October 26th 2012

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26th October - 8th November 2012 Vol. 77. Issue 1417. www.redbrick.me

Redbrick on Bond Travel p12-13: Tom Troughton on the best Bond locations Music p16: Alice Anderson reviews Adele's Skyfall

Online: Life&Style: Chris Toyn on how to achieve the Bond look Sci&Tech: Ed Barclay looks at the top five most ridiculous Bond gadgets, and Chris Starkey on whether Goldeneye is still a classic game Film: Josh Taylor on Britain's most enduring film character

ELLIE students left with 'bitter taste in our mouths'

- Dissertation choices limited - One lecturer remaining - Less than a day to select third year modules More on page 4 Photo by Wai Tung

2 | 26th October - 8th November 2012

Tara Benham @Tarara18

@RedbrickNews BIRMINGHAM

ENTERTAINMENT

Council challenged over broadband plans

Ceefax switched off

on

BBC after 38 years

Virgin Media and BT are taking legal proceedings over Birmingham City Council’s plans to build a high-speed broadband network. They claim the £10m investment would ‘discourage commercial investment’ and be a ‘waste of public money’.

ENTERTAINMENT

Daniel Craig says Skyfall premiere is 'the best yet' SPORT

UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM

Lance Armstrong stripped of all victories

Old Joe turns pink for breast cancer charity

STORY OF THE WEEK

Newsnight Editor 'steps aside' over Savile case

Lance Armstrong has been stripped of all seven of his Tour de France titles by cycling's governing body, the International Cycling Union (ICU). The President of the ICU said, 'Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling.

He deserves to be forgotten.'.

Newsnight editor Peter Rippon is standing down after allegations that his choice to axe the program looking into Jimmy Savile’s career of abuse was part of a cover up at the BBC. Two charities set up in his name have also decided to close.

POLICE

TECHNOLOGY

West Yorkshire Chief Constable resigns

Apple unveils new iPad Mini in California

Sir Norman Bettison has resigned following an investigation into his role in the Hillsborough disaster. At the time of the tragedy he was South Yorkshire Police Commissioner and attended the match as a spectator. He is accused of giving misleading information.

Apple unveiled their latest product, the iPad mini, at an event in San Jose. It is 7.2 milimetres thin and features a 7.9 inch display.

Launched to rival similar products by Amazon and Google, the product will cost £269 and be available in the UK on 2 November.

Deputy Editors Lexie Wilson Owen Earwicker Digital Editor Chris Hutchinson

Arts Editors James Kinsey Rebekah McDermott Anna Lumsden

Life&Style Editors Lucy Whife Megan Nisbet Megan Jones

Sport Editors Sam Price Tim Pearson Joel Lamy

Senior Editorial Assistant Isabel Mason

arts@redbrick.me

lifestyle@redbrick.me

sports@redbrick.me

Travel Editors Emily Booth Chloe Osborne Will Spence

Photography Editors Anna Kirk Charlotte Wilson

travel@redbrick.me

chiefphotographer @redbrick.me

Editorial Assistants Ravina Khela Ellie Smallwood Ellie Jarvis Hannah Coates Ella Parsons Francesca Seabourne George Bearman Hannah Mason Alicea Francis Charley Ross

Music Editors Jonathon Milnes Tamara Roper Josh Holder

Art Director Alexander Blanchard

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News Editors Kerrina Gray Rhiannon Doyle-Maw Patrick McGhee Freddie Herzog

Television Editors Charlotte Goodwin Russell Webb Abigail Salter

Food Editors Izzy Gibbin Jemima Lovatt

tv@redbrick.me

food@redbrick.me

Comment Editors Oscar French Elisha Owen James Dolton

Film Editors Natasha Lavender Aisha Bushby Josh Taylor

Science & Technology Editors Sam Atkins Andrew Spencer

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film@redbrick.me

technology@redbrick.me

Cameron: 'prisoners are not getting the vote'

Apologies: In Issue 1415, we wrongly accredited the centre photograph covering pages 8+9 to James Phillips. The picture was instead taken by Victoria Kettlewell. I would like to apologise for the error.

Ed.

Redbrick Editorial Editor Raphael Sheridan

POLITICS

Crossword Editor Antonia Morris

news@redbrick.me

Junior Art Directors Lauren Wheatley Akhil Kothari Anita Baumgärtner Julia Jablonska

Proofreaders Naomi Baldwin Bethany Prottey Rebecca Mee Elizabeth Waind Emily Trivette Emily Hickey-Mason Sophie Tollet Hannah Dove

Redbrick Guild of Students Edgbaston Park Road Birmingham B15 2TT 0121 251 2462 editor@redbrick.me Redbrick is printed through www.mortonsprint.com 01507 523 456 Advertising Contact Linda Langley in Guild Marketing on 0121 251 2524 Designed and typeset by Redbrick Copyright (C) Redbrick 2012 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.

www.redbrick.me/news | 3

A Tale of Two Protests.

Anti-Carnage UK, Birmingham, 21st October Amani Hughes Reporter

@amanster92

Rhian Lubin Reporter

@rhian_lubin

The University of Birmingham Women's Association held a protest on Sunday 21st October against the theme of Carnage UK’s bar crawl, ‘Pimps and Hoes’. The protest was staged outside Walkabout on Broad Street and happened in the afternoon as ticket holders for the event were collecting their t-shirts.

The Facebook event page stated, ‘we will have a peaceful afternoon where we will hold a non-confrontational protest against the ‘pimps and hoes’ theme’.

The protesters were holding banners with slogans including ‘People shouldn’t be bought or sold!’, ‘Don’t glamorise violence against women!’ and ‘We love drinking, we hate pimping’. One of the protesters was asking ticket holders whether they were ‘going to dress up as hoes tonight’, and speaking to them about the cause of the protest.

Antonia Morris, one of the organisers of the protest stated that ‘it is unnecessary to theme a bar crawl around glamorising pimping and violence against women.’ She continued, ‘We’re not here to tell people how to dress or ruin anyone’s night. I just care about people thinking that it is normal to be called a hoe.’

Carnage UK, a member of the Varsity Leisure group, is responsible for organising bar crawls for undergraduate students in cities across the UK and was voted best student night in 2004. Suzie Wells, a student at BCU attending the bar crawl said ‘I haven’t really thought about the theme too much, its just a bit of fun I am not going to go too far with

the fancy dress tonight.’

A Psychology research fellow at the University commented, ‘I agree with the banners of the protest. I think the theme is completely outrageous, it seems to objectify men and women just to make money.’ She continued by saying, ‘I am a liberal person but I have learnt to be a conservative because of things like this.’

Guild President, David Franklin, tweeted a link to the Facebook event page in support of the protest, and said, ‘Pimps and Hoes...Seriously? Sort it out Carnage UK!’.

Gabby Roger, a spectator at the protest, commented saying that ‘the protest is an overreaction.’ She went on to say that, ‘just because you dress up like a pimp doesn’t mean you’re going to turn into one.’ A passerby explained his objection to the protest, saying ‘to be honest, there a r e bigger fish to fry!’

that, ‘we utterly refute that our event trivialises violence against women nor does it glorify prostitution.

'We would like to apologise for any offence caused to a very small number of individuals (“the protesters”). The protestors have a right to protest peacefully and lawfully and Carnage UK respects that right.’

Carn a g e U K has responded to the protest by stating

Photographs by: Georgina Thomas @annatidykirk Anna Kirk

For more on the TUC rally including an interview with David Franklin, see redbrick.me/news

Shouts of ‘cut back, fight back’ echoed around London with many on the march carrying pre-made placards. The TUC estimated that 150,000 people attended the rally.

Police were forced to stop UK Uncut supporters from occupying Starbucks coffee shops along the march but the rally generally passed off peacefully.

David Franklin, Guild President said at the march, 'It's about creating a alternative narrative that people might feel empowered to get involved with in the long term.'

TUC Rally, London, 20th October

Photographs by Will Siddons

@WSiddons

4 | 26th October - 8th November 2012

Education.

ELLIE changes cause concern for students Dominic Jackson and Ashley Kirk report on student experience of ELLIE prior to the closing of the course.

@fredherz

Dominic Jackson Reporter

@jackson_dominic

Ashley Kirk Reporter

@AshleyKirk92

The ELLIE (English Language and Literature in Education) course, due to close in 2013, currently only has a handful of staff left to support the final cohort of students, some of whom have raised concerns about the quality of teaching and a lack of module options.

Students were given assurances that no teaching staff would leave the department and that all students would receive the same level of support as in previous years. Redbrick has learned that since 2010 a substantial number of ELLIE teaching staff have left the University and that the provision of teaching has suffered as a result. The choice of dissertation topics for the final year of ELLIE students are limited and in some cases students have been forced to turn to staff no longer employed by the University for assistance.

Professor Cillian Ryan, College Director of Education, assured ELLIE students via email on the 6th December 2010 that ‘your current studies will in no way be affected [by the closure of the course]’. Students were later told that management would ‘do their best to ensure that all lecturers stayed on until the end of the academic year’.

Despite these guarantees the remaining 16 ELLIE students have faced significant changes to how their course is run during the past few years. At present only a single lecturer is responsible for teaching the majority of the modules on offer and for providing students with

2011 Student intake suspended.

academic support. Grace Leavy, an ELLIE student, commented that, ‘As there is only one lecturer it can sometimes be difficult as we all have to share her time'.

Students have also complained about the limited amount of time they were given to choose their third year modules. All 16 were required to select and submit their choices in less than a day.

Later they were told that students on other courses would be given priority in selecting these modules and that they were unlikely to be given places on all of their desired modules.

'As there is only one lecturer it can sometimes be difficult as we all have to share her time.'

Grace Leavy, ELLIE student

'The whole process has left a very bitter taste in our mouths.'

Casey Charles, ELLIE student rep

Casey Charles, student representative for the ELLIE course, told Redbrick of her frustration at the current situation, saying, ‘When we found out that our lecturers were leaving before the course had finished, we were all furious and understandably concerned for the future of our degree. Personally I am disgusted by how the University of Birmingham has treated both students and staff during this time. The whole process has left a very bitter taste in our mouths’.

Students have expressed their concerns about how their qualifications will be viewed by potential employers, with

16 Current number of students on the ELLIE course.

one student remarking that they would ‘likely be sceptical of recruiting students from a discontinued course’. Many have said that had they known of the planned upheaval, they would not have made the same decision when applying to university.

The experiences of those studying ELLIE have been a source of concern for those affected by the planned closure of the Institute of Antiquity and Archaeology, with fears mounting over whether or not their department will follow the same path. Georgina Thomas, a joint honours English Literature and Classical Literature & Civilisation student commented, ‘From the action currently being taken in response to the closure of the IAA, I would hope the University is starting to realise that cutting is not the key to success.’

Professor Richard Dunnill, had previously told Redbrick, 'With nearly 3,500 members of academic staff it is not uncommon for staff members to leave or join the University during the course of a year. When this happens the University always aims to ensure that the quality of students' academic experience is not affected in any way. In this case the staff involved have agreed to continue to provide on-going supervision for their existing dissertation students and the University is extremely grateful to them for doing this. Day to day support for these students is being provided by the Programme Leader.

One way in which she is doing this is to use the extension process as a further way of providing students with additional time and support in a way which recognises their needs in such a situation.'

1

Lecturer remaining on the ELLIE course.

Freddie Herzog

A new statement from the University of Birmingham has said, 'We have done everything possible to ensure the decision to phase out the ELLIE program has not adversely affected students. This year, there is actually a greater choice of English and Education options available and feedback thus far has been very positive. If individual students have concerns about this or any other programme it is really important that these are reported to the University directly, either through the Programme Director or the School Director of Education.

'We have had no negative feedback from employers about the perceptions of the program, indeed Birmingham graduates remain some of the most employable in the sector.'

December 2010

An email is sent to students stating, 'Please be assured, this does not affect anyone currently studying towards a BA English Language and Literature in Education and your current studies will in no way be affected by this review.'

January 2012

Dunlop and Sauntson confirm their departure, with Sauntson stating, 'An inevitable consequence of staff being placed at risk of redundancy is that they start seeking alternative employment.'

March 2012

Professor Richard Dunnill tells Redbrick, 'With nearly 3,500 members of academic staff it is not uncommon for staff members to leave or join the University during the course of a year. When this happens the University always aims to ensure that the quality of students' academic experience is not affected in any way.'

2013 Course closes.

www.redbrick.me/news| 5

Birmingham Roundup

Voting fraud likely in upcoming elections Zak Bentley Reporter

@ZBentley1

Steve McCabe, MP for Selly Oak, has expressed concern to Redbrick that voting fraud in Selly Oak is a likely possibility, as Birmingham vote for a Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for the first time.

Voting cards for the upcoming PCC elections were delivered last week and there were several houses that received voting cards addressed to previous student tenants in Selly Oak. Identification is not required at the polling station and voters just give their name and address to vote, leading to a fear that students given someone else’s voting card will use the name and address on that rather than register themselves.

S t e v e McCabe, MP for Selly Oak, said, ‘It is obviously an offence to impersonate another person for electoral purposes a n d where people are caught they can go to prison’. McCabe also stated that although it is not a legal requirement as of yet, he is in favour of identification to be shown at polling stations.

Rob Connelly, Deputy Police Area Returning Officer, said: ‘All households were sent a registration form in June, followed by a reminder form in July and where there was no response a canvasser visited the property in September. If there was still no

Worldwide media focus on Malala Yousafzai’s recovery

response the names must be carried forward for one year before they can be deleted from the register.

‘Where electors have moved out the onus is on them to advise the elections office, so arrangements can be made to have them removed from the register.

‘New residents who have recently moved should complete a voter registration form and return to the Elections Office by October 31 at t h e lat-

@OKWilson_

Olivia Wilson

Sofia Karttunen Reporter

est in order to be able to vote on November 15.

‘Anyone voting on behalf of someone else is committing a criminal offence and is liable to prosecution.’

The new Police and Crime Commissioners will control police budgets, set priorities and have hiring and firing powers over chief constables.

There are seven candidates for the West Midlands. One each from the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrat and UKIP, and three further independent candidates.

@annatidykirk

Anna Kirk

@Zophy92

Malala Yousafzai, the 14-year-old girl shot in the head by members of the Taliban after advocating equality in education in Pakistan, has been flown to receive specialist treatment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

Yousafzai wrote diary entries in 2009 in which she described her experiences of Taliban restrictions on education. She was attacked by a Taliban gunman earlier this month in retaliation for her views.

The hospital says they have already received about 1,500 messages posted on the Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust’s website showing support for Malala who had campaigned for girls’ education in her country. Furthermore, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity has set up a dedicated account for the victim of a terrorist attack.

The doctors say Malala Yousufzai has suffered extensive injuries but is already able to write and has began to stand again with the help of a physiotherapist.

The local community has shown their support for Malala Yousufzai throughout her time in Birmingham. Last Saturday a cross community vigil and multifaith prayer ‘Unite for Malala’ was staged at the Chamberlain Square. The Amnesty International student group at the University of Birmingham has participated in writing encouraging letters to the recovering patient.

Students at the University of Birmingham are planning to hold a candlelight vigil at the Mermaid Fountain at the Guild of Students today from 6:30pm until 7:30pm.

Three die in car crash on Bristol Road

Man dies at the Great Birmingham Run

Emily Duffy @DuffyEmily Police are appealing for witnesses after a collision on Bristol Road caused the death of three men in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The incident took place at around 4.15am, when an MG ZR collided into a tree near Pebble Mill Road.

Two of the passengers in their twenties were pronounced dead at the scene. The third passenger was critically ill and subsequently died in hospital from his injuries on Monday morning. The driver left with minor injuries and was taken to Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Bristol Road was closed near to Pebble Mill Road for most of Sunday morning as a result of the crash.

The crash comes just days after a cyclist was killed on Bristol Road.

Just before 6am on Tuesday 16th October, 33-year-old Jay O’Malley from Selly Oak was turning onto Belgrave Middlay when his bike was hit by a silver Rover 75.

He was taken to hospital where his condition was not initially thought to be life threatening. However, his condition quickly deteriorated and he was pronounced dead at 4pm the next day.

Ashley Kirk @AshleyKirk92 A runner who collapsed and died at the Bupa Great Birmingham Run has been named as Kevin Paterson.

The 36 year old, who was a regular local runner, received medical treatment from St John’s Ambulance paramedics close to the finishing line of the 13.1 mile race. He lived locally and was married without children. An enthusiastic sports fan, he regularly ran and had trained for the half marathon.

He was taken to Birmingham City Hospital. The cause of death is not yet known, but the organisers of the half marathon said that Mr Paterson had complained about feeling unwell to medical personnel on Broad Street.

Mr Paterson’s family thanked the medical staff for their ‘valiant efforts’ to save him, as well as the public for messages of sympathy and support.

They have now requested privacy at this tragic time of bereavement.

It is the first fatality in the five year history of the race.

Many students took to the streets of Birmingham to take part in the run on Sunday, raising money for various local and national charities.

See redbrick.me/news for more on these stories

6 | 26th October - 8th Novermber 2012

@RedbrickComment

Enjoy your

confession...

Painting by Luna Hal

Alexander Blanchard Commentator

Think the British educational practice of fragging; think the military system of hazing; think the North American frat house; think the Russian Dedovshchina; think the abuse of Iraqis by American soldiers at Abu-Ghraib (photos of which put one rather in mind of a contemporary New York or London fine art installation, or a new production at the RSC); think of the friendly bobby who, in a state of sexual excitement, throws the student by the scruff to the floor in the name of something ironically called ‘justice’. The most disconcerting thing about these phenomena is the realisation that they are, more or less, indicative of our culture. They are the norm, not the exception. They are manifestations of its slimy undercurrent. Hence, George Bush was wrong when he criticised the AbuGhraib abuses as a flagrant perversion of American values. The fact is that, not far beneath the veneer of lachrymose sherbet-pop competitions, this idea of obscene enjoyment is the foundation of culture - these are our sugar-coated values. The Iraqi prisoners were unfortunately forced to try a piece of this American pie.

Psychoanalysis is perennially declared démodé or defunct, but as a conceptual toolbox it contains a few features which help us understand one or two social phenomena. The Frankfurt School, rejecting revisionist accounts of psychoanalysis, sought to reconceptualise the id, the libidinal drive, not as the quasibiological, a-historical, eternal component of human nature posited by Freud, but as the sedimentation of history. In this way the unconscious came to be seen as the internalisation of historic culture thus resulting in moral conflicts and creative deadlocks that became unbearable for the subject. Consequently, society and the domain of culture came to be seen by the Frankfurt School as 'the violent exclusion ("repression") of man’s libidinal kernel' and 'the petrified evidence of the price paid for "cultural progress", the barbarity inherent in culture itself.'

But, as Herbert Marcuse and Slavojiek, amongst others, have described, the Frankfurt School could not foresee the imperatives at the heart of our neo-liberal society; a culture in which the ‘moral conflict’ dissipates and in which we

@blancharder

undergo what has been termed ‘repressive desublimation’. In short, ‘repressive desublimation’ sees the ego – the mediator between our libidinal drives and the reality of society’s demands – undergo a regression so that it, in its very self, becomes part of our libidinal drive. With the ego absorbed into the libidinal drive, an unmediated society is free to impress its demands and imperatives. And late capitalism compels us simply to ‘Enjoy!’

Or, in the spirit of one corporation; ‘Just Do It!’.

And now we have the latest manifestation of society’s obscene underbelly in the guise of Birmingham Confessions.

This Facebook page invites students to confess their most embarrassing, most shameless adventures had at the University. There’s the usual scatological-based talk, and bodily fluids abound, but what makes Birmingham Confessions intriguing is its odd assortment of the imperative to ‘Enjoy!’, the Catholic confessional and the voyeuristic enjoyment of the crude and vile. Of course, all these elements are in one respect the same thing – they are at their base a form of gratification. As Foucault reminds us in The History of Sexuality; in the confessional, and through the knowledge of sex, there was the 'sensualisation of power and a gain of pleasure', the more intense the confession, the greater the questioner’s pleasure, whilst at the same time 'so many questions singularised the pleasures felt by the one who had to reply.'

How far will you stretch the term ‘banter’ to indemnify yourself?

It is the voyeurism coupled with the imperative to ‘Enjoy!’ that places women in catch-22 situations on a daily basis. A friend recounted to me an incident during fresher’s week, in which, at a gathering within residence, a boy placed a frankfurter between his legs and together with the rest of the gathering goaded a girl into eating said frankfurter. Of course, if she refused to eat the frankfurter she was a frigid bitch; if she ate it then she was a slut.

When charged with the most flagrant disregard for moral precepts – as Birmingham Confessions might - a predictably banal retort is given and the banner for this cause is raised, bearing the invariable slogan: ‘It’s just a joke’, or ‘have a laugh’, or the ubiquitous ‘It’s just banter’. Quite.

It should take only a few seconds of watching Stuart Lee squealing 'It’s just a joke, Richard Hammond' as he pretends to kick a homeless man to death to intuitively grasp how insidious this retort is (how far will you stretch the term ‘banter’ to indemnify yourself?). But there is another point to this. Jokes, as one conventionally understands them, are to an extent meant to be novel. They are funny because they rely on something that wasn’t anticipated, they subvert our expectations. If orthodoxy is towards this crude confessional, the voyeurism which preys upon it, and explicit misogyny, then wouldn’t the joke be if we showed each other one or two ethical considerations? Or perhaps it is a lie we are telling ourselves. Incant 'it’s just a joke' enough times with enough force and you’re bound to believe it – after all, who wants to admit they might be listening to and taking heed of Eros just a little too much.

In 2004 Frank Warren formed Postsecret.com, inviting people all over the world to send a decorated postcard bearing a secret they had never revealed before. The site has had over 550 million views whilst spawning a number of books containing these secrets. A recent postcard from the University of California at Berkley reveals, in scrawled black marker, 'I take my best poos in academic buildings that arent (sic) mine.' In the end, the point is that Birmingham Confessions isn’t uncultured, it is culture.

The most disconcerting thing about these phenomena is the realisation that they are, more or less, indicative of our culture What makes Birmingham Confessions intriguing is its odd assortment of the imperative to ‘Enjoy!’, the Catholic confessional and the voyeuristic enjoyment of the crude and vile.

www.redbrick.me/comment | 7

Scottish Independence

FOR AGAINST

Westminster acts primarily on the behalf of England. It takes Scotland into account secondarily and so does not have its best interests in mind.

Scottish people vote Tory in very small numbers: only one Conservative MP has been sent to Westminster from Scotland in 2001, 2005 and 2010, yet decisions are made every day on their behalf by a party they did not vote in. Westminster consider Scotland to be just another constituency, when it is in fact a country, and has an independent national heritage, in its own right.

by Sophie Tollet

Just because the union between Scotland and England has worked for 300 years doesn’t mean it should continue.

Relations between the two countries are breaking down anyway, as the idea of Britishness is weakening.

Scotland already has its own parliament and makes its own decisions regarding health and education yet is not responsible for its own fiscal powers and economic strategy. Semi-independence is illogical and unsatisfactory; Scotland is already half way to independence and so should go all the way At the moment, Scotland is unable to make decisions regarding its defence or foreign policy. The UK invasion of Iraq, for instance, was opposed by many people in Scotland and yet the Scottish Parliament was not consulted. This issue is relevant when it comes to the presence of the Trident nuclear weapons on the Clyde in Scotland; the Scottish should have the power to decide whether they have nuclear weapons present in their country or not.

The examples we see in other countries; other small countries such as Norway and the Republic of Ireland, are successful. Scotland could become equally as successful if it were allowed to take its part in the world.

Unlike other oil-rich nations, Britain has spent its hydrocarbon inheritance as it was created. Norway, on the other hand, with a five million population similar to Scotland, has not and now has a national pension of over £300 billion. The North Sea has oil reserves for the next 30-40 years and the benefits of this should go to Scotland. An independent Scotland – which would have a 90 per cent geographical share of the North Sea oil and gas – would create an oil fund which could be invested during good financial times and spent to counteract economic downturns.

British economic growth is increasingly about a narrow segment of society, concentrated around London and the South East. If Britain is not willing to address the social problems in Scotland, (one in four children live in hardship and Scotland has the worst life expectancy levels in Western Europe) we need an independent Scotland who will.

The principle of self-determination. This is a key term in modern international law and it states that the people of a country have the right to choose their sovereignty and political status without external influence.

Scotland would have more influence on world affairs by becoming independent. For instance, Scotland currently has only six MEPs, whereas the Republic of Ireland has 13. And although every EU member state is represented at the EU Council of Europe, Scotland doesn't have a dedicated representative because it is a part of the UK. Currently, Scottish interests such as fishing and agriculture are poorly represented in Brussels by UK ministers.

If they vote for it. Following the signing of the 'Edinburgh agreement' on Monday, a referendum on Scottish independence will take place in 2014.

If the majority of Scottish people vote for independence they should have independence.

Westminster is an institution with proportionate representatives from all nations in the UK. It legislates on big issues, such as defence and foreign affairs, for the entire UK, but has devolved much of its power to give Scotland extensive power already.

Furthermore, the gap between public spending in Scotland (£40bn) and revenue raised there (£27bn), as well as the fact that they couldn’t have bailed out RBS or HBOS on their own, are very good reasons why Scotland should stick to the Union.

by Ashley Kirk

The idea of ‘Britishness’ has never been stronger. In the year of the Diamond Jubilee and the success of Team GB at their home Olympic Games, polls have shown that there is record support of the union.

The current scenario, namely the West Lothian question, actually gives Scotland more say. Its MPs can vote in UK matters (which includes England), whilst also having extensive powers at home. English MPs cannot vote on solely Scottish matters, whereas Scottish representatives have a say in two legislative bodies.

Nuclear weapons are held in Scotland, and any move of independence would involve severe changes and reductions in both countries’ forces. In a democracy, even if certain areas vote against a measure, the majority rules. Scotland would have to form and sustain an entirely new force; no easy task. What kind of military strength would Scotland have? Could they afford nuclear or air power? Would many of the current Scottish battalions have to be disbanded, making many people redundant?

The Republic of Ireland, a small nation that has historically resisted the Union, has recently been bailed out by the EU and is in worse economic woes than the UK. Economically, Scotland is better sticking with its stronger partner.

So the location of much of the UK’s oil is in waters geographically located near Scotland. But you cannot indefinitely support a nation on oil, which seems to be core to the SNP’s plans.

Scotland gets a lot back in return from the Union, if it wants to see it like that: it currently receives around £40 billion from the UK in subsidies a year.

The UK buffers Scotland, and helps Scotland maintain its social welfare. An independent Scotland would have to take some UK debt, which in June stood at £1.0383 trillion. It can either be partitioned on the basis of population, in which case Scotland, which holds about 8.5 per cent of the UK population, would take about 8.5 per cent of the debt (£88.3 billion) – or by GDP, in which case Scotland which produces about 6 per cent of UK GDP (which is notably lower than their population).

Scotland already is an incredibly influential nation in the UK. It is to a large extent that Scotland already has a degree of self-determination, and their ability to do many things would actually be decreased if Scotland were to go it alone.

Smaller nations actually have less influence in the UN; they have less people, less money, less power, smaller armies. The UK is a big player on the global stage; it is in the G8 and other key, powerful groups. Independence would see this status become uncertain, decreasing both nation’s influence. I should also note that a weaker UK would mean a weaker Scotland: an independent Scotland would still be tied to the UK economy through trade, geography and diplomacy.

You cannot ask a population to vote on a matter in a referendum and then say ‘no’ anyway.

However, have the Scots really thought it through? Scotland would have to reorganise and replace every piece of infrastructure, justice or institution that it currently takes for granted. Most would be substantially smaller and less effective than at present.

Photo by Charlotte Wilson

8| 26th October - 8th November 2012

Vocational Courses Redbrick commentator Olivia Beesley explores the 'limitless opportunities' post-graduation ‘So, you’re studying Medicine. What are you going to do after university?’ A stupid question?

Well, not as ridiculous as you might think. Statistics show that almost one in ten students studying Medicine or Dentistry don’t pursue a career in their area of study after graduating.

The most recent annual report compiled by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), which tracks students six months after graduation, shows that 7.8% of Medical and Dental students had not continued down their apparent vocational track. So, why is this?

Perhaps the answer lies simply in the deceiving nature of ‘vocational’ courses.

Everybody loves to hate their degree course at one time or another but for most people this is very light-hearted. However, with Medical and Dental students perhaps there are more deep-seated feelings. An online blog which shows this in a humorous light is ‘Med School Hell’, complete with the reassuring tag line of ‘We hate medical school just as much as you’. The website features bloggers such as ‘Angry Medic’ and ‘Dr. Rant’ who sarcastically comment on their day-today lives, in their journey through medical school.

It is not the case, however, that the 7.8% dislike their course. In fact, many comment that they are studying medicine for enjoyment, pleasure or personal achievement. In their eyes, the course they choose to embark upon, rather than being restrictive, actually opens up limitless opportunities after graduation.

It is this freedom of choice that is particularly striking and thought provoking. Even in a non-vocational course, such as Theology and Religion, many graduates enter professions like Education after their degree and therefore, with this knowledge, the department caters to this possibility. Theologians are actually encouraged to consider a career in education. On a more amusing note, as a Theology student I have been asked on many occasions if I intend to enter the Church as a Vicar, after my studies at university.

At the risk of sounding naïve, I would suggest that in a life with limitless options, why should we conform to society’s expectations by entering a career in our discipline if, ultimately, we don’t want to? While university presents the opportunity to study a subject that captures your interest, this study also takes at least three years to complete – who knows what else could be firing your passion in three years time?

While this idea could potentially upset ‘vocational’ departments, I would encourage all university students to not limit their potential adventures of the future by fitting into a hole that society has created for them. After all, a ‘vocation’ is defined as ‘a strong impulse to follow a particular occupation’. It is this strong impulse, which I believe, must be emphasised to students. As students with enquiring minds, great ambitions and the ability to change the world, why not get a great degree and then see where your passion takes you?

@OliviaBeesley

'Who knows what else could be firing your passions in three years ?'

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Comment

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by Charlie Dart @Charlie_Dart

Spot the

Difference

News Views Charlotte Ross. The Prime Minister and the Conservative party faced a speed bump this week with a record-breaking fall in public perception of their competence in handling the economy. Last week was not a great week for Cameron, what with the surprising and controversial resignation of chief whip Mitchell and uproar following his admission that there were insufficient funds for the new crime prevention initiatives he had promised. What’s most interesting is that according to ICM research, the Tories are perceived as most financially competent by only 4% more voters than Labour.

Question is, are Labour really the better choice, or is economic policy just becoming ever more centralised?

POLITICS

MEDIA

Ben Norris. A plane crashes/ship sinks/hotel is bombed. Sadly the media abounds with such stories, but even sadder is the offensively biased neo-nationalistic way in which the British media reports the casualties or victims. Tragedy (or success) is not irrelevant if it concerns a 'foreigner'. Besides, now more than ever before, nationality as a concept is more fluid than [it is] discreet.

News reports that comment only on how many "Britons were among the dead" are uncomfortably reminiscent of war-correspondence rather than healthy global coverage. It harks back to the BBC's controversial Olympics coverage, only with far greater scope for insensitivity. A human life is a human life, and a British life is no more important than any other.

Daniel Baird. Frankie Boyle. Love him or hate him he courts controversy wherever he goes. However, the latest expression of outrage in the media has this time come from Boyle himself. He has hit back at claims in the Daily Mirror that he is a ‘racist comedian’, taken them to court and subsequently won over £50,000 on compensation for libel.

You're probably thinking how can he complain, he is a racist? Boyle’s sense of humour is often crude, shock comedy but he does so purely to challenge society’s perception, apparently. Oh, and if you’re wondering I’m a fan of this ‘not quite racist but it does come close at times’ comedian.

ENTERTAINMENT

10 | 26th October - 8th November 2012

www.redbrick.me

@RedbrickPaper

Editorial.

Homosexuality in football Whilst the sport confronts age-old racism problems, one issue remains firmly unsolved, editor Raphael Sheridan writes.

It says much about the delicacy surrounding the ‘Kick it Out’ campaign this week that even Sir Alex Ferguson is backing down and staying quiet.

When Rio Ferdinand refused to wear the campaign’s T-shirt in the warmup to last Saturday’s game at Stoke, he incurred the wrath of his manager. ‘It’s embarrassing for me,’ said an irate Ferguson. ‘But he will be dealt with - don’t worry about that.’

Two days later and Ferguson cut a completely different figure at the press conference before the Braga game. ‘I’ve spoken to Rio. I think there was a communication problem. Obviously as a manager of the club, when you lay down policy, you don’t want to see it being ignored... but we’ve resolved the situation and we move on. And that’s the end of the matter.’

The problems that black players have faced in recent months are rightly making the headlines and, as Ferguson suggested later in the press conference, solidarity seems to be the best policy. But the Manchester United manager missed a key point: that it originally took one player, Jason Roberts, to make a stand against the Professional Footballers Association’s (PFA) equality policy and express his intense frustration at both the footballers’ union and the FA. It took dissent against the cause to promote it and, in turn, it has resulted a rapid sixpoint response from the PFA’s chief executive Gordon Taylor in an attempt to deal with the issue and resultant media pressure.

Indeed, Roberts’ stance was so successful because he was a brave and vocal individual who explicitly highlighted a problem within English football.

Apply this to the issue of homosexuality in football and the symbolism of the example collapses. While racism has rightly dominated the headlines in recent months, the issue of gay footballers remains the last elephant in the room. There is no excuse in not covering the issue: the media’s relative silence on homosexuality almost seems to stem from the fact there are no openly gay players and, consequently, no issue: a classic ‘cart before the horse’ sketch. Whereas black footballers can be vocal about their grievances, the silence of gay players ought to be similarly as deafening. But, for whatever reason, it isn’t.

According to the best statistics, between 2-6% of all British people identify as being gay or bisexual. On the assumption that there are 500 squad players in the Premier League, statistically between 10 and 30 players playing presently in the league fall into that bracket.

Once other factors have been taken into consideration (those who have retired, those who ply their trade in different leagues, and those who are playing in lower leagues) the numbers quickly become staggering. In the history of football, just two players have ever openly professed to being gay: the first, former Premier League player Justin Fashanu, killed himself in 1998.

The second, Anton Hysen, came out in March 2011 and plays in the Swedish Fourth Division. The latter case became international news.

In its defence, the FA has put out a few quiet measures: in 2007 it decided to view homophobic abuse in the terraces as on a par with racist abuse, and such abuse on the field of play automatically results in a red card. But the problem here is that the media has spent considerable energy this year proving that similar deterrents for racial abuse haven’t worked at all; it would be entirely reasonable, therefore, to suggest that it won’t work in erasing institutional homophobia within football. In 2010 the FA released a report with a ten-part plan on tackling homophobia in football. All the points were vague, and in some cases only a line of supporting text followed each heading. One of the more worrying lines in the report reveals ‘Changing attitudes is a complex process. There is no consensus as to how to address this issue in football’. In 2012 a similar report stated, ‘At present, there are no ‘out’ professional players [in the Premier League], homophobic chanting is still heard and LGB&T people still feel disenfranchised’. The report mentions little about their last-minute cancellation of an anti-homophobia film in 2010, described in The Guardian as ‘an important moment in an embryonic drive to tackle homophobia among players, fans and administrators’. The failure of the FA to effectively and boldly address the issue makes paper-talk of ‘the footballing world’ and ‘the footballing community’ appear vacant at best.

So what to do? The FA ought to realise that the same issues affecting black footballers are broadly similar to those facing gay footballers. The criticism that the FA has come under should, in an ideal world, force them to evaluate all of their equality policies, including how to better tackle homophobia. A big opportunity would be lost if they were only to strengthen their stance on racism. Where Roberts was the agent that could make a compelling stance for racism, so the FA must be the agent for promoting gay equality within football.

In the last few weeks we have quite rightly stood behind those individuals who feel they aren’t on a level playing field; who feel, because of who they are, that they are being maltreated. The same attitude, media coverage and support must now be given to the thousands who, because of who they are, remain too scared to say anything.

While racism has rightly dominated the headlines in recent months, the issue of gay footballers remains the last elephant in the room Whereas black footballers can be vocal...the silence of gay players ought to be similarly as deafening.

But, for whatever reason, it isn’t Once other factors have been taken into consideration... the numbers quickly become staggering.

The problem here is that the media has spent considerable energy this year proving that similar deterrents for racial abuse haven’t worked The failure of the FA to eff ectively and

boldly address the issue makes paper-talk of ‘the footballing world’ and ‘the footballing community’ appear vacant at best Where Roberts was the agent that could make a compelling stance for racism, so the FA must be the agent for promoting gay equality within football

12 | 26th October - 8th November 2012 @RedbrickTravel

J AM E S It’s been 50 years since James Bond first took to the silver screen and what better way to mark the occasion than to release another Bond film. After a four-year break, the iconic British spy returns this week in the latest instalment Skyfall and to celebrate, travel writer Tom Troughton looks back at some of the best Bond film locations.The Bond series has become one of the most celebrated film franchises ever; starring the crème de la crème of British actors, ingenious gadgets and epic action. The Bond brand has raked in over $5 billion since the first film Dr No in 1962. However, the film locations are undoubtedly one of the best things about the series. From the exotic coast of Jamaica, to the hectic streets of St Petersburg, if James Bond is ever in danger, at least it’s sure to be in a nice place.

It’s only right that in celebrating the Bond series, we look at the first film. The Jamaican coastline looks breath-taking in Dr No and plays host to one of the most iconic Bond Girl scenes.

Honey Ryder emerging from the sea singing and Sean Connery rather awkwardly trying to woo her is one of the best loved moments of Bond history. It began the 60's love affair with Ursula Andress, white bikini's and began the Bond girl tradition.

Kingston, Jamaica Dr No (1962) Sean Connery

Die Another Day was panned universally by film critics, but there’s no denying that Pierce Brosnon’s Bond got to visit some pretty cool places; one of them being the stunning Iceland, with its snowy peaks and breath taking mountain ranges.

Although I doubt that the average tourist can visit a palace made of ice or speed across the snowy terrain in an invisible car, Iceland is definitely one of the most interesting film locations used in recent years.

The dizzying heights of Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro are famous for one of the most memorable (and unrealistic) scenes in Bond film history.

After snapping the cable car rope with his teeth, metal-mouth villain Jaws traps Roger Moore at the top of the mountain for the ultimate showdown.

Taking a cable car might not seem like the most appealing thing to do after watching the film, but visiting the golden beaches of Rio de Janeiro certainly does.

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil Moonraker (1979) Roger Moore

Iceland Die Another Day (2002) Pierce Brosnan

www.redbrick.me/travel | 13

B ON D I S This final choice of location might surprise you, but there’s no denying that London is one of the best cities in the world and the place where all Bonds,from Roger Moore to the easily forgotten George Lazenby, start their missions.

London is, after all, what makes the world love the Bond films – James is the quintessence of Britishness. So why not celebrate this and get the odd shot of Big Ben or the London Eye in the background?

London England (1962 - present) Connery to Craig

BACK

14 | 26th October - 8th November 2012

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Science Shorts Claire Harris Writer

Stem Cells If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is. This old adage has never been more appropriate than when it is applied to the research of Hisashi Moriguchi. His reportedly false claims about successfully applying stem cells to treat a patient with heart failure were originally met with a positive reaction from those in the scientific community. Yet his story was quickly unravelled this month when Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, where the research was supposed to have taken place, denied any affiliation with him.

Way back in 2006, Shinya Yamanaka from Tokyo university won the Nobel Prize for his discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells. A couple of days later, Moriguchi claimed to have applied this to be used as a heart failure treatment. Over half a year later, he announced that his first stem cell transplant had been a success, with his patient being alive and well. Yet when his research was closely examined, it was found to have whole passages copied from other papers including Yamanaka’s.

After previously denying such claims, the Japanese researcher finally admitted to lying at a press conference in New York but still maintains that the operation did take place in Boston. Neurosurgeon Nobuhito Saito stated that, as Moriguchi could not provide the names of his collaborators, they doubted any such surgery took place.

Moreover, last Friday the University of Tokyo announced the dismissal of Hisashi Moriguchi after a hearing concluded that at least five of his six transplants were faked. However, investigations into the research are still set to continue at the university.

GM Foods

The Science of Beauty Ellie Fewings Writer

@EllieFewings

Ellie Fewings lifts the lid on the science behind anti-ageing cream Beauty Balms today grace our shelves under almost every cosmetics brand available. Sold as the 'fix all' of the beauty world; the creams claim to work as a primer, moisturiser and sun cream. Some claim to have blemish-banishing properties or aging antidotes. But do these creams make us more beautiful, or just coat us in unnecessary chemicals and promises? We are here to dissect these beauty miracles, from abyssine to xylitylglucoside.

One of the ma creams are meant to s ny claims of the BB cream is that it will match your skin tone. Ther natural colour, avo tart with a grayish hue, and then gradually oxidize as it reaches you wned in a patent bidying the famous 'you’ve been tangoed' look. The technology itself issow hich change color uRevlon who describe it as 'emulsion makeup for keratinous surfaceque, but s p e the finished pr on application'. This is starting to sound a little bit chameleonoduct is altogether more natural.

Here’s how it wo rks: the pigments in the makeup are hydrophilic (this means they blend into water) an d a r e enclosed in a hydrophobic capsule (this separates itself from water).

When blended break out of their capsu onto the skin, the pigments which are originally clumped together ic is just l g spreading out es and spread over the skin. So really this 'colour change' ma t all, just dense balls of pigment to a thin layer over your skin. Not magic a an illusion.

The other l blended together. Tqualities of this beauty cream are based on long-known chemicals, atl that the h b e u o a d n o t n i s i a e g r e i ng properties are where there are issues. Th mixture of p type of vitamin A) thigements will cover skin marks and even tone, but without tretinoin ( aw ingree y f f d o o e n l o i , t tle more than this. Tretinoin is a prescription drug dients that is p sun. It increases cell roven to reverse the effects of aging caused by overexposure to thees (cells t y r c e o responsible fo newal which creates smoother skin and represses melan the sun.

Without these r skin pigmentation) therefore reducing discoloration caused by , the B Can we really a B’s claim to anti-aging fame is relatively futile. ople rgue too much abo happy? Well, y nce if these creams are making pe es, to a certain extent we cuatnthaergusceiethat beauty balms aren’t making us more beautiful. B ith the knowledge thuat, as we sit here dejected by our useless cosmetics, we can live w t we are more intelligent and a little less out of pocket.

Genetically modified foods have been at the forefront of a media storm ever since they first arrived on the market in the early nineties.

Engineering produce that could resist drought or pesticide would seem to be the answer to all our agricultural problems. Yet public opinion is still divided as to the safety of consuming such foods. Indeed, it is still extremely uncommon to find genetically engineered produce in the market in Great Britain, despite being widely accepted in countries such as the USA, Canada and China. Today the world’s leading nation in the use of commercial genetically modified crops is the USA with 69 million hectares planted in 2011 alone.

The public’s negative opinion on these foods hasn’t been helped by this latest research by French molecular biologist Gilles-Eric Séralini.

Published last month in the Journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology, the study involved feeding laboratory rats on GM maize for their lifespan to observe any side effects. The maize, engineered by agricultural giant Monsanto, had been modified to be resistant to a particular type of weedkiller called glyphosphate. The startling results showed a higher likelihood that those rats which were fed on the GM variety would develop cancers than the group fed on ordinary maize.

However, criticisms have poured in from the scientific community over the details of the experiment. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recently released a report stating that 'There is a high probability that the findings in relation to the tumour incidence are due to chance'. One of the main points is that the type of rat used, Sprague-Dawley, are more prone to cancers in general anyway. There have also been some questions raised over the sizes of each group, which are generally thought to have been too small for such a length of study. Not to mention the fact that America, and other countries besides, have been consuming these foods for years, without any apparent problems.

So will we ever accept GM crops here in the UK? This is hard to say, but it seems unlikely that scientists will ever be able to lay these health and safety fears to rest once and for all.

Until they can do this, the fear of grizzly side effects will continue to exist whenever we think of these foods.

Be sure to check out more science and technology articles online at:

www.redbrick.me/tech

www.redbrick.me/tech | 15

Game Reviews All our game reviews are scored out of 10 Review: Dishonored (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)

10

Thomas Halliday Writer

The latest offering from Arkane Studios, Dishonored is a definite contender for game of the year. Thief and Hitman are obvious influences, stealth playing a huge part in this assassin based game. Part of a resistance movement, you have been accused of murdering the empress. The rightful heir must ascend to the throne, even if you must spill blood to make it so.

There’s an incredible amount of freedom, both in the exquisite level design and the sheer amount of choices you have throughout. Each area is decorated with runes, which you use to buy a number of special powers, from teleportation to possession of enemies and summoning swarms of rats to devour your enemies.

You are constantly making choices on how you play. If you like stealth, you’ll want to hone those skills, as well as master the double-jump so that you can navigate entire areas without even touching the floor. If you prefer a more action-oriented approach, you’ll want to be blasting your enemies across the room, especially combined with the ability to stop time. From basic kill-or-don’t choices to big, gamechanging decisions of who you will align

with, this is one part of Dishonored that stands above the rest.

The city of Dunwall is slipping into chaos as a plague ravages the poorer citizens. As such, you’ll often run across roving packs of rats, which won’t hesitate to try and shred you. Fortunately, they aren’t too picky about who they eat, making them as much of an issue for your enemies as yourself.

There's an incredible amount of freedom, both in the exquisite level design and the sheer amount of choice you have.

This is just one aspect of the unique style in Dishonored. The city itself is a science-fiction mix of technology and Victorian-era buildings and weapons. It's unlike any game currently on the market.

The constant meshing of old and new creates some stunning vistas; it’s a truly beautiful game.

There are some slight niggles when it comes to level boundaries and AI. Too often enemies will forget that they saw you kill another guard 30 seconds ago, and will wander off. There are some areas locked off from exploration, even though you can see them, which disappoints when you are immersed in this massive world. Neither affects the game enough to become a problem, allowing the true majesty of the experience to shine.

The story is solid, the combat is brilliant fun, and the setting and style is incredible. From the dramatic environments to the deep history in books you can read as you scour houses, the attention to detail is astounding. Dishonored is a brilliant, thought provoking experience; an essential purchase.

Dishonored is out now

16| 26th October - 8th November 2012 @RedbrickMusic

Essential Album The Clash London Calling Robert Jones Critic

Legendary Clash frontman Joe Strummer once commented: 'Many people think London Calling was our finest hour'.

Moreover, Joe – many people (me included) believe it to be music’s finest hour. Well, 65 minutes and 7 seconds to be precise. All songs on this 1979 double LP sit proudly on their own, staring up at you from iTunes like nineteen glimmering gem-stones of happiness.

From the universally recognisable thudding of London Calling itself, to the humorous ska beats of 'Wrong ‘Em Boyo', it is clear that, whilst many of their punk counterparts were winding up in gutters, The Clash had their ears fixed firmly to the ground, hearing and noting down all that the world of reggae had to offer.

Lyrically, the album is as punk-rock as Sheena, with talk

of rebellion, government-toppling and cult-forming high on the agenda: 'We will teach our twisted speech, to the young believers'. However, contrary to the band’s first two ‘stand-anddeliver’ efforts, London Calling is high on sophistication; complex intertwining guitar riffs (courtesy of Mick Jones) and, dare-I-say-it, variety. I challenge anyone today to put ‘Train In Vain’ on loudly in a full room without someone immediately piping up 'Oh mate, what’s this

Lyrically the album is as punk-rock as Sheena, with talk of rebellion, government-toppling and cult-forming high on the agenda

beauty?' And that’s my point – it’s still as fresh as ever.

It might not be until the spikey duet ‘Rudie Can’t Fail’ that the magic begins to circulate, or the sing-a-long chorus of ‘I’m Not Down’ that, somehow, almost reeks of feminism.

But, however long it takes, you will find the treasure. And if anyone out there can show me more fun than when I’m crashing around my bedroom, semiintoxicated, screaming along to ‘Clampdown’ with an inflatable microphone, then I’ll buy them drinks, because music’s never been more liberating.

Yes, there are albums that match its tenacity, and even albums that surpass it musically but, ultimately, if ever there’s been a more strenuous effort to fit as many colours, vibes and downright mind-tingling melodies onto a record, then I haven’t heard it. First class.

Single Review Adele Skyfall Alice Anderson Music Critic

'Skyfall' begins with the usual atmosphere-building chord sequence that reminds us of many a Bond introductory song; Adele’s soft tones delicately begin to build the tension as we wait tentatively for the chorus to kick in. The orchestra builds up to a dramatic, climactic chorus, and it becomes clear that 'Skyfall' features heavily in the song; this seems like an obvious observation yet not all Bond opening sequences contain the name of the film as heavily as this one. 'Skyfall' is a little repetitive, yet it brings atmosphere to what is likely to be a hugely dramatic opening montage containing women, guns, Bond and some mysterious figures. Adele has written and performs in the song, and it is quite a stretch from her previous work. She has managed to create a Bond-esque atmosphere whilst maintaining her style throughout. Her voice is not as strong as some of her original work, the backing track in 'Skyfall' somewhat takes over and she usually relies more on her voice. However, she pulls off a truly dramatic opening to the longawaited newest addition to the Bond epics.

#26

www.redbrick.me/music | 17

Interview: Dan Le Sac John Raymond Music Writer

With a debut solo album still hot off the press and four dates into a UK tour, Daniel Stephens is certainly not resting on his laurels during the now two-year hiatus from the acclaimed act that is Dan Le Sac and Scroobius Pip. Having broken onto the scene in 2007, with the mix of spoken word and electronic beats that we now so easily associate directly with the hip-hop duo, Stephens embarked on his most recent offering rather by chance. The resulted in the album being the surprise end result of a long period of experimentation.

Stephens tells me that this ‘experimentation’ came about through a desire to learn musically and try to work with different vocalists. 'Working with Pip, the way you treat his voice and the way you work with a rapper is very different to how you deal with a female vocalist,' he explains, referring in particular to his current tour partner and vanmate, Sarah Williams White, and her appearance on the second track of Space Between

The Worlds. Having spent six months on this track, and in the end straying far from the initial ideas, Stephens states how he stumbled across her record by chance through a promoter, and plucked her straight away for his musical ‘checklist’. This was the challenge that ultimately spurned the album as Stephens worked his way through personal musical aims, and away from the other half of the hip hop duo, Scroobius Pip. Taking a quick glance at the track list for the album, it is clear that Le Sac has really been enjoying and testing himself, with ten of the thirteen album tracks being collaborations. From Fraser Rowan, an old bandmate of Stephens’, to B. Dolan, with whom there has always been talk of making an album, to Emmy the Great, the folksy female vocalist.

Having such a variety of influences on the album collaboration-wise, one would think that a tour would be hard to put together. However, Stephens makes it clear that it is nothing of the sort; the varied line-ups merely adding different dynamics to each performance. 'Being laptop driven, it gives me the capability to do anything I

want; we go into a gig knowing about ten songs we’re going to play, but I’m ready with about twenty-five different things,' he explains in relation to the aspect of live variation. 'We don’t do backing tracks, we trigger samples, meaning I can keep a bit of the song that’s working well with the audience, looping and keeping the section.' Stephens goes on to explain how the venue makes such a difference, bringing up the previous night’s concert held before a club night, in which the set list went out the window to finish the gig with a jungle vibe. 'It was messy, but it sure got them going!'

With Le Sac being a household name in the electronic hip-hop scene, and having taken a variety of directions with Space Between The Wo r l d s , with everything from dance to house making appearances, it was most interesting to pick up Stephens’ view on the

future of electronic music. 'It’s fairly disparate, covering the David Grays to pure electronic pioneers such as Julio Bashmore and Flying Lotus, and, to be honest, it will just become more and more so.'

The ambiguous nature of Stephens’ comment is clarified by his observation that culture won’t particularly move on drastically until the 'pop songstresses get back to singing over guitars'.

The successful early stages of the UK tour mean that all is looking good for the coming weeks, with the promise of more new material in the live shows as the band continue writing on the road.

The results are envisaged by Le Sac as having the potential

to be anything from great to awful, but given the calibre of the album, I would lean towards the former.

Single Review Robbie Williams Candy Chrisoph Buescher Music Writer

Robbie Williams is back, and he's wearing a pink suit, turqouise shoes and a halo, while singing a song called 'Candy'.

What might now sound like his own version of Katy Perry's 'California Gurls' is a fastpaced, fun pop song about a girl who thinks she can have everything (and everyone) because of her beauty.

Accompanied by a music video that features Williams as her personal guardian angel, it is

the first single off his new album Take The Crown.

Regarding this, he has announced that he wants to 'dominate the charts' and 'take on the world'. With 'Candy' he is definitely moving in the right direction The song's sing-along

With Candy he is definitely moving in the right direction

chorus is instantly catchy, whilst the lyrics are both serious and humorous at the same time – a fact that has already made previous Robbie Williams singles very entertaining.

His newest tune (which was actually co-written and produced by his Take That colleague Gary Barlow) follows in the footsteps of 'Rock DJ' and 'Radio' and shows every other artist out there what a modern pop song should sound like.

Music Bites: Nottingham's Jake Bugg topped the album charts this week with his self-titled debut.

Muse have been named The Best Act In The World at the Q awards

Our music editor, Tamara, is leaving Redbrick after almost 18 months' service as an editor. If you're interested in becoming the music editor, please email music@redbrick.me or see redbrick.me/join

Beyoncé and Jay-Z lose court battle to trademark their daughter's name

18| 26th October - 8th November 2012

@RedbrickArts

Online Editor Anna Lumsden travelled to Southampton to review the national premiere of American Idiot: The Musical

W

hat does American Idiot mean to you?

Did your teenage self sing it loud in your bedroom? Was it just another punk-rock song that passed you by? Perhaps the political element is what you best recall? What's certain is this record's place as one of the most iconic concept albums of our generation. Could it now be set to be one of the most iconic musicals too?

The curtain rises to reveal a dark backdrop, scattered with upward of forty television screens, constantly flickering and changing and displaying different news stories.

Accompanying this is a soundtrack of a news reel, continuous announcements of war and terrorism warnings inter-spliced with more trivial every-day commercials. Suddenly, the on-stage band kicks in with the unmistakable chords of the title track. Lights blaze to unveil the full cast - each dressed more ‘punk’ than the next - ploughing into a rendition of American Idiot, complete with more harmonies than 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. The scattered TV

screens all flash and shimmer with too many images to absorb, instantly creating a focal point for one of the album’s key themes, the corruption of and fascination with the American m e d i a : ‘Information age of hysteria, it’s going out to Idiot America.’

Rising to global fame in 2004 with the release of American I d i o t , Californian punk-rockers Green Day took on the Bush administration with a fierceness that arguably hadn’t been seen in mainstream music since the 70s. Taking into account the band's innumerable and infamous live gig antics, not to mention a characteristic resentment of all that is commercial and mainstream, it might seem the most unlikely place to find Green Day's boldest, rawest and most controversial music is in the somewhat polished world of musical theatre. Yet, after enjoying a full year of performances on Broadway in 2011, American Idiot The Musical, directed by Michael Mayer, has gone from strength to strength, and the UK tour kicked off on Tuesday October 9th at Southampton's own Mayflower Theatre. The show will come to Birmingham’s New Alexandra Theatre from November 26th through to December 1st, as well as many other UK cities and Ireland over the coming months.

The record itself is best described as a swerving arch of passion, politics, and learning to find your way. Whilst essentially depicting a journey of surviving adolescence, and based on lyricist Billie Joe Armstrong’s true experiences, what makes American Idiot unique is the way in which these elements are combined to create an independent concept: an overarching theme of the battle between rage and love, complete with powerful image-

ry, motifs and character constructs. Taking all this into account, it gradually becomes clearer how this music is in fact perfect for a full scale stage production: theatrical, impassioned, and a perfect combination of the personal and political. As a whole, the musical follows closely the sequence of the album, with some additional songs from 21st Century Breakdown as well as B-sides like 'Too Much Too Soon'. The structuring of these songs works to create the narrative arch.

Through this narrative, we follow three characters, Johnny, Will and Tunny, as they are each forced to choose between their dreams and the safety of suburbia, encountering decisions and problems whilst trying to discover their true identities in a post-9/11 world.

Protagonist Johnny, the selfcoined ‘Jesus of Suburbia’ (played by Alex Nee), runs away to the city to escape his broken home and what he discovers is an even harsher reality, filled with anger, loss, lust and, most prominently, drugs.

In contrast, his friend Will (Casey O’Farrell) spends his time at home on the sofa, trying to do the right thing by sticking by his recently pregnant girlfriend, Heather (played by Kennedy Caughell). Meanwhile, the third friend Tunny (Thomas Hettrick) attempts to find his sense of direction by enlisting in the army, which turns out to hold disastrous consequences for him.

Each song has been tastefully arranged and adapted by musical director Tom Kitt to create an incredibly vocally rich scoring. Due to a significant lack of dialogue to accompany the action and even to link the songs, not to mention certain moments of undeniable Americanised cliches, the actual story of American Idiot may be slightly lost on someone coming to Green Day’s album for the first time. However, the actors shine in making every emotion defined and vivid, both through the performance of the songs individually and through the detailed action of miniaturescenes happening all over the stage in some of the full cast numbers. In fact, the impressionistic nature of the musical is arguably what makes it so absorbing. This most obviously manifests in the character of ‘Saint Jimmy’ (played by Trent Saunders), whom obviously appears as his own entity on stage, yet is arguably an impression of Johnny’s alter-ego or idealised self-image, who may only exist as a figment of his drug-fuelled paranoia, insecurities and loneliness.

Although I definitely had my reservations about seeing this iconic punk-rock record take to the musical theatre stage, I am relieved to say that American Idiot The Musical is an absolutely stunning production.

Catch it while you can.

Alex Nee: Johnny I totally relate to my character. He's, my age, he’s on the cusp between youth and adulthood, and he’s trying to figure out what that means. He also has this whole other darker side too, something that I think is within all of us, the fear of complete failure, messing up and making terrible decisions.

What’s so great about American Idiot is it gives us somewhere to go, and it says that that failure is okay in a way, like it’s okay to screw up because it’s hard to be a perfect human being, especially in this society."

Jenna Rubaii: The Extraordinary Girl Being a powerful female role is really exciting.

The women in the show are the ones that teach the men the lessons that they have to learn. That’s not always something you see in traditional theatre, I think this musical shows what a new generation of new female roles will bring."

Alyssa Dipalma: Whatsername My character is very compassionate and passionate about life, but she’s also tough and no nonsense – that took a lot of experimenting with to get right."She’s the kind of person I want to be, so it’s great to get to play her every day.”

www.redbrick.me/arts | 19

Freetard Culture -

Nowadays, there is a hypocrisy in the nature of our relationship with art. We pay for films in the theatre, while we often download them illegally at home. We pay for original art, but are able to attain rip off copies from the Internet. We go to watch our favourite bands but rarely support them with legal music purchases. One thing is clear: drawing lines around these practices is as difficult as defining art itself.

In her recent discussion at the Birmingham Book Festival, Caitlin Moran pointedly referred to this new wave of 'freetard' culture, as it has been topically dubbed. Over the past 15 years internet companies have been waging a war against laws that establish rights for digital property. This fight has crippled the traditional, historical partnership between technology and creators that benefited everyone. There's certainly no shortage of blame to go around. In the past every new wave of technology has delivered healthy creative markets – but today this is no longer happening.

Historically, war is the greatest driver of technological innovation of all, but in peacetime it’s the demand for culture and entertainment that spurs the most innovation. People want to see and hear culture, and are prepared to pay for it.

There is undoubtedly a paranoia that permeates the digital rights lobby, hence 'freetard' activists that blindly call for the eradication of copyright law without considering the consequences. I had enough reason to oppose SOPA-style web blocking on the principle basis that we shouldn't ban people from simply viewing a web page that doesn't corrupt or deprave. I support copyright enforcement on the basis those rights are valuable, but unless they can be enforced in a way less dictatorial than web blocking, they become meaningless. And that’s a shameful legacy to leave future generations of creative people.

In reality, it is hard to get excited about the very diminished world offered to us by Google and Facebook – the one they call an interconnect utopia – where talent isn’t rewarded, our private activities are catalogued, and rational argument is abolished by herds of bullies.

Destruction

of the

Arts?

Elisha Owen reflects on Caitlin Moran, the concept of Freetard culture and how it affects the Arts world.

A

s we enter into a new age, maybe art will be free. Maybe the students are right. They should be able to download music and movies.

I’m going to be shot for saying this but who said art has to cost money? And therefore, who says artists have to make money?'

This view in its own right is not uncommon, yet is surprising when posited by someone as heavily invested in the creative industry as the writer and director of The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola was just thirty years old when he reached global fame with this film. With a career in the industry that has é now spanned over four decades, his radical stance on issues of art creation, copyright and rampant downloading are intriguing.

Of course, it's quite easy for a man as wealthy as Coppola to be so cavalier about the future of art in the digital realm. In this age of supreme technological advancement, disconnecting the idea of cinema, music and indeed all art, with the idea of making a living and money is near impossible. Yet, it is only in the past few hundred years that being an artist has begun to be classed as a vocation with profit earning capacity. If you were a composer, for example, the only way you could make money was to travel with the orchestra and be the conductor because then you would be paid as a musician. Recording didn't exist and record royalties were non-existent.

Even Rupert Murdoch once tweeted that Google was the 'piracy leader' which 'streams movies free and sells adverts around them.' It was, 'no wonder [Google was] pouring millions into lobbying.' Murdoch may have had a point. But when copyright's loudest advocate is a beleaguered media mogul with ethical problems in his own back yard it is - as they say - not a good look.

Robert Levine, the author of Free Ride: How The Internet Is Destroying The Culture Business, argues that 'free' should be the choice of the creator, but the 'help yourself' culture that has mushroomed, because of the web, means the choice is no choice at all.

So, what is the solution? It is highly unlikely that a return to the patron model will occur in this government or the next. And with our education still in a state of despair, it's hard to imagine any more money being funnelled into the arts from private institutions. The big question, it seems, is whether we will have to give our creative works away for free, rather than living off our cultivated talent, so to speak. The Internet allows non-creative people to consume the work of others.

Yet, isn't this why we create in the first place?

It can be argued that there are different levels of creation and invention; some that are worth paying for and some not. This is too subjective to provide a solution, however. While I may disregard the likes of Michael Bay and Cheryl Cole and thus would be happy to pay less when translating their art to cash value, this does not mean the world shares my opinion.

In light of this it becomes obvious that to keep all art alive, we will have to pay. Safeguard devices such as paywalls, which is used by The Times, are introducing new forms of protection but there is much to be done.

Online piracy and ubiquitous free content is killing not only culture but cultural innovation. Furthermore, it will become increasingly difficult to convince people to pay for things they can access for free.

Granted, internet-bashing has become something of a cult itself. But the Internet is not the evil. The danger lies in the sense of entitlement so prevalent in 'freetard' culture. It has become a twisted human rights cause.

'Free', in my opinion, is not a point of principle. If we are happy to reward practical industries for the work they produce, it should be no different in the arts world, unless the artist decides otherwise. It should not be seen as reactionary for an artist to want to earn money.

Rosie Kelby & Charlotte Bagwell went along to review Vanley Burke's exploration in photography of Birmingham's Afro - Carribbean community at mac

B

I

t is amazing how a new perspective can give even the most familiar place a whole new setting. Vanley Burke’s current exhibition at mac, By the Rivers of Birminam, offers an eye opening insight into Birmingham’s diverse and cosmopolitan core.

Vanley’s work takes us on a thrilling journey through time from the 1960s to the present day, documenting the lives of the Afro-Caribbean community in Britain through the faithful lens of a man who is himself a living, breathing part of it. This is why it is fitting that, as part of macs 50th birthday celebrations, they have staged a retrospective of Burke’s work, honouring the photographs he has taken in the last half century in the Birmingham area.

Burke was born in Jamaica in 1951, and moved to

Birmingham in 1965. At this time the Caribbean community was vastly expanding, and Burke took it upon himself to capture the essence of his new cultural identity through the medium of photography. Fifty years later, Burke continues to use his work to project and reestablish the presence of his own community in Britain.

When Burke captures a photograph he captures not just a person or moment but a whole culture. His works spans many aspects of life as a Jamaican growing up in Birmingham, touching on politics, pastimes, education, religion and traditions, displaying the visible influence of a new culture upon his community. Burke highlights both the negative and positive aspects of integrating into this new and alien culture.

He displays to us the opposi-

tion of racist organisations such as the National Front, and he alludes to racial prejudice and segregation. However, Burke also showcases the solidarity and prosperity of the AfroCaribbean community in peacefully opposing these challenges, and in their flourishing culture and pride of identity. The photographs seek to eliminate the racial stereotypes branded against black communities through their portrayal in British media, and instead focus on their integration into British culture, as well as the establishment of their own blossoming identity.

Many of Burke’s photos are posed portraits, giving his work the aura of an authentic family album, the formal documentation of a close-knit community.

Aside from these portraiture shots Burke also captures a

variety of spontaneous and lively moments, through which he achieves a sense of raw, relatable emotion. In the funerals, weddings and social gatherings of the subjects we comprehend the universal sentiments of joy, fear and grief, despite the barriers of time.

The decision to use black and white photography, especially in the modern photographs gives continuity to the exhibition drawing parallels between different generations documented over the 50 year span of his work. However, this also highlights racial differences between social groups. This was possibly done in order to show isolation, and enhance the theme of separate communities, not one integrated society.

One of Burke’s aspirations is to renounce the Afro-Caribbean label and instead claim the title

of British-Caribbean. There are a number of images showing the bridging between Jamaican heritage and modern British life, such as the photograph Velrose, Cannon Hill Park 1972, which depicts a woman of Afro-Caribbean heritage in a thoroughly 1970’s British fashion. The themes of assimilation are also heightened by the use of objects, taken from the community and displayed in the exhibition space. These objects however, are not displayed to the best of their ability and are one of the few disappointments of the exhibition.

Overall The Rivers of Birminam portrays the AfroCaribbean culture as a hybrid which is now at one with the British community, and which has become a huge part of Birmingham’s culture.

20 | 26th October - 8th November 2012 @RedbrickLifeStyle

Midlands Fashion Designer Awards 2012 Maddie Kilminster Life&Style Writer

shorts. The statement piece is a padded bomber-hood, adding a bulky, trampchic element to the otherwise fluid collection.

The next spectacle encapsulates our glitzy obsession with The Great Gatsby.

Beads line the sleeves and trains of the dresses and the dense, zigzag pattern gives them weight and power. The deep red and black colour palette and chain detailing pay homage to Moulin Rouge exoticism. How fitting that the interval’s entertainment should be a local burlesque singing group.

With a vastly different feel to it, I cannot take my eyes off the next assortment to grace the runway. Clearly inspired by McQueen, the pure white dresses sweep the stage with rose hems and laceworked corset bodices. Katie Peake chats to me after the show and explains how she wanted to add a bohemian edge to bridal and says she is keen to move onto more versatile evening wear.

Highlights of the rest of the evening were a royal-blue, velvet Nutcracker hoop-dress, a Westwood inspired ‘cut and slash’ manipulation of fabrics and a lavish reworking of the traditional school uniform.

Reeling from the night’s array of talent, I go on a desperate search for the mind behind the luxury lingerie collection which impressed me the most. I finally spot Jade Hope and get a chance to rave to her about the exquisite execution of her undergarments. To me, the finish is what elevated her simple palette towards exclusivity. She tells me that in her designs, the fabrics do all the work - I can’t help thinking there may be a little skill involved from her end too.

'The Botanical Gardens seem an odd venue for a runway show' says my friend as we totter in our heels through the urban rainforest and emerge in an elegant bar teaming with stylish guests.

The people-watching is thoroughly absorbing; I can’t take my eyes off a citron-yellow Chanel jacket and white cigarette-pant ensemble.

Armed with a lavender mini-cupcake, we head towards the coveted second row. Chatting casually with the girl next to me, I realise she’s one of the designers. Alisa-Kate Brown is polite, sophisticated and dressed in an understated bottle-green dress. She recently graduated from Nottingham Trent with dreams of working with Matthew Williamson.

With no chance to chat further, we hear the all-too-familiar tune of – 'No, surely not' - 'Gangnam Style'!

To this surprising soundtrack, on skips the bouncy presenter whose quirky enthusiasm sets the tone for the eclectic show we are about to see. We learn that these awards are now in their third year and are much anticipated by fashion graduates across the region.

Mr Bold struts off-stage and the lights change for the first collection. The first shift-dress in pale pink has an air of the orient. The long, draped sleeves of the next outfit confirm the eastern feel and the satin trousers add glamour. I wonder if the Kimono trouser-suit will catch on.

The next collection blows the last out of the water. Literally. To Diane Strong’s 'Wade in the Water', models glide by wearing plastic apron-like macs, washedout digital print skirts and asymmetrical

Photographer: Rahatart

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Ways to Support Kristyna Konivora

Pandora special Breast Cancer charms

Life&Style Writer

October 2012 is World Breast Cancer Awareness Month, when people all over the world try to bring awareness to the serious issue of breast cancer and raise money for women diagnosed with the disease.

There are around 50,000 new cases of invasive and non-invasive breast cancer being diagnosed each year in the UK, of which many women don't beat. The good news is that despite the increasing number of people being diagnosed with breast cancer, survival rates are improving. This is due to more targeted treatments, earlier detection and better breast awareness.

So girls, make a new start this month and start taking care of yourself. Examine your breasts every month and if something does not feel right, overcome your fear and go see your doctor. The sooner breast cancer is identified, the bigger the chance of curing it.

If you want to contribute to a good cause and at the same time spoil yourselves, buy one (or more) of many of the pink ribbon products, which will donate part of their sales to the breast cancer research. Here are Life&Styles favourite pink ribbon items..

£30

Clinique: Limited edition Moisturizer £17

Pinkie Pink by Nails Inc £11

To find out more visit: www.breastcancercare.org.uk

www.redbrick.me/lifestyle 21

Brad Pitt as the (Gorgeous) Face of Chanel No. 5 Elizabeth East

Fierce Jono Milnes & Tamara Roper Music Editors

Life&Style Writer

A £4 million campaign for the iconic Chanel No.5 has just been launched where Brad Pitt features as the first ever male to endorse the perfume in the 91 year history of the brand. Chosen exclusively by Karl Lagerfeld, the head designer for Chanel, the two-part television advert sees Brad looking thoughtful and features several artistic shots of two women; a vampy brunette, and a beach blonde.

However, despite this revolutionary new mark in history, the adverts have been received with, let’s say, less than pleasing reviews. Critics have been quick to point out the similarity of the triangle between Brad and the two women to that of his real life involving Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Anniston. Coincidental much?

Furthermore it is somewhat confusing to understand the point that Brad makes in his speech during the advert. But maybe that’s the point. Designer brands such as Chanel wouldn’t be as successful if there wasn’t a little eccentricity to them.

It is hoped that by using a male as the face of the product, it will ooze sex appeal, encouraging women to wear the scent that Marilyn Monroe famously loved so much.

Speaking about the campaign, 48-year-old Pitt claimed, ‘it goes beyond the abstract of emotion or beauty to evoke what is timeless - a woman’s spirit'.

Whether you think the adverts are artistically wonderful or just plain weird, you can’t deny that Brad is looking good for nearly 50 and there’s no doubt that Chanel No.5 will remain one of the most lusted-after perfumes ever.

Adele's New Baby - It's a boy! Don't know what it's called yet, but it's bound to be fabulous.

Girls Aloud Reunion - Our five fave girls are back with a fantastic new song. Kimberley Walsh has been busy!

Girls - The American TV sensation hits our shores. It's had critics in a ruffle for months.

Jake Bugg - The Nottingham born youngster beat Leona Lewis to the top of the charts with his debut album.

Indie FTW! Reading Week - It's finally Week 6!

Also known as half term. Soz medics and lawyers, unlucky!

Khloe Kardashian on X Factor USA - Kim is so last year! It's all about the louder, funnier Kardashian.

Early noughties music - Aaliyah, TLC, Destiny's child and UK Garage.

We'd rather be dancing to this than Gangnam Style any day.

Girls vs Guys: Advice on Rocky Relationships Alexandra Landes

Ed Robinson & Chris Carew

Life&Style Writer

Life&Style Writers

Dear Anonymous, First thing, well done for attempting to reconcile the problems in your relationship by talking to your boyfriend about the worries you have, rather than just ignoring his behaviour and allowing it to get worse.

But because this hasn't worked, you need to try something new. If there’s anything that’s going to remind this guy why he’s been with you for two years, it’s giving him a little distance.

If he refuses to acknowledge that there are any problems between you two, then maybe taking a break from each other might show that you are seriously worried about the future of your relationship and prove to him that he needs to change for the relationship to succeed. Unfortunately, shock tactics may be the only way to prove to him that ignoring you can’t carry on.

Enforcing a break on a relationship (especially a two-year one) can be a really scary prospect, but sometimes it can be the best thing for both partcipants. Maybe time away from each other will prove whether this relationship can stand the test of time, or maybe verify that he has changed so much that a permanent break may be better suited in the long run for both of you.

My boyfriend and I have been together for two years. We met in halls and started going out immediately. He's my perfect guy and I'm so happy with him. However, since we've come back after summer, things between us haven't been the same. He's out all the time with his friends and hardly ever speaks to me. He denies there are any problems and promises me he's still really happy. I'm so confused - what should I do?

Tamara Roper - All good things come to an end, including her time as our Music Editor. See Music pages for more deets.

Dear Anonymous, We don't like to be blunt but, speaking as men, what you have to ask yourself is this: what and who might your boyfriend have been doing over the summer? Without going into the gory details, has he been visiting the doctor's a little too much for comfort recently (and if so, should you get checked too)?

But seriously, why the sudden change? Did your speedy relationship rob him of a proper fresher's year and now he’s pining for Gatecrasher Mondays and an exaggerated story for the lads? (We all do it).

Maybe your relationship was too intense and this is his way of telling you that he still wants to be with you but only to see you less. Are his (new?) housemates bigger fans of Broad Street than books? Now he’s a man-abouttown, the only solution may be to get yourself a house key cut - a solution which could lead to a surprise (and we're not talking flowers here).

We suggest you give him the cold shoulder and make him realise what he’s missing. Get down to Fab next Saturday and find yourself someone fresh. After all, this is the last year it’s acceptable to get with a bloke in a dress.

And if your boyfriend doesn’t come back to you, at least you won’t be waking up alone on Sunday.

Gangnam Style - Piss Off! Studs - All I want to buy is a normal shirt without it looking like Motley Crue threw up over it. Totes overkill.

Expensive Food on Campus - Two Costas and a Starbucks. We're students FFS! Christmas Ads - It's not even Halloween yet, hold your horses.

Harry Styles Bald?! - Rumours that the 1D heart throb is shaving his head for Children In Need.. We're all for a good cause, but please Harry, no!

Bum Brum Weather - It's time to wrap up for campus. Winter if officially here.

Finished

22 | 26th October - 8th November 2012 @RedbrickFood

Food Adventures:The Sweden by Sofia Karttunen

Florida, USA by Louisa Clark We all think we know the food of the Sunshine State: Wal-Mart, all you can eat buffet breakfasts, blue jelly and small meals that could feed an army, featuring burgers you can’t physically digest and ginormous cups of coke topped off with a saturated fat-induced doughnut. Stereotypes aside, Florida is home to many culinary surprises. The mystery of the orange found on registration plates is explained when you realise that three-quarters of a million acres of Florida’s farmland are dedicated to citrus groves.

Another delight are the famed winter strawberries, celebrated annually in Plant City. Stone crabs are also renowned; the claws are the main source of meat, and so, farmers pull off one claw and throw the creature back into the sea, allowing it to continue defending itself whilst also growing another claw back in around 18 months. Key limes are indigenous to Southern Florida, in particular Key West, and you cannot avoid succumbing to a piece of the pie. If you decide to get something in a larger portion, then make sure it’s a slice of key lime pie!

Egypt by Amira Mullaney In my humble opinion, Koshari is Egypt’s greatest dish, and equally the most delicious concoction of flavours to have ever graced my taste buds. As you go through life, you may meet Egyptians that’ll tell you I’m over-exaggerating, but pay them no heed. It may not look anything special, but when you take a nice big spoonful of rice, pasta, lentils, chickpeas, tomato salsa and fried onions, what I can only describe as magic begins to happen. The layers of taste and texture make every bite memorable. You’ll find yourself reminiscing with a close friend, ‘Remember bite 23? Ah, bite 23...’. Almost every Koshari shop in Egypt is identical to the next, and as one of the cheapest foods you’ll find in the country, eating in a Koshari shop will give you the perfect opportunity to spy on the natives. You’ll notice on the table two long wine-bottletype bottles. In one of these you’ll find a red liquid, and in another you’ll find a yellow liquid. Please, please don’t make the mistake of absent-mindedly pouring the red liquid into your bowl (as I have done before), as this is very, very spicy chilli sauce. The yellow liquid is a mixture of vinegar, garlic and cumin called Dakka. Sample them sparingly, then mix that bad boy up. It takes Egyptians on average 5.3 seconds to drain a bowl of Koshari, but I’d recommend taking your time to savour the delicate nuances of the dish. Koshari paradise!

With Swedish food sales rising in the UK, the cuisine is clearly on trend. The selection ranges from reindeer to rye bread, with various vodkas in between, and is traditionally sourced from the vast forests, lakes and sea which makes it so impossible to summarise. IKEA might be a good place to start! After making your way through the zig-zagging routes of furniture showrooms and affordable modern design, find the restaurant section, offering meatballs, cream sauce, lingonberry jam, mashed potatoes or chips for less than a fiver. Not afraid to celebrate, Sweden has a special day devoted to cinnamon buns! Such pastries are also enjoyed with a little ‘fika’, the local term for a small coffee break. For an easy Nordic recipe suited to the cold winter days ahead, try a creamy salmon soup!

France by Louise Curry France is a fearless nation when it comes to food, famous for its daring dishes of snails and frogs legs. However, if these specialities are too obscure for your taste buds, then fear not. France is also well-known for having wonderful basics such as bread and cheese as part of their staple diet.

Whilst Birmingham may seem miles away from the chic streets of Paris, their culinary delights are right on our doorstep. If you have an irrepressible craving for a croque monsieur or a helping of crème brûlée, just follow your nose down to Café Rouge, which boasts a grand total of four restaurants within three miles of the university. As far as authentic French bakeries go, a fabulous choice is found in Harborne’s Maison Mayci; nip down for a brunch of hot chocolate and a croissant, or delve into their fabulous lunch menu. Top it all off with a glass of wine and a beret!

Mauritius by Safiyyah

Garebo

Mauritian cuisine will leave you spoilt for choice: Creole, Indian, Chinese, French and English dishes are all enjoyed by the locals, making it hard for the tourist to decide. On any given street, the fruits and vegetables of this tropical island (lychees, mangos, papayas and cassava) can be bought ready to eat; the epitome of healthy fast food! However, fried foods such as samosas, ‘gato piment’ and practically any vegetable fried in batter await to tempt you away from these market stalls. Mauritians are also known for their sweet tooth; sugar is grown on the island and so deserts that offer interesting twists on Indian, Chinese and East African recipes are readily available. Though many traditional Mauritian dishes, such as dhol puri and biriyani, take a lot of effort to prepare, a quick search will yield many results on simpler dishes to try out, with ingredients that can be bought easily in such a multicultural city as Birmingham.

www.redbrick.me/food| 23

e International Issue.

Our writers lead you through their favourite food locations...

Japan by George Adye Traditionally, the Japanese were not permitted to consume meat. Buddhism declared the eating of ‘four-legged’ or ‘feathered’ creatures to be corrupt and unclean, further restricting the Japanese diet; though even before this the eating of mammals and birds was frowned upon. Thus, exquisite fish was left to this island-nation, along with the staple diet of rice. What springs to mind when considering fish and rice?

Sushi of course! Essentially being rice and raw fish, this is an accessible eating option for the poor, the malnourished and the culinary inept (students). How to make sushi? Boil some short-grain rice (long-grain, the variety more commonly used in the UK won’t work - it is not sticky enough), then form it into a rectangle and place a slice of raw fish of your choice on top. Simple. Making sushi-rolls, which contain vegetables, is a little more complex. For this you will need a bamboo mat (inexpensive – not over a fiver), and some seaweed sheets. You place a sheet with rice and vegetables (finely sliced peppers, cucumber, carrot etc.) on top of the mat and then roll the whole thing up. You should be left with a long tube, which you now slice into small, sushi-sized pieces.

Oishii.

Bangladesh by Najmin Begum The Jackfruit is widely known as the national fruit of Bangladesh. An average Jackfruit is about 40cm in length but can grow up to 90cm. Don’t even get me started on how much they weigh – the last time I attempted to carry one ended in severe arm muscle pain and a very bruised foot. The spiky skin didn’t really help. Quite like a pineapple, or an avocado, the Jackfruit has a very tough (and very much non-edible) skin. The flesh is extracted by cutting the fruit in half and picking out ‘pockets’ of Jackfruit flesh (somewhat similar to how you would manually remove pomegranate seeds). Now, I must warn you, eating Jackfruit flesh is for people with - let’s say - strong noses, and having no sense of smell would help even more.

However, the Jackfruit fan base remains as strong as ever. The consistency of the flesh has been compared to a banana and can be used as an ingredient in many dishes, including curries, salads and even Jackfruit flavoured ice-cream. Fresh Jackfruit is usually available in the UK during the summer months, and can be bought at very competitive prices in South Asian food markets located here in Birmingham. So I very much encourage you to try it. Add it to your bucket list, or serve it at a party, or dress up as a Jackfruit for Halloween, whatever floats your boat.

Kerala, India by Molly Mckay As a curry enthusiast, South India was the perfect spot for me to explore the multitude of curries and cuisine on offer. The abundance of coconut, spices and exotic vegetables meant the food was always rich in flavour and nutrition! We ate curry for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and I never got tired of it, often replacing rice for the traditional Indian bread Parotta.

In addition to the tasty curry, Kerala had many other delicacies to be tried; namely the Sadhya, a traditional banquet meal served on banana leaves, Unniapppan (fried banana bread!) and Dosa (a sort of crepe made with rice batter). I ate mostly vegetarian curry whilst in Kerala, my favourite being Chanana Masala – a chick pea based dish with plenty of flavour! My most ‘adventurous’ dish was Snake curry, which was delicious! Try locally at Chennai Dosa on Hagley Road.

24 | 26th October - 8th November 2012

@RedbrickFilm

"We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven't you?"

Norman Bates Psycho (1960)

FilmReview The Shining

As a classic is rereleased in time for Halloween, here's Jonathan Fagg revealing why this film is still a shining exa Rerelease Date: 2nd November 2012 Director: Stanley Kubrick Featuring: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd It can be hard to believe that The Shining, which is now regarded as one of the greatest horror films ever made, was initially seen as a failure. It struggled at the box office, was dismissed by critics, and was even nominated for two Razzie awards, including 'Worst Director'. Stephen King, who wrote the novel this film is adapted from, admitted to 'haing' it.

Is the film any good? It is brilliant. Kubrick takes what could easily be a cheap slasher and makes it something incredible. Kubrick does not rely on cheap jumps or sudden loud noises to scare his audience. Rather, his masterful direction, a disturbing soundtrack and great performances from his cast create a must-see. Long takes build tension, while jarring cuts to unsettling images and constant ambiguities prevent you from becoming comfortable. Subtle touches, such as the architectural impossibility of Overlook Hotel, may go unnoticed, but help to unsettle the audience.

This leaves one wondering why it was initially disliked. It is not in any way a faithful adaptation of the book, leading to King and his fans dismissing it unfairly. King eventually warmed up to the film, now declaring it a favourite. The length of the film is atypical for horror, which put many off, although it does add to the film’s claustrophobic tone. The casting of Nicholson was criticised, as it was felt his fame for playing mentally unstable characters removed any doubt about Jack’s fate. Now that the film has become widely known, helped in part by parodies in The Simpsons and others, people know this is coming, removing this trouble.

This is not to say that the film does not have flaws, for instance the coldness of the film can make it hard to become attached to its characters. Nonetheless, this is a seminal work by one of the greatest directors yet, if you have not seen it, watch it. If you have, watch it again.

A spark of genius: Tim Burton Interview Highly-animated Film Editor Aisha Bushby meets a master of stop-motion a

You started this as a live-action short film and now you've come back almost 30 years later. What made you want to revisit Frankenweenie?

I was looking at some of the original drawings and thought it was such a memory piece. There was the stopmotion black and white and 3D combined with kids and weird teachers you remember from school. Obviously, being able to work with people I've loved in the past made it more special.

The use of black and white made the film more interesting, is there anything else you wanted to do to make the film stand out?

Black and white was a crucial element in the film and for me it made it more emotional. In my opinion, this combined with the 3D element helped support the work the artists put into the film. You look at these puppets and see the reality of them and their tactile nature as everything is handmade.

How much would you say this is a tribute to the horror genre and trying to open it up to younger generations to enjoy?

There are a lot of references, and it's based on, for me, the love of those kinds of movies but a lot of thought went into not making it reference dependent. We tried to make it feel like one of those movies instead, so you could understand what they were like if you did not already know and be able to enjoy the film at the same time.

Death seems to play a prominent role in a lot of your stop-motion films, what is your fascination with bringing characters back to life?

When I was a kid I always wanted to be a mad scientist. It's more about creation and making things. I think that is why I always loved the Frankenstein story, because it is partially about creation and that is what film-making and stop-motion is. For me, this is the fun of it and why you like doing it. It isn't about the business, box office or reviews but about actually making something. That is why this film was so special; with a relatively small group of people, real artists, it becomes a more pure version of the movie you wanted to make.

www.redbrick.me/film | 25

From gore to gorgeous: has Hollywood sacrificed screams for sex appeal?

Intrepid critic Hayley Allanson argues that Hollywood has traded genuine fear for implausible flirtations With Halloween only days away and Twilight’s Breaking Dawn: Part 2 on the horizon, it's time to examine Hollywood’s obsession with turning horror hot and the dawn of the supernatural sex symbol.

For decades, vampires from Nosferatu and Dracula to Dusk Till Dawn’s Santanico Pandemondium have been considered horrifying and shudder-inducing creatures. Even fanged heartthrob Angel was balanced with his mass murdering alter ego Angelus in Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

However, modern day vampires are a far cry from the infamous bloodsuckers we all know and fear, as their horrifying personas have been crushed by the likes of teen sensation Twilight and the wave of supernatural soapesque shows that followed, such as True Blood, The Vampire Diaries and 2011’s Teen Wolf.

However, it is easy to forget that Hollywood’s obsession with the alluring vampire seemingly began with movies like The Lost Boys and Interview with the Vampire, which c a s t

renowned heartthrobs Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise as the leads. Despite this, it is Twilight’s worldwide success that saw the rise of the watered-down monster, giving souls, thoughts and feelings to traditionally nightmarish creatures like vampires, witches and werewolves.

Rather than hinder the movie's success, this move placed a new wave of glamorous monsters on the big screen and launched the ‘Horromance’ to the forefront of modern day cinema.

S e x y monsters that lure innocent victims in as their

prey are one thing, but when the socalled ‘stuff of nightmares’ are as tame as The Happening and glitter in the sunlight, then there’s a problem. It seems that horror and romance have truly run out of ideas, leading them to turn to a deformed amalgam of genres and creating not only improbable but impossible

relationships.

For example, 50/50 director Jonathan Levine's 2013 zom-rom Warm Bodies stars Nicholas Hoult as a zombie who falls for a victim's girlfriend upon consuming his brain. Now, like most girls I’m all for forbidden love but the idea of a zombie/human romance is severely lacking brains and completely neglects the zombie conventions that society has grown to live by.

It is movies like these that cause modern day audiences to question whether cinema now takes horror past the novelty busty blonde and is sacrificing scares for sex appeal. Jonathan Levine himself commented on the sexier portrayal of his zombie protagonist and stated that 'We're working within the mythology, but also trying to expand it.' However, what is yet to been seen is whether this expansion reaches a point where it serves as a decrement not only to the credibility of the character but the movie and the genre.

The horror genre has always had its crazes, from the '80’s slasher to the '00s Japanese remake. This decade has seen the rise of the teen horror, and I just hope that horror’s next phase is a less sexy and more

JESSICA GREEN Critic

ANITA BAUMGÄRTNER Critic Every Halloween my friends and I watch one particular horror film with the promising title The Slaughter. The dialogue is - to put it kindly - stupid.

All the deaths are far too brutal and not even well-filmed. The plotline? Don’t even get me started on it. On top of all that, there are random black metal picture compilations. But still, we speak along with predictable dialogue like "Okay, so we need to stick together from now on." "Yeah, good. So, um, I got my stuff downstairs, and I'm gonna go get it, and then I'm gonna meet you guys." I think we all know that these are the last words we'll hear.

So, you may think that this is as low as cinema as an art form can go. And still, there are supposedly smart people watching them, well aware of the fact that it’s not going to be a masterpiece. But which came first?

Was it the poor filmmaking or was it the undemanding acceptance of horror films? Sure, there hasn’t been anyone as awesome as Hitchcock around in quite some time. Contemporary screenwriters – famous ones writing for blockbusters or just students like you and me – tend to follow an easy and simple recipe that always succeeds with the target audience.

That may be also a problem of cinema in general, but then you have to ask: why do we watch movies on Halloween? Because after coming home from a Halloween party we don’t look for a great artsy cinema experience.

We want to enjoy ourselves watching some splatter. Plus, those films make us feel less embarrassed about us sitting on the sofa in cheap cliché costumes while eating pumpkin soup.

Think about any major horror movie of the last decade – were you genuinely terrified? Or was it a waste of an Orange Wednesday? Did it spook you for months? Make you flinch every time you heard a noise behind you? Or disturb you into sleeplessness? Generally, the answer to this is a universal no. We are definitely in the midst of an era where modern horror films are bleak, uncreative, and a downright predictable experience. They just aren’t what they used to be.

Take a prime example such as The Exorcist.

Controversial and sickening for its time, it left scars in the minds of a generation – a key element for many horror fanatics. Now take a recent film such as The Devil Inside. Though initially it was visually frightening and still managed to make even a 40 year old man squeal, it lacked originality and a gripping storyline, relying on stereotypical conventions to momentarily scare an audience and leave many disappointed sighs as the credits rolled.

Let’s face it: we’ve seen it all before. We have become accustomed to gore galore, supernatural forces and cannibalistic crazies. When I watch any new horror film, I want it to scare the living daylights out of me, not leave me looking for plot holes and laughing hysterically at the dire acting.

Yes there is the occasional success story, for example The Cabin in the Woods, which was surprising and entertaining, but not astonishingly original. So how far can the boundaries and inventiveness of horror flicks be pushed? Can the film industry pull itself out of this rut? Or are we bound to suffer with endless, forgettable movies that disgrace the reputation of the horror genre? Hollywood: get your act together!

Trick or treat: DOES HORROR STILL HAVE THE FEAR FACTOR?

26| 26th October - 8th November 2012

The Graham Norton Show

@Redbrick @RedbrickTV

The Walking Dead

Spotlight on: Guild Television This term we thought we’d bring you a sneak preview of what you can expect from your student television team in the coming month.

#GuildTelevision Guild TV Abbie Salter Online TV Editor

Guild Television, GTV, was established in 1968 and is a student run television station. You’ve probably seen their large cameras filming around campus, especially during Freshers and at the recent IAA protest. The talented team direct and produce their own shows, focussing on a variety of genres such as news, music, sports and entertainment; and if you’re interested in getting involved, head to their meetings on Wednesdays at 2pm in the GTV studio.

So what programmes do GTV offer?

GTV produce four weekly broadcasts, here’s the basic format of their weekly line up: The Sunday Edition - A weekly broadcast for political comment. Each week Owen Earwicker (Redbrick deputy editor) and Freddie Herzog (Redbrick news editor) interview active members of the Guild of Students to discuss the goings on in Guild politics. Make sure to catch this week’s as it’s the last one!

Sports Report – A weekly catch up on how all your lovely sports teams are doing in the British Universities and Colleges Sports (BUCS) league: GTV’s answer to Sky Sports News.

Leading Stories - Every week GTV discusses the relevant and breaking stories affecting you, the students of UoB.

Societies Show - This broadcast gives you the opportunity to catch up on what’s going on with all the various Brum societies. Each week GTV interviews a society and bullies them into taking part in their Space Hopper Time Trial Challenge, a must watch! In addition to this GTV also brings a 90 second Showcase, consisting of them visiting a society and checking out what they’re up to.

What to Look Forward to this week: This week the chosen society for the Showcase is Brum Dine With Me, so make sure to tune in to improve your culinary skills. And for all you secret computer geeks (secretly most of us), you’ll be excited to hear that the society being interviewed this week is Computer and Video Game. Our sources tell us that the leading stories this week will focus on the IAA (the Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity) protest and the ABB quota.

Jenny Porter TV Critic

The charismatic chat show host, Graham Norton, returns for his twelfth series, (yes, really) and I’m still undecided. It’s nothing against Graham, but his show just doesn’t seem to have the same appeal as Alan Carr’s Chatty Man or The Jonathon Ross Show. Maybe it’s a bit too safe, with a more refined sense of humour, due to succeeding Jonathon Ross after that incident.

In comparison to Alan and Jonathon, who have powerful personalities, Graham steers the limelight onto his guests with gentle prodding, but never to the point of being uncomfortable, not necessarily a bad thing.

Furthermore, the assortment of guests doesn’t fail to disappoint. Graham is joined on the sofa with the suggested new ‘super group’ combination of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Miranda Hart, Ronnie Corbett and Usher.

The show commences with a discussion of Schwarzenegger’s decision to embark on dramatic body building, and that’s about as interesting as he gets; as the rest can be found in his soon to be released book, cue shameless plugging.

The entertainment value derives from Miranda and Ronnie. Both share contrasting personal stories of meeting the Queen; Ronnie describes her as ‘the business’, whereas Miranda recounts the Queen pointedly yawning in her face.

The show’s sense of humour is somewhat lost on Arnold, who takes Graham’s comment that Miranda eats like an animal very literally, prompting the host to clarify he’s joking and Ronnie to cheekily remark 'you will find the odd joke on this show'. Maybe it’s the British sense of humour!

Ronnie and Miranda’s attempt to explain the ‘Four Candles’ sketch to Arnold provides the best entertainment, with the humour completely lost on Arnold!

Overall, the combination of big guests and loveable Norton will always provide welcome and light-hearted Friday night entertainment.

6m

More than £6million has been raised for Stand Up To Cancer

William Chadwick TV Critic

@will_chadwick

Whilst AMC holds up Mad Men and Breaking Bad as its flagship shows, it is The Walking Dead that attracts its largest audience and most ardent fan base.

While not as critically applauded or award nominated as the 60s ad drama or the meth cooking, high tension thriller, this zombie spectacular has earned its rightful place amongst the network’s canon.

Although the second season was mired with controversy behind the scenes, the quality on screen was consistent as showrunner Glen Mazzara effortlessly took the mantle from ousted writer/director Frank Darabont and produced a formidable, surprising second season.

Season Three picks up several months after the end of the second season. The group, led by the now dictatorial Rick, are on the road in a constant search for shelter, which is getting more desperate as Lori is expected to give birth any day now. By chance they stumble upon a prison, which promises some form of shelter as well as provisions, including ammo and medicine, which they desperately need.

The majority of the episode deals with the group’s break into the prison and is one of the most gleefully gory episodes of the show thus far. Although rife with decapitations, bludgeoning and stabbing, the episode doesn’t forget that its heart truly resides in the relationships between the characters. The unreconciled tension between Lori and Rick promises further friction and Andrea’s decision to leave the survivors and go it alone may not prove such a great idea after all. This episode is absolutely full of promise and The Walking Dead is a show that constantly delivers more than the expectations of its genre.

The fashion-helping duo - Trinny and Susannah - are set to join the cast of I’m A Celebrity!

Get Me Out of Here!

www.redbrickpaper.co.uk/tv | 27

Stand Up To Cancer A host of Channel 4 stars gave up their time and support in aid of raising money for cancer research.

Russell Webb TV Editor

@rwebb92

Friday night saw the inaugural cancer charity event on Channel 4. The evening followed a similar format to already established charity shows Children in Need and Comic Relief.

The programme was hosted by Channel 4 queen Davina McCall, Chatty Man Alan Carr and Dr Christian Jessen.

Whilst both McCall and Carr have a wealth of presenting experience it was evident that Dr Jessen was a novice at this profession. His obvious auto-cue reading and general lack of charisma was, at times, awkward to watch. However, he was able to deliver the medical facts with precise and hardhitting detail. When you have a TV personality doctor, it is a no brainer to use him.

And they used as many of their stars as possible. Tesco provided a partnership to this event and as a result received 'help' from the cast of Made In Chelsea, Coach Trip's Brendan and homefinding guru Phil Spenser in three seperate sketches.

All of them unsurprisingly ended with an apology to Tesco.

Arguably the most entertaining segment of the night was the celebrity takeover of the phonelines. Channel 4 managed to assemble a group that included Jensen Button, Sooty and Sweep, Keith Lemon and Shameless' Frank Gallagher. Each

9.2m

Record figures watched Emmerdale's live episode, which saw Carl meet his death

celebrity had their own cubicle and their own personality quirks that were highlighted and exploited.

As is expected from a charity event such as this there were musical performances throughout the night. The show kicked off

Also providing music was Leona Lewis who sung with the Big C Choir: a group of cancer sufferers who decided to create a positive from a very negative situation. Like Cheryl, Leona came back to sing another song, but these were the

with a performance from Cheryl that was riddled with sound errors (and I don't mean her singing). Later on in the evening she returned and the sound system worked perfectly...unfortunately.

only musical performances.

We were however treated to a number of dance-offs including Flawless vs the National Ballet, Drummers vs Bollywood and a robot piece involving Britain's

David Walliams is to present The Royal Variety Show's 100th anniversary

100th

Got Talent winners Spelbound, amongst other stranger concepts that weren't particularly entertaining. The show seemed very thin on live performances, but even thinner on pre-recorded elements.

The 8 Out of 10 Cats team produced a very strange and awkward 'episode' which revolved around Sean Lock's own brush with cancer. As he was a survivor he, along with Jimmy Carr and Jon Richardson tried to make comedy from the way in which he discovered his cancer - to save you the trouble of having to watch it, it was a sexual encounter.

The whole recording seemed crass and out of place.

What was really missing for me was celebrities making fools of themselves. Every year, without fail, the EastEnders cast go out of their way to humiliate themselves and I have to ask: where were the Hollyoaks cast? Surely they could have done something?

One thing that wasn't a disappointment were the relatable videos that showed the horrifying stories of cancer sufferers, the most touching coming from Sam, one of Alan Carr's closest friends who had throat cancer. The videos were so real and heartfelt that they moved many people to tears, including Davina.

Hopefully this will become an annual event to entertain us, but more importantly to raise money for a fantastic cause.

After the third series of Miranda there are plans to turn the comedy into a film

28 | 26th October - 8th November 2012

@RedbrickSport

Frankel: The Greatest Frankel signed off his remarkable career with a 14th successive victory at Ascot on Saturday, which also marked the BBC's final day covering horse racing. Max Milward looks back upon a spectacular day, and considers what this equine superstar has done for the sport.

I

t was difficult to avoid the BBC’s comprehensive coverage of British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday. It was even harder for the spectators - both the 32,000 at the racecourse and the many more watching at home - not to be moved by the events which unfolded in front of an expectant nation. Frankel, a racehorse dubbed as ‘the best ever’, became a household name in a matter of hours. These are heady days for horse racing.

Reportedly worth £100 million, and with an astonishing unbeaten record of 13 successive wins, Frankel put his reputation on the line for the 14th and final time in Saturday’s Champions Stakes. Retirement to stud was beckoning, no matter what the outcome of the race, and his fans turned out in abundance to catch one last glimpse of a racehorse that has it all: speed, stamina, breeding and constitution. Perfection in equine form.

It very nearly went belly-up in the first few seconds of the race, when Frankel, a horse once renowned for his bullish exuberance, practically fell out of the starting gate like a lethargic labrador. It was left to his jockey, Tom Queally, to remind Frankel of his job, and after a few strides of being rousted along, he was back on an even keel and perfectly poised on the heels of the leaders. Any lesser jockey might have panicked, causing Frankel to get lit-up unnecessarily, but Queally’s supreme confidence in his mount’s ability meant that the Irishman could sit tight and let the horse do the talking.

As the horses swung round the home bend after six furlongs of this testing mile and a quarter race, Frankel was three lengths off the pace. With Bullet Train and Nathaniel beginning to strug-

gle, he loomed up ominously on his principal rival, the French horse, Cirrus Des Aigles. Just one smack of the whip was enough for Frankel, and despite not accelerating away in the spectacular manner that we are accustomed to, he picked up admirably in the muddy conditions to win by almost two lengths.

The enormous crowd at Ascot (akin to Beatlemania circa 1964) went wild for their thoroughbred champion in a manner that previously seemed impossible at flat racing’s most distinguished course. And 20 minutes later, as Frankel was led away unfazed from the packed winners enclosure, a sense of awe-

struck wonder and appreciation still prevailed.

The genius of Frankel is plain for all to see, but it is impossible to overstate the significance of his trainer Sir Henry Cecil, whose intuitive and patient handling of the horse, and a plethora of other champions over the years, has confirmed him as a master, if not the master, of his trade. To get a racehorse to start, let alone win, 14 top quality races in peak condition is an achievement in itself.

Even the great Kauto Star, a more robust steeplechasing champion, eventually suffered a training setback that will most likely lead to his retirement. For Cecil, who is undergoing intensive and debilitating

treatment for stomach cancer, Frankel could not have come along at a more opportune moment. But equally for Frankel, however, he could not have been in better or more assiduous hands.

Those of a man known affectionately to his fans as just Henry.

Of course there were hardened racegoers who were disappointed that the horse did not win by a country mile. But 14 wins from 14 races is surely enough in itself, and the parting words of the BBC’s presenter Clare Balding speak volumes: ‘How can you improve on perfection?’ And with that, Frankel was led away from the paddock; an unbeaten, unrivaled racehorse.

Yet Frankel was not the only horse that the BBC waved off on Saturday afternoon. This time they were saying goodbye to all racehorses, for good. For Champions Day marked the end of 60 years of horseracing on the BBC, with broadcasting rights on terrestrial television now going exclusively to Channel 4. In recent times, the BBC has helped racing reach a wider audience, thanks to their near flawless coverage of the Grand National and Royal Ascot, but dwindling loyalties have seen them show just 13 days racing a year since 2010.

But the BBC’s loss is Channel 4’s gain, and Balding, whose bold and affable professionalism has made the coverage her own, will now jump ships to be at the helm of the new-look Channel 4 Racing show in 2013. It is gratifying to think that despite her new status as a national treasure and the most soughtafter broadcaster on television, her loyalties still lie very much in the place where she began. And the exploits of Frankel on Saturday, like with us all, can only have served to deepen her love for the sport.

Picture cut-outs by Lauren Wheatley

www.redbrick.me/sports | 29

Rugby lads respond to overhaul Hallam Men's Rugby Union

Birmingham produced a strong display to outgun Sheffield Hallam 21-17 at the Bournbrook pitch and register their second successive league victory. In a dream start for the home side, a superb tackle and turnover by Charlie Bray gave Birmingham an early chance for a try. After good hands from second-row Jamie Rose, Fred Gulliford cut back against a drifting defence to give the hosts a 7–0 lead following Dan Wood’s successful conversion.

The brilliant start clearly spurred on a Birmingham pack which then took control of the early exchanges, forcing Hallam into two turnovers at the scrum in succession. The influential Rose was also making his presence felt at the front of the line-out, and Hallam’s lack of control at set-piece time soon gave Wood the opportunity to extend the lead to ten points after a late tackle.

However, Sheffield Hallam’s impressive forwards soon began to put pressure on Birmingham’s defence. In the closing stages of the half, a fine break-out by the visitors’ number eight Josh Redfern led to a siege on the hosts’ line. Despite terrific defence, especially from the likes of Tom Vooght, the visitors finally notched up their first points of the afternoon to close the gap to five points after a close range pick-and-go try from Dan Vernon.

After the break, the visitors emerged an improved side and began to dominate the game with Birmingham failing to get hands on the ball in opposition territory for the first 15 minutes. After seeing a try straight from the restart ruled out for a forward pass, Hallam’s half back Jack Kohler made good use of the blindside

for Oly Wood to crash over in the corner and tie the scores at ten points apiece.

Soon after, the increasingly dangerous Redfern sent the visitors on their way again with a 30m break off a lineout, after a composed set of close quarter drives from the pack. Hallam took the lead for the first time through Jordan Parry, and with Andy Cummings’ first successful kick at goal, the lead was stretched to 17–10.

Soon after, however, Birmingham regained a great deal of composure and began to dominate like they had done in the opening exchanges. As the match moved past the hour mark the game was brought to life by a stunning individual try from Birmingham’s George Yeomans.

Yeomans ripped through Hallam’s fragile looking midfield to score a superb 60 metre effort, reducing the deficit to two points after Wood missed the conversion. From this point on Birmingham’s composure under pressure came to the fore and their fantastic discipline was not matched by a tiring opposition, who went on to concede no less than six penalties in the final 20 minutes. Such poor discipline gave Wood the chance to amend for his earlier miss to put Birmingham into a one point lead with a little over ten minutes remaining, and then to extend it further to 21-17, a lead which never looked threatened thereafter. It was an impressive comeback from the first XV in a match which for vast proportions lacked the pace that the hosts wanted to play at. Jamie Rose’s impressive performance at the line out (seven wins and one steal) put serious pressure on Hallam’s set piece which began to tell in the closing stages. After the match, scrum half Paz Rabindran and early try scorer Gulliford spoke of a hugely satisfying victory; ‘We always knew we had the ability to beat them’, said Rabindran, ‘it was just about being composed on the ball and we did that in the end’. If such composure can remain in the ranks for this Brum side, this season’s solid start of won two, lost one will only become more impressive.

account of the weekend from a Birmingham perspective.

The University of Birmingham’s Windsurfing club were also in action at the weekend, sending 16 participants to Roadford Lake, Okehampton to compete in the Aussie Kiss XI, which is the biggest windsurfing competition in the UK. Birmingham claimed their highest ever places in the relay competition, while Suzanna Gamba took an individual accolade in the women’s freestyle tow competition, claiming third place overall.

Birmingham women’s Indoor Cricket team also had a good weekend in the BUCS 6-a-side tournament at Edgbaston. The hosts recorded comfortable victories against Coventry, Nottingham, Cambridge and Warwick, and found only Loughborough too strong in the final matches. Darcy Evans and Harriet Leach particularly impressed with the bat throughout the tournament.

University of Birmingham alumna Non Stanford tasted glory at the weekend by winning the world under-23 tria-

thlon title in Auckland, New Zealand ahead of the Netherlands’ Sarissa De Vries. Stanford graduated from Birmingham in Sport and Exercise Sciences in 2010, and the success caps a breakthrough year for the triathlete, who is mentored by Dame Kelly Holmes.

Last week was also a breakthrough one for the University’s Korfball club, whose second team played in their first ever league game, beating Nottingham Magic Voodoo 10-9. The team contained a number of new members, with the likes of Merrick Lloyd, Emily Craigie and Harry Andrews all scoring more than one goal on their debuts.

Finally, Premier League Squash returns to the Munrow Squash Courts on the evening of Tuesday 30th October, as Birmingham entertain a Courtcraft Pontefract team headed by world number one James Willstrop. The action will get started around 7pm, and tickets are £4 for students, while refreshments will be available throughout from Raising the Bar in what promises to be a fantastic evening of world class squash.

Birmingham 1sts

21

Sheffield Hallam 1sts

17

Tom Kelly Sport Reporter

@tom_tk_kelly

George Evans @Georgeevanss

Sports Roundup

Sam Price Sport Editor

@Sam_Price19

British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) this week announced the launch of a brand new event which will bring together 14 university team sport championship final matches all in one day at one venue: BUCS Big Wednesday.

Leeds Metropolitan University will host the inaugural event on 20th March 2013, which will consist of team finals in football, hockey and netball amongst others.

The BUCS Barefoot Wine Surf Championships took place last weekend at Fistral Beach, Newquay, where the University of Birmingham were well represented, with Brumsurf sending six competitors. As one of the most landlocked universities, the odds were stacked against Brum, with none of the surfers making it to the finals, where Bournemouth’s Gordon Fontaine and Falmouth’s Hannah Donnelly took the top prizes. Go to redbrick.me/sport to read David Twyman and Lydia Cole’s

30 | 26th October - 8th November 2012

Last gasp goal seals comeback victory for battling Birmingham

@Wsiddons

Birmingham’s men’s firsts snatched an unlikely victory against Sheffield Hallam, twice coming from behind before finding a winner with only minutes to spare on a gloomy Wednesday afternoon.

The first half was a scrappy affair, with the majority of both teams’ chances coming from short corners, but Sheffield Hallam had the edge in open play. Hallam’s first half dominance was rewarded with an early goal courtesy of an emphatic finish high past Ashwin Raj. Richard GearEvans almost mustered an immediate response for the home side before Pete Jackson smashed the ball home, courtesy of a deflection off the crossbar. With parity on the scoreboard, both sides fought hard to secure an advantage; Hallam had the lion’s share of chances from open play, but Birmingham were a threat from dead ball situations. It was the Sheffield outfit that consolidated the lead however, with Martin Sutherland making it 2-1 to the away side, firing high past the keeper from another short corner. Birmingham strove for an equaliser but with Hallam happy to consolidate possession it was a struggle for the home side to make inroads. When chances were created, Birmingham were further frustrated by some smart saves from Hallam’s ‘keeper, with Jackson seeing a well drilled shot kept out.

Birmingham came out of the blocks strongly in the second half.

Mike Penny made some smart runs down the middle before Harry Longton provided the impetus for

even touch the sides of Birmingham’s net as the guests' attackers Lauren Bruckshaw and Christy Simpson goals slipped through the home team’s defence. Not to be deterred, Birmingham’s Amy Napper roused her side into action with some excellent interceptions, working every player into the attack and leaving Georgia Horn and Gina Nicholls to score some stunning goals. As Brum’s shooters scored the points, their defence got into the swing of things and stopped Loughborough’s strong attacking force.

Some outstanding play from Napper saw the ball flow down the court, but the visitors were not going to concede their seven goal advantage without a fight. The fast moving game saw well worked set pieces with the pace seeming to be just too much for Birmingham’s new-look seconds. However the captain took control and sent the ball down court towards Nat Clays who brilliantly worked the ball for her shooters to score valuable points. The scoreline was 12-7 at the end of the first quarter, with Loughborough’s attack only missing one shot.

The second quarter saw a flurry of

goals for Birmingham; all assisted by midfielders Clays and Thow.

However the success at one end was countered at the other as Eleanor Duncan demonstrated why the visitors had been so successful last year.

Loughborough sparked back into life, finishing the half 29-12 ahead.

The home crowd livened up in the third quarter, which saw a steadfast defence win over half of the penalties given in just 15 minutes. As Birmingham's spirits lifed so did their points tally, outscoring Loughborough in this quarter.

The final quarter saw Birmingham crack a little, giving away vital advantages. However, as a captain should, Thow took charge and showed some outstanding leadership skills and the best interceptions of the match. The captain worked the ball down for Nicholls and Horn to show off their long range shooting.

Unfortunately it was all too late for the home team and Loughborough ran away with the game 51-26.

Thow commented at the end ‘we are an entirely new team, who have just been promoted, we showed what a brilliant team we can become. It will take time'.

Men's Hockey

Birmingham 1sts

3

Sheffield Hallam

2

James Tottle Sport Reporter

Will Siddons

Brum suffer at hands of Duncan Netball

Birmingham 2nds

26

Loughborough 2nds

51

Ellie Jones Sport Reporter

@EllieJones_bham

A rebuilt Birmingham second team were bested by a strong Loughbrough team on Wednesday afternoon in their second match of the new season. The score line read 51-26 but captain Georgie Thow said ‘this did not reflect the standard of play.’

Loughborough started strongly, scoring six goals in five minutes, indicating that Birmingham were in for a tough match. The ball didn’t

@jamestottle

Birmingham, slotting home to level the scores for the second time at 2-2 and set up an exciting final ten minutes. By this point the momentum was well and truly with the home side, and it was Jackson who capped an impressive team performance by notching the winner from a penalty stroke as the clock ran down. With moments remaining Hallam made a final push for an equaliser, and Birmingham had to survive penalty shouts as well as a dangerously placed short corner before the ref blew the final whistle on an exciting game.

Following a disappointing 1-0 defeat to rivals Durham last week it was an especially important victory, one which encapsulated the spirit that saw Birmingham finish second last season in both the EHL Conference West and BUCS Premier North division.

Head coach Steve Floyd summed up the result: ‘It was good to get the victory in the end; it was one that we deserved. The first half was very close, we started slowly again. The second half we totally dominated, they couldn’t break us down and other than a few breaks we looked comfortable’. On his sides inability to remain clinical in front of goal he remained optimistic, ‘You always say it’s one of those things that will click and we’ll score a lot of goals’.

Next week’s opponents Leeds will be hoping it doesn’t click quite yet; if it does then another successful season looks set to be on the cards for the Birmingham first team.

Michael Jevon

31 | 26th October -8th November 2012

www.redbrick.me/sports

Page 31 Sports Shorts

Tweet of the Week

Online this week @WayneRooney

Heroes...

Sir Henry Cecil The veteran race trainer who is battling stomach cancer saddled Frankel to his fourteenth and final victory.

If Frankel is the best horse we have ever seen, Cecil surely is in the conversation as one of the all time great trainers, being crowned champion trainer 10 times in a career spanning six decades.

FIFA Yes, the much maligned organisation has finally paved the way for goal-line technology to be introduced with the approval of Hawkeye and Goalref.

Hopefully this should mean that Frank Lampard's 'non' goal in the 2010 World cup will be a thing of the past.

'Watched all the presidential debates.

If I had to vote would vote Obama.'

Weekend Wager

13/2 This weekend sees the running of the Racing Post Trophy, with three out of the past ten winners going on to win the Derby the following year, including this years Derby winner Camelot. We are tipping Van Der Neer who goes into the race unbeaten to see off strong competition from the Aidan O'Brien stable of horses.

Redbrick Sport Quiz

Last week, whilst finalising the issue, a mixup occurred and the wrong page 31 was sent to print.

I would like to unreservedly apologise, not only to the readers of Redbrick, but also to the Sport Editors, who had spent several hours creating the page. I should like to make it clear to readers that it was solely my fault, and I take full responsibility for the error.

Editor.

1. Where is the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup being held?

2. Who were the first British club to win the European cup?

3. How many gold medals did Team GB win in the 2012 London Olympics?

4. Who will contest the 2012 baseball world series?

5.How many people are there on a korfball team?

1. Australia & New Zealand 2. Celtic 3. 29 4. San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers 5. Eight

The Redbrick Crossword

Game of the Week The men's basketball firsts hosted Warwick in Wednesday's 'Game of the Week'. Read Matt Yuan's report of the action on our website, where you'll also be able to see this highlight's of the match in this week Tuesday Debate Following the boycott of anti racism T-shirts in football this weekend, Tasha Son and Matt Clark debate whether racism is still a major problem in English football.

Please complete this form before you hand in your completed crossword to the Redbrick office.

Name:

Email Address:

Phone Number:

Scribble box

Across 1. Made with flour, eggs and sugar (4) 3. Filled with fear or apprehension (8) 9. Type of gynaecological cancer (7) 10. One of the principle divisions of a long poem (5) 11. Small bunting with brightly coloured head and neck (12) 13. Deviates from the correct course (6) 15. Iris covering (6) 17. Repeated stressed syllables in a line of poetry (12) 20. Narrow glass tube (alt. Sp) (5) 21. A literary, dramatic, or cinematic work whose narrative comes before a preexisting work (7) 22. Soaked through (8) 23. Remain (4)

Netball 1sts 35-28 Nottingham 1sts

...and villains

Rugby League 1sts 12-22 Loughborough 2nds

Aaron Cawley Cawley was jailed for 16 weeks and given a six week banning order from football after attacking Sheefield Wednesday goalkeeper Chris Kirkland during a 1-1 draw with Leeds United. The one question Redbrick Sport asks is why he was not banned from attending football matches for life.

Women's Hockey 1sts 2-2 Manchester 1sts Men's Football 1sts 2-2 Worcester 1sts Women's Fencing 1sts 124-123 Manchester 1sts Women's Football 1sts 2-0 Northumbria 1sts Men's Tennis 1sts 10-2 Oxford 3rds Women's Basketball 1sts 64-43 Lincoln 1sts

Fixtures - 31st October Men's Badminton 1sts v Loughborough 1sts Munrow Sports Hall 1pm

Kevin Pietersen As the KP saga reaches a conclusion with his inclusion in the tour to India, James Newbon argues that the talismanic batsman's return can galvanise the English team.

Is Sky the limit for Cav? With Mark Cavendish leaving Team Sky, Tom Dodd asks what is next for the British sprinter and British cycling.

Antonia Morris Crossword Editor

This week's prize is a £5 Waterstones Gift Voucher Completed crosswords to be submitted to the Redbrick office, located in the Guild basement

Results - 24th October

Down 1. Favouritism in political office (8) 2. Rural village stockade in south Africa (5) 4. Blanket like coat, with hole for head (6) 5. Provides board and lodging (12) 6. System of classification of plants and animals (7) 7. Arabic sailing vessel (4) 8. Entrenched prejudice against women (12) 12. Town on the river Dearne (8) 14. Fall ill for the second time (7) 16. Sikh place of worship (6) 18. Indigenous people of the Arctic (5) 19. Colloquial word for a root vegetable (4)

Women's Badminton 1sts v Loughborough 1sts Munrow Sports Hall 1.30pm

Lance Armstrong The saga continued this week with Armstrong officially being stripped of his Tour de France victorys and being asked to pay back all of the prize money which he won competing. What remains to be seen is how much further there is for Armstrong to fall?

Netball 1sts v Oxford 1sts Munrow Sports Hall 5pm Men's Table Tennis 1sts v Loughborough 1sts Munrow New Gym 4.30pm Men's Football 1sts v Loughborough 2nds Munrow Track 5pm Women's Rugby 1sts v Newcastle 1sts Metchley 2pm Men's Rugby League 1sts v Nottingham Trent 1sts Metchley 2pm Men's Squash 2nds v Loughborough 2nds Munrow Courts 2pm

Interested in being part of Redbrick Sport?

Get in touch: sports@redbrick.me @redbricksports Redbrick Sport

32 | 26th October - 8th November 2012

www.redbrick.me/sport

The horse of a lifetime

Hockey: Brum v Hallam

Max Milward analyses the last hurrah of Frankel, perhaps the greatest racehorse of all time.

Find out about a thrilling men's hockey match at Bournbrook, where a late goal proved the difference.

p28

p30

RedbrickSport

Sherlock inspires elementary victory Men's Lacrosse

Birmingham 1sts

9

Northampton 1sts

7

James Newbon Sport Reporter

Birmingham’s men’s lacrosse first team recovered from a lethargic start and held on against a late comeback to win 9-7 against Northampton University at Metchley on Wednesday. Three goals from Adam Sherlock, two from Pete Bidewell, and one a piece for Alex

Morgan, Liam Donelly, Tom McMullen and Pete Cail were enough for the home side to secure their second league victory from their first two league games.

The hosts got off to a poor start when, after just three minutes, the visitors' Tom Hatton put his side 1-0 up.

Birmingham were level against the run of play six minutes later through Pete Bidewell as Northampton dominated the early possession with Hatton and Brett Thomas dictating the play. And Brum took a surprise lead when good work from Jamie Mcharg allowed Alex Morgan to score. The goal gave the home side heart and enabled them to break the visitors’ dominance as they began to put together a spell of possession. This was rewarded with two fur-

ther first quarter goals; Sherlock seeing his first just sneak in through a mass of bodies and his second scored much more convincingly after good solo work.

Bidewell’s second goal of the game saw Birmingham up their lead before the visitors quashed any thoughts of a runaway victory with Adam Buttsworth’s goal keeping them in the game. But it was Birmingham who increased their lead in the half, with two further goals from Donelly and McMullen making the score 7-2 at half time.

While that half time lead may have looked convincing, it quickly proved unstable as the away side’s Buttsworth and James Attius both scored mid-way through the third quarter to narrow the

gap. But more individual brilliance from Sherlock saw Birmingham maintain a strong lead as the quarter ended 8-4.

The fourth quarter started in much the same way as the third, with Northampton once again making inroads into the host’s lead. Goals from Hatton and Thomas threatened a comeback from the visitors. But Brum clung on and were rewarded with a goal from Pete Cail before the away side grabbed what proved to be a late consolation through Hatton as the game concluded.

Birmingham captain, Ed Crocker, admitted his side had started off slowly but was pleased with their reaction, 'We came back strongly and pulled ourselves up and showed good spirit to hold out while they were fighting for a point'.

Birmingham Northampton 1st

45%

Possession per quarter

56%

55%

4th 55%

44%

2nd

35%

65%

45%

3rd

Overall possession 47%

53% Shots on target

16 Charlotte Wilson

14 Shots off target

@wilsonscribbles

10

21