced kindly for Cantrell who hit an composed volley into the top righthand corner, leaving Edwards rooted and the scores at 4-0. Leeds could

Photo: Tom Clarke smell blood and substitute Katie Nutter made it five on 78 minutes with a towering header from a Danby corner. Four minutes from time, Edwards pulled off a special fingertip save to keep the scoreline from increasing and the game ended 5-0.

After the game Birmingham coach Mark Smith was philosophical: 'The only real negative was a couple of sloppy goals towards the end against a very good team.

As a coach I'm pleased with the way we played.'

He went on to praise individual players: 'Charlie Clark, for her first game as a fresher played very well in centre midfield.

Aiofe, with her movement up-front, was excellent.

Amy (Edwards) performs impressively all the time, particularly in games against quality opposition. She's an excellent goalkeeper and has made a massive difference to the University team over the last two years.' On the subject of relegation, Smith remained upbeat: 'I've got to remain confident, I'm the coach but it's increasingly difficult as the fixtures wear away.'

Birmingham now sit joint-bottom of the table and require at least two wins from their remaining three league fixtures if they are to avoid relegation from the BUCS Northern Premier division.

With opponents like Northumbria and Loughborough still to play, the task will not be easy one but if the team continue to show the commitment on display in this performance they have every chance of beating the drop.

DESPITE a second half rally from the University of Birmingham Women's Basketball team, their counterparts from Leeds Metropolitan cruised to an emphatic 31-82 victory.

A virtuoso performance from visiting point guard Rehana Khalil was instrumental as the away team tore into the hosts in the first half.

Traffic delays meant the match commenced 40 minutes late and home coach Dave Codrington didn't make it to the court until midway through the second quarter. By then Leeds Met were already out of sight, going in at half time with a 46-8 lead.

Prior to the tip-off, Canadian born away coach James Barnbury said he was expecting a good game, and he was right to be confident as his team flew out of the traps.

The visitors scored 25 points before Birmingham could register at all. Joanna Clayden and Eszter Velkey scored within the first minute before both Keesha Tate and Loui Hall helped themselves to baskets, as Leeds were by far the better team in the opening quarter.

They defended strongly and looked threatening in offence, whereas Birmingham were simply not clinical enough when they had possession.

Alex Stollery failed to capitalise on two free shots awarded to the home team, and the introduction of the outstanding Khalil hindered the Brum girls further, as she combined with Clayden and Becki Turner to set up Fanni Feher before assisting Clayden and scoring two baskets of her own, the second from a difficult angle. Just when it seemed like the visitors were toying with Birmingham, Stollery registered two points to the relief of the home players and supporters. The first quarter ended with Leeds Met 28-2 up.

The introduction of Chidz Obi helped the hosts in the second quarter, and she combined well with Mira Runkel, but Khalil continued to orchestrate Leeds attacks and the game briefly re-

sembled a dual between Obi and Khalil. Anne Martin scored for Birmingham but again they were not clinical enough, Obi missing both her free shots, allowing Velkey to punish the hosts on the break with a three pointer. Martin scored two more before half time but it was an impossible task for Birmingham as Leeds kept scoring, and Martin wasted two more free shots.

Barnbury was happy, citing his new offence tactics and practicing 4 times a week as reasons for his team's dominance.

A 38 point deficit at halftime looked unassailable, but the arrival of coach Codrington had a positive impact.

Amanda Swan opened the second half by scoring for the home team, converting a free-shot and then scoring again, as it appeared Birmingham had a new lease of life after the coach's half-time words.

However, the visitors still looked good, playing some outstanding basketball with Clayden helping herself to a quick seven points. Swan did well for the home team continuing to score but Hall and Tate matched her and the third quarter ended with Leeds Met 67-21 up. The score since half-time was just 13-19 though, showing a clear improvement since the arrival of the Birmingham coach. The final quarter got underway at a fast pace. Faher, Boyes and Velkey succeeded in several more baskets and although Swan had the last word, the game finished 31-82.

Codrington however was right to be pleased with the second half performance: 'We take time to warm up, but once we get going we can play. We need to learn to get into game mode from the second we wake up in the morning. The second half display showed our potential. We're aiming for fourth place so we can qualify for the play-offs and we will need to beat Loughborough away and get a result against Sheffield but I firmly believe we can do it.'

The girls will look forward to the Sheffield fixture to put things right, hopefully with their coach present from the start.

Don't forget to check out Redbrick Online for exclusive reports on the men's football and women's lacrosse 1st teams

Sport

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

27

Brum fail to hold on to Gloucestershire Men's Rugby League Super 8's: Birmingham v Gloucestershire 0 – 36

Jonathan Gilbert THE University’s 1st XIII rugby league team slumped to a 36-0 defeat against a Gloucestershire 1st XIII who dominated throughout Wednesday evening’s Super 8 encounter. The loss means that Birmingham has registered just one win from seven in this season’s BUCS campaign.

On a Bournbrook pitch which, previously, had exclusively hosted rugby union and American football fixtures, the home side failed to gain any sort of foothold in a match which they were always chasing.

The outstanding performance of the night was

W

that of Gloucestershire stand-off Dan Poulton whose kicking masterclass and energetic running saw him amass 18 of his side’s points.

Birmingham had started the game doggedly, pegging the away team back into their own half.

Right wing Matt Infante was the most threatening weapon in their artillery and, after just six minutes, was unleashed down his flank before being eventually bundled into touch.

However, Gloucestershire eventually started to show their class and creativity. Scrum-half Rory Trow, positioned directly in front of the posts, kicked a simple drop-goal to give his team a 1-0 lead.

The away team continued to press, centre Andy Webster and the electric wing Patrick Evans combining well down the left-hand side, but were stopped in their tracks on numerous occasions by a resolute Birmingham defence. Inevitably, the Gloucestershire breakthrough did come.

Hooker Rob Webber was tackled just a metre from the home team’s try-line but, quickly retrieving the loose ball, eventually scored in the corner. Kicking from the touchline, Poulton converted his first two points of the evening’s proceedings with aplomb.

Birmingham, however, did not cave in and battled well in midfield. Infante broke loose from a tackle but came up short of the try line. Then, after some

fluid phase play, centre Rhodri Kent thought he had touched-down. Unfortunately, the referee adjudged that there had been a double movement and the home team were denied the opportunity to establish themselves in the match.

Shortly before halftime, Gloucestershire consolidated their lead.

Following a fumbled ball and a toe-poke towards the corner, full back Harry Boughton powered over the line despite a brave last-gasp tackle from his opposite number Scott Bennett. The try was awarded despite unfounded Birmingham protests and Poulton converted to give the visitors a 13-0 lead at the interval.

Despite starting the second half with intent, Birmingham eventually collapsed. With just three minutes of the half gone, their best chance of the game was squandered after a dropped ball. Too often, their backline drifted across the pitch rather than cutting straighter and more effective angles in attack. Moments later, Poulton broke through to score and his subsequent opportunity for another two points was confidently taken.

The visitors’ fourth try of the match was calmly touched-down, once again, by their inspirational stand-off. After a fine break, Trow sensibly offloaded as, off balance, he stumbled towards the tryline and Poulton, the only support runner, finished off the move and ended

A Birmingham player makes a valiant attempt at a tackle Birmingham’s hopes of a potential comeback. As Big Joe chimed, Poulton slotted his conversion through the posts.

The final two tries were claimed by Evans, whose wilful running was a constant thorn in Birmingham’s side. The first saw him break loose of Andy Stimson and Greg Stewart before showing a fantastic sleight of foot to finish in the corner. For the second, he scrambled over the try-line after Webster had broken through the home team’s now fatigued defence. Sandwiched between the tries, Trow sent

Photo: Tom Clarke the ball over the posts for his second drop-goal.

The game ended scrappily and Birmingham managed to gain some territory as complacency crept in to the visitors’ game. However, the referee’s final whistle signalled a Gloucestershire victory which ensured that they recorded the double over their West Midlands rivals, having won a comfortable opening game of the season, on home turf, 46-0.

Gloucester head coach, Ken Stone, was understandably thrilled with his team: ‘It was a strong overall performance. Af-

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Redbrick 1361

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Sponsored by Waterstone's at the University of Birmingham This week's bumper prize consists of two £10 Waterstone's vouchers and Dear Fatty by Dawn French

Across

Down

1. The __________, Tchaikovsky ballet (10) 6. Channel, ravine (5) 7. Chocolate substitute (5) 10. Main word in subject of a clause (4) 15. 60s dance movement deriving from the twist (4) 16. Dissatisfaction, melancholy (5) 18. Strained, anxious (5) 19. Netherlands city where the EU was established (10)

1. European and Asian bird known as Rufous (11) 2.Thomas _______, Scottish Civil Engineer (7) 3. ________ Mistry, author of 1995 novel A Fine Balance (8) 4. Mediterranean Island (6) 5. Yoko ___, wife of John Lennon (3) 8. ___ Walker, Catchphrase presenter (3) 9. Deception, cunning (11) 11. The Abortionist's ________, 2006 Elizabeth Hyde novel (8) 12. Ancestral, hereditary (7) 13. The ______ of Wrath, John Steinbeck novel (6) 14. ___ Barnes, Prince Caspian actor (3) 17. ___ Washington, US lyricist (3)

ter a fairly even opening 20 minutes, we really took control of the game.

We now need to push on from here in order to have a successful second half to the campaign.’

Birmingham will be disappointed with their performance. Outclassed and outplayed, it will be difficult to pick themselves up from this demoralising defeat for next week’s Super 8 encounter away at Loughborough University. An individual performance to the tune of Poulton’s would go a long way to improving their chances of victory.

Last issue's solutions:

neutrality=m= i==w====w==e= f==e=s=nodule faze=y=o==n=a e===ulysses=r n=a==l=t==e=n e=r=qatar=e=e g=c==b=l==n=s g=analogy===t e=d==e=i=moon reeves=c=a==e =b==r====i==s =b=ergonomics Think you've cracked it? Pop your completed crosswords (and bribes, naturally) in to the Redbrick office with your NAME, COURSE, YEAR and EMAIL ADDRESS for a chance to win an article-related book from the University's Waterstone's branch.

The deadline for the crossword is Tuesday 8th December 2009.

Unfortunately, there were no correct entries for last issue's crossword, which means that this issue's prize is a bumper special one! Good Luck!

28 Sport

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

SPORT

27 Rugby League The men's 1st team suffer a heavy home defeat

26 Women's Football Brum brave but are beaten

Webb weaves to leave Warwick flailing

Cole scores Birmingham's first in the corner to settle the home side's nerves

Photos: Tom Clarke

Women's Rugby Union 1st: Birmingham v Warwick 19 – 0

James Mckelvie BIRMINGHAM'S women's rugby team were victorious against their Warwick counterparts on a freezing cold December afternoon at the Metchley pitches. Birmingham had won all six of their games heading into the match, including a 32-22 win against Warwick earlier in the season, but were made to work hard for a magnificent seventh victory that helped reaffirm their status as genuine title contenders.

Before kick-off, both teams entered into their respective huddles and tried to psyche their opponents out by making as much noise as possible.

Most observers would have concluded that Bir-

mingham were the victors in this preliminary battle and this merely set the tone for the afternoon as the hosts outfought and outmanoeuvred their opponents in all areas of the pitch.

Warwick kicked off proceedings but were under the cosh straight away as Birmingham pressed high up the field forcing the visitors players into making mistakes.

After one such early mistake, the hosts managed to turn the ball over and Birmingham's Ellie Webb went on a great run powering past four flailing Warwick players before eventually being tackled with the ball knocked into touch. Warwick responded by winning the lineout and their number 13 went on a great run of her own.

Unfortunately for Warwick this early show of attacking threat failed to materialise into anything more substantial as the first half was played almost exclusively in their half. Yet Birmingham were unable to make the breakthrough their play merited. On one attack, Birmingham fly half Faye Hamp glided into Warwick's twenty two, but the

hosts were denied a try as the visitor's continued to stand firm.

On the rare occasion that Warwick did venture further forward, the hosts firmly put the shutters up, with Warwick's number one feeling the full force of two strong Birmingham tackles. She was dazed, and so it seemed were her team mates as Birmingham continued to bomb forward.

Birmingham were almost rewarded for their endeavour when Garnet Mackinder broke through enemy lines with a low kick towards the Warwick try line. The ball ended up agonisingly close to its desired destination and the crowd waited with bated breath as Mackinder sprinted after it in an attempt to finish what she'd started.

Unbelievably she miscued when attempting to kick the ball over the line and Warwick were able to scramble the ball clear.

Birmingham needn't have worried though as they managed to turn in a much-deserved try only minutes later. The hosts' number thirteen Joe Coe put the finishing touches to a sharp Birmingham passing move. The ball

was played out wide and she made a determined run towards the corner flag, evading several challenges before sliding over the finish line. The relief on the Birmingham player's faces was clear for all to see, and it seemed to matter little that the hosts' number eight Chloe Danner fluffed her kick from the resulting conversion.

As the first half came to a close, Birmingham seemed buoyed having made the breakthrough, yet all was still to play for with Warwick trailing by only five points.

The second half began in a similar fashion to the first. Birmingham had all the territory and possession but were still finding it difficult to breach Warwick lines. However, whilst Birmingham were struggling to put Warwick to the sword, the visitors were struggling with their lineout and early on in the second half Birmingham took advantage of this, winning a Warwick line out in the visitor's third and coming desperately close to a second try from the resulting play.

Warwick were hanging on by the skin of their teeth and tried to relieve

the pressure by breaking upfield but their efforts reaped little reward as the hosts put in a number of crunching tackles to halt their attack.

As a bit of light rain began to fall, the hosts, unlucky with injuries throughout the match, made their first tactical substitution of the afternoon with Katie Hildred replaced by Emily James.

The visitors were beginning to tire and the fresh legs aided Birmingham as they continued to press forward with fullback Ellie Webb embarking on a marauding run into Warwick territory. Yet the visitors, while offering little in terms of attacking intent, were defending resolutely and again denied Birmingham, as Danner's powerful run was ended a matter of inches away from the try line.

Great things come to those who wait however, and Birmingham didn't have to wait too much longer as the hosts' number sixteen forced home a try following incessant attacking pressure inside the visitors' twenty two.

Warwick were unhappy with the decision but the referee adjudged the ball

to be grounded. With the resulting conversion, Birmingham were now winning 12-0 and cruising.

Warwick's players at this point seemed to lose a little bit of fight for the battle and Birmingham made absolute sure of the victory by adding a further third try. Full back Ellie Webb had played well all game and got the try she deserved as she closed down a Warwick clearance, blocking the kick with her hands and then running the ball over the try line for an easy five points. Birmingham converted the resulting conversion and the game ended soon after with Birmingham 19-0 victors.

After the game Head Coach Sarah Hunter commented to me that 'it was a fantastic squad performance'. 'Warwick were always going to be tough opponents', she said, and 'the team's hard work paid off'. Club Captain Debbie Hartley added, 'We got the points we deserved'. Next up for Birmingham are Leicester, a team they've already beaten once this season.

Following this fantastic result, who's to say they can't make it eight.

Exclusive online reports; don't miss out!

This may be the last paper edition of term but Redbrick Sport are not stopping for Christmas just yet.

Check out www.redbrickonline.co.uk on December 11th for a full section of exclusive reports on the week's fixtures Photo: Tom Clarke

REDBRICK 1361 / 4th DECEMBER 2009

&

Features

Comment Feature:

BeautifulPeople.com

Victoria Shires investigates the latest image-obsessed website 'BEAUTY is in the eye of the beholder…' Since the worldwide launch of the controversial new website beautifulpeople.com in October, there can be even more people making that judgment. It is an exclusively 'beautiful' online community where the world's finest-looking can communicate and create personal and professional relationships with each other. The first community of its kind, it has become a global phenom-

programmes, Greg Hodge, the Managing Director of the website, has had to defend beautifulpeople. com profusely, and from all of the interviews that I have seen he seems to have perfected his rehearsed defence. Hodge describes the website as 'an elite online club where every member works the door. Everyone wants to be with someone that they are attracted to; Beautifulpeople.com is just a way of getting over the first

Is beauty only skin deep? Photo: Harvey Mckeon enon, gaining success in 16 countries after being founded in Denmark in 2002.

To become a member of the elite club, applicants are judged on a picture of themselves by existing 'beautiful' members of the opposite sex. Applicants are left anticipating the result for 48 hours before their beauty rating is given the thumbs up... or most commonly, down.

The odds of actually being accepted are very low, with only twenty percent of applicants making the grade.

BeautifulPeople. com admit that the site 'does not define beauty, it simply gives an accurate representation of what society's idea of beauty is.'

The website has caused much controversy and discussion. After all, who doesn't have something to say about a website that rates or hates people depending on their looks? Appearing on various American television

hurdle. Once you have been accepted as beautiful, there are various tools to get across the character behind the beautiful exterior.' Thus showing that personality comes second to looks.

He is aware that one of the main points that offend people is the rejection of applicants who aren't deemed 'beautiful' enough. This he justifies by saying that 'exclusion is prevalent all through society. We see exclusion in football teams, Mensa and college fraternities.

We have to exclude people to serve the purpose of the community.' He sums up the website as 'the best little black book in the world. If you think of the social networking market as a nightclub, BeautifulPeople is the VIP room.'

Extravagant, expensive and exclusive events are regularly put on for these fine-looking specimens of vanity. They deserve it don't they? After all, being

beautiful is hard work...

When I first came across this website I laughed. I thought it was ridiculous that people would take it seriously and my curiosity forced me to join up. I wasn't worried about getting swept up in something so shallow so didn't think twice about it; I just wanted to see what it was like. I managed to get some friends to join up too and we set up a miniinvestigation. According to statistics only one in five applicants are successful and so five of us made profiles and eagerly awaited the response. I didn't want to give too much information away and so just submitted a picture from a recent night out and fake name. This is where I started to contradict myself. Although I thought I wouldn't care about it, I found myself searching through my Facebook profile pictures for a relatively nice picture; one where I thought I looked semi-beautiful.

I couldn't understand why I suddenly cared? I realise that I wanted to be deemed as beautiful and a fear of rejection was starting to creep in.

A friend who also applied found the site 'unnervingly addictive' and it soon became her guilty pleasure. She was surprised at how the exclusive members weren't as 'beautiful' as you would expect and were actually pretty

view Robert Hintze, the founder of the website, suggested that 'beauty's a package' and that some members decided that mentioning their assets (money, cars, jobs) in their profile may help them gain some votes. As we browsed the website, we noticed some absurd behaviour. Not only is there a 'Top 50' section where the hottest of the (supposedly) hot are compiled, but members rate each other's pictures and send each other 'hugs'.

I discovered that this 'beautiful' world is actually rather seedy and very flawed and it was concerning that my friends and I actually began to get sucked in, wanting to be accepted. As much as we laughed about it and said it was just a meaningless competition, I soon began to care. According to regular surveys carried out on the website, the UK has the least beautiful people, along with Germany.

Swedish men are the most likely to be accepted onto the site, as are Norwegian and Brazilian women. This made me feel a bit better when I received an email a few days after joining saying: 'Unfortunately your application to the BeautifulPeople network was not successful. The members of BeautifulPeople did not find your profile attractive enough.' Great.

I was however, consoled with the option to 'apply

It 'does not define beauty, it simply gives an accurate representation of what society's idea of beauty is' average-looking. But who am I to judge who is beautiful? My male friends who signed up found it all quite funny and, even though they won't admit it, they put a lot of effort into their profiles.

In a television inter-

7

again with a better photo or more interesting profile.' And there is always the 'Day Guest Pass' for people who are 'too ugly sign up.'

Clocking Off Features Editorial

The Christmas hype can be emotionally exhausting.

But one film makes everything seem right again for Laura Hewitt E M O T I O N A L L Y , Christmas is always a time of polar opposites.

For the entirety of December, we are up and down and wrung out. Our lives are invaded by an invisible, emotional pressure – everyone knows the kind. It is more than consumer pressure; it is peer pressure from a smug, idealistic global community.

Either way, it comes from a very public sphere, but inevitably it affects our personal sphere, too.

From music, to films, to TV adverts, we cannot escape the phenomenon. We are affected by the hype – we can't help it. This would be easier to deal with if its effect wasn't so awfully penetrating. But it isn't just the latest nauseating offering from Iceland or Tesco that demands so much of us. Rather, the traditions passed down over the decades that make the Western festive season have irrevocably permeated our society and culture. An image is presented of convivial happiness that simply isn't a reality for many people.

It is a well-known fact that confidential listening charity Samaritans receive a sharp increase in calls at this time of the year – and no wonder.

Feelings of loneliness and isolation will be heightened for those who feel excluded from the Christmas scene. To be a part of it requires money and love, or at least company. The difference between the ideal and the reality presents us with a roller-coaster of emotions that is frankly exhausting.

I saw a film this week that provided me with a little pearl of wis-

dom to carry around in life. My first ever viewing of the 1946 perennial Christmas classic 'It's a Wonderful Life' left me crying, smiling and suddenly appreciative of everything I have. It tells the story of George Bailey, a man on the brink of financial ruin and suicide when he is visited by a guardian angel named Clarence, who shows him what the world would be like if he had never existed. Suffice to say, it's a lot worse a place without him.

I have never wanted to find out what the world would be like if I didn't exist. But the deadlines are approaching, the loan is running out, I have nowhere to live next year and I could quite easily sleep for a week if I had the time. Yet I have so much to be excited about that these things are rarely troubling me for long.

In fact, Christmas in general for me is like a month-long replay of the aforementioned film. I return home to the fulfilment of that Western picture: a happy family, warm fire and good food. It is enough to say that I am reminded how incredibly lucky I am.

This, on the back of the best term at uni so far. A word of advice to any fed-up, self-doubting first-years: second year is so much better, so keep at it. From being almost ready to quit last February, my 'public sphere' now revolves around some great friends, a great newspaper, a great course and someone great I'll be sharing mulled wine and mistletoe with. It really does feel like a wonderful life.