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16th - 22nd November 2012 Vol. 77. Issue 1419. www.redbrick.me
Disruption continues as University power still not restored. Freddie Herzog reports on the continued disruption students are experiencing in the wake of last week's power failure as the University continues to run on back-up generators.
A major power outage affected most of the University of Birmingham’s Edgbaston campus and halls of residence on Wednesday. Further to the blackout across Selly Oak and on campus last week caused by a fire at Selly Oak’s substation, power was lost at approximately 11:00am after the University’s turbine was overloaded. This affected key buildings such as the Medical School, Main Library, Aston Webb building and halls of residence. At approximately 1:30pm the Main Library was evacuated and then closed. Georgia Ramshaw, a third year psychology student who was evacuated from the library said, ‘It was annoying that they let me into the library after the power cut and then told me to leave ten minutes later. It's very frustrating!’ The power outage affected many lectures and events on campus including a graduate law fair in the Aston Webb building that had to close early at 2:30pm. Staff and students were advised to go home if their building had no power at approximately 2:00pm. They were also told that non-essential electrical appliances should be turned off at the wall before they left, including anything that was on before the power went out. This was to prevent a surge when the power came back on. Power gradually returned to campus on Wednesday evening with the University prioritizing halls of residence and the Medical School. By 5:00pm all power was returned to campus with all online services on my.bham being restored. Halls of residence also had their power returned in the evening. During the outage, students were encouraged to send in power cut related song suggestions to ‘ease the #UoBblackout frustration’. The University of Birmingham previously said that campus could rely on backup power generators until this coming weekend. In a statement posted on its Facebook page this Tuesday, the University said, ‘Western Power have advised that mains power supplies from the National Grid is unlikely to be restored to campus before the weekend (Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 November). ‘It is therefore imperative that staff and students continue to conserve power wherever possible to avoid overloading the generators which are currently supplying power to campus.’ The statement went on to advise that 'all non-essential lighting, IT, and electrical equipment' be switched off, adding, 'Plug in electric heaters should not be used at all at this time.' The incident at Selly Oak’s substation is being treated as ‘suspected arson’, with a spokesperson for Midlands Police updating Redbrick that, ‘The cause of the fire is yet to be determined but officers are treating it as suspicious.’
BEN MUSGROVE S#*! MY DAD LISTENS TO
TAMARA SILVER - HURRICANE SANDY: A REPORT
ELISHA OWENCHARLOTTE SILVER TRAILS: GOODWIN PIXIE MCKENNA A POEM INTERVIEW
MUSIC // PAGE 14
TRAVEL // PAGE 20
TV // PAGE 18
ARTS // PAGE 24
2 | 16th - 22nd November 2012
Luidwina Santifort @Luidwina90
@RedbrickNews TECHNOLOGY
EDUCATION
Google and Microsoft in legal dispute
Department of Education cuts 1,000 jobs
Google and Microsoft have gone to court regarding the dispute on how much should be paid for a patent liscence. Microsoft needs this liscence to be able to offer industry standard technologies. Google is claiming that this patent is worth $4billion a year.
EUROPE
Floods strike Italy and claim four lives LEGAL
ECONOMY
Uganda increases anti-gay law
UK unemployment falls to 2.51 million people
A new bill is being put through the Ugandan parliament proposing tougher sentences for homosexual acts. Although homosexuality is already illegal, the act proposes jail time and in some cases a life sentence. International donors threatened to cut off aid.
STORY OF THE WEEK
BBC director general resigns over Newsnight The Director General of the BBC George Entwistle resigned this week following a controversial Newsnight segment broadcast on 2nd November. He was in the job just 54 days and will receive severance pay of £450,000.
BIRMINGHAM
INTERNATIONAL
Woman dies falling from third fl oor in Bullring
United Nations failed to protect Sri Lanka
The Bullring shopping centre East Mall was closed on Tuesday after a woman fell from a third floor balcony just outside Selfridges. The woman, beleived to be in her fourties, was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital but was confirmed dead shortly after arrival.
A leaked draft of the internal United Nations (UN) report states that the UN failed in its madate to protect civilians in the last months of Sri Lanka's civil war that ended in May 2009. The UN says it will only respond to the published final version.
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ASTRONOMY
Thousands enjoy the solar elcipse in Australia
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 Aimee Fitzpatrick 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.
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Power distruption. Campus buildings without power (Buildings shaded black without power) Law (R1) Frankland (R2) Hills (R3) Aston Webb building (R4, R5, R6, R7) Watson (R15) Arts (R16) Ashley (R17) Strathcona (R18) Education (R19) JG Smith (R20) Muirhead (R21) Main Library (R22) Elms Computer Centre (G5) 54 Edgbaston Park Road (G10) Winterbourne (G12) Horton Grange (G13) Garth House (G14) Westmere (G15) Lucas House (G16) Peterscott House (G17) Priorsfield (G18)
The turbine controlling University power
Park House (G19) Elms Cottage (G20) Park Grange (G21) Old Gym (Y1) Estates West (Y5) Medical School (B1) Cancer Studies (B5) BMSU (n/a) B Block Computer Room (n/a) ALTA CHP (n/a) IBR (n/a) Tennis Court flats (Vale) Squash Court flats (Vale) Centre Court flats (Vale) Shackleton flats (Vale) Chamberlain flats (Vale) Elgar Court flats (Vale) Maple Bank flats (Vale) Mason Hall flats (Vale) Aiken Wing (Vale) Pritchatt's Park Social Centre Oakley Court flats (Pritchatt’s)
Freddie Herzog
Lack of interest in RA elections Amy Hegarty Freshers Correspondent @amyhegs
Residence Associations nominations across all halls have closed with nominations only being submitted for 32 out of 84 positions. After being open from 29th October until 9th November, half of halls have at least five positions open out of seven. Commenting on the nominations, Hannah Schapira, President of Tennis Court said, ‘The Guild have made it so hard for us this year that it’s no wonder no one’s decided to run. The amount of times I’ve come out of a seminar and had numerous missed calls from Student Development, they forget that we have Uni too! 'Residents probably don’t even know who their RA are. With 800 people we should have been able to get nominations for all 7 positions but we haven’t been able to do many events despite all the time we put in so it’s been really difficult to motivate people.’ James Robertson, Vice-President for Housing and Community, said: 'The Guild does not wish to speculate as to the reasons why nomination turnout was low, however will be looking into it as part of on-going changes to the improvement of the Scheme. All involved are committed to the long-term future of RAs, who are vital to first year representation within our University and
creating cohesive communities within our Halls.' Maple Bank was the only hall with nominations for all positions despite only having 435 residents. Jack Dart, President of Maple Bank, told Redbrick, ‘We worked our fingers to the bone, and despite every obstacle thrown at us by the Guild, we soldiered on for the good of the residents as we felt that they didn’t deserve to be punished by a faceless institution that claims to care about their needs yet clearly doesn’t, and that by doing this it helped engage residents. ‘The RA scheme when run properly is a fantastic system, yet it has not run properly for a long time.’ Leander Jones, Vice-President for Democracy and Resources said that RAs are made by the University to go through ‘tiresome bureaucratic procedures and are arguably not given enough freedom to run things in a way that they feel would be truly beneficial to their members’. He added, ‘From my experience, their voice seems to be quite limited over things that really matter, like the price of accommodation, the quality of provision, etc., but are relegated to a position where they help the University carry through its own aims and goals.’ All nominations for positions that had not been filled reopened on the Friday 9th November and closed on Tuesday 13th November at 4pm.
Aitken Wing
Pritchatts Park
6 positions reopened
7 positions reopened
Beeches
Shackleton
4 positions reopened
7 positions reopened
Elgar Court
Tennis Court
2 positions reopened
2 positions reopened
Hunter Court
Victoria Hall
Jarratt Hall
FOCSOC
3 positions reopened
5 positions reopened
Mason Hall
6 positions reopened
3 positions reopened
7 positions reopened
Numbers after the initital round of nominations from 29th October to 9th November
4 | 16th - 22nd November 2012
Courses. Nursing and Physiotherapy to face further changes Students have voiced their concerns to Redbrick following further developments to the review of the academic disciplines of Nursing and Physiotherapy.
Beth Clarke Campus Correspondent
Students have voiced their concerns once again to Redbrick following further developments to the review of the academic disciplines of Nursing and Physiotherapy at the University of Birmingham. In April 2012, students were informed that, as two distinct academic disciplines, it was considered that the options as to the future configuration of Nursing and Physiotherapy should be considered separately. Emails within the last week were sent out to students outlining the current proposals concerning their particular courses. The University of Birmingham state that these measures taken from the appraisals are vital to ‘ensure sustainability in terms of financial position and SHA commissioned numbers, academic excellence (teaching and research) and graduate distinctiveness.’ Although still no definitive decision has been made, the disciplines have suffered as a result of the review, with staff members leaving and not being replaced. Students have complained this has damaged the quality and quantity of teaching available. Furthermore, nursing students have expressed their dismay at the inaccessibility of the nursing cluster at Pritchatts Road in favour of other departments, which contains resources funded by the NHS for the use of the nurses. While the outcome of this review is still undecided, the University is understood to still be accepting student applications to start the courses in 2013. Nursing students have told Redbrick that the University are advertising to prospective students, resources, such as the nurses’ cluster, that may no longer be available to them. The University Executive Board have
also stated as part of their review into the department that they are supporting the proposal from the College of Medical and Dental Sciences (MDS) for Physiotherapy is to be moved to the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences. The College of Medical and Dental Sciences cited that the rationale of this move was based on a ‘strong academic case’ to align the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences with Physiotherapy, with mutual benefits for provisions of teaching as well as in such fields as musculoskeletal sciences, ageing, trauma and rehabilitation. The University stated in its proposal that it ‘will make every effort to ensure there is minimum disruption to current Physiotherapy students during this period. We also believe that we can enhance the student experience in SportEx by affording students access to academics with a broader range of teaching and research interests.’ Students voiced their concerns about the future move. Second-year Physiotherapy students, who wish to remain anonymous, spoke to Redbrick, as well as emailing their department head stating, ‘Although we understand there are a great number of benefits from moving the course, we have also been made aware that approximately one third of staff members are going to be made redundant over the next few months.’ Students have been told that a final proposal will be brought to the University Council and will ultimately be decided in the Spring of 2013. Simon Furse, Vice President of Education (VPE), said, 'The university are now settling into a familiar pattern in the way they do course closures. Firstly, an atmosphere of uncertainty, such as that surrounding the three year review, affects the development of the course. If the course is seen to be underperforming, this can be used as a case for re-
April 2012
Students were informed Nursing and Physiotherapy would be treated separately.
The Gisbert Kapp and 52 Pritchatts Road buildings where the School of Nursing and Physiotherapy are currently based
The University ‘will make every effort to ensure there is minimum disruption to current Physiotherapy students during this period' University proposal
'It is very clear that this is being done against the wishes and the interests of Physiotherapy students and we need to be united against it.' Simon Furse, VPE
structuring and significant staff redundancy. The restructuring is presented as an exciting opportunity, without mention of any negative consequences. It is very clear that this is being done against the wishes and the interests of physiotherapy students and we need to be united against it.' Commenting on changes to Physiotherapy, a spokesperson for the University told Redbrick, 'This proposal has been made with the intention of strengthening and improving the academic discipline of Physiotherapy. The University is making a long-term commitment to teaching undergraduate and postgraduate Physiotherapy students and we feel this positive move will enhance our stu-
Spring 2013
The final proposal will be brought to the University Council and will ultimately be decided in Spring 2013.
www.redbrickpaper.co.uk/news | 5
Demo 2012 Russell Group accused of Rhiannon Doyle-Maw News Editor
@Rhi_DoyleMaw
Guild overlooks disabled access to Demo 2012 The Guild of Students has come under criticism with regards to the lack of advertising of disabled facilities for the ‘#demo2012: Educate, Employ, Empower’ protest, which will take place in 21st November in central London with students from across the country taking part. On the Guild Development Forum concerns have been raised over the lack of advertising for accessibility features for students who are disabled. A member of the online forum raised the issue of a lack of provisions or advertisements of accessibility initially on the 8th November. Leander Jones, Vice President of Democracy & Resources then replied opening with, ‘Slipped my mind,’ followed by some optional provisions only thirteen days before the event. NUS, the organising body, have planned a disabled block at the front of the march to increase accessibility however, until the issue was raised, there had been no advertisement of accessibility for disabled students as provided by the Guild despite provisions being provided last year.
'Slipped my mind.' 'If people require special alternative transport because of a disability then they should contact the Guild and say so when they buy their ticket.' Leander Jones, VPDR
Anna Kirk
@annatidykirk
dents’ experience by offering a wider array of study options with exposure to academics with a range of academic teaching and research interests.' Commenting further regarding Nursing, the University said, 'The University takes the welfare and success of its students extremely seriously and will do its utmost to ensure that any impact on current students is kept to a minimum. The Options Appraisal Group is due to submit its recommendations to the University Executive Board in Spring 2013. Whatever the recommendations are, we can confirm that all current Nursing students, when graduating, will receive a University of Birmingham degree.'
Following the issue being highlighted, Leander Jones, Vice-President of Democracy & Resources (VPDR), has stated, ‘Since that comment I consulted with the DSO [Disabled Students' Officer] and worked out an arrangement. The Guild have sent out emails and posted on Facebook stating that if people require special alternative transport because of a disability then they should contact the Guild and say so when they buy their ticket. This way we can provide this transport if it is needed, as opposed to book a minibus or whatever straight away and potentially have to cancel it if there is no interest in getting this transport (which would be incredibly expensive).’ The Guild of Students are providing return travel to London and a free t-shirt, as well as advertising free time in London and the opportunity to go on the biggest student demonstration of the year, for the price of £5. This is provided for all students but concerns that disabled students could have been deterred by the lack of advertising of facilities to enable them to take part have been raised with the march only days away.
arms trade connections Ashley Kirk Reporter
@AshleyKirk92
Dominic Jackson Reporter
@jackson_dominic
Britain’s top universities have received over £83 million in funds from firms involved in the arms trade over the last three years. Data released by the Campaign Against The Arms Trade (CAAT) has revealed that Russell Group universities gain millions in research and sponsorship money from companies which manufacture weapons. The University of Birmingham is among six universities that have refused, or were unable to supply relevant information at the time the investigation was carried out. Birmingham is, however, already partnered with companies such as BAE Systems, QinetiQ and NPL in a £700,000 project researching highly efficient communications and radar systems. Continuing until May 2013, the investigation uses new microwave circuits which were impossible with traditional techniques, and the technologies developed in this programme are hoped to be used in future products using over one terahertz (1000 gigahertz) frequencies. The sources of the £83 million are divided between UK government agencies and UK private companies. From available information, it appears that most private sector funding is ultimately government funding, through research and development contracts from the Ministry of Defence and other government agencies. The largest private funder is RollsRoyce, which totalled at least £36.8 million. This funding focused very large grants on universities, such as Sheffield, where it paid £11.1 million, Cambridge, Oxford and Nottingham. The content of these grants are, however, ambiguous; it is highly unlikely that all research they fund relates to the defence portfolio of their organisation. While defence does make up a significant part of Rolls Royce’s company
areas, it also deals with commercial aerospace, marine technologies and energy. There are concerns amongst university lecturers, who call for greater scrutiny of donations, due to the fear that universities could be helping to legitimise regimes with dubious human rights records. The head of the London School of Economics, Sir Howard Davies, resigned last year over the acceptance of donations from the then Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi’s regime. Chief Executive of Universities UK, Nicola Dandridge, said it was paramount that universities took account of the ethical implications of donations, and that was what they were doing. ‘They are acutely aware and conscious of the need to make sure that donations fit with their institutional mission.’ She did, however, highlight that these decisions are not clear-cut, commenting, ‘supposing the donation enables engagement that supports civil society in that country, that it empowers the people, that it is providing training to neo-natal nurses?’ Beth Smith, universities network coordinator for the Campaign Against Arms Trade, expressed concern over the links between universities and the arms trade. ‘Arms companies fund research projects partly to ensure that certain research gets done. By partnering with arms companies universities provide them with a veneer of respectability and help them to continue their devastating work. Universities should play no role in supporting the arms trade.’ A spokesperson for the University told Redbrick, ‘The University has an ethical policy in place which covers all of its fundraising activity.’ This can be viewed at http://www.birmingham.ac. uk/alumni/giving/ethical-policy.aspx. The spokesperson went on to say that that, ‘In addition, all research undertaken by the University is governed by a code of practice, and all new postgraduate student research projects and staffled research subject to an ethical review process.’
London Midland reprimanded Beth Clarke Campus Correspondent
The Department of Transport has warned train company London Midland that it is ready to take affirmative action over its ongoing driver shortage, which has resulted in problems for many commuters. Since October 7th it has been reported that London Midland has cancelled more than 500 services, even resulting in 25 services cut in one day. The train operator blames a lack of trained, qualified drivers, but states that they are currently in the process of recruiting and training drivers that will be ready to start in
December. Students have previously complained to Redbrick over the frequently delayed and cancelled trains from University station, resulting in missed connections and costly expenditures for delayed trains as a result. Emma Purssell, a second-year Economics student expressed her concerns, ‘I’m always experiencing delays from University Station to New Street and this has caused me problems in the past, especially when I need to catch a connecting train home. I think London Midland really needs to improve their service considering it’s such a popular route.’
'Whatever the recommendations are, we can confirm that all current Nursing students, when graduating, will receive a University of Birmingham degree.' Statement from the University of Birmingham
Will Siddons @WSiddons
6| 16th - 22nd November 2012 @RedbrickComment
Bahrain: The revolution Aqib Khan Web Dictionary Online: Double-Think: 'simultaneously accepting as correct, two mutually contradictory beliefs. It is related to, but distinct from, hypocrisy.' The regional overthrow of a collection of autocrats, not seen on such scale since revolutions in Eastern Europe in 1989, have political reverberations rooted in the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1923. However due to the intended brevity of this article, an explanatory history of the Middle East bracketed by these events would be unrealistic. The aim of this article is to shed light on the opposing forces to one specific revolution stuck in a quagmire; the attempted revolution in Bahrain. According to the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, over 1,800 people have been tortured with thousands more exiled and arrested. Their crime centres on calling for an end to the Sunni monarchy that rules the majority Shi’ite nation with an iron fist. What has hampered attempts at overthrowing Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the ruling autocrat, is the geopolitical tightrope that is being walked in western capitals to simultaneously appear to promote democracy, whilst hampering the efforts of the protestors where possible, to quite literally doublethink. In a House of Commons report, Oxford Professor Dr Eugene Rogan was asked to pinpoint the reasons for the Arab Spring, to which he remarked: 'The social and political causes of the Arab Spring included resentment of authoritarian rulers that had denied freedom of expression and limited opportunities for participation in civil and political life.' Such an uncontroversial statement merits no further comment. He further advises, as is the conclusion of the report, that Britain: 'need not to be seen to be bolstering autocracy against demands for change.' His comments were in light of the report’s overarching dilemma: 'Between February and April 2011 almost 100 protestors are thought to have died in the clashes. Bahrain’s treatment of the protestors was a particular dilemma for the UK, which counts Bahrain as an important ally in the region.' Such an ally, Amnesty International had to condemn what it saw as 'the UK’s focus on arms sales to the MENA (Middle Eastern Nation) region both now and in recent years is completely at odds with its stated aim of upholding human rights.' Britain has a need to simultaneously support its ally the ruling monarchy, in line with its history of arms sales to the MENA region, whilst not being made to look
hypocritical in the name of pesky human rights issues. This need to prevent a democratic government in Bahrain, pivotal to Middle East hegemony, is to ensure in the words of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 'that the largest reserves of the world's oil supply do not fall into Iranian or pro-Iranian hands.' Iran of course is the world’s only Shi’ite majority country, an obvious ally of the people of Bahrain, and has been rising on Washington’s list of enemy number one since the revolution of 1979 that removed the Shah. Netanyahu also defended Saudi Arabia’s insertion of over 1,000 soldiers into Bahrain that helped crush the initial uprising. Simultaneous to the insertion was the Bahraini autocracy launching a propaganda Blitzkrieg, a massive PR stunt that according to Bahrain Watch spent over $32 million on western media outlets, including CNN, throughout the most intense period of revolt to keep coverage of the kingdom positive. It led to an investigation by The Guardian under Glenn Greenwald and drew the following conclusions: 'As negative news stories of its brutal repression grew in the wake of the Arab Spring, the regime undertook a massive, very wellfunded PR campaign to improve its image. Central to that campaign was CNN International..' CNN is by far the most watched news outlet in the Middle East and Bahrain’s sway was to the extent CNN began to pull documentaries of the uprisings, already paid for, shot edited and ready to show, completely off the air for no apparent reason, leaving journalist Amber Lyon in charge of filming completely perplexed and frustrated, labelling it 'propaganda'. As any media outlet, the mainstream news can be used as a tool to subvert logical pathways and literally rewrite the present. As the British Ministry of Information’s own papers state, their aim at the turn of the 20th century was 'to control the thought of the entire world' by launching enough propaganda to draw the United States into World War 1. The power to regulate information is as important today in shaping history as it was to regulate the seas of the early modern world in the days of Columbus. As the information war rages, another type of military manoeuvring is under way. What forebodes an even more ominous future for the Bahrainis is a speech delivered by Mitt Romney centring on foreign policy in Virginia. In the speech, Romney mentions 'freedom' five times. Freedom for the Iranians, Syrians, Afghans, Iraqis and world at large. This messianic vision is too humble however, and not geographically
@AqibKhan_ consistent enough to include freedom for those people living under the gulf monarchies of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain: 'I will restore the permanent presence of aircraft carrier task forces in both the Eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf region I will deepen our critical cooperation with our partners in the Gulf.' This 'mainstream' position of course is not a Republican monopoly. Human Rights activist Jen Marlow estimates that the Pentagon under the current administration has sold in excess of £32million worth of weapons and equipment including '44 armored Humvees' to the monarchy, with The Guardian putting the figure for Britain at a modest contribution of around £1million, including 'gun silencers, weapons sights, rifles, artillery and components for military training aircraft'. So much for the condemnation aimed at Russia going out of its way to arm Assad. A comprehensive breakdown of human rights abuses by Saudi Arabia and Bahrain is an augean task not possible in this article. But as a broad barometer, Amnesty International has made its aim to: 'puncture the wall of secrecy around the gross and widespread human rights violations being committed in Saudi Arabia.' The effects of arming such states are not localised to the region and are widely acknowledged by the intelligence community. The House of Commons Report acknowledges on Page 7 of a 500 page document: 'the very image of western countries and in particular the United Kingdom has been damaged by decades of arms sales to repressive governments.' It is for reasons such as this, the Pentagon concluded in 2003 in a report demanded by Donald Rumsfeld that: 'American direct intervention in the Muslim World has paradoxically elevated the stature and support for radical Islamists, while diminishing support for the United States...Muslims do not 'hate our freedoms', but rather, they hate our policies...ever increasing support for what Muslims collectively see as tyrannies, most notably Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan and the Gulf States.' Dr Rogan in the follow up questions tries to reinforce the point previously made to the House of Commons: 'The complex weapons systems we have sold to countries across the region— the Europeans and the United States alike—have primarily been used against their own people; with only very few exceptions have they been used in defence of their country against outside aggression.' In conclusion, regardless of ten years
of media circulation, the Pentagon concluded in 2003 that the main reason for animosity towards the West in the Muslim world, is not based on the hatred of liberty, it is the hate that hate produced. The hatred for viable democracies in the Middle East lest they side with 'the enemy', has caused for our support of secular dictatorships to maintain order in a fluid region. This Cold War mentality has begun to show its frailty in wake of libertarian movements and sheds light on the hypocrisy, most notably in Bahrain, in the region and must undergo replacement. But this too must regress on an even greater change. The recent debate between President Obama and Governor Romney did not go unnoticed by mainstream media outlets, with some paying particular scrutiny on the dresses worn by the candidates’ spouses. What did slip through this net of forensic journalism surrounding the debate, was the arrest of Green Party Presidential nominee Jill Stein, (banned from appearing in the presidential debates) who was arrested for attempting to enter the debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney as a viable third party candidate. 'The American system is designed to eliminate political opposition, like some of the dictatorships we criticize that have rigged political systems. In many ways the American system is also rigged, but in ways that are not so straightforward. For the most part you need a lot of money, millions of dollars, to buy your way on to the ballot.' What is required is the abolishment of the Electoral College, to pave the way away from two party politics that adopt the same broad opinions and the insertion of fresh ideas into a system in the early stages of what some analysts are calling 'Soviet Syndrome.' All the views in this article are my own. I ask people to disagree, agree, to go away and think and research into what they have just read, because in the words of Fredrick Nietzsche: The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently. I would finally like to thank the leaders of the United States and Europe, namely Britain who were able to do the amazing balancing act on a moral tightrope, and claim to want to bring democracy to the region whilst simultaneously doing everything in their power to prevent it from happening, believing in both cases simultaneously and genuinely believing both are compatible with another, to quite literally: DOUBLETHINK.
www.redbrick.me/comment | 7
The End is Nigh(er) It’s a funny thing choosing a leader for your country; essentially choosing someone to place your trust in for a prolonged amount of time, with no real ability to recall your vote. It’s a big decision we must make, and most often one people end up regretting by the time the chosen one has finished dismantling the hard work that someone else has put in. In the wake of Obama’s victory and re-election in the United States, it’s a little overlooked that we are now halfway through our Condemned Government (of course, unless by some stroke of luck, Parliament is closed). This means we can officially count the days until we are certain their mandate will end. The wonderful time when we can hold Clegg and Cameron to account and completely humiliate them with what will probably be a resounding Labour win is now closer than the time we voted them in (although this is arguable in itself.) The end is nearer than the beginning, although not exactly nigh yet. It’s no secret that all of the parties are already planning their election campaigns for 2015. Already deciding who will lead their campaigns and what their manifestos and key policies will be. Making predictions for what will happen over the next few years will be high on the agenda in 2015, so I’m going to make some of my own...
1) 3)
Nick Clegg will be replaced as leader by Vince Cable either for the election or as a result of the election The Labour Party will not have tuition fees as a key policy or will only reduce fees by a small amount.
5)
Labour will win an overwhelming majority, but won't match Blair’s 2001 majority. Lib Dems will lose a large number of seats and Nick Clegg will not win the Sheffield seat.
7)
Another European country using the Euro will collapse..
2)
The PCC elections will show to have little support and little turnout and the decision will be reversed or reduced
4)
UKIP and the Green Party will see a small rise in support
6)
The UK will enter another recession in 2013.
8)
There will be further military intervention in the Middle East, Syria or the Faulklands.
Some may seem far fetched, and some might seem plain obvious. I think all of these are highly possible, but let’s see how the next two and a half years pan out, shall we?
Political commentator James Phillips predicts where the coalition government has yet to take us and explores the different, and perhaps preferable, methods of badger control.
Quit Badgering Me It’s not a good year for farmers. With exceedingly wet conditions (even for British records) crop harvests are at a low and fruit and veg prices are at a high. Beekeepers are reporting a 72% drop in harvested honey and bees are on the lifesupport equipment that is sugar syrup. So you can understand the anger surrounding the execution of 26,000 cattle, after they were infected with Bovine TB from urine and faeces last year. It’s only common sense that there would be some suggestions on how to tackle the problem then, and of course, a conflict of opinion. We either vaccinate the badger population or cull them. Treatment or murder? Life or death? The Government
has opted to provide a pilot project of culling, drawing in cross-spectrum criticism whilst regional Wildlife Trusts will pilot a vaccination scheme. Gloucestershire and Somerset will play host to the 6-week cull trial, whereas Shropshire and Cheshire will pilot vaccinating. I’m certain there’s an obviously better option of the two. Humanely, there is little defence of a culling scheme; a process which simply involves hunting wild badgers and shooting them indiscriminately. Expected to cost the taxpayer around £100,000 a year, the process is supposed to use less time and resources than a previous vaccination scheme which still resulted in £500m being spent to control the disease over the last 10
years. So, it is plausible that the cull proposal would be massively beneficial to farmers’ livestock and the taxpayer alike. But is this an argument of quality or quantity? Why do people buy organic foods in the supermarket? Is it hypocritical to be using these ethical food sources whilst supporting the cruel act of a cull of another species? Of course vaccination has its own costs and complications, but surely that’s something you would sacrifice and admit and then get on with it, for the sake of both cattle and badger? And surely life itself is invaluable – we shouldn’t underestimate that. Besides, experts argue that the cull which actually increase the chances of TB
being transferred from badger to cattle, that it will cost more in the long run, it’s inhumane and that there is no concrete proof that the TB is always directly transferred from badger to cattle, rather than cattle to cattle. I hope that this pilot project proves unsuccessful and ultimately costly, or better, that they decide to cancel it and continue on the vaccination program. After all, Scotland never culled their badger population and they were declared TB free in September 2009, so we can certainly achieve that same result.
@MisterJames_
8| 16th - 22nd November 2012
The ads are back in town Redbrick Comment Online Editor James Dolton gives his take on Christmas capitalism @Jamesadolton In the last week, John Lewis have released this year’s now fabled Christmas advert, in which a tubby snowman in a young child’s garden goes to absurd lengths to fetch a nifty hat-gloves-scarf combo for his snowgirlfriend. There has been many an article discussing how and why it is a department store has managed to claw itself a space in the nation’s collective heart, and whether it is necessarily a bad thing that capitalism seems increasingly intent on pretending to be your friend. Ultimately, this is not my concern: what matters increasingly to me is that every watch and rewatch shows the inherent fallacy behind this plucky snowman’s journey seems more and more implausible and impractical. The first sequence sees him cross a river. Crossing a river? That is a recipe for disaster with snow. Those sheep would not let him pass by indiscriminately and I mean, even if we ignore the obvious part about snowmen's usual mobility I still don't see how he would be able to get through a densely populated city without being detected. There are cameras everywhere and at Christmas the city never sleeps. The only course of action would be to stay still for long periods, which only heightens the risk of being damaged or worse still, melting. He's on a bustling pavement at the end there, he's definitely going to get kicked or irreparably injured. How he makes it home with just a grey mark on his face is anybody's guess. How the grey mark gets on his face at all without damaging any of the rest of him is also anybody's guess, but at the moment, I have significantly bigger fish to fry. Also, how did he purchase those fetching gloves, hat and scarf? Even assuming he located some money, (which is a fairly tall tale given snow's limited earning capacity in a fucking snowstorm - simple economic supply and demand principle here) how on earth would he be able to pay for the items selected at a till to a cashier without being detected. In fact, fuck that, how would it even get into the shop? The aircon would melt him at the door. The only way this could work is that this snowman is a secret agent blessed with the deceptive powers of the secret services and with an incredible will to succeed in the face of all opposition. That's not cute at all, that's fucking terrifying. If he can't get into the shop to get these prizes and doesn't possess the capability to pay for such items, he had to gain them through other means. Maybe he beat up a homeless person and stole it from them. It looks like quite a smart set, so maybe not a homeless person; maybe an old lady, or a young boy who had just bought them as a Christmas present for his mother. THE BOY FROM LAST YEAR'S ADVERT. Now there's a sobering thought. John Lewis just haven't thought this through at all. A British institution like this should have thought about such obvious concerns harder instead of sweeping them under the proverbial carpet of superficial snow and I'm disappointed in them. Why didn’t he just buy it online?
News News
Views
Ben Norris. On Saturday George Entwistle resigned as the Director General of the BBC after a mere 54 days in the job. That morning, he appeared on the Today Programme, to defend his position and was rigorously interrogated by John Humphrys. While I admire the BBC’s desire to hold themselves to account, Humphrys went too far. How can someone running an entire organisation be expected to follow everything being said and done across their myriad websites, 10 TV channels, and 10 radio stations. In trying to amend for slack journalism, the BBC shot themselves in the foot by forcing a good leader to resign. Heads should roll for the debacle, but it shouldn't have been Entwistle’s.
MEDIA
POLITICS Daniel Baird. Do you know anything about the police commissioner elections? When they are? Who are the candidates? What are their policies? If you can answer any of these questions congratulations you are an active participant in the democratic process. This new scheme is supposed to determine what specific crimes will be focused on by the police. If it is anything like general elections then the majority of voters will be over 65 and the main crime they will be concerned with is antisocial behaviour. By the time this goes to print our new police commissioners will have been decided, only the voter turnout will determine if this experiment in policing by consent has worked.
www.redbrick.me/comment |9
Pleasing Everyone Obama's second term
Charley Ross Commentator
@charleyross92
Last week, Barack Obama prevailed as the first President under such economic strain and protest to be re-elected for another four-year term in the White House. Ethnic minorities, women, homosexuals, bisexuals and many other social groups who faced penalisation under potential Republican rule breathed a sigh of relief when the ballots were finally in, and Democrat victory was announced. However, a week on, it is only natural to wonder what Obama can bring to the table this time around that will secure him a reputation - spanning both of his terms in power - as a great President in his own right. The US economy remains a massive issue, impacting on not only the everyday lives of hard-working and increasing amounts of unemployed US citizens, but relations within Congress also. It is imperative that Obama applies a bipartisan element to his approach to economic decisions this term, and in his victory speech he does, admittedly, acknowledge this. But, the issue is that the US is speeding quickly towards a ‘fiscal cliff’, forcing a compromise immediately, regarding rising taxes and spending cuts. This is not looking likely, what with the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, the radically conservative attitudes of Republican politicians, such as vice president Paul Ryan, coupled with Obama’s reluctance to reduce the Democrats’ excessive spending. Obama focuses instead on the taxing of the rich; his ‘Buffet Rule’ tax plan proposal would impose a 30% tax on income higher than $1 million per year. Pushing for Democrat proposals such as this may be what the majority of the US public voted for, but the likelihood of it being accepted by Congress isn’t high, due to Republican dominance and the undoubted opposition they will have to tax rises. The decision Obama has to make is between strictly adhering to Democrat policy when embarking on his quest to pull the US out of recession, and potentially being thwarted, or ‘selling out’ and attempt a pragmatic Republican/Democrat hybrid policy-making process for the sake of the bigger picture. Realistically, neither option is going to win him a popularity contest nationwide, but for an effective fight for the US economy, I’d bite the bullet and go with the latter.
Jenna Clake. On Remembrance Sunday, 19-yearold Linford House was arrested on suspicion of an offence under the Malicious Communications Act after tweeting a picture of a burning paper poppy alongside an offensive message. While House’s actions were idiotic and disrespectful, was it really necessary to arrest him? Surely a suspension or ban from Twitter is more proportional to his crime than arrest. This overdramatic reaction to what was essentially a teenage boy displaying a lack of common sense really calls in to question our freedom of speech. If Linford had burned the poppy and made offensive comments in a pub, he wouldn’t have been arrested. Is Twitter therefore outside the law?
CRIME
USA Raphael Sheridan. General Petraeus's resignation last week tells us a few interesting things: for one, that the American attitude to extra-marital affairs isn't quite so liberal as our own. No great surprise there, but it does come just as Republican strategist David Frum announced that a key reason for their recent election defeat was their social conservatism. And whilst fun might be poked at a CIA Director who couldn't keep his own affair secret, it does miss a something quite important: that the Afghanistan surge he was responsible for in 2009 hasn't worked, leaving President Obama with an almighty headache as he begins his second term in office.
Owen Earwicker. It is difficult to see what more promises the Jordanian government could have given the Court of Appeal that evidence obtained through torture would not be used in a trial of Abu Qatada. The country is even changing its constitution. Every possible assurance has been given, and said assurances have been accepted by the government and the people. It is up to us, a country grounded in the rule of equality and fairness before the law, that we do what we can to ensure Qatada answers to the crimes for which he has been accused. As far as we possibly can know, torture evidence will not be used. Now the value we place on due process must be considered.
SECURITY
The Full Story.
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Advice & Guidance
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12| 16th-22nd November 2012
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Editorial.
A satanic myth, the solicitor and a modern day witch hunt.
The accepted story, presented by the media, is that children were routinely abused at the Bryn Estyn care home as part of a paedophile ring. But another account exists that has largely gone unreported.
Raphael Sheridan Editor
@Raphael_1
The BBC hadn’t recovered from the Jimmy Savile debacle by the time Newsnight transmitted its report which wrongly implicated Lord McAlpine in child abuse at the infamous North Wales care home, Bryn Estyn. Still wounded, and eager to not censor another report about child abuse, the programme was rushed out with, it seems, virtually no editorial oversight. The result cost George Entwistle, the Director General, his job. Yet underneath all this, an equally dark and disturbing account lurks. It has also, for reasons unknown, gone almost completely unreported in the mainstream media. The story starts twenty years ago: a young nurse from Stockport called Carol Myers (formerly Carol Felstead) was treated by a group of therapists who convinced her, wrongly, that she had been a victim of sexual abuse. By using powerful drugs and hypnotherapy sessions over several years, they implanted beliefs so wild that they’d struggle to be taken seriously by anyone. Carol, who by this time was estranged from her family and in several mental institutions, alleged that her mother and father were the High Priest and Priestess of a Satanic Cult who had murdered, raped and tortured innocent victims for several decades. But these memories had no basis in fact and had come from a discredited form of psychiatric therapy called Recovered Memory Therapy. Even more shocking, these claims were perpetuated by a small but highly influential group in the British medical elite. Two of Carol's therapists were Dr Fleur Fisher, former Chair of Ethics at the British Medical Association, and Dr Valerie Sinason, who has written several articles in broadsheet newspapers, and appeared
on Radio 4 as recently as two months ago. The Carol Myers scandal was reported between 2011-12 in The Sunday Times, Private Eye, and Observer magazine, yet one intriguing facet stands out in the light of recent events. Among her many false allegations, she alleged that she had been raped with a claw hammer by two members of Margaret Thatcher’s Cabinet; allegations with eerie similarity to those voiced last week by the media, including Newsnight. It was researching this that I stumbled across a fascinating paragraph from a firm called Chris Saltrese Solicitors, who specialise in clearing those falsely charged with sexual assault crimes: ‘A delusional false belief may develop into a make believe narrative, particularly when unwittingly encouraged by counsellors or therapists. This form of progressive apparent recall may be explained as "recovered memory" of “repressed” or “dissociated” events too painful to entrust to continuous consciousness.’ The BBC hasn’t yet reported on the Carol Myers scandal. Eleven months ago, one post on the influential site Mumsnet voiced an interesting, if unsubstantiated, opinion: ‘I understand the BBC are desperately trying to avoid reporting the scandal,’ it said. ‘Not least because of their links with Valerie Sinason and her peers.’ The same Valerie Sinason who has appeared on Radio 4. Yet on the night of 8 November, six days after the now infamous Newsnight broadcast, Chris Saltrese walked into a BBC 5Live studio and on the Tony Livesey show gave a compelling interview. Just as he claimed that supposed ‘victims’ of Recovered Memory Therapy couldn’t be trusted as reliable witnesses, so too could the majority of the ‘victims’ at the Bryn Estyn care home not be trusted. Bryn Estyn, a care home located out-
side Wrexham that existed between 1974 and 1984, became synonymous with the term ‘child abuse’. In November 1991, after a tense meeting in the editor’s office, the Independent on Sunday decided to print damning allegations made by three people at the care home who claimed it was at the centre of a hidden paedophile ring. Despite an initial level of scepticism in the media, the police started to investigate. In 1994, Cheshire and Merseyside Police became so concerned that they began a process known as trawling, which would involve the force actively looking for victims, rather than waiting for them to make the first move. By 1996 the press was starting to perpetuate the idea that care homes were centres for paedophiles, the most notorious of which was Bryn Estyn. In reaction to this, the government set up the Waterhouse Tribunal which would look into the alleged abuse at care homes across North Wales. Ronald Waterhouse’s conclusion, after 200 days of sitting, was that there really was a paedophile ring in the North Wales area. And one of the witnesses who gave evidence to the Waterhouse Tribunal was someone who as a young boy had lived at Bryn Estyn in the late seventies. By the time he had given his evidence, he alleged that he had been sexually abused by 49 different people and physically abused by a further 26. At the end of his evidence, he reported to the press, ‘This tribunal has been more than worthwhile. There was no one more sceptical about this tribunal at the outset but as time has gone on I believe this tribunal will do the right thing.’ The name of this witness was Steven Messham. But during his 5Live interview, Chris Saltrese was putting forward a radically different view to what The Waterhouse Tribunal had said. People on a daily basis, Saltrese claimed, were being sent to prison for sexual offenses they simply
hadn’t committed. Crucially, he said, over the last 15-20 years, there had been an erosion of traditional legal defences, and now a bare, unsupported allegation was sufficient to send someone to prison. Controversially, he also stated that the majority of those who had come forward in the light of the Jimmy Savile scandal had made it up, ‘One of the main [reasons] is the desire to claim undeserved compensation,’ he said. ‘And that motive cannot and should not be underestimated... That’s the reality.’ Saltrese’s website contains a further statement pertaining to the accusation in the Daily Mail that the BBC presenter was a regular visitor to the Bryn Estyn care home: ‘There is no truth in the allegations that Jimmy Savile or any other ‘people in high places’ were allowed to abuse boys at Bryn Estyn, or that staff were complicit in abuse. The problem is not that allegations were not followed up on evidence, but that the evidence for a large part of what was claimed to have occurred at Bryn Estyn, and accepted by the Waterhouse Tribunal, was false.’ The statement continues: ‘There is a true story of Brtn Estyn. It can be read in the late Richard Webster’s meticulously researched book The Secret of Bryn Estyn and on his website.' Richard Webster was a prominent British cultural historian, who died last year. In 2005, he wrote the aforementioned book which, over the course of 722 pages, meticulously argued that no such paedophile ring existed in Bryn Estyn or in North Wales. Whilst he accepted the obvious likelihood that there were individual paedophiles operating within care homes in the region, he dismissed outright the findings of the Waterhouse Tribunal. The police method of trawling, argued Webster, meant that ‘thousands of young men and women were contacted. Many of them were damaged and highly suggestible, and a
www.redbrick.me | 13
1. Steven Messham, the key witness in the Newsnight investigation who admitted that he had mistaken the identity of his accuser
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2. The Newsnight studio 3. Carol Myers, who died in 2005 in suspicious circumstances, aged 41. She falsely alleged her family were a Satanic cult, and that two members of Thatcher's cabinet had raped her 4. The former BBC Director General, George Entwistle 5. Richard Webster's 2005 book 'The Secret of Bryn Estyn' significant proportion had criminal records which included offences of dishonesty and deception.’ By the year 2000, almost 100 trawling operations were underway, and this once exceptional tactic had become the norm. In turn, across Merseyside, North and South Wales, over 1,500 people had allegations made against them, with many charged and convicted. Whilst some were guilty, Webster points out that ‘some defence lawyers have expressed the view that false allegations are now being made on a massive scale, and that the majority of the most serious allegations made against care workers are false’. These included, to use one example, charges brought against four care workers, with 250 counts of sexual abuse made against them. The trial collapsed after it was revealed complainants’ stories were made about people who didn’t exist. Indeed the whole Bryn Estyn escapade, argues Webster, is essentially a phantom of the public imagination, supported by the media. The Waterhouse Tribunal, much like the first Bloody Sunday Tribunal, is one of the greatest and gravest miscarriages of justice of the 20th century. It is a fascinating - if controversial argument. The press have paid virtually no attention to it. Instead, the BBC, already shaky after dropping the Savile investigation, seemed to have pushed ahead and overplayed their hand. Despite this evidence pointing to the contrary, they focussed on Bryn Estyn, and falsely alleged that a senior member of the Tory party, Lord McAlpine, had abused boys there. Their main source of evidence in the Newsnight investigation? Steven Messham. But what the BBC failed to research about Messham, which cost the Director General his job, subsequently emerged in a report by the respected investigative
journalist Bob Woffinden. There, Woffinden showed that each statement Messham made about Bryn Estyn had repeatedly changed, with the number of people he alleged had abused him rising with each successive claim. In 1993, the CPS had sufficient doubt to cast him as an unreliable witness and, after completing his evidence at the Waterhouse Tribunal, the lead counsel had sufficient doubts about him to say ‘reliance ought not to be placed on [his] evidence’. Indeed, in 1994, three national publications were sued after Messham falsely accused a senior police officer of abuse. Days before he made the libelous claim, Messham went to the police claiming that a journalist was trying to put words in his mouth. A signed statement by Messham later said, ‘At no time did [the officer] ever sexually abuse me’ and that the journalist ‘wanted me to say things that were not the truth’. It wasn’t just the BBC at fault. In early November, Channel 4 News broadcast an interview with Messham and an anonymous victim ‘James’, who stated that one person stuck in his mind because of his hair. ‘It was the MP for Chester at the time’ none other than the late Peter Morrison, the gay Permanent Private Secretary to Margaret Thatcher, who had found himself splashed across the papers branded with accusations of child abuse. The news broadcast then followed with an interview by Messham who claimed that he stole five dozen or so photographs from a flat where abuse allegedly took place. In those photos, Messham claimed, was ‘a prominent Tory member’ raping a boy. Asked how he knew this, he replied ‘by the threats I got. He told me who he was, for a start, and that he’d have me killed if I spoke out.’ So why didn’t he give this evidence at the Waterhouse Tribunal? Messham stated in the interview that he was ‘told
to remove names from his testimony’ and that 6-8 weeks before his evidence, he was taken to a backroom and told certain names could not be mentioned at the Tribunal. Channel 4, feeding off this, then concluded that ‘critics called the inquiry a cover up’, but they neglected to inform listeners that this was the same Steven Messham who spoke freely and at length at the Waterhouse Tribunal, and who reported to the press that ‘this tribunal has been more than worthwhile’. On 5Live, Saltrese stated that ‘a bare allegation, unsupported by any other evidence, is sufficient to send someone to prison for a very long time for an offence they haven not committed. It’s possible for people to be convicted solely on oral testimony... Sometimes they don’t know how the house in which they were abused, the town in which they were abused, and juries are being invited to convict on that type of evidence.’ So what about those who were previously too frightened or embarrassed to come forward, yet had been inspired to do so in the light of recent events? ‘I simply don’t accept that scenario,’ said Saltrese. To him, there are several reasons why people come forward with false allegations; principally, compensation and the offer of money. So has this complex narrative concerning Saltrese, Webster and the potential fallacies concerning abuse victims been taken on board by the media? Scant evident exists to say it has. Last week, The Guardian published an article with the children’s minister Tim Loughton whose words seem to have clouded the issue further. ‘The media has made it into a sensationalist witchhunt rather than focusing on what are horrific levels of abuse over many,
many years.’ And to those who criticised Messham’s evidence? ‘It’s really unhelpful. If it means that genuine victims who have been bashed into silence for years are now going to think, "Forget it, I’m not going to stick my head above the parapet because I’m going to be taken out to dry by the media," then that’s a real downside to what’s been happening. That’s the tragedy in all this.’ But this moralising piece by the The Guardian came a week after they published a letter on 4 November to psychotherapist Pamela Stephenson Connolly. In it, an anonymous writer had claimed that a traumatic childhood memory had been triggered at the end of the year. She had received therapy for it. In her reply to the writer, Connolly wrote a telling line: ‘I understand this recovered memory is causing you considerable distress’. It requires no great leap of imagination to assume that this writer is having defunct Recovered Memory Therapy, of the same sort that Carol Myers had, which resulted in her falsely accusing two Tory cabinet members of raping her. And so the carousel keeps on turning. The sexual abuse of children, as Saltrese made clear in his interview, is a despicable act. To suggest it doesn’t happen is entirely and wholly wrong. Yet the press, before crusading on behalf of anyone, or accusing anyone of anything, ought to check their facts, be rigourous in their examination, and uncover the narratives that lurk deeper. Perhaps if this had happened, and the narrative told in this editorial had come to light, George Entwistle may still be in the job. Further information concerning Carol Myers can be found at www.justiceforcarol.com
14 | 16th - 22nd November 2012 @RedbrickMusic
Live Review. Jack White The O2 Academy
Susie Dickey Music Critic
Entering the O2 Academy, the sheer diversity of fans was a testament to just how established a rock icon Jack White has become. Ages ranged from 16 to 60; from the teenagers clinging to each other in excitement as they scrambled to purchase their Blunderbuss Tour merchandise, to the aged rockers huddled in herds, clutching their pints of Carlsberg and tugging at their once loose White Stripes t-shirts. When you consider the staggering breadth of the man’s musical CV, it’s unsurprising that he has such a universal appeal. Before I attempt to put into words the mastery of the Michigan musician, attention
must be paid to his support act, Willy Moon. I knew nothing of his work other than the single ‘Yeah yeah’, currently being used to sell iPods, and I have never seen a relatively unknown support artist engage so rapidly with his audience. He started his set with White’s newest single ‘I’m Shakin’’; a controversial decision by anyone’s standards, and one which had the ability to either enchant, or alienate his audience. Mercifully, it was the former; Moon steered the song in an entirely different direction, and his erratic dancing and wide, unblinking stare coupled with his deep vibrato left the audience completely electrified. By the end of his set, our impatience to see the man of the hour was hand-in-hand with our sadness at seeing Moon
S#*! My Dad Listens To. Ben Musgrove's Dad
leave the stage. White said nothing as he approached the microphone. He didn’t have to. We were already in the palm of his hand. As he lifted his guitar, his ghostly pallor was illuminated by the stage lights. Throughout the academy, filled with hundreds upon hundreds of adoring fans, you could have heard a pin drop. He stared out at his frozen fans, and as those alabaster fingers plucked the first chords of ‘Black Math’ by The White Stripes, the room erupted. White played a genius set list, comprising songs from The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and The Dead Weather, as well as his phenomenal solo material. ‘Missing Pieces’ had the crowd jerking frantically, while ‘Hotel Yorba’ had the audience sing-
Ben Musgrove Music Critic
I will be the first to admit that a massive part of me has been nurtured and developed by my Dad. Occasional spontaneous bouts of road-rage and my unrelenting passion for bacon are all characteristics that I primarily owe to the ‘man of the house’. My love of music, however, is not something he inspired. No man before my father has managed to combine such a passion for bursting into random bouts of song with such unawareness of the notes he is aiming for. His favourite music is any heavy rock and metal he can get his hands on. The soaring vocals that generally accompany such music get him so excited that soon an ear-piercing sonic boom is ripping through the house, cracking windows and sending the local dogs running in circles. It’s not just rock that induces such a spectacle. Dad’s lack of
ing in unison. White’s unmistakable, rasping tones in his cover of Hank Williams’ ‘You Know That I Know’ brought goose bumps, and the slower, emotional ‘We’re Gonna Be Friends’ sent a wave of melancholia across the crowd. He finished his set with ‘I Cut Like A Buffalo’ and ‘Steady, as She Goes’, Dead Weather and Raconteurs fans hollering the lyrics with elation, as the entire audience moved to the raw, screaming guitar chords. Far be it for White to leave his fans dissatisfied, after ten minutes of desperate cries for an encore, he obliged with a five-song finale. He began with ‘Sixteen Saltines’, reminding us that he still has much genius to give the world, and included the epic ‘Carolina Drama’. We looked up at White expectantly
to see how he would round off this masterpiece of a concert. With a sly grin and a toss of his head, White played the chords that would be recognised even by inuits in the arctic. As 'Seven Nation Army' filled the academy the floor shook with pounding feet and the instruments were drowned out by the caterwauling of fans. As White and his band left the stage, we all looked around wide-eyed and open-mouthed, unsure what to do now. In my mind, even the most devoted One Direction or Ke$ha fan would have been converted by the mind-blowing performance. After all, once you’ve had White, you can never go back.
talent is applied to an extremely wide range of musical genres. There is little prejudice here; he desecrates nearly all genres of music with equal craft and effort. Be it a sudden, squealing rendition of the latest mainstream hit crashing through my sister’s iPod, or the baritone depths of his own bizarre folk composition, ‘Chobham in the Wintertime’, there is seemingly no limit to the music that this man will attempt to recreate. Except Jazz, that is, which he
would include in a ‘Worst Crimes Against Humanity’ list, just under supporting Tottenham Hotspur. Trying to convince him that regularly cracking wine glasses with his voice is a bad idea is ineffective. The musical part of my Dad is defended by major parts of his character: a complete inability to feel embarrassment on behalf of relatives, and an almost supernatural optimism that deflects any genuine criticism as an indirect compliment, or a joke. My dilemma is now obvious. My Dad’s combination of lack of talent, powerful lungs and downright cheerful nature make for an aural disaster on an unprecedented scale. I will continue the battle to remove the wailing from the house, but if my protests fall on (tone) deaf ears, then this article seems an ideal way to vent. Dad. Stop. For the good of ears everywhere.
Trying to convince him that regularly cracking wine glasses with his voice is a bad idea is ineffective
www.redbrick.me/music | 15
Tamara Roper Music Editor
@tamara_r
Despite being the kings of the ‘Btown scene’ and Sony records’ latest recruits, Swim Deep’s dressing room at the HMV institute is no bigger than a disabled toilet. Their rider (made up of beers, a bottle of red wine and a tray of guacamole dip) barely fits on the shelf that makes up the back wall, and there aren’t enough stools to go round. That said, they are undeterred. Swim Deep are home, and more energetic than a group of toddlers. I speak to the boys (I say boys because that is what they are- none of them look older than me) prior to their homecoming gig supporting Spector. The tour has been going well, apparently. “There’s good vibes everywhere...don’t think we’ve played a bad venue”. Despite Reading being the best place they’ve played so far (“there was a fucking wall of death”) the excitement in the room for playing their hometown is so close it’s almost dripping down the walls. Lead singer Austin reckons his dad is even bringing a date. “I might be the reason he pulls tonight”. No-one can quite work out whether or not this is a compliment. Despite only having one released song, the half-hour
assigned slot the band normally plays is never enough. “We sometimes go on longer so we can have more time on stage”. Having landed a UK headline tour in February, 30 minute slots will soon become a thing of the past. It seems bizarre that a band that formed merely a year ago have come so far in such a small space of time. The tour next year will serve as a precursor for a forthcoming album, which is apparently “70% done”. A discussion springs up about whether or not any band is 100% happy with their work: Austin arguing that he would never put out anything he wasn’t entirely satisfied with, whilst drummer Zach claims that even Adele couldn’t be 100% happy with her multi grammy award winning platinum record.
“Birmingham’s the best city for music right now” I ask them whether or not the hype surrounding Birmingham is actually a reality: I’ve always wondered how true this can be of a major city with no night bus or music scene to speak of since Black Sabbath. “Yeah it’s real. We know this because we’re in it. We’re part of it. Birmingham’s
Deeper and Deeper. Tamara Roper chats to Swim Deep
the best city for music right now”. Who is better, Swim Deep or Peace (rivals for B-town band of the year) I ask, trying to pry gossip out of the band. “Peace. No, Swim Deep. Definitely Swim Deep.” Who would be your ideal tour buddies? “Peace. Definitely Peace”. The rivalry, if there is any, seems friendly. Now both signed to major record labels, Swim Deep and Peace look set for UK domination.
It seems bizarre that a band that formed merely a year ago have come so far in such a small space of time
Album Review. Taylor Swift Red
I take my cue to leave when one of the roadies comes in to deliver a specially requested finger skateboard. Although they’re clearly being primed for stardom, Swim Deep have not forgotten where they’re from. Anybody who caught them swaying with appreciation at the DJ playing their songs at Snobs that night could tell that.
Emily Bell
@emilylouisabell
Music Critic
I’m sure when most of you think of Taylor Swift, you think of the country darling with curly hair who spends her time depicting love stories. But the curly hair is gone, and her new album Red shows that’s not the only thing changing about one of America’s biggest stars. Swift has left her Nashville roots in this album, opting away from the twangy country tunes and heading for more mature alternative pop. The topic of her songs remains much the same though: love, heartbreak and the bitter tales of a woman scorned. However, different styles on this album make up for the repetitive nature of her songs. It contains everything from acoustic ballads to mild dub step, meaning that whatever your preferred genre you are likely to enjoy at least one song. Swift has joined with stars such as Ed Sheeran and Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody, to create an even more diverse selection of music, again cleverly extending her captive audience. The album debuted at no 1 in the UK, consequently becoming Swift’s first number one in this country. The versatile feel in Red that has been missing from her previous albums certainly has had a large effect on the success of this album. She is clearly trying a new angle out and that’s really working for her.
'Swift's transition into the mainstream pop industry can only be described as seamless' Stand out songs on this album for me would be the track entitled ‘All Too Well’, which is probably the closest to Swift’s traditional sound, but which holds some of her best work lyrically and vocally. Her choice of lyrics are clearly raw and personal to herself, but they manage to create imagery that instantly draws the listener into her own private experiences and reflects a storytelling style of song. Overall, this album may come as a surprise to older fans, but it’s diverse nature will no doubt draw in many more. Taylor Swift’s transition into the mainstream pop industry can only be described as seamless.
16 | 16th - 22nd November 2012
@RedbrickFilm
"Story of my life. I always get the fuzzy end of Sugar Kane the lollipop." Some Like It Hot (1959)
TopThree
THOMAS LOFKIN Critic
Andrew Pollard looks to the movies for Movember inspiration #1
Ron Burgundy Anchorman
I don’t know if you heard, but he’s kind of a big deal, and so is his moustache. Rumoured to have aphrodisiacal properties, Ron Burgundy would be nothing without his furry upper lip. When it’s not bathing in milk, or clinging to the scent of rich mahogany, it’s busy looking manly as hell. Stately and seedy all at the same time, that’s facial hair even Zeus could be proud of.
Newsreel
#2
Captain Hook Hook
Channelling almost Dali-like flamboyance, the captain’s curls cruise into second place. The finesse of those finely curled edges are hard to beat for pure Georgian extravagance. An absolute must for the pirate wishing to swashbuckle with style, you can’t help but imagine the satisfaction involved in teasing those hook-like protrusions thoughtfully between your fingers. Let’s be honest though, those magnificent eyebrows definitely swayed the decision.
FilmReviews OutNow
#3 Daniel
Day Lewis
The trailer has been released for new romantic horror Warm Bodies, featuring About A Boy star Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer. With Hoult playing a love struck zombie, this film looks to be doing for zombies what Twilight did for vampires. Expect to see it in cinemas 1st February 2013.
Daniel Day Lewis is, without doubt, the master of the moustache. Featuring exemplary nose ticklers in two massive motion pictures, there’s definitely magic in those facial follicles. I don’t think anyone could doubt the correlation between the magnificence of Lewis’s moustache and the excellence of those films. Holl: your film is only ever as deep, profound, textured and illustrious as your character’s upper lip.
Argo
The Master
MEGAN JONES Life & Style Online Editor Release Date: 2nd November 2012 Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Featuring: Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams Joaquin Phoenix plays Freddie Quell, a damaged World War Two veteran who stumbles upon Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman), aka the Master. Through his leadership of 'The Cause', loosely based upon the origins of Scientology, Dodd takes Quell under his wing in an McCARTHY attempt to 'cure' him. More of a character study than a plot-driven BECKY Critic film, Phoenix and Hoffman’s roles are fascinating and their performances are nothing short of spectacular. Phoenix may play his Release Date: 7th November 2012 usual temperamental character but he is so convincing and often Director: Ben Affleck funny that scenes without him feel empty. However, this film is not Cast: Bryan Cranston, Ben Affleck, John Goodman for everybody. It is challenging in nature due to its lack of a progressive story line and failure to reach a conclusive and powerful Argo is the third feature film directed by and starring Gone Baby ending. It is testimony to Anderson’s skill, however, that this Gone and The Town director, Ben Affleck. It follows the unbelievable-yet-true story of Tony Mendez (Affleck), an ‘ex-fill’ CIA remains one of the year’s most captivating films. agent who was sent to Iran during the 1979 hostage situation on a mission to bring home U.S diplomats trapped in Tehran after a siege on the American embassy. After running out of options, the CIA commission Mendez’s JOE ALLEN idea of making the hostages appear as a film crew on a location Critic scout in Iran. This plan, termed ‘the best bad idea’ by Mendez’s supervisor Jack O’Donnel (Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston), Release Date: 7th November 2012 involves Mendez enlisting the help of Hollywood make-up artist Director: Wayne Blair John Chambers (John Goodman) and film producer Lester Siegel Cast: Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Chris O'Dowd (Alan Arkin) as he tries to make the movie production of a screenIn 1968, an Australian girl group have decided they're heading to play entitled Argo appear authentic. Vietnam to achieve the musical success of which they have always Argo, which has been in the making for almost five years, dreamed. It's immediately obvious that this movie will be more proves that some things are worth waiting for. A modest performthan just a foray into the predictable and saccharine, with the back- ance from Affleck (with only one self-indulgent shirtless moment) drop of the Vietnam War suggesting a more politically charged is perfect casting. The film starts off steadily, but this works well narrative than could perhaps be expected of the genre. The four as a juxtaposition against the snappy scenes in the latter half. leads (all of whom are of Aborigine descent) are believable and Affleck blends together the tones of a thriller, comedy and hislikeable as the singers. It's a compliment to the film, too, that the torical film seamlessly, making audiences laugh out loud, come occasional too-abrupt stutter in tone or predictable line of dialogue close to tears and sit on the edge of their seats; all within the space has only a slight impact on its warm, kind-hearted message and of 120 minutes. With whisperings of Oscar nominations already unabashed love of classic soul music. beginning, Argo cannot be more highly recommended.
Lucasfilm has confirmed that Michael Arndt, writer of Toy Story 3, will be writing the screenplay for Star Wars: Episode VII. Further information will be revealed in an on-going video series posted on StarWars. com. Kathleen Kennedy and George Lucas having already begun story conferences with Arndt.
The Sapphires
Photographs have Photographs have been of been released released of Tom Tom Hanks in the upcoming Hanks in the upcombiographical ing biographical drama drama Saving Mr. Mr. Banks, in film Saving Banks, which he will be porin which he will be portraying cartoon tytraying cartoon tycoon coon Disney. Walt Disney. In Walt The film, the film, Hanks sports in which Hanks sports fine moustache and aawill fine bemoustache, chroniclingwill the recount struggles the of struggles bringing Walt faced in bringing the classic Mary PopP. classic pinsL.to Travers' life. children's series Mary Poppins to life.
www.redbrick.me/film | 17
Whitewashed Hollywood
As Argo sees Ben Affleck playing a Latin American CIA agent, critic Jonathan Fagg challenges one of Hollywood's most disturbing trends ‘Whitewashing’ is a surprisingly common phenomenon which sees white actors playing characters originally intended to be any race other than white. For instance, in Argo, Ben Affleck plays Tony Mendez, a CIA agent who was in fact Latino. Similarly, Batman villain Bane is South American in the comics, but played by Tom Hardy in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. ‘Whitewashing’ is certainly not new to Hollywood, with John Wayne having once played Genghis Khan in a performance now very uncomfortable to watch. Why does this happen? For a long time Danny Glover has been trying to make a film about Haiti’s rebellion against slavery. In 2008, he said that executives had refused to fund it due to its lack of ‘white heroes’. Meanwhile, on The Daily Show, George Lucas claimed that the reason it had taken him 24 years to make Red Tails was because Hollywood executives told him a film with a mostly black cast would not make enough money. This is incredibly frustrating, as not only does it show a form of racism inherent in Hollywood, it also means that there are stories that are currently untellable. Are studios wrong to think that films make more money with a white cast? There are examples which back up this idea. The Wiz, for instance, was a black-led musical version of The Wizard of Oz. Released in 1978, it was a box office failure, and helped form the idea that ‘black films’ were not financially successful. Today, Tyler Perry’s films may make a lot of money, but do so due to an almost entirely African American fan base, and rarely get any critical acclaim. There are certainly successful actors of other races, with Martin Lawrence, Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, Will Smith and Samuel L. Jackson all being both certified A-listers and black. Unfortunately, few other black men can headline films, and black women, along with those of other races, find it even harder. One remembers how, when Halle Berry won her Oscar for best actress, she said, 'This moment is so much bigger than me. This is for every nameless, faceless woman of colour who now has a chance tonight because this door has been opened.' Meanwhile, Asian actors may see a lot of success in martial art films, but very few have made the leap into mainstream success. It is true that this can go the other way, with characters originally intended to be white played by actors of other races. In Marvel’s Thor, for instance, Idris Elba plays Heimdall. This character is white in the comic books the film is based on, a change that caused fans to complain. In response, director Kenneth Branagh said 'If you have a chance to have a great actor in the part, everything else is irrelevant.' Similarly, the character of Red in The Shawshank Redemption was white in the novella the film was based on. Harrison Ford, Robert Redford and Clint Eastwood were all considered for the role, but once Morgan Freeman auditioned, director Frank Darabont said that he 'couldn't see anyone else as Red'. In an ideal world, one would criticise this as heavily as one criticises ‘whitewashing’. However, the world is not ideal, and as this means more recognition and roles for non-white actors, it is a positive trend. Does ‘whitewashing’ a film make it bad? This week’s review of Argo on the opposite page demonstrates otherwise. Rather, it is a problem inherent in Hollywood which limits both the performances we can watch and the stories which are told.
IMAX: Revolution or Rip-off?
Critic Daisy Edwards argues that you get what you pay for
Online Film Editor Josh Taylor believes that it is just another money-grabbing gimmick
In recent years, an increasing number of blockbusters have been filmed with the specific intention of an IMAX release, such as Avatar and The Dark Knight Rises. The aim of IMAX is to present the audience with a high quality film, both visually and through sound, thus making the movie-watching experience more enjoyable. The experience that you pay for, though pricy compared to a regular screening, is worth it when you consider the improved quality of the film, be it on an IMAX HD screen, in IMAX 3D or in IMAX Dome. As film develops in the 21st century, the idea of screening films in IMAX is slowly becoming the norm while many film makers are considering using IMAX equipment when shooting. This may not be for the entirity of the film, such as the opening in The Dark Knight Rises, but the difference in quality is still observable. This improved technology means that certain film makers are able to produce more visually impressive films. James Cameron, for example, has stated how he had to wait a long time to produce Avatar, due to the technology not being ready. Also, regarding the sound of a film, many commented on the how the IMAX quality clarified Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack in Inception. As technology improves, we are bound to create new and exciting ways to view and make films. IMAX is the first step towards a better film-viewing experience.
Formats like IMAX and 3D must be placed into the context of the film they are applied to. For example, The Godfather is no better in 3D, yet Avatar takes on a different life when shown in this form. The same applies to IMAX: certain films are undeniably improved when seen in this format, but most are not worth the extra price of entry, which can be up to double the normal charge. Unless a film features numerous incredible locations, special effects or largescale action set pieces, the ‘IMAX experience’ is a rather tepid one; IMAX, for instance, would not improve a comedy. Furthermore, it is often the case that not all of a film is shot in the IMAX format, and so the extra money spent on admission is only visible on screen for a relatively short amount of time. In order to get the full impact, you have to sit in one of the few back rows of the cinema to avoid getting a stiff neck, and fast-paced scenes can become overwhelming, both of which again take away from the experience. A final concern, is that there are in fact two kinds of IMAX, both, frustratingly, bearing the same name: the true ‘IMAX experience’, with digital sound and a 50ft screen, and then the second kind, with a smaller screen and lower resolution picture, which has far less impact. Ultimately, unless you are seeing a big budget film with a lot of visual effects, IMAX is not worth the extra cost.
18 | 16th-22nd November 2012 @Redbrick @RedbrickTV
Doctor Pixie McKenna. Celebrity Television Doctor and Presenter speaks to Redbrick Charlotte Goodwin TV Editor
@C_E_Goodwin
With three successful television series behind her and a BAFTA award, Redbrick spoke to Dr Pixie McKenna about her involvement in the shows Freaky Eaters, Embarrassing Bodies and The Food Hospital. Pixie’s media career began in 2006 when she was asked to present BBC Three’s Freaky Eaters, a show which helps people overcome bizarre eating habits. Her choice to go to a screen test to be the resident medic on the show was a reluctant one: ‘Reluctantly because I had done a screen test for another show a few months earlier, got down to the last three and then was told I was fabulous, but not fabulous enough. I thought at the time it would be best to shelve the telly idea. The call for Freaky Eaters came out of the
Russell Webb TV Editor
@rwebb92
Top 5: I'm A Celeb Winners
blue so I swallowed my pride and soon became on screen doc for the ‘Freakies’!’ She had to help solve many freaky eating habits: ‘You name it, people eat it! A vegetarian who didn't eat vegetables, a man addicted to Walkers Salt and Vinegar crisps, a chef whose diet solely consisted of cheese and Hula Hoops, yet could cook up a storm in the kitchen. So many quirky cases!’ At the moment she is filming the latest series of Channel Four’s popular medical show Embarrassing Bodies. The success of the show has not been a surprise to her: ‘It is human nature to be curious about what happens when things go wrong. Embarrassing Bodies details the good, the bad and the ugly and shows that disease does not discriminate when it comes to colour, class or creed. 'Don’t be ashamed, we're all the same" is the show's mantra. It speaks for itself and is why millions tune in each week. There is something for everyone!’ When the show started five years ago, ‘it was unknown territory and it was a big bold thing to bring medicine, - no holes barred - to the box. We never thought it would run and run, so in that respect its success has come as a massive and most welcome surprise. ‘If the show ended tomorrow, I would be happy that it has been a series to be immensely proud of. I have also had the privilege of making two great mates thanks to Embarrassing Bodies. I love Dr. Christian, he is a legend, but let me tell you he spends more time in make-up than myself and Dr Dawn put together! Dawn is a great mate, we are forever getting into mischief together, like two naughty school girls.’ One of the worst things she has had
5.
Dougie Poynter
The reigning King of the Jungle romped to victory as the McFly bassist became the frontman. His quirky personality took a while to shine through, as the bigger personalities dominated for the first week. Slowly but surely he took to the fore, and his friendship with Mark Wright was one of the highlights of the series.
to deal with on the show are feet: ‘I don’t like feet, and have damn ugly ones myself. The girl who came in with an ingrown toenail hidden under a sock for six months was pretty bad! To be honest, though, the worst thing about the show is that people shun doctors due to fear, ignorance and shame and keep their diseases hidden away and their lives on hold, that’s 'the worst' affliction.’ She says winning a BAFTA for the show, ‘was surreal, standing there clutching the gong thinking, 'but I’m just a GP!' I had the tightest Vivienne Westwood frock on and killer heels, so nearly popped a hernia when we were on stage!’ Currently, Pixie has just finished filming the second series of The Food Hospital: ‘The show has kept me busy scouring the country identifying the heroes of the food world whilst offering myself up as a human guinea pig for projects such as onion eating competitions, I joke not, and various blood tests and food battles!’ She describes the show as ‘an incredible learning experience; nutrition was a non-entity when I studied medicine. What a mistake; it is such an integral part of our wellbeing.’ The cures she has been most surprised at are ‘the blood thinning effects of onions and the fat busting qualities of chillies were amazing bits of info to unearth. All the individual diets are truly amazing and testament to the dietetic team - not me I’m afraid.’ She gets asked medical questions all the time from the public, ‘but that happens if you are a regular doctor as well not just a telly doc; it goes with the territory.’ Pixie really does believe television shows work to raise awareness of
health and wellbeing to viewers: ‘You have to bring the information into people’s living rooms in a fun and informative way. They aren’t going to go digging for information - it needs to be absorbed passively. Backing it up with web content is also crucial as it is a portal for people to access accurate information, share experiences, and find out where to get help.’ While not presenting medical TV shows: ‘Life is manic as always. I am continuing to write columns for my regular features in women’s magazines and newspapers. I’m back to clinical work two days a week having had a baby in May so I’m juggling media, medicine and motherhood: it’s a mash up!' Even in her free time she says: ‘I’m never bored. I enjoy cycling and have just signed up to my first triathlon so I am getting to grips with my swimming. Apparently your skill set as a triathlete has to be better than the doggie paddle! I am also a social butterfly and love good food and good company. And finally, my great weakness is shopping, it really is the best medicine!’ Her involvement with all of these TV shows have not made her feel like a celebrity though: ‘I don't court attention and don't consider myself a celeb. I’m an ordinary girl who just got lucky and I feel charmed that I get paid to do something I love! ‘I’m a doctor first and foremost and a media head second. I would never leave the medical profession totally but equally would never want to work the same job five days a week in medicine. I need to do something different every day as I’m always looking for my next Pixie project!’
4.
Phil Tufnell
Series Two winner 'Tuffers' was the only real candidate to join Tony Blackburn as jungle royalty. The former cricket star was cheeky, entertaining and struck up good partnerships throughout the series. The final trio of Tufnall, Anthony Worrall-Thompson and Linda Barker was lots of fun to watch with the right man being crowned.
www.redbrick.me/tv | 19
Croc Creek
Victoria Walmesley TV Critic
@vwalmesley
I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here kicked off with ten new celebrities facing the gruelling prospect of creepy crawlies, limited rations and some nasty bush tucker trials in the Australian jungle for the next couple of weeks. The celebrities were immediately divided into two competing teams: Croc Creek & Snake Rock. Croc Creek consisted of soap stars Helen Flanagan and Charlie Brooks, Birds of a Feather actress and Loose Woman Linda Robson, TV entertainer Brian Conley, and World Boxing Champion David Haye. Snake Rock, on the other hand, was made up of Made in Chelsea star Hugo Taylor, Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts, former darts champion Eric Bristow, ex-Doctor Who star Colin Baker, and controversial Conservative MP Nadine Dorries. The celebrities were thrown straight in at the deep end. Unlike in previous series, where they have all met at a
plush hotel sipping cocktails, they were instead abandoned on a deserted island. A mystery box was delivered to each team and they were told that they had to race against each other to reach the helicopter in order to enjoy a night’s stay in a luxury villa. Croc Creek were victorious, whilst Snake Rock had to endure sleeping rough on the island. Tensions were running high for Snake Rock as Hugo asked ‘Can someone please say something positive?’ to which Colin simply replied ‘I’m positively knackered.’ The next day wasn’t much better for Snake Rock as they started to make their way into camp. The campers attempted to row to the opposite end of the lake, but unfortunately their boat capsized; to which the editors of the show cued the famous Titanic theme tune as a choice of background music. Croc Creek, on the other hand, were
faced not with the prospect of jumping out of a plane, but of crossing the high ropes in order to reach their base. This is the first series in which some of the celebrities have not had to skydive, and it was sorely missed. All of the team were unsurprisingly nervous, but Helen’s fear of crossing the high ropes was made clear by her loud screaming, hyperventilations, and her lack of water proof mascara. Nevertheless, she succeeded in crossing the high ropes unlike Linda Robson - despite her makeup being somewhat less immaculate, prominently due to the dark smudges running down her cheeks. Whilst the teams made their way to camp, Hugo and David were selected by their other teammates to undertake the first bush tucker trial. David for obvious reasons, and Hugo because he was the fittest and most athletic. The two campers were lifted into the air in crates and
had to feel around for stars in the boxes of jungle surprises. David won the trial, which was arguably tame in comparison to the one featured the following night. With Helen’s screams of terror, and Nadine’s controversial decision to join the show, viewers are likely to be glued to seeing the two take part in 'Bug Burial'. The trial consists of the two being buried alive for ten minutes, immersed in creepy crawlies and various other bugs. The question remains as to whether Nadine will answer her critics in the jungle, and whether or not Helen will wear waterproof mascara when next faced with a challenge that she does not think she can complete. In my opinion, this series looks set to be great, and something that is definitely worth tuning in every night for, if not just for the cheeky Geordie chappies Ant and Dec who were once again on top form.
Snake Rock 3.
Gino D'Acampo
The Italian chef was already a well loved TV figure from his appearances on This Morning, and his stint in the jungle did his popularity no harm. His open manner on subjects including flatulance and alone time with his wife endeared him to many fans of the show that led him to the crown. He tackled all of the challenges head on, especially the infamous eating trial.
2.
Stacey Soloman
The former X Factor contestant finally won an ITV reality show. Many people suspected, myself included, that she was just a dizzy Essex girl; however, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that she could hold her own in an argument. This, coupled with having a great personality, gave her the title of Queen of the Jungle.
1.
Joe Swash
The ultimate King of the jungle has to be the former EastEnder. He came across as a genuinely nice and funny guy. His friendship with Star Trek legend George Takei was phenomenally entertaining, the highlight of which was the song that he taught the American and sung together constantly.. 'Olly Olly Olly'.
20 | 16th - 22nd November 2012 @RedbrickTravel
Hurricane Sandy Live report by Tamara Silver Tamara Silver Travel Writer
When I planned my New York itinerary several months ago, I did not include ‘Hurricane Sandy’ on my ‘to-see’ list. As I jetted off to America’s famous East Coast capital, I was blissfully unaware of the adventure I was about to embark on. Our first few days in the Big Apple were perfect. Basing ourselves in a 14th floor apartment on the elusive Upper West Side, my family and I explored the famous sites, taking in Grand Central, Times Square, Brooklyn Bridge and the Guggenheim all in the space of 48 hours. The city was bustling and vibrant; no signs of the approaching natural disaster could be sensed. The Sunday night after our arrival, the atmosphere shifted. CNN had become a 24-hour weather channel, forecasting 50 mile an hour winds and a dangerous storm surge. Slowly, panic set in. New Jersey was predicted to be the worst affected area, but underneath the cool New York façade you could sense the uncertainty among Manhattan-ites; it seemed no-one knew how badly Manhattan and its boroughs would be hit. The ‘tropical-storm’ as it was branded (having been downgraded from a hurricane) hit the East Coast mainland on early Monday evening, slowly but surely making its way up to the vulnerable Manhattan. Our TV screens were now filled with images of flooded houses and enormous waves, even high up, away from the drama, it was hard not to be scared by what we saw. Progressively, the winds got worse and the rain set in, bridges were closed and people advised not to go outside. I couldn’t help but feel like I was about to witness ‘The Day after Tomorrow’ come to life. The New York subway was closed, and from 40th Street down all power had been lost. Our holiday had been put on hold, and all we could do was explore the city whilst it was in shutdown. This was a truly surreal experience; the 24-hour city had become a ghost town. We caught a taxi down to Chinatown where some restaurants, amazingly, had managed to open. They offered a very limited menu to be eaten at candle-lit tables, whilst locals queued outside. Supermarkets were low on stock, forcing people to eat from any nearby catering establishments. As the day unfurled, more and more people took to the streets to see what
had been destroyed overnight. It was even reported that a boat had got stuck across a train line in the north of Manhattan. There is something very wrong about snooping around the remnants of a natural disaster, but it was also a fascinating experience for someone like me, who has never experienced the likes of a hurricane. The reality of the damage really hit me when we saw the Holland Tunnel, which connects Manhattan with Jersey
City, completely flooded. The tunnel is 3.8 metres high, about 3 metres of which were underwater. What really struck me about Hurricane Sandy was the sense of community you felt around New York after it happened. The unimaginable seemed to happen, groups of strangers that would never normally mix helped to drain flooded buildings of water, those who were fortunate enough to have electricity opened their homes to those in need.
The city came together in a way which was extraordinary to watch. Just a year after Hurricane Irene ripped its way through New Jersey, it came as another tragedy to New Yorkers to witness further destruction to their beloved city. Watching Mayor Bloomberg speak to the nation on the eve of the storm was a moving experience. He spoke with passion and desperation; the safety of the people had to be first priority, rebuilding the island would come second.
www.redbrick.me/travel |21
'CNN had become a 24 hour weather channel, forecasting 50 mile an hour winds and a dangerous storm surge... panic set in.'
Taking on the United States Solo Reporter Charley Ross gives her top five tips on travelling alone in the USA During one of my craziest moments in A level study leave, when the key dates for the Vietnam War weren’t sticking and my brain just couldn’t take in any more about radical feminist movements, I walked to my local STA travel and decided to plan a trip to the States. Starting off with my prime destination as New York City, my insomnia and stress pushed me on, and before I knew it, I’d booked a solo tour of the East Coast. I had the absolute time of my life. Despite culture being generally similar to Britain, I did learn a few valuable lessons that I felt was only fair to pass on: DON'T completely trust the itinerary your travel agent gives you – This could result in your having to barter or argue your way onto a crowded shuttle full of baffled Eastern Europeans from JFK. My ‘invalid’ shuttle pass cost me a further $20 in bribing and a fair bit of my dignity, after loudly arguing on the ‘sidewalks’ of Upper Westside Manhattan. Be prepared. And if in doubt, use the Subway.
'The Holland Tunnel which connects Manhattan with Jersey City was completely flooded. The Tunnel is 3.8 metres high, about 3 metres of which were underwater...'
DON'T be afraid of underground public transport in cities – The system is different to the London Underground and therefore takes time to adjust to, but I found people to be very helpful and patient while I learnt. A kind man directed me off a fast train to the Bronx that I seemed to have stumbled on to, and a wonderful woman in Boston not only helped me navigate my route back to my hostel, but also circled on my map the top vintage shopping areas in Harvard. I certanly can’t imagine the eye-contactaverting, personal-space-loving London tube etiquette ever extending to such acts. DON'T forget to tip – It seems that the rules are completely different in the States. You don’t just add on a cheeky few dollars if you think that the service was good. A girl I met in my New York hostel was locked in a taxi until she tipped. If in doubt, dish out a couple of extra dollars to avoid the awkwardness. DON'T underestimate the power of a British accent. Ever. Especially if you throw in buzzwords like ‘London’, ‘the Queen’ and a ‘yeah, I’ve been to Buckingham Palace.’ On my travels, employing the accent got me to the front of a massive Greyhound bus queue and a free Hershey’s chocolate bar in a convenience store in Chicago. True stories. DON'T be afraid to do it all alone – Yes, I considered getting the first flight back about five times an hour on my flight to New York. Taking on massive cities so far from home was terrifying. But I’m also 100% sure I’ve made friends for life, and I had the freedom to visit everything I wanted, in my own time.
During my week in New York, I got a lot more than I had bargained for. First and foremost, I learnt the power of community in the face of adversity. Even during Sandy, the city remained a symbol of stability to America and the world. As America begins its rebuilding process and things slowly return to normal, I look forward to returning to New York again for more adventures.
'Groups of strangers that would never normally mix, helped to drain flooded buildings of water, those who were fortunate enough to have power opened their homes to those in need...'
22 | 16th - 22nd November 2012 @RedbrickLifeStyle
The Wives Style Stakes: Obama vs. Romney Obama may have won the US elections, but not all eyes were on him and Mitt during the campaign run-up. Cue their well-dressed American wives, Ann and Michelle, as they battle out the style stakes... Natasha Woolf
Olivia Wilson
Life&Style Writer
Life&Style Writer
Four more years of Obama as President was good enough news, but this also meant four more years of Michelle Obama’s fabulous fashions. Whether the dress is long or short, black or orange, the First Lady always manages to get it right and there’s always a lot of class involved. What’s even better is her love for recycling and re-wearing her clothes: a true fashion inspiration. One thing you can say about Michelle Obama is that she is not afraid of colour; whether it be a hot pink two piece suit or a bright blue patterned dress. It is refreshing for someone with such a high profile to be so bold with her fashion choices, with colour, patterns and even recycling outfits. She has got it all and is certainly fast becoming (if not already) a fashion icon. On Tuesday night, she looked stylish as ever in a magenta silk Michael Kors dress that she has actually worn not once, but twice before, as only Michelle Obama (or Kate Middleton) could. Back in June, sticking with one of her favourite designers, Michael Kors, she looked absolutely stunning in a black one-shoulder full length gown, which she had paired with a vintage Dior belt. She even managed to re-wear this dress in September with a different belt – this time jewelencrusted (equally as amazing) and made it into a whole different outfit. We salute you, Michelle! An all-time favourite has got to be the amazing Jason Wu dress which she wore on the first night of being First Lady, which set the style stakes high forever really. One shouldered, long, flowers and sparkles, what more could you ask for? As the world is watching Barack Obama’s moves, I’m sure Michelle will not fail to impress with her fashion choices, and let’s hope she keeps up the good work.
Unsurprisingly, considering her husband’s political stance, Ann Romney chose a red dress for Election Night. The 63-year-old mother of five looked sleek and elegant in her mid-length sheath dress, and she paired it with a string of clear beads - a modern alternative to the traditional conservative pearls. This isn’t the first time Mrs Romney has chosen this colour either, as she was seen at a Republican convention wearing a bright red, but slightly ill-fitting, belted Oscar de la Renta dress. It seems she is quite a fan of the designer, choosing one of his fuchsia shift dresses for a Presidential debate, and so too making her own fashion statement. Throughout the run up to the election, Ann Romney has favoured bright block colours, perhaps quite a brave choice, but she has worn them with confidence, proving that a woman can wear bold hues at any age. She even chose a long teal-blue coat to cast her vote in the election, teamed with tall flat boots for a more casual look. Unfortunately, however, Ann’s style still seems too safe, a bit too Stepford Wives. Despite the statement necklaces and striking colours, the knee length dresses and three-quarter length sleeves make her clothes more conservative and old fashioned. Thanks to the cream suits worn throughout her husband’s campaign, her wardrobe has been brought back to the predictable and almost boring, and sometimes, in the case of the purple printed Diane Von Furstenburg wrap dress, unflattering. Ann Romney makes a good attempt at First Lady style, but it seems that this time, like her husband, she will be defeated.
Hairy Movember Returns... Victoria Haworth Life&Style Writer
November is now well and truly upon us, and along with the cold nights and mounting deadlines, this month also marks the start of the hairiest tradition of the year: Movember. For those confused as to why men across the globe have suddenly taken to the cave man look, let me explain. Movember is a month long, annual event with the aim to raise money and awareness for various men's health charities, through the means of growing a moustache. Whether patchy, elaborate, wellgroomed or just downright hairy, Movember welcomes tashes of all kinds and since it’s all in aid of charity, the more humiliating the better. If you're struggling with the facial hair growth this month (or if you're a girl!) you can still get involved by checking out some of the celebrity tashes. From Jude Law's sexy stubble to 007’s nicely groomed tash, November is
definitely the month to ditch the razors and show some love for the facial hair. There are also many other ways to contribute to the cause. Ethical shoe brand Toms is already heavily involved in charity through their 'One-For-One' movement, where for every pair of shoes sold, another pair is donated to a child in a developing country. However, for the third year running, they are also teaming up with Movember, releasing a range of limited edition shoes with the event's logo, a brown moustache on the side of the heel. These unique styles are available for both men and women, and come in both the classic and botas styles. The boys in the Redbrick Office are also sporting the tash and asking for sponsorship. To help them with their cause, donate at www.justgiving.com/ Redbrick-Student-Publication. Happy Movembering!
Life&Style Favourite Movembers: 1. 3. 2.
www.redbrick.me/lifestyle 23
Chanel No. 5, Chanel No More
Fierce
April Shacklock Senior Life&Style Writer
Raph Sheridan & Emily Booth Editor & Travel Editor
Marilyn Monroe once said it was the only thing she wore in bed, and I'm sure many women since have adopted her seductive technique. However, thanks to recent research by the European Commission's Scientific Committee of Consumer Safety, women everywhere will now go to bed smelling of just toothpaste and skin. Not satisfied with rioting and weak currency, the EU now wants to see Chanel No.5 poured down the sink due to one of its main ingredients being a naturally occurring form of tree mould that may cause skin allergies. Granted, we’re not thrilled by the news that we pay almost £50 for 35ml of liquidised tree mould, but with a bottle sold every 30 seconds around the world and a 91-year-old legacy, it doesn’t seem like the threat of allergy is apocalyptic. Although the EU has only made a recommendation to ban the ingredient, and they have not lawfully enforced action, the International Fragrance Association has already decided to investigate the potential skin allergies caused by the perfume. Perhaps that is the marketing strategy behind Brad Pitt being chosen as the first male representative of the fragrance: should we experience any skin irritation, he can gently scratch us with his husky voice and rugged facial hair. Unfortunately, the members of the European Commission's Scientific Committee of Consumer Safety seem to be on a mission to promote a naturally smelling nation with suggestions that more key ingredients such as citral, found in lemon and tangerine oils, coumarine, which comes from the spicy tonka bean, jasmine and rose could also be blacklisted in the future. This will affect a vast amount of well-loved perfumes including Miss Dior, Guerlain’s Shalimar and Angel by Thierry Mugler. The French Perfumer’s Society is rightfully worried about the future of perfume. A spokesperson from the Society said it would lead to ‘the death of perfume if this continues’. However, this is not the first time in its existence that Chanel No.5 has had to adapt to changing legislation. Such as when benzene was phased out when it was discovered to be a potential carcinogen, and when musks taken from slaughtered animals were eradicated. Coco Chanel herself once said: 'A woman who doesn't wear perfume has no future.' For the future of women and women’s futures the EU must recognize the opaque qualities of perfume as well as its transparent smell.
Masterchef: The Professionals: How we’ve missed Monica, who unfailingly strikes the fear of god into each chef every series. Who knew making weird caramel decorational thingies could be so pressurising? And, of course, we have the evergorgeous Michel Roux gracing our screens for the next few weeks... Selfridges: Guys, there’s now no excuse for the awful tracky bottoms/flip-flop combination. Selfridges have just opened the largest men’s shoe department in the world. And if you’ve a spare 10k in student loans, a fabulous pair of Tom Ford boots are going on sale... Christmas Adverts Begin: We know - it's only November, but when the ad men at John Lewis make you cry in the middle of the afternoon, you know that Father Christmas is just around the corner.. Rugby: 'No.7' No - No.13! Wait where's Toby Flood? WHERE IS HE?!' Umm.. Knowing the score isn't relevant right? Men's Snuggly Jumpers: Sod Topshop's aubergine or - let's be alternative - mustard coloured deep v-necks - give me a man in an M&S high zipped ribbed cuddle machine any day.
Dire Straights? Tips for Gays Even for the average straight person, finding their one true love is a task bordering on the impossible. Now make it 20 times harder and that's the situation us gays face. So, to make it easier for those who bat for the other side, there’s a whole range of apps, sites and locations you can go to in your quest to find true romance. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, so be prepared to, er, swallow a bit of pride. THE VILLAGE: Birmingham’s gay village is a thriving community, and there are a huge number of bars and clubs you can visit, from the mainstream club Nightingale’s, to lesbianfriendly pub The Fox. It's difficult to avoid glitter, cheesy pop and what’s best described as a 'stereotypical' scene, but it's a lot of fun and at least you know almost everyone there is gay. Just don’t expect to find true love in a club. APPS: Welcome to 2012. If you've got a smartphone, this is a route to a whole new world. There’s the app you’ve all heard of (Grindr), but there’s also Jack’d and other alternatives. Prepare for some awkward moments on campus if you realise you’re within shouting distance of the lad you were talking to last night. These apps get a bad press, but for anyone whose gaydar regularly misfires, this is a good solu-
tion. Just don’t take them too seriously! JOIN THE LGBTQ: So you realise that a lot of people on Grindr are either fake, sex-obsessed or a bit odd. One of
Anonymous Life&Style Writers
the only options left is just to wait and hope you somehow bump into the man of your dreams. Unfortunately, we all know this doesn’t happen. For most lads who aren’t obviously gay, you’ll be waiting so long that you’ll eventually turn into a Morrissey-esque picture of loneliness and discontent. Help is at hand, however: the Uni’s LGBTQ Association also offers young gay people a chance to meet with others, go on fun socials and impart useful advice. USE YOUR GAYDAR & ASK: This one requires balls. You spot a guy who looks adorable and is dressed well, so automatically you have your suspicions. You try conversing with him and, at some point, inevitably, you have to tentatively enquire. If you’re right, bingo! If you’re wrong (and even the best of us are wrong sometimes), it’s a mortifying moment as it dawns on both parties what’s just happened. You can of course be more subtle than just asking and you can get your friend to ask for you; at such desperate times, tactics are a must. If all that hasn’t worked and, like us, you’re still puzzling, the future can appear bleak. But, not to worry, our friends are always there to assure us that our knight in shining armour is just around the corner. Yeah, right!
Ugg Boots: FINALLY! Sales of the world’s ugliest boot plummet by 31%, and it couldn’t come soon enough. The Ugg boot is to the noughties what mullets and bomber jackets were to the 80s; good luck trying to explain them to your kids in 20 years' time. I’m A Celebrity: Once more, ITV scrapes the bottom of a lowly barrel. Enough said. Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez: Gossip sites (i.e. Daily Mail) have justification to go crazy, as do millions of hopeful single Beliebers, even the split was allegedly down to 'trust issues'... Textual Analysis: A comma or an exclamation mark? One kiss or two? We know they don't care, but then why do we? And why or why is it just so exhausting? Library Rules: How am I supposed to write 4000 words on modernist feminine literature without a skinny, extra hot gingerbread latte with extra chocolate (no fat) sprinkles? Nope - me neither.
Finished
24 | 16th - 22nd November 2012 @RedbrickArts @RedbrickArts
So, you want to write? Writers' Bloc, the University of Birmingham's Creative Writing society, have released their first Journal of this academic year. Arts Editor Rebekah McDermott interviews Elisha Owen; writer, performance poet and winner of this year's first Journal Feature piece. As an up and coming spoken word artist, Elisha has recently competed in national poetry slams such as Warwick Words, Worcester Literature Festival and Ledbury Poetry Festival, whilst also performing at gigs such as Hit the Ode, Word Up and Grizzly Pear.
Silver Trails
As member of Writers' Bloc, can you tell us about what the society involves? Writers' Bloc is a safe space for people to meet who have an interest in writing in any form or genre. Each week they hold a workshop for a particular form of writing, be it flash fiction, poetry, graphic novels or more journalistic writing such as blogging. It makes producing work more attainable because you can get constructive feedback and meet people who are like minded. It’s not just for English students, we’ve got people doing philosophy, physics, geography and so on.
We sit outside and pretend to admire the view. His right arm twitches and I scratch the paint off my nails and remember a stale
You are a regular performer at Writers' Bloc society events, which are usually held at the Bristol Pear. What would you say to any aspiring performance poets who may not have the confidence to perform?
one-liner. It falls flatter than the first time I read it out of the joke book
I think the crucial thing is don’t over think it and don’t think you have to be an actress or actor to read poetry. It’s allowing yourself to give an honest performance on stage and not to be afraid about sharing your work. In my experience the audience know that you’re putting yourself on the spot and they’re very receptive to that. You can trust them to be open minded. In terms of practicality, make sure you grab the eye of the audience occasionally and speak clearly because your work deserves to be heard in the best way. Treat the audience as a friend you are sharing a conversation with.
our Mum bought us as a leaving gift. ‘I need to get out of here’, he demands. I plant a kiss
You’ve just won the Feature Piece for the Writers' Bloc Journal, was there a theme or did you submit something you had recently written?
mechanically on his forehead.
There wasn’t a theme for the first issue of the year, but usually they do have one and the theme for the next edition will be winter. Having no theme was harder in a way because I could literally submit anything. There are four journals a year, one roughly every season. You also don't have to be a member of Writers' Bloc to submit.
He feels the alkaline and puffs on his cigarette. He is silent
Your winning piece is Silver Trails. Can you sum up what inspired you to write this poem?
and words lunge like freed convicts out of my mouth.
My poetry is usually quite personal but this piece actually wasn’t based on a personal event. I saw a documentary about how music travels through objects and I guess that’s what began this piece. I wanted to explore how amazing that is. I wanted to place that scientific fact in an intimate and real situation. As an older sister I’m often the go-to person when my brothers are having a hard time and I've learnt they sometimes need distraction rather than dealing with it in that moment. I guess that’s true in any relationship.
‘I remember something I watched on a documentary once music is energy that vibrates between inanimate objects.’ I point to a stale turd three inches from his feet. ‘That could carry the notes of any song.’ He follows my gaze and smiles. ‘Springsteen.’ I smile too.
So are the two characters formed in your own mind or have they been used as templates for the situation? They’re formed. I’m very interested in what’s at the heart of relationships, familial or romantic. So I decided to look at a hypothetical brother and sister. In my mind they are dealing with parental rejection together and they are currently at the rehab centre where the brother has been admitted. They’re at the stage where he’s in the process of healing and instead of talking about the big things they talk about seemingly trivial things.
‘Remember when we used to pick the snails off
As a performance poet, would you recommend writing from personal experience?
the garden wall?’ ‘She trod on one before she went.’ ‘I know,’ I say.
Performing something from personal experience can be rewarding. I would advise, however, that you gauge the night and audience because you are putting yourself out there and there’s got to be that element of trust between you and your listeners. You don’t always have to be explicit and even if it’s something serious you don’t have to omit humour and vice-versa.
I trace the scars on his forearm; silver trails.
Have you always written? I’ve written poetry since I was young. My Grandma is a huge influence and used to read old poetry to me, which I found incredibly inspiring. I’m awful sometimes at forming coherent sentences and writing poetry gives me the chance to express myself in a more considered manner. I always write for myself first and carefully decide what I share with others. The Writers' Bloc Journal is now circulating around campus. The next Writers' Bloc spoken word event will be Scribble Kicks at mac on the 20th November, 7pm, free admission. In association with Salt Publishing, poets Luke Kennard and Abi Curtis will be launching their latest poetry collections.
www.redbrick.me/arts | 25
'Jephtha' The Opera: At Symphony Hall
Reviews
Rebekah McDermott Arts Editor
Directed by Katie Mitchell, Handel’s Jephtha tackles that moral dilemma which none of us would ever expect to confront; would you kill someone you love to save yourself? In this hypothetical and very much idealistic way we would say, no, of course not. We would hope that, if the moment ever arose, we wouldn’t be able to live with ourselves knowing what we had done. However, arguably more realistically, Jephtha questions whether it is right to simply kill in order to save ourselves. Jephtha, who you may be familiar with from the Old Testament Book of Judges, is the illegitimate son of a prostitute but also a talented soldier who leads the Israelites into combat against the Ammonites. Jephtha subsequently doubts the strength of what he already has, his soldiers, and promises God that if he wins he will murder, and therefore sacrifice, the first being he sets eyes upon on his return. This happens to be his own daughter, Iphis. In the bible she is duly killed yet in Jephtha, an angel appears to save her as long as she promises to remain a virgin for the rest of her life. The story also, therefore, resonates with the Old Testament story of Abraham and Isaac,
when God commands Abraham to sacrifice his only son. This seems to be Jephtha’s main plot down fall; it is not necessarily a believable story for Jephtha chooses to kill his own daughter rather than considering sacrificing himself so that he doesn’t have to cause not only her pain, but also his wife. Presumably set in the 1940s and performed to a contemporary audience, there is something missing, as biblical motives are not steadily understood or relevant to present day society. In many people’s eyes today, their life is theirs, not God’s. If the story had been more believable, therefore, then the emotion obviously portrayed by the cast would have resonated with the audience to a greater extent. This said, the technicality of the show was flawless. Fflur Wyn, who plays the part of Iphis, was not only brilliant as a singer but also as an actress and Diana Montague, who plays Storgé Jephtha’s wife, had a stage presence which was impressively memorable. Vicki Mortimer’s set was also one which was to be admired, swiftly operating scene changes at a cinematic pace. Handel’s choice of story to base his oratorio on is what lacks, definitely not his musical score, the set design or the technical ability of the Welsh National Opera.
Article 19 presents 'Comedians' Bhvishya Patel Critic
Previews
Every joke bases itself upon a simple foundation: the truth. It is this very idea that Article 19, the University of Birmingham’s longest running drama and theatre society, brought to light in their brilliantly performed adaptation of Trevor Griffiths’ Comedians last Thursday. Set in Manchester during the 1970s, the play looks at the lives of Gethin Price, George McBrain, Sammy Samuels, Mick Connors, Phil Murray and Ged Murray; who are all taking evening classes in stand up comedy, taught by the retired comedian Elsa Walters. It follows their journey from training to be comedians within the classroom to performing on stage and their struggle to remain true to the art of comedy. The play also highlights the role of women in comedy and what it takes to be a true comedian and those who sell out just for fame. The performance was brilliantly executed by the talented cast, who take
Gilbert and Sullivan presents The Gondoliers 22nd - 24th Deb Hall Guild of Students 7pm £3
the audience back to the bleak 1970s and the struggling business of comedy. They were able to show the darkness and chilling reality that surrounds comedy and each and every character was brought to life through them. The audience was also lucky enough to hear a few tunes sung by the actors and even be somewhat involved in a little bingo. The name of the play itself sounds a bit deceiving, but it is for this very reason that it remains a real must see show. The directors of the show commented ‘Comedians is not a comedy; it is a play about comedy, about the tragedy behind comedy, and the overriding message that we wanted to bring out with our production is: what truth lies behind a comedian’s jokes?’. With its dark and chilling undertones, Comedians was a truly brilliant show. Not only was it directed perfectly, the cast were able to have the audience gripping their seats. Despite being rooted in the seventies, it remains a play still relevant in today’s culture, afterall, who doesn’t like a little comedy?
The Gondoliers, set in the colourful streets of Venice, is a comic operetta by Gilbert & Sullivan in 2 acts. Casilda, the young bride of the heir to the throne of Barataria, arrives in Venice with her parents, to join her husband. Unfortunately he was entrusted to the care of a drunken gondolier who mixed up the prince with his own son, so there is no way of knowing which of two gondoliers is the real King of Barataria until their former nurse arrives - and they must start ruling immediately, because the former king has just been killed! The two gondoliers have just married local girls, and Casilda is in love with another man herself. With lots of songs, dances and general merriment along the way, this is a comic love story not to be missed.
Lucy Whitehead's Dead to be Iconic Portraiture exhibition 24nd - 29th The Lakeside Gallery @ The Custard Factory Free Admission
Lucie Whitehead, freelance illustrator and student, (currently studying Illustration at Birmingham City University,) is showcasing her first solo portraiture exhibition at the custard factory, Birmingham. Focusing on 50 A4 portraits which depicts stars who have died before their time, she explores the idea that to be the ultimate iconic celebrity, you have to die for the title.
26 | 16th - 22nd November 2012
@RedbrickSci&Tech
What's in the box?
Be sure to check out all our articles online throughout the week at:
Joshua Unsworth Writer
www.redbrick.me/tech
@Joshua_Unsworth
New app is the start of 22 experiments being released that will amaze, shock, delight and frustrate users
Peter Molyneux is a man known for his grand ideas. His sweeping statements about the industry, and which games should be 'in', have led to a unique position of being equally respected and mocked by the gaming community. The parody twitter account @ PeterMolydeux is a fine example of the latter. However, the times of Molyneux making statements and not acting on them is about to change. He has turned around and done what was least expected
Curiosity can be downloaded now from the App Store. 21 more experiments will be released in the future
STEM students, we need you! Claire Harris Writer
Thinking about postgraduate courses? Well you’re in luck as Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) students are in demand. With a falling trend in home students taking up postgraduate study in STEM subjects, scientists are warning that this could damage the economy. This summer, the House of Lords Science and Technology committee announced that immediate action must be taken to ensure that more students take up this area of study, both undergraduate and postgraduate. Worries abound that if the number of overseas students also declines like this, funding of these courses will plummet, leaving a low availability of these high quality STEM courses.
- he left his trademark home, Lionhead Studios, and created a new much smaller indie studio, 22 Cans. With this move came the promise to actually do something with the grand statements and ideas he had been putting forward for years, and it’s pretty damned exciting. 22 Cans’ first ‘experiment’ is the app Curiosity; the first of 22 experiments over the next couple of years that aim to explore, question and fascinate. These experiments will all take a different form and will culminate in a game using the findings of the smaller projects - certainly a novel development process. Curiosity is very simple. In the centre of a white room there is a giant box made up of millions of cubes, and anyone who downloads the app (free on the App Store) can then chisel away at the layers by tapping on these smaller cubes to make them disappear. Peeling back the layers will reveal more and more until a single player unearths the big secret; the idea being that progress is fuelled by a curiosity of what’s in the centre. Whatever their motivation, Curiosity hasn’t been short of users. In 24 hours 80million of the cubes had already been tapped, with 22 Cans having to work through the first night of release to ensure the app could cope with the strain of so many people using it. The nature of the app has led to it being a graffiti wall of sorts, with adverts, rude images and even a marriage proposal all being carved into the cube in the first 24 hours. Peter Molyneux has certainly succeeded here, he asked the world if it was curious - it answered with a resounding 'yes'.
Many students enrolled on a science-based course will consider taking Master’s courses, constantly bombarded as we are with Bachelor’s degrees apparently not being good enough anymore on the employability scale. Furthering your degree into a Master’s of Science can be a risky choice though, as the fee rise and lack of government funding means that students are finding it harder to pay the costs. Whilst undergraduate programmes are fully funded by student finance loan programmes, postgraduate study appears to be severely lacking in an equivalent. This leaves students with the option of funding themselves, applying to various over-subscribed grant/bursary programmes or trying for a bank loan. The recent rise in tuition fees has meant that some students have already been put off by the idea. Hopefully, this revelation will have some impact and create more opportunities for students in these fields. However, the question remains as to whether the government can do something about this drop in students before it’s too late.
www.redbrick.me/tech | 27
Top 5 Most Unusual Research Experiments
Claire Harris
54 32 1 Writer
We take a look at the more pointless end of the scientific field... and yes, these really did happen!
SpeechJammer
How do ponytails bounce?
Bored to death by that speech that goes on and on? Well, thanks to Kazutaka Kurihara and Koji Tsukada, you won’t have to suffer in silence. The Japanese pair invented technology that interrupts a person’s speech by repeating it a couple of hundred milliseconds slower. The idea being that the echo will annoy the speaker just enough to make them splutter and stop. Whilst originally created to identify if you are speaking too slowly or have ran out of time, this has got to be the most inventive way of heckling ever.
Girls, ever wondered about the physics behind flicking your hair? Yes, there is something to be said about swishing your ponytail, but it’s probably more physics-based than you might have imagined. Started by Joseph Keller in 2010, the research was continued this year and probed into the pendulum like motion of people’s hair, especially when jogging. The practical applications? Erm... pass.
Rats understanding languages?
Locusts go to the dark side
Since when were rats able to tell the difference between hearing normal speech, and speech in reverse? Well, apparently they can. In the spirit of fairness to the researchers, they were trying to make a link between mammals and human infants, with respect to evolutions of speech. The conclusion of this study is that rats are still puzzled by speech played backwards. However, I bet Pinky and the Brain would have managed it. Maybe they should retry with mice?
Clare Rind and Peter Simmons of Newcastle University created an experiment to measure the locusts’ collision-avoiding abilities. This involved letting them watch the most exciting parts of Star Wars whilst measuring their brain activity. The scenes selected featured objects on screen hurled at the audience and the duo hoped to get an answer on the insects’ responses. Let's hope there isn’t a plague of Darth Vader–inspired locusts out there then.
Leaning makes Eiffel Tower look smaller
Ah yes, my all time favourite for obvious reasons. This truly groundbreaking piece of research was undertaken by the trio Anita Eerland, Tulio M. Guadalupe, & Rolf A. Zwaan this very year. Looking into the effects of body posture on perception, this strangely titled paper proved that estimates on size were slightly smaller when you lean to the left. The leaning tower of Pisa has got to be next!
28 | 16th - 22nd November 2012 @RedbrickFood
Eat Korma and Curry On: Raphael Sheridan Reviews Dilshad Raphael Sheridan Editor
If market forces can permit Selly Oak to have so many curry-houses, then any student of economics will, I hope, tell you that Birmingham students like a curry. The trouble is committing to one of them, especially with the not insubstantial pressure of being in Birmingham (famous for its curry) for just three years. Being decisive, I’ve nailed my colours to the Dilshad’s mast. The restaurant is on Bristol Road, just opposite Aldi, and sits quietly amongst the general chaos of Selly Oak. I had heard good things about the Dilshad and, crucially, never stumbled across a horror story. Those who go come back satisfied. So, with two friends, we braved the rain one wet night, determined to finally have a meal that extended beyond pasta or beans-on-toast. You’ll find a surprisingly calm atmosphere inside, certainly if Selly Oak is anything to go by: plush chairs, nice silverware and a quiet, wellstocked bar in the corner. It’s a comprehensive menu too, but everything starts uncontroversially with pappadums; these ones served with onion relish, yoghurt and mint, and a chili sauce so delicious that it had disappeared completely within five minutes. Then we dived into some onion bhajee, perfectly cooked: crisp outside, soft inside and magnificently flavoured. It came with a pathia puree, a gently spiced sauce that, suffice to say, went down very well. The usual pale-yellow dead salad you find in other restaurants is instead replaced by a rather healthier looking offering something my friend picked up on straight away. Service top-notch (fast, and friendly), we moved on to the mains. I had a chicken balti pathia. Unlike the one I have back in Manchester, where rocket fuel is seemingly mixed in, this one is a perfect blend of spice and sweetness. Unsurprisingly when I asked, given that at least seventeen different spices had been incorporated by the five-strong kitchen. There’s tomato prominent, but also a gentle sweet spice. Crucially, there’s a lot of very good chicken: the cast iron balti dish it’s served in is almost full by the time the rice is added. There’s nothing worse than a Opening Hours: lukewarm curry, but everything we had came out Dilshad Restaurant Sunday-Thurs 5.30pm-1am piping - another big tick. My friend’s dupiaza 618-620 Bristol Road Friday-Saturday 5.30pm-3am went down a treat, a generous portion of soft 0121 472 5016 chicken, crunchy peppers, and onion thrown in for good measure with a cracking sauce. For those who like a hotter curry, I recommend their Madras. It pushes you, but stops short of transforming you into a sweat-covered, snotty mess. And, importantly, it actually tastes of something other than generic spice. The portions are thankfully quite large; if you can’t finish the meal then they offer doggy bags. The Dilshad also keep their doors open unbelievably late (until 3am on a Saturday). If, like me, you’re trying to commit to a Rooster’s free year, then this is a viable and more upmarket alternative. Leaving both content and very full, we reflected on what was a rare, pleasant experience to escape the rain, escape Selly Oak and have a well-priced tasty Indian. We’ll be back.
One-pot Vegetable Curry Ingredients: Method: 1 tbsp oil 1 onion, roughly chopped 1 large potato, chopped into small chunks 1 aubergine, chopped into chunks 250g button mushrooms 2-4 tbsp curry paste (depending on taste) 150ml vegetable stock 400 ml can coconut milk Chopped coriander, to serve
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and potato. Cover, then cook over a low heat for 5 minutes until the potatoes start to soften. 2. Throw in the aubergine and mushrooms, then cook for a few more minutes. 3. Stir in the curry paste, pour over the stock and coconut milk. 4. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes or until the potato is tender. 5. Stir through the coriander and serve with rice or naan bread.
Recipe from Good Food magazine, May 2006.
29| 16th - 22nd November 2012
Brum crush Coventry
@RedbrickSport
Men's Tennis
Birmingham 2nds Coventry 4ths
12 0
In their first cup game of the season, the Birmingham men’s tennis second team proved far too strong for Coventry’s fourth string side in a hugely one sided affair. The tennis squad has had a superb start to the BUCS season with the two men’s teams boasting an impressive record of six victories and one draw. The class on show at the Priory Club was clear evidence of a team at the top of its game. Coming off the back of a 12 – 0 victory over the same opposition in the BUCS League, the second team never looked in trouble, with George Symons wrapping up his singles match against Cameron Scott in blistering time with a comfortable 6 – 0, 6 – 0 scoreline and secure the home team’s first two points of the day. Shortly after, Stephen Harlow mirrored Symons’ scoreline against a clearly frustrated Gareth Davies to put Birmingham firmly in control at 4 – 0. The stand out match in the singles section of the tie was between
Tom Kelly Sport Reporter
@tom_tk_kelly
Birmingham’sAlex Davidson against Coventry’s Alex Price, however once again Birmingham came out on top with Davidson’s power from the baseline proving too much for Price to secure a 6 – 4, 6 – 2 victory. James Skinner secured victory for the hosts soon after with another straight-sets win over Nathan Taylor (6 – 1, 6 – 2) to move Birmingham into an unassailable 8 – 0 lead with the two doubles games still left to play. With Birmingham’s spot in the next round already secured, the squad looked to obtain what would be a hugely impressive fourth 12 – 0 scoreline in only their fifth match of the season. Symons and Skinner combined well to defeat Taylor and Scott in straight sets once again (6 – 3, 6 – 3) in a match which in all truth left the visitors with a slightly flattering scoreline considering Birmingham’s complete domination. In the final match of the day to be completed, Davidson lined up alongside Sam Travell who replaced
Harlow in the doubles side to face Price and Davies. Birmingham’s aim of securing a second consecutive 12 – 0 victory over the visitors never looked in doubt as they rushed into a 5 – 0 lead in the first set. Despite one break back for Coventry, the outcome of the set was never really in doubt and Davidson and Travell soon wrapped it up by six games to two. The second set appeared to lack the competitive bite as a defeated looking Coventry side once again fell to a straight-sets defeat eventually losing 6 – 4. It was an encouraging performance from the Birmingham side who truly showed themselves to be a class above their opponents. Club captain Alex Allen, who was present at the matches was satisfied with a solid start to what can hopefully be a long and successful cup run. The captain will be hoping that the second team avoids his first team, who enter the cup in the next round with the draw taking place later this week. Olivia Wilson
@OKWilson_
Birmingham move clear of competition with emphatic win Total points scored Mens Squash
Birmingham 2nds Oxford 1sts
165
15 0
The squash team are one of the most successful at the university and this season is no different, with the men’s seconds winning their first four matches. Coming up against a second-place Oxford side would provide their toughest test so far. In the opening match Peter Fozard defeated his opponent Alex Portz, after the opening two games saw both players go on long winning streaks. Having gone 3-1 down in the first game, Fozard raced into a 10-3 lead with his opponent struggling to deal with a series of shots which ended up at the back of the court.
Birmingham
Oxford
84
Joel Lamy Sport Reporter
@joel_lamy
What appeared to be a straightforward opening game was then made complicated by Portz racking up the next four points to make things tight before hitting the ball into the tin which sealed an 11-7 win for Fozard. This was then topped by the next game which saw the Birmingham man come from 7-1 down, after being well worked around the court, to winning nine points in a row and coming through 11-8. The final game was a more comfortable affair and having raced into a 9-2 lead, Fozard was able to triumph 11-4. Next up for the home side
was Harry Taylor who cruised through the opening game of his match, pushing on from 3-2 up to take a convincing 11-3 victory with his opponent Andrew Lindsay guilty of some unforced errors. Like in the first match, the Oxford man responded to the loss with a quick start in the next hitting three straight winners. However, after a few shared points the visitor again let his standards slip and a run of seven on the bounce helped secure an 11-6 win. The final game was won 11-4 to make it another point on the board for Birmingham. On a different court, fifth
seed Edward Tinwell had triumphed 11-5, 11-4, 11-6 against Oxford’s Tim Luetchford which meant that the hosts had already registered a comfortable victory and could now afford to relax. Next up, though, was James Ryan who went from 0-2 to 9-2 up with a series of deft drop shots and powerful hits, and was able to see out the first game despite a late rally which saw Oxford’s David Phillips close the gap to three points. The second game was won 11-5 thanks to a run of five straight points in the middle and the match was wrapped up with a 11-6 points win in the
third. Last up was top seed Rob Luke who continued the good work of his team-mates to defeat Yuan-How Sum 11-8, 11-6, 11-5 and make sure that no games were lost in the entire five matches. Birmingham seconds have won this division five seasons running - with promotion not allowed due to the firsts being just above them - and the BUCS Trophy for the past three. After a dominant performance which saw them move six points clear of their opponents, the double is once again looking likely.
30 | 16th - 22nd November 2012
Back from the brink Two years ago the very exisitence of rugby league at Birmingham was in doubt. But today the club is thriving once more. Will David Murray looks back on how the club managed to return to a position of strength.
On a long, melancholy bus journey home from an early first round exit in the 2010 cup, freshers Samuel Edgar and Matthew Bligh listened as the dull echoes from final years sitting around them questioned whether the rugby league club might even be around for the new season. Two years on in 2012, both the firsts and seconds of the University of Birmingham rugby league club sit confidently at the top of their respective BUCS tables. With the seconds undefeated and five wins from six, the club has undergone a huge transformation due to a new found ambition and professionalism both on and off the field. This transformation from a scrappy, lacklustre 'yard-dog' team of individuals, to a now more clinical and driven team. The tale of the self-christened Birmingham 'Bulls' is perhaps one of the more inspiring success stories in current University sport. Ex-player Matthew Shelton is one alumni to have experienced this change full on. Once a casualty to repressed memories of an 80-0 home defeat to Loughborough in 2009, Shelly is now assistant coach to the team that were able to exact revenge twice on their local rivals last year, once to the delight of a packed Bournbrook crowd. Yet success has not come easy. The club has been forced to build itself from the ground up. Sam Edgar is now first team captain, possessing the personality that really embodies the new found ambition and cool professionalism the club now possesses: 'When I first arrived the club was disorganised, lacking structure both on and off the field with a failing mentality. The club was relegated the previous season and had failed to recruit well the year before. Since then the club has turned around on the pitch with quality coaching from Russell 'Pinky' Parker, and new freshers, including talented players like Dan McLeod (Scottish International), Andrew Burton and Matthew Jagger. Off the field, Jimmy Martin's influence as club captain has really saved the clubs fortunes, as we now go into every week believing we can win.' This solid new foundation is certainly personified by the club captain Jimmy 'Grimble' Martin - the only member in the history of the club to be elected for an unprecedented second term. Since joining as a fresher, James has gone out of way to save what was deemed a somewhat heartbreaking club. Bringing them out of the depths, Jimmy's infamous 'Three Year Plan' has instilled selfbelief, respect, and most of all, success
into the Bulls, who move from strength to strength. On top of that, he's also scored five tries in his last two games. 'When I took my current position the club was really more of a drinking team than a rugby club. The progression over the last 12 months has been incredible – the plate win of 2010, although impressive, was the bottom competition we could take part in, but now in 2012 I think we all would be disappointed not to win both our leagues at least. With both firsts and seconds playing at a much higher level, this has allowed us to bring a 'success breeds success' attitude into the club from the bottom up. With selection extremely tight we are a rugby league team with purpose, not just 13 ex-union players out for a mess around on a Wednesday night.' Success does certainly breed success, and with a heroic cup run last season ending in heartbreak at Sheffield Hallam, the Bulls have continued to move forward. Building on strengths with a second successful recruitment drive and expanding squad, new fresher talents such as Tom Shepherd, Nathan Roberts, Nick Greenaway and 'Fresher Idol' champion Sevie Hurrell slot comfortably into first and second team ranks. New numbers has brought alongside it a new ethos, with healthy ambition for places in both teams. For Pinky and Shelly this substantial difference has been noticed in the 2nd team, where long gone are the days of roping in rowers, footballers and swimmers to fill up the numbers on a Wednesday. Today places in the second team squad are increasingly hard to come by, with the team sitting at the top of the table with a 100 per cent record. Compared with bygone times, second team selection is now an honour rather than a joke, with an increasing flux of players moving between teams each week. Whilst joking with Grimble earlier that he didn't want things to get too technical in his interview, this quiet confidence really sets the tone for the rest of the season. It could just be the start of something special this year. Far flung from that bus journey a few years ago, Birmingham rugby league is certainly still around, and striving for further success. The rugby league club train on a Monday night 8–10pm and Friday 6–7pm, and are always welcoming new players.
Charlotte Wilson
@wilsonscribbles
Continued from back page Golf
Birmingham 1sts
5.5
Loughborough 1sts
0.5 Will Siddons
Second year Scott Bailey then ensured victory for Birmingham with a convincing three and two victory thanks to a birdie at the 16th hole. With victories also for Matt Fieldsend (1 up) and fresher Sean Maisey (two and one), it meant Birmingham wrapped up a comprehensive victory. This gives the boys title hopes a massive boost, as well as a morale boost going into the upcoming games before the Christmas break.
@WSiddons
The Birmingham second team also recorded an impressive 5.5-0.5 victory against Nottingham Trent with fresher Nathan Gilpin winning seven up with five to play in the stand out match. The third team secured a 3-3 draw against Lincoln firsts, with Sam Townend earning a crucial point in this match to ensure a draw, thanks largely to an eagle two at the 16th hole.
31 | 16th -22nd November 2012
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Page 31 Sports Shorts
Tweet of the Week
Online this week @StuartBroad8
Heroes... Javier Hernandez Chicharito was brought off the bench at halftime to face Aston Villa with his team 1-0 down. Two goals and an assist later, Manchester United ran out 3-2 winners at Villa Park. That is the stuff champions are made of.
After the Sunday Times Sports Woman of the Year, Ross Highfield looks at how an amazing 2012 has changed our perceptions of women's sport. Tuesday Debate With stirrings coming out of golf's governing bodies that the belly putter is about to be banned, Matt Clark and Ashley Hirschberger debate whether this controversial club has a place in the game.
Weekend Wager
6/4
Novak Djokovic The Serb came back from a break down to beat Roger Federer in straight sets at the season ending ATP tour finals in London. Djokovic has backed up his 2011 break out season with a stellar 2012 and ends the season as world number one.
Women in sport
'28 years since an England team has won a series out here in India. I was two and a bit. Amazing challenge ahead. Lets see what we can do!'
With QPR yet to win a Premier League game this season despite having an impressive squad on paper, the pressure on manager Mark Hughes is mounting. Anything but a win this weekend against fellow strugglers Southampton would surely seal his fate as first manager to be sacked this season.
Autumn Internationals Rugby took centre stage in the sporting calendar last weekend. Ellie Jones looks back on differing weekends for the home nations.
Redbrick Sport Quiz 1. Who has scored the most test runs so far in 2012?
Signings of the season
3. Which club does Didier Drogba play for?
11 games into the Premier League season, David Morris looks at which new signings have made immediate impacts.
4. How many teams have played in the Premier League? 5. Who is currently top of the Aviva Premiership?
1.Michael Clarke 2. Matteo Manessero 3. Shanghai Shenhua 4. 45 5. Harlequins
This week's prize is a ÂŁ5 Waterstones Gift Voucher
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Men's Badminton 1sts 1-7 Leeds Met 1sts Women's Badminton 1sts 1-7 Leeds Met 1sts Women's Football 1sts 8-0 Nottingham 1sts Men's Hockey 1sts 4-5 Nottingham 1sts Women's Hockey 1sts 4-2 Nottingham 1sts Lacrosse Men's 1sts 17-7 Keele 1sts Lacrosse Women's 1sts 14-4 Newcastle 1sts Netball 1sts 46-33 Hartfordshire 1sts Rugby League 1sts 58-4 Coventry 1sts Fixtures - 21st November Men's Football 1sts v Warwick 1sts Munrow Track, 7pm
1. Cylindrical container for storing liquids (4) 2. Alcoholic drink made from apples or pears (5) 5. One of her Majesty's forces (4) 7. The nut of the oak (5) 8. President of the Guild of Students 9. Cricketing term (3) 11. Severe weather condition where snow or sand storms reduce visibility (8) 13. Walkway between pews (5) 15. Absent without leave (4) 17. Winter White flower (8) 18. Club and ball Sport originating in Scotland (4) 20. Unit of light (5) 21. Indolent (4) 22. Transverse thread in a cloth (4)
Antonia Morris Crossword Editor
Down
1. Requirement to be home before a certain time (6) 2. Archaic term for colour now known as aqua (4) 3. Double - act (3) 4. Skin side of bacon (4) 5. Bracelet for the foot (6) 6. Plain woven cotton textile (6) 10. French cafe (6) 12. formerly Formosa (6) 14. Send goods to a market overseas (6) 15. Celestial intermediary (5) 16. Not your friend (5) 19. Between take off and landing (3)
...and villains Adam Thomson The New Zealand flanker has been cited for stamping on Alasdair Strokosh's head during Saturday's international. It's about time the authorities 'stamped' this behaviour out of the game. Frankie Dettori The jockey failed a drugs test at Longchamps and regardless of the outcome of his hearing, it still provides unwelcome publicity for the sport, particularly following Kieren Fallon's legnthly ban for a similar offence.
Women's Hockey 2nds v Nottingham 2nds Bournbrook, 2.15pm Rugby League 1sts v Northampton 1sts Metchley Pitches, 2pm
2. Who is the youngest golfer to win three European Tour events?
The Redbrick Crossword
Results - 14th November
Men's Rugby 1sts v Nottingham Trent 1sts Bournbrook, 3pm
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Men's Tennis 1sts v Nottingham 2nds Priory Tennis Club, 12pm
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Men's Basketball 2nds v Oxford 2nds Munrow Sports Hall, 2pm
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32 | 16th - 22nd November 2012
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Rugby League report
Racquet sport special
Redbrick Sport caught up with the rugby league club to see how they have progressed in the last two years
p30
Both the tennis and squash teams had crucial games in their quest for BUCS glory
p28-29
RedbrickSport Brum birdies beat Loughbrough Tom Jessamine Sport Reporter
The University of Birmingham first team recorded their maiden victory of the season with a hugely impressive 5.5 - 0.5 victory over local rivals Loughborough at Edgbaston Golf Club. After a disappointing start to the season as defending champions, the team were looking to return to winning ways against Loughborough, who in previous years always provide strong opposition. Out first was captain Tom Jessamine, who continued his good form to record a solid three and one victory, in a round which included seven birdies. Second out for Brum was debutant Ben Yeomans, who played some superb golf and was only denied a victory when his opponent sank a 20ft birdie putt at 18, to ensure the game was halved. Harry Chapple, continued his fine run of form, and was always too strong for his opponent in recording a two and one win to give the home side a 1.5 point cushion. George Evans
Continued on Page 30
@Georgeevanss
Men's Football
Birmingham 1sts
2
Worcester 1sts
2
(Worcester won 5-3 on penalties)
David Morris Sport Reporter
Birmingham men's firsts tasted defeat for the first time this season as they were knocked out the BUCS Mars Trophy by Worcester in an excellent game. There was nothing to separate the two sides after 120 minutes of football and with the score locked at 2-2, the away side triumphed 5-3 on penalties to progress into the last 16 of the competition. After a slow start in which the sides tried to feel each other out, the home side took the lead through a sensational strike. With the ball looping away from a clearance, Sam
Penalty woes for Brum Youngs hit a sweet half volley from outside the penalty area which sailed over Charles Steward in the Worcester goal and into the net. Clearly buoyed by his excellent goal, Youngs tested the keeper again a minute later, squeezing in a shot that was turned round the post. Birmingham continued to dominate the first half with Thomas looking particularly threatening with his direct running, while Worcester struggled to assert themselves upon the game. After half time though it was a different story. Having been blunted by a composed and solid Brum defence throughout the first half, the visitors began to create opportunities. After 53 minutes Charlie Connor produced an acrobatic clearance off the line to deny Worcester a goal from a set piece. But just two minutes later the equal-
iser did come. A quick breakaway saw Jack Skinner slot home into an empty net, after Brum's John Piggot had saved from Dan Polan. Polan was not to be denied a deserved goal for too long though, scoring ten minutes later to give the away side a 2-1 lead. Birmingham were now struggling to create chances despite the determined efforts of Youngs and Sam Stretton, with the visitors dictating the play in midfield. With ten minutes remaining though, the home side began to form openings, with captain Will Coles heading over from a corner. There was a sense that one more chance would arrive and when it did it was duly taken by Neil Grant after yet more terrific play by Thomas on the left wing, beating his man and slotting across for the midfielder to finish. This brought about extra time with the pace of the game predictably
slowing. Despite this, Birmingham looked the most likely to score a winner, with Youngs putting a free-kick over the bar towards the end. Penalties began to look more likely and when they arrived, the hosts were left to rue not making use of their extra time dominance. Will Richards missed Birmingham's second penalty which proved decisive, as Worcester scored all five of theirs. The scorer of the winning penalty, Carl Rogers, reflected afterwards on a very close game, praising both sides: 'Birmingham played well and had more possession, but we dug in well in a good spirited game'. The centre backs' words were very accurate in illustrating a game that was well fought, and ultimately decided by the lottery of penalties.