Redbrick. Est 1936
Deborah Hermanns Reporter
Zahra Damji News Editor
@zahra_damji
Print. Digital. Mobile.
8th - 14th February 2013 Vol. 77. Issue 1425. www.redbrick.me
City Protest. Redbrick reports from the Communities against the Cuts protest in the Birmingham city centre
The overall atmosphere of the protest was positive, with it being supported not only by participants but also by Birmingham residents walking by.
'If the council had the guts, they would lead this massive opposition.'
On Monday 5th February a Communities Against the Cuts protest and an additional occupation took place in Birmingham City centre. The protest was a private meeting of the Birmingham Labour group about the planned £625m cuts in Birmingham´s public sector. The protest started at the Bullring where around 100 participants marched to Birmingham City Council building shouting ‘Cut back, Fight back’ and ‘Albert Bore, know the score, we won't take it anymore’. Banners and posters were mainly directed at the Labour Party councillors with messages including: ‘Vote against the Tory cuts!’, ‘Blame the Bankers, not the Disabled’ and ‘Don't do the Tories’ dirty work’. As well a Twitter campaign under the hashtag #savebirmingham, protesters published an online statement explaining that 'We are taking this action because the current system cannot go on. It is undemocratic and unfair. We need alternatives and are calling on the city to join with us and to seek another path.' Among them were dozens of students and staff from the Uni-
Member of Socialist Worker Group Bridget Porsens
George Keller, a Birminghamsafely at 6pm after attempts by the Council to remove them. The overall atmosphere of the protest was positive, with it being supported not only by participants but also by Birmingham residents walking by. George Keller, a Birmingham resident, spoke on the protest saying: ‘Yes, the cuts will affect me and I am very glad people are protesting against them on my behalf.’ Among the protesters was Bridget Porsens, a member of the Socialist Worker Group. She said, ‘massive opposition could still force them to take the cuts back. If the council had the guts, they would lead this massive opposition.’ Porsens referred to the Poplar Rates Rebellion in 1921, when Labour party members stood against measures taken by London City Council, and said that a similar event is needed in Birmingham.
'We have to try to get this Labour goverment to stop doing the dirty work of the national government.'
'Albert Bore, know the score, we won't take it anymore.' A banner at the protest referring to the Labour Council Leader
versity of Birmingham. The protest was accompanied by the occupation of the balcony of Birmingham City Council by about 20 protesters, mainly past and present students from the University of Birmingham. After a round of speeches, including one from former Vice President of Education, Edd Bauer, the protest dispersed safely at 6pm after attempts by the Council to remove them.
Social worker Paul McCormick
She was not the only one who expressed her anger about the Labour group. A lot of protesters felt betrayed by their own local Labour government, such as social worker Paul McCormick, who said, ‘We have to try to get this Labour government to stop doing the dirty work of the national government. Photography by Katrin Busch
@kabulein
This story is continued on page 4.
Freedom from Torture. Alice Grimes tells the true story of a Kenyan torture survivor // Comment p 6-7
Louise Warren
2 | 8th - 14th February 2013
Thomas Stowell-Smith
@RedbrickNews
@t_stowellsmith AFRICA
TECHNOLOGY
Woman jailed after alleging rape in Somalia
Federal Reserve confi rms hack attack
A woman has been jailed in Somalia for accusing security forces of rape. A journalist who interviewed the victim also received a prison sentence. The judge who sentenced her claimed the punishment was for 'offending state institutions'.
TELEVISION
Buff y actor Robin Sachs dies aged 61 NATIONAL
BIRMINGHAM
Car park skeleton confi rmed as Richard III
Bullring balcony jumper dies in hospital A 49-year-old man died in hospital after his parents decided to switch off his life support machine this week. Anthony Hollis, a long term sufferer of autism and epilepsy, had jumped 60 feet from a third tier balcony in the Birmingham shopping centre.
STORY OF THE WEEK
MPs vote in favour of equal marriage Same-sex marriages were given Parliament's backing earlier this week in a Commons vote, despite nearly half of Conservative MPs opposing the bill. David Cameron described it as 'an important step forward' in equalising society.
UNITED STATES
CRIME
American sniper and ex-Navy seal shot dead
Hit-and-run victim dies in Birmingham
The man dubbed ‘America's deadliest sniper’ has been found shot dead on a shooting range in Texas. The author and ex-Navy seal Chris Kyle had previously served on four occassions in Iraq. Fellow war veteran Eddie Routh has been charged with his murder.
A father of four has died from serious head injuries after suffering a hit-and-run style attack. Steven Chappell, aged 49, was hit on Green Road, near Adderley Park station by a Nissan Micra. Police are still looking for the drivers.
NATURAL DISASTER
Five dead after tsunami hits Solomon Islands
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VC's salary still highest in West Midlands
www.redbrick.me/news | 3
Sofia Karttunen Reporter
@Zophy92
An investigation into the salaries of local university leaders shows that the role of Vice-Chancellor at the University of Birmingham continues to be one of the largest paying in the area despite a salary cut. The Birmingham Post report revealed that University of Birmingham ViceChancellor David Eastwood’s salary was reduced by £13,000 last year. The sum represents a three per cent decrease from £419,000 to £406,000. The report shows that other ViceChancellors’ salaries in the area have experienced a slight growth or have stayed the same. The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Warwick, Nigel Thrift, was reported to have earned £316,000 in the academic yearof 2011/2012, representing a £42,000 increase in salary and benefits compared to the previous year. Professor Tidmarsh’s salary at Birmingham City University was also in-
creased by £25,000 to reach a total of £258,035. The annual salary of Professor Julia King, Vice-Chancellor at Aston University, remained the same at £272,000. Director General of the Russell Group of universities, Dr Wendy Piatt, said, ‘Our Vice-Chancellors and other senior staff lead complex multi-million pound organisations that succeed on a global stage’. She added, ‘Russell Group institutions contribute tens of billions of pounds to the UK economy. First-rate leadership and academic talent are crucial if our universities are to continue to excel in a challenging economic climate.’ The President of the Guild of Students, David Franklin, said it was ‘encouraging’ to see the Vice-Chancellor’s salary reduced while calling on the University to ‘seriously look at the positive implications of reducing higher managerial pay and reinvesting elsewhere on campus, in those places that need additional funding right now’.
Over £500,000 (2%)
Poll
Under £100,000 (2%) £100,000-£200,000
£406,000 can also buy...
7at £57,505 Jaguar XJ Ls 111 years rent in each a Selly Oak house at £70 per week
188,837 small cups of caff e latte at £2.15 each
15than times more the UK 45 tuition fees at £9,000
average wage at £26,500
each
£200,001-£300,000
Redbrick asked students on it's Facebook page to answer the question, 'How much do you think the Vice Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, David Eastwood, receives as a salary?
11% 11% 52%
£300,001-£400,000
22%
62 students voted £400,001-£500,000
1234 16GB iPad 2s at £329 each
101,500 Fab tickets at £4 each
VPE calls for students to support strike
Ashley Kirk Reporter
@AshleyKirk92
A ballot has been called by the Birmingham branch of the University and College Union on whether to stage a series of strikes set to begin towards the end of February. The Union, which has 1000 members from Birmingham, is objecting against the threatened redundancy of twenty eight of its members. In a post on his official blog, VicePresident of Education, Simon Furse, wrote an open letter encouraging students to persuade staff to vote in favour of UCU’s ballot for strike action. A flier distributed to students stated ‘support of a strike, and the disruption it will cause, is not a decision we take
lightly. However in the context of what the management are doing at this university we believe that it is necessary.’ The flier claims that ‘the University’s staff-student ratio is 21st out of 24 in the Russell Group and 249th internationally.’ It goes on to say, ‘The restructuring that has taken place this year in the IAA and Sociology is not the first to happen at the University of Birmingham and unless we organize effectively it will not be the last. ‘Senior university management conduct themselves in a way that completely ignores any staff or student opinion. They treat us as cogs in their machine rather than the people who do the real
work that keeps the university going.’ A statement from the university expressed conserns about the strike, saying 'The University prioritises the teaching of our students and is concerned that Birmingham UCU has decided that the proposed strike action would target teaching. It could damage the experience of our current students and adversely affect the choices of prospective students considering studying here in the future. The University has been meeting regularly and frequently with BUCU during the whole of the academic year. We have consistently worked both with the academics affected and with the Union to avoid compulsory redundancies and hope that they can be avoided. In light
of this, the university remains surprised that an unneccessary strike ballot is being held.'
'Being in support of a strike and the disruption it will cause, is not a decision we take lightly. However in the context of what the management are doing at this university we believe that it is necessary.' VPE Simon Furse (official blog)
Coin toss elects new Guild Council chair Patrick McGhee News Editor
@patricksmcg
Julian Bryant has been elected as the new Chair of Guild Council following a coin toss. An election for the position initially returned a tied result between Bryant and Bethan Dovey, women's open-place Guild Councillor. Bryant was second to Dovey for three rounds before tying with her in the fourth round. A coin toss determined that Bryant would become the new Chair. Frankie Greenwell was knocked out in the third round and former Vice-President for Housing and Community Zuki Ma-
juqwana was knocked out in the second round. The Re-Open Nominations option received no votes. Another election for the position of Deputy Chair is due to take place at the next Guild Council on 21st February. Julian Bryant has held the position of Acting Chair since his predecessor Johnny Dolan stepped down in December last year. In his resignation speech, Dolan said that, ‘over my time as chair of Guild Council I have always tried to do my best’ and that 'I was always as flexible
as I could be’. Dolan also argued that change was needed with Guild Council, especially with regard to transparency and the role of the Trustee Board in their specific decision making processes. Dolan added that he had been ‘berated’ and ‘mocked’ by individuals within Guild Council, and that this had influenced his ultimate decision to resign from the position. Johnny Dolan had been the Chair of Guild Council for one year, and had been heavily involved in work associated with the Council.
Bethan Julian Dovey Bryant Round 1 25
20
Round 2 25
20
Round 3 28 22 Round 4 31 31 Round 5 Coin Toss Charlotte Wilson
@wilsonscribbles
4 | 8th -14th February 2013
City. Birmingham students take part in city centre protest Freddie Herzog
@fredherz
Continued from page 1 However, for most participants the protest was more than just a complaint about the local Labour government. According to Birmingham student and Non-Sabbatical officer Sean Farmelo, as Birmingham City Council is the largest local authority in Europe, ‘action taken against the austerity cuts in Birmingham would send a signal to the whole country’. On a flyer given out at the protest, Community against the cuts argued that austerity cuts were not the solution to Birmingham´s financial problems, as they would ‘put our city’s economy into recession and
tear
away
the
last
ves- tiges of the welfare state’. As an alternative, Farmelo suggested that ‘the Council
'We have been open and honest about the difficult budget decisions we are facing, but the challenge is much worse than we feared and the spending reductions we face were made in London not in Birmingham' Birmingham City Council
should make a deficit budget, close tax loopholes and raise taxes for the rich’. Although satisfied with the outcome of the occupation, some protesters were disappointed about the turnout, which had been higher at previous meetings of Communities against the cuts. Protester Paul McCormick told Redbrick, ‘I was expecting more people, but the problem is that people are getting fed up with the topic and don´t understand the extent to which the cuts will affect them’. However for the majority of those in attendance, the protest on Monday was only seen as a step of a wider campaign. Student and occupier, Elio di Muccio, stated, ‘With the occupation we mainly had one goal: to achieve awareness of the problem in the public. We wanted to
give the community confidence to fight the cuts.’ A Birmingham City Council spokesperson addressed the protesters saying, ‘Hopefully, we have given you opportunity to voice your opinions and ask questions of the cabinet through a series of public meetings and via social media. ‘We have been open and honest about the difficult budget decisions we are facing, but the challenge is much worse than we feared and the spending reductions we face were made in London not in Birmingham.’ The next protest, a day of action, is planned for the 26th February, when a final decision about the first round of cuts of £110m will be made through the full council.
Tolkien Tower sold for £1 Simon Furse defeatJasmine Northover Reporter
Perrot’s Folly, the Edgbaston tower believed to have given JRR Tolkien his inspiration for The Lord of the Rings, has been bought by a charity for just £1. The author is thought to have modelled the two towers in his novels on Perrot’s Folly and the Edgbaston water tower which he would have passed every day on his walk to school. ‘Trident Research The People’, a charity for the homeless, bought the famous tower and have now launched a £1 million fundraising campaign for its renovations. The Charity wishes for this historical grade II listed building to be open to the public as an arts centre and exhibition venue. Ben Bradley, from the charity, said: ‘What we are talking about and working towards i s having this open as a seven-daya-week attraction for Birmingham.’ The Tower, first built in Anna Kirk 1758 is ex@annatidykirk
tremely old and needs a lot of work before it can be open full-time to the public. A renovation plan has been proposed to reinstate the first floor, which no longer exists, and renovate the tower’s adorned rooms to make the building structurally safe. Bradley further comments that ‘In high winds it does shake a bit, but our quantity surveyors have assured us it is structurally safe and won’t fall down – for now. But they have said if work isn’t done soon it will start to crumble.’ The charity plans to earn money for the tower’s renovations with such fundraisers as ‘sponsor-a-brick’. As well as restoring it, Trident wishes to add an extra building to the front of the tower. It would feature a café and small community centre for hosting exhibition tours, social events and a place for the homeless. The top floor of the tower will be reserved for exhibition space, while the rest of the building will host various workshops and visiting exhibitions. Further proposals by the charity include turning the land around Perrot’s Folly into a cinema and more gallery space. The Tower lies in Edgbaston, overlooking the reservoir. It has stood empty for more than 30 years but the tower was once used as a weather observation tower after the death of its owner, who built the building in the centre of a magnificent medieval hunting park in 1758. The tower was later owned by the University of Birmingham for storage space until 1979. Tolkien’s Tower is still open to the public for the next 12 -18 months, until its closure for the renovations.
ed in NUS by-election for second time
Zahra Damji News Editor
@zahra_damji
Results of the reopened NUS delegate by-election show Matt Syfret as the winner, defeating Vice President of Education, Simon Furse. The position had to be reopened after RON (Re-Open Nominations) received more final votes than three of the candidates in running for the eight available delegate positions at the the end of last term. However, as per NUS rules, only one of the positions was reopened to find a candidate in RON’s place. The results showed Syfret
beat Furse by 60 votes. Syfret, who is also the Departmental Miniforum Guild Councillor, had promised to address unrepresentativeness of the general student body so the NUS could ‘function as a fully backed student movement’.
Matt Syfret: 195 votes
Simon Furse: 80 votes RON: 3 votes
www.redbrick.me/news | 5
Doctors outline Malala's treatment
Anna Kirk @annatidykirk
Birmingham.
Malala Yousafzai, the 15 yr old schoolgirl activist, was being treated at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. She was injured after an attack as she returned home from school in which she was shot in the head by the Taliban because she supported education for girls. Doctors have now revealed how they are going to repair a missing piece of Malala’s skull through two procedures planned on being carried out next week. The first of these will involve inserting a titanium plate to replace the missing part of her skull to offer protection to her brain. Doctors in Pakistan have placed the
Aston student killed Round on Hagley Rd crash Aofie O'Connor Reporter
Chloe Adkins, a third year Computing and Business student at Aston University, has passed away after being hit by a car on Hagley Rd at around 15:00 last Friday. She was knocked down by a silver Mercedes while walking near the Plough and Harrow Pub. The road was closed off for several hours after the collision. She was taken to hospital where she passed away on Saturday afternoon. A 56 year old man was also involved in the collision, but escaped with minor injuries. Among other tributes, a statement was released by her family which said that ‘She was a beautiful person both inside and out. Chloe loved scrapbooking and
baking and enjoyed making things for the house she shared with her boyfriend and two friends. She touched so many lives with kind words and support and had a close circle of friends who loved her and who will miss her dearly. Chloe had registered as an organ donor and we can only hope that her passing is of benefit to others. It’s what she would have wanted. Nothing can fill the void she leaves in all our lives. We love and miss her so much’ The event is still under investigation by the police and officers have appealed for witnesses to come forward with any information they may have.
missing part of Malala’s skull inside her abdomen in order to keep the damaged bone alive. However, they are choosing to use a metal plate to repair her skull instead of the bone due to fears the bone may have shrunk. The second procedure will involve inserting a small electronic device that provides a sense of sound for the deaf, as the shooting left her eardrum and bones destroyed when she was shot at point blank range. Each procedure should take up to ninety minutes, and her full recovery between 15 to 18 months.
Up
@Aoife2705
Louise Warren
6 | 8th - 14th February 2013
@RedbrickComment
Freedom From Torture: Esther's Story
Redbrick Commentator and University of Birmingham Freedom From Torture Chair Alice Grimes tells the true story of Kenyan torture survivor, Esther. This is a firsthand account of a torture case. A current client of the Birmingham branch of the charity, Esther, agreed to be interviewed and although we spoke for nearly three hours, this account is a simplified version of her complete story. In writing this, I hope I can do Esther the justice of conveying to a student audience the sequence of events which irrevocably altered her life. Apart from Esther’s, all names have been removed. Currently operating in Kenya is a banned religious organisation whose influence in the country reached its peak during the 2007-8 Kenyan election crisis. Their aim is to break away from Western culture, particularly the integration of Christianity which has permeated Kenya, and instead to return to Africa’s spiritual roots renowned for their blood oaths, animal rituals and slaughters, where desertion is punishable by death. They grew in influence by offering help to inhabitants of the notorious Nairobi slums; hope against the backdrop of a crumbling government, whilst simultaneously instilling fear through extreme violence which include bodily mutilations and murder, openly leaving the dead as a warning. This group became interested in Esther because of her active role as a youth leader in Nairobi’s Christian church, where she was involved in helping aspiring artists, musicians and charitable causes. She was influential among the city’s young people and the group were seeking to employ more
children to fight their cause. In 2006 when Esther was studying, she led a typical student life until one day without warning the college removed her from classes. With no explanation, she attempted to enrol elsewhere in the city but was rejected without explanation. Although she managed to take a Canadian course at an affiliate college in Kenya the group, who were responsible for cutting off her education, approached her father forcing him into selling Esther to one of their families. They gave her three months to agree or she would be killed, yet he never spoke of the ‘deal’ to her – she found out from others in her community; to this day she still doesn’t know why her father never told her. With her mother in England, one of her brothers abroad and the other actually enrolled in the gang – and therefore unable to help her - Esther left home and began living with friends from church in various parts of the city, waiting for the gang to track her before moving on. However, the group began killing those who helped her and she could no longer rely on friends for safety. She found a place to live whilst the situation calmed and answered an advertisement for women who were interested in promoting Christianity locally through the media. She received a response and agreed to meet the organiser in the city. He didn’t show; she was instead approached by a man notorious in Rwanda for his role in the genocide, who attempted to persuade her to
renounce her faith and join him in his political schemes. Because it was a public place, she was able to walk away from the encounter but knew she was in serious danger. She went to the U.S and UN offices in Kenya when the UK denied her a visa. They told her she needed to try and escape Nairobi but she was captured shortly afterwards. She was wanted by several groups operating in the city but it was the first organisation who managed to secure her. She was asked to join them and when she refused, was violently beaten. She was then raped by men who she was told were HIV positive. They decided she was still of ‘value’ to them; she was given an apartment in an area occupied by the gang in Nairobi and was kept there as a sexslave for a year. She was told she would contract AIDS, work as a prostitute and become an alcoholic but that she wouldn’t see the next Kenyan election (2013). She lived alone and had the freedom to leave the apartment but knew she had to comply with the group’s demands. Everyday, HIV positive men were brought to the apartment to rape her. She went to the local hospital and using her savings bought a year’s supply of the HIV prevention drug Truvada, designed to be taken within 72 hours of intercourse and over a period of 28 days. She took these multiple times a day for a year and the side effects made her feel like she was living with malaria; miraculously she later tested negative for the infection. Attempting to
keep herself sane, she would listen to gospel music throughout the night, infuriating her captors when she would greet them relaxed and smiling. One afternoon, she received a visa from the UK. She rang her brother who, despite facing death for disobeying, drove her to the airport where she boarded the first plane she could. She enrolled at university just three days later. Common with torture survivors is disassociation disorder, a form of split personality, which meant she was able to mentally block her experience in Nairobi. It wasn’t until a year later, when she found out her brother had suffered two ‘accidents’ in the same week, that post-traumatic stress was triggered. After this, she entered a downward spiral of depression, drank heavily, missed lectures and was suicidal. The university counsellor referred her to her GP and together they found Freedom from Torture. She was forced to suspend her studies temporarily and focus on her mental health. Unable to speak, she lost her memory and couldn’t write or spell – common symptoms found in torture survivors. Working with the charity she managed to bring her two personalities together
and come to terms with her ordeal, allowing her mind to rest after suppressing her memories for a year. Today she loves to write and has joined a course called 'Writer’s Bureau' and hopes to publish a book about her experience. Telling me her story, she wanted to emphasise how little help there is for people - few manage to escape or make it to the charity. Channels need to be opened to allow those who are vulnerable overseas to seek refuge. She hopes to follow in the footsteps of her friend Emmanuel Jal, a former child soldier, and take an active role in working towards social justice and raising awareness. People here have a much bigger voice than most of those exposed to danger; we should listen to Esther’s story and act before it is too late.
www.redbrick.me/comment | 7
UoB Get Involved 'We should listen to Esther's story and act before it is too late.' @FreefromTorture
Join the Group to hear about meeting times and events: University of Birmingham Freedom from Torture Society Freedom From Torture, formerly the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, has been working for 28 years to assist, protect and promote the rights of torture survivors who arrive in the UK. Since its inception, over 50,000 individuals have been referred for help. Thanks to the dedication of staff and volunteers – as well as scores of passionate supporters and funders – thousands of torture survivors have been able to rebuild their lives in incredibly difficult circumstances.
8 | 8th - 14th February 2013
Redbrick commentator Alicea Francis re-examines Valentine's Day
I know what some of you are thinking. 'Here we go again, another feminist rant about Valentine's Day, regurgitating the same old "commercialised crap", "waste of money", "day to patronise single women" arguments. Someone give the poor girl a shag'. Well, I'm going to go out on an unshaven limb and surprise you all. Lets face it, V-Day is going nowhere. Retailers will persist in clogging up our newsfeeds with pictures of coy-looking women with gifts boxes the size of their poorly concealed egos, because love actually does sell. So if we can't get rid of it, how about we use it as a day to celebrate how far we've come in relationship equality and to raise awareness of some of the issues still surrounding that age-old topic, lurve. Valentine's Day hasn't always been about fluffy hearts and dodgy dinner dates. Let's go back to about 1500 years BC (Before Clintons) to the origins of the celebration. While there is debate as to who Saint Valentine actually was, the general concensus is that he was a Roman priest who was executed for marrying Christian couples, who were at that time being persecuted by the Emperor. Now fast-forward a couple of millenia. No one's throwing Christians to the lions anymore. But we are still fighting discrimination, whether it be founded in religion, race, gender or sexuality. And we've made progress! We've moved on from the time when Chaucer first associated Valentine's Day with courtly love, and it is no longer restricted by the binary oppositions of knights in shining armour and damsels in distress. Instead, women are asking men out, men are using culinary skills to impress, and in restaurants everywhere, couples are splitting the bill. Gay couples have even more reason to celebrate this Valentine's. Tuesday's political breakthrough means that gay marriage will now be made legal in England and Wales, after a parliamentary vote passed the bill with a majority of 400 to 175. While this by no means signals the end of the fight for LGBT equality (as evident from the fact that less that half of the PM's own party were in favour of the bill), it does show, as Stephen Fry put it, a 'slow but glorious' step in the right direction. And then of course there's the singletons, historically considered the victims of Valentine's Day, or as it has become better known, "Singles Awareness Day". But if feminism has taught us one thing, it's independence. Women and men should not feel that they need a partner to define or validate themselves. We are lucky enough to be part of a generation where being single and independent is praised and even desirable, so rather than spending the day wallowing in self-pity, the Valentine's of the 21st century should be an occasion to celebrate that fact. Feminism is not anti-flowers or anti-teddy bears. It is not anti-PDAs. It's not even anti-sexy underwear. What feminism is about is equality. And I don't think we could ask for a better Valentine's Day gift than that.
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Consumer power. Use it. Food Editor Jemima Lovatt looks at the influence of modern consumer culture
hen you make a purchase, you make a choice. In that moment you, as the consumer, have a huge amount of power. En masse, shoppers decide whether a business stays or sinks, it is arguably the largest, unorganised, unofficial power ever to exist. With great power, however, comes great responsibility. Consumers have more or less destroyed commercial chicken farming with many of the cheapest ranges in supermarkets now adhering to free-range requirements. At the same time concepts such as Fairtrade and the Rainforest Alliance have soared to success through the choices we make with just a few pennies every day. However, what is the reality behind a company’s “business ethics”? Just as our moment of power and responsibility is perfunctory, so is our understanding of the long term impact of business ethics. How much do we really know about the value of ethics within a company, or is it just another sales slogan that will be left by the wayside the moment it’s out of vogue? Worse still, some companies set out to claim extortionate margins based on exploiting ethical claims. In the modern world philanthropy is nearly always second to the business’s own aims. However, as Deborah Cadbury discussed in her talk ‘Chocolate and the Quaker
W
capitalists: Britain’s lost heritage’ this has not always been the case. Quakers lived according to very strict rules which did not permit them to join the army or pursue a number of career options, which left only the Church, academic study, and business as future paths. These entrepreneurs selected business as a result of devout faith and so when it came to setting up shop, it was crucial to them for their businesses to have a positive impact beyond the bounds of the enterprise itself. Unlike today’s model, personal gain could not be the only impact of an enterprise. This belief system inspired great success which is still evident today. Banks such as Lloyds and Barclays, high street staples such as Clarks and John Lewis, and of course, products like Cadbury, all have their routes in Quakerism. At its inception, the owners of Cadbury were just one of a tiny proportion of Quakers in Britain. The consumer bought into this concept, not because they too were Quakers, but because they agreed with the ethics Cadbury promoted. The ethics of a business should be key to its success and we still hold the power to decide if they are. The President of the World Bank from 1995-2005, James D. Wolfensohn, has said that 'Governance of companies is now more important than the Government of countries'. Thus, we must treat our purses as our voting ballot. Vote for the businesses that give back because those who only take will drain us and leave once they are done.
10| 8th - 14th February 2013
On Track for Disappointment James Phillips Political Correspondent The Government has announced phase two of its High Speed 2 project, connecting the major northern cities of Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield to the capital. It also endeavours to link the route to existing networks so that journeys can continue to other cities and major towns. However, the route seems set to benefit few, and drive up customers' travel costs. As such, there is large and justified opposition to the plans. Many arguments draw from the criticisms of High Speed 1, which serves the South-East county of Kent. The announcement also comes in the wake of recent failures of the existing infrastructure in Wales, the South-west and the West Coast Mainline franchise bidding process. Hence, the argument of whether we should really be developing the new rail network is one which is understandable. It's apparent that this is a ludicrous commitment from a Government forcing austerity on its nation and cuts on its vital services. It's quite strange that there would be such a high-cost project when the Government is telling us to restrict our spending. This added cost of £50 billion over a relatively long time frame of at least 16 years just does not make sense and is an unjustifiable amount to the taxpayer's bill. In the UK, we already have failing rail networks; a lack of electrification in Wales and on the East Coast mainline, failures of trains in adverse weather conditions in the Southern counties, and a massive problem with existing trains regularly running delayed. Surely if we are to invest any money into the railways, it should be in upgrading and strengthening existing infrastructure rather than developing an entirely new costly project. The construction of High Speed 1 and its opening in 2007 does not give any empirical evidence that justifies its extension. The route which serves parts of Kent is dismal and disappointing whilst it also disproportionately raised fares across the rest of the Southeastern network. After its launch, no matter where you travelled from, you were likely to be met with a hike in ticket prices and a reduction in service. The train also pulls into Saint Pancras International, meaning customers then have to pay an extra £6 for a London travelcard in order to get to more central parts of the city. Customers have also noted that the journey times of the High Speed trains are only minutely less than those of "normal speed" trains, some pull-
I imagine it'll still arrive too late
En gin e Fo rG row th ing in to London only ten minutes later. Take into account the number of extra stations these older trains call at, this is not surprising. What’s to say that these criticisms won’t be made of High Speed 2 also? The limits of the guaranteed high costs of the train and the few stops it will call out demonstrate that this network will only benefit few. Essentially those on high incomes, travelling for business or who have managed to buy a cheap advance ticket will be the only people to benefit from this deal. Whilst those living in parts of the country that it won’t visit will be paying the construction and maintenance costs with the likelihood of never putting one foot on the service. Furthermore, the given route for this network seems simply an extension, or perhaps a replacement, of the existing highly commended West Coast Mainline as the route is planned to run from its terminuses London Euston, Manchester
Piccadilly and Liverpool Lime Street, as well as new stations in other cities it serves, such as Birmingham (Curzon Street). For the London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street route, it seems set only to cut the time by the small amount of 15 minutes. High Speed 2 seems on track to disappoint many of us as we realise that the service has not benefitted us, but only cost us money. Whilst the Government proceeds with this preposterous development through our taxes; existing networks will fail, we will continue to get frustrated, and our service will not improve. Full speed ahead then, right?
@MisterJames_
News Views Dan Baird. The other day football lost it's whiter than white image. Alright maybe it wasn't that shiny in the first place, cast your mind back to the Bruce Grobbelaar match fixing episode of the mid-90s. So you might say that the recent report by Europol into alleged match fixing comes as no surprise to a game where players struggle to stay on their feet, never mind keep an eye on their moral compass. One Uruguayan player who plays his trade in the Premier League recently admitted in a radio interview that when he wasn't winning a game, he decided to 'make' a penalty (his words not mine) and no prizes for guessing who he is.
SPORT
LITERATURE Lexie Wilson. A dark, and at times disturbing, book, Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar is courting controversy once again with Faber and Faber’s 50th anniversary cover design being accused of trivializing a modern classic by making it look like "chick lit". The design, a 50s-inspired image of a young woman fixing her lipstick in a compact mirror, has seen understandable and important accusations of sexism, but to me the debate itself more pertinently highlights the snobbery at work in modern literary spheres: why are we so afraid of the novel being read and loved by, or at least making an impression on, readers who were until now only exposed to Cecelia Ahern or Marian Keyes?
James Dolton. The Daily Mail's lead story today (Wednesday 6th February) is that two sheep dogs appear able to play chess. Second is the revelation that 'Emma Bunton enlists the services of "Britain's Most Prolific Pet Detective: in the hunt for her beloved lost Labrador Phoebe'. That's it. That's apparently the news. Really. Last night, the historical passing of the long-awaited Gay Marriage Bill was second choice to an article about the undeniably true but equally entirely irrelevant fact that it was snowing. I'm not going to comment further, I'm just going to hope that the vast majority of news media swallows itself up in a ball of humiliation and purposelessness. Yeuch. Thank god for the BBC.
MEDIA
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"Letters: To the Deputy Prime Minister" By Sophie Tollet Dear Dad, Let me just start with why? WHY? Why would you send me to that school? That awful, horrid school. Didn’t anyone tell you that if you don’t have to pay for something, it isn’t going
Everyone ends their sentences with ‘innit’; I’ve looked it up and it’s definitely not in the dictionary. to be very good? I mean, when they put the university fees up it was bad enough – you looked like an utter idiot – and don’t even get me started on how embarrassing it was after you made the apology video. Everyone told you not
to do it Dad! And then there was the rise in VAT. That was embarrassing too. But seriously. You didn’t follow through on anything else but sending your children to state school, really, Dad? Last year you said public schools are ‘corrosive for our society and damaging to our economy’. Well let’s just talk for a second about what’s corrosive to my accent and damaging to my education. On my first day they got me up in front of the class and introduced me. As soon as they saw me someone shouted out ‘posho’ and I knew it was all over. I don’t fit in here Dad. Everyone ends their sentences with ‘innit’; I’ve looked it up and it’s definitely not in the dictionary. As for the school uniform: Dad, they don’t even wear blazers. The hideous, bright blue sweatshirt I’ve been forced to wear is so awful. And
they don’t do ‘sport’ they do ‘PE’ and they don’t even play rugby. Imagine that! And the thing is Dad, I’m sure they wore blazers at Westminster. I’ve looked at the website. I’ve seen your school pictures and I know you played rugby at school. It’s just down right unfair. So please, Dad, get me out of here. Take me away from this track-suitwearing, C-grade-averaging, lowermiddle-class hell-hole and let me back into the hallowed halls of private education where you came from and I belong. If you do I might even vote Lib Dem when I’m older. Lots of love, Your son.
@SophieTollet1
12| 8th - 14th February 2013 @RedbrickMusic
Easy Listening. Redbrick's favourite ways to listen to and discover music
Shazam - Sam Dix Ever been out, heard a sound so amazing it’s made you want to cry, but then forgotten it when you went home so you actually cried? Humming the tune later doesn’t help does it? No, badly singing the wrong lyrics to your mates doesn’t either. Enter Shazam, an app which recognises whatever song is playing, wherever you are. Whether you’re looking to impress a pretty young thing at a bar or just cheat at the intros round at pub quizzes, the thought of being able to discover music over a Sainsbury’s tannoy is just too ridiculously fantastic to ignore. Radio - Lily Blacksell Last year The Beach Boys released a song called ‘That’s why God made the radio’. It’s not very good, and fundamentally flawed in its attribution of what is largely Guigliemo Marconi’s wonderful invention to God, whoever he is. Nevertheless, with declarations from it’s ‘push button heaven’ to ‘It's paradise when I lift up my antenna’, the old boys encapsulate my devotion to the radio (not least, but not only, BBC 6 Music). Whilst it can be background music or a car journey companion, every minute is also an opportunity for discovery. 6 Music makes the most of this with eclectic, eccentric playlists, music news and live sessions. Nothing beats hearing your favourite song on the airwaves, but you can’t love ‘em all. This was proved in Stu Dev last week when Gangsta’s Paradise was playing on Burn FM and a guy turned towards the speakers and shook his head. It was amazing. Putting your ears in the hands of a radio DJ is not to everyone’s taste, but for me the radio is all at once comforting, enlightening and exciting.
There is more to life than iTunes. 6 Music? 8tracks? We've lost count!
YouTube - Laura Hand Long gone are the days where it would suffice to have a face for the radio. Since the birth of MTV, it’s all about the music video and the device that lets you watch as you please: YouTube. The beauty of YouTube is the suggested videos column which can take you on a journey through bands, genres
Shazam! We've gone Radio Gaga for alternative ways of dicovering new music.
For all the latest album and live reviews visit redbrick.me/music
www.redbrick.me/music 13
and eras. YouTube now even has a section devoted to music and although the sorting system needs a little work (Rock = McFly), this demonstrates the growing trend in online watching. With the handy ‘like’ feature, it’s easier than ever to create playlists even if the dreaded ‘you can skip to video in 60 seconds’ creates a somewhat stilted experience. However, the ads are our blessings in disguise because we are effectively paying for our music through these inflictions, making YouTube a sustainable platform. Warning: you must be prepared to flick through numerous cat videos to find those undiscovered gems. Vinyl - Matt Saull Who doesn’t want to live the wonderful life of a music snob? The thrill of calling for ethnic cleansing when Coldplay win a 6 Music vote, the beauty of whacking oneself off to Yo La Tengo so often that you’re left only with dust and the ecstasy of hearing the snap, crackle and pop of the 12-inch. It is the life. As any sexually active person will tell you, the oldest formats are the best. You can take the vocal clarity of your cassette tape and the portability of your minidisc and ram them down your throat, for the musical memory that comes out when the needle hits the groove is lost with multi-tracking and noise elimination. Give me the sound of the blood sweat and tears of the sound engineer any day of the week. Besides, nothing beats unearthing that long lost gem in The Diskery or British Heart Foundation. Just last week this writer bagged a first edition copy of Grimethorpe Colliery Brass Band’s seminal Keep on Tootin’*. *Not a real thing but by heck I wish it was.
Spotify - Ben Musgrove If you’re just not willing to splash a good chunk of your food money into iTunes or the dying HMV, Spotify is the way forward. £10 a month gives you Spotify Premium: one of the most comprehensive musicstreaming libraries on the internet. Plus, if you’re a good little student and nabbed an NUS card, you can get it for £4.99 a month. No money? That’s fine, download it for free, and listen to what you want anyway – each track can be played up to five times. Potentially free, near instant, massive selection, garish green logo. Quality.
I'd trust the recommendations of likeminded stangers over a soulless algorithm any day Shopping - Christoph Buescher Even though there are not many people left who still go to record shops and buy CDs, it will always be my favourite way of discovering and purchasing music. If you listen to songs on Spotify, they're not really yours. If you only have them on your iTunes, you don't cherish them
as much as you do when you've actually bought a physical copy along with a booklet including all the images and additional information that the artist wanted to go with the music. Apart from that, a collection of CDs simply looks good on your shelf and buying them makes you happy since you feel like you're helping the artist and saving the music industry. So next time you're bored just go to a record shop, take your time to search through all the albums and see which covers attract your attention. You might spend more money than you wanted to, but you might also find some amazing records you did not know of before, just as I did a couple of times (e.g. the brilliant Little Boots album Hands). Music Press - Josh Holder No matter how fresh and indie you think your music taste is, you’ll never be even one step in front of the professional hipsters, the so-cool-it-hurts writers of the NME. The bohemian lifestyle isn’t for everybody, but these guys pull it off so well. From the NME’s weekly roundup of the latest singles, to The Guardian’s ‘new band of the day’ feature; following the music press is a great way to discover new music. Even better, since all of the major publications now use Twitter too, you can follow your favourite news sources there, and get all of the new music you could ever need mixed in with photographs of your friends and their cats. Purrr-fect. Gigs - Beth Coveney I’m a massive fan of live music, and would put it as hands down the best way to discover new music too. I first saw plenty of my favourite bands now as the support act for another band I liked, and I’ll never forget first becoming a fan of Example, after running into the nearest tent at V Festival in an attempt to escape the tor-
rential rain! So next time you go to a gig, make sure you get down there early to catch the opening acts, and next time you’re at a festival, why not make the effort to go and see someone you’ve never heard of? Who knows what you’ll discover! 8tracks - James Dolton 8tracks is an online playlisting service where users are encouraged to upload music files equating to playlists of (at least) eight tracks. That's pretty much where the prescriptiveness ends. There are many reasons I love it. It is free to use. There are also no audible adverts between songs or irritating DJs. It is vast, with millions of users and playlists. Prominently, their cunning 'link-sharing'-esque approach means that there are no copyright infringement issues that keep the biggest and smallest artists off other interfaces (something that killed my appreciation of Last.FM's radio feature and even Spotify at times). Furthermore, the tagging and searching system is incredibly flexible: you can search by similarity to an artist, a genre, a location, an era or even an adjective with accuracy and ease, making isolating exactly 'what sort' of tunes you want to listen to easy. However, the best thing about 8Tracks is that its listeners are also its 'DJs'. Every playlist was created by somebody taking the painstaking time to source, order and upload the tracks for no other reason than that they thought other people might like to hear them. The whole website bleeds with a charming sincerity and appreciation of new music and one another's efforts. And when it comes to locating new music, I'd trust the recommendations of like-minded strangers over a soulless algorithm, a biased industry executive or sheer guess work any day.
14 | 8th - 14th February 2013 @Redbrick @RedbrickTV
Ricky Gervais TV Critic Daisy Follet details the vast career of the writer, actor and comedian Ricky Gervais is undoubtedly one of the most famous comedians living today. He’s won 18 comedy awards including Emmys, Baftas and Golden Globes, and is the 10th richest comedian in the world, with a net worth of £50 Million. Ricky’s been off the small screen for a while now, preferring instead to push the hapless Karl Pilkington and Warwick Davis into the limelight, with good reviews. He’s making his return to centre-stage in the new sitcom Derek, which premiered on January 30th, and has already raised eyebrows by portraying a character with learning disabilities. While some reviews have labelled it as offensive, Gervais has argued that Derek should be seen as a role model and added that “I hope watching Derek might help viewers reassess their attitude to older people”, a concern he underlined in an interview with the Sunday Telegraph. His career trajectory has been anything but normal. At 36, Ricky Gervais was a nobody working at a local radio station called Xfm; he had poor listening figures, no producer and just one assistant, the 23 year old Stephen Merchant. After a few months Merchant realised that Ricky was “a complete amateur who would get us both fired” and quit the show to start a training course at the BBC. He was given a piece of film coursework which he asked Gervais to help him with, and he agreed, playing a role they named 'The Seedy Boss'. Merchant got more than a good grade for his film. 'Seedy Boss' was picked up by the BBC and became The Office, which went on to be broadcast in 80 countries, remade in 7, and was the first ever British comedy to win a Golden Globe. Ricky Gervais had arrived. He’s not an obvious candidate for celebrity; a failed pop-star, brought up in Reading, with a gift for making enemies. And yet somehow he gets away with it all. Ricky’s controversial stand-up shows which mock passages from the Bible, criticise Anne Frank and describe Susan Boyle as “a mong” have all been huge sell-out successes. His hosting of the Golden Globes in 2010 caused outrage
when he mercilessly and very publicly mocked some of Hollywood's finest “I like a drink as much as the next man unless the next man is Mel Gibson” He was invited back to host it again...twice. The public aren’t safe either; anyone who follows him on Twitter will be familiar with his constant arguments and rants at fellow twitterers, particularly the poor Christians. However, when talking about subjects of Ricky's abuse, the main victim will always be Karl Pilkington. The round-headed buffoon has been the subject of a wider controversy, some people claiming he’s nothing more than a scripted character. Ricky and Stephen have argued that scripting Karl would be nearly impossible; it took over a year to write just 12 halfhour episodes of Extras - how long would it have taken them to script An Idiot Abroad, The Ricky Gervais Show audiobooks, plus nearly 100 Xfm radio shows with Karl? Stephen has also pointed out that they would be too lazy to write all that anyway. Initial reviews of Derek have been pretty lukewarm, and to be honest I agreed with a lot of them. We shouldn’t judge too quickly though, just take a look at the first ever review given to The Office, by a chap called Victor LewisSmith; he makes the observation that “Gervais [is] clearly neither an actor nor a dramatic writer” and comments “how this dross ever got beyond the pilot stage is a mystery”. There’s clearly potential, as the pilot of Derek won best short film at the New York Film Festival last year. With five more episodes to come and Ricky currently filming a movie with The Muppets(?!) it doesn’t look like we’ll be seeing the back of him any time soon.
www.redbrick.me/tv | 15
The reuniting of pop bands began with Sky Living following Steps, resolving the issues they all experienced before and after their split, before deciding to put the past behind them and reunite. Viewers clearly wanted to watch more of their generation’s pop bands reforming as a staggering 1.2 million viewers tuned in to watch ITV2’s The Big Reunion; the highest audience to watch a new show on the channel since 2008. Audiences were clearly drawn to see just how these 90’s, industrially-made pop groups, rose to fame just as quickly as they fell from the dizzy heights of stardom.
This week’s episode followed 5ive and Liberty X, before four more iconic bands of our generation, all re-unite for a one-off performance, billed as ‘the performance of their lives’ at London’s Hammersmith Apollo. All of them hoping for their last chance to reclaim the fame they once had. The other 90’s bands later to be followed include 911, Atomic Kitten, The Honeyz and Bew*tched. All the pop stars have since emerged from their pop bubbles and are leading lives that vary in success; we are see their return to the spotlight speculating whether they can re-establish their place in the industry.
The show made clear just what was so good, and equally so bad, about the pop days of the bands. Back in 1997 the most famous Simon in the music industry was on the lookout to form a band big enough to match the success of Take That. Auditions were held to create this new band - J, Abs, Scott, Shaun and Ritchie all made it to become the bad lads of pop, with hit after hit song produced. However, now, unlike the original line-up of five members, J decided at the last minute he no longer wanted to return to the band for the reunion; leaving them to become a foursome. Four years after 5ive had formed, ITV producers created the singing talent show Popstars to search for a new popband. Following the creation of the winning band, Hearsay, the five runners up all had their dreams shattered. However, this bad luck did not last long as, after not making the final cut, the five runners up were brought back together for press interviews, which turned into the band meeting Richard Branson and being signed to his record label. All was not well at the beginning for the pop group, with unfortunate headlines impinging on the band’s success: ‘Branson signs the flopstars.’ Such a stark comparison to 5ive, an instant overnight hit and continued success; cementing this through the opening of the 2000 Brit Awards. The bad luck experienced by Liberty X
The Big Reunion Charlotte Goodwin TV Editor
@C_E_Goodwin
was soon overturned as not before long their single, ‘Just a Little’, gained them their first number one, and in 2003 won them a Brit Award for ‘Best Single’. In true Liberty X style this fame was inevitably short-lived and when they decided to record a ballad this was the predictable decline for the band; they were soon dropped by Branson’s label and picked up by a small independent one with a limited budget for videos – a far cry from previous videos filmed in luxury locations. So, six years after meeting on Popstars the band decided to split in 2007. 5ive also could not avoid the ‘decline of the popband’ and after five years of continuous fame for the band, Shaun’s breakdown and Scott’s decision to leave the band meant the band had to split right at the height of their fame - when they had just released yet another number one single. It appears all the bands on the show struggled during fame and after; making for addictive viewing in the coming weeks.
16 | 8th - 14 th February 2013
@RedbrickFilm
'The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.' Christian Moulin Rouge! (2001)
FilmReviews
Newsreel MEGAN JONES
Flight
Life & Style Online Editor
OutNow
NATASHA LAVENDER Film Editor Release Date: 1st February 2013 Director: Robert Zemeckis Cast: Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly After a night spent ingesting copious amounts of booze and drugs with naked stewardess Katerina (Nadine Velaquez) for company, pilot Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) boards Flight 227 feeling a little worse for wear, a fact not unnoticed by his co-pilot Ken Evans (Brian Geraghty). When the plane starts to nosedive, Whip pulls an astounding move which prevents disaster. However, an inquest into the cause of the crash sees Whip implicated thanks to a toxicology report, meaning he could face a jail sentence. Despite the best efforts of union man Charlie Anderson (Bruce Greenwood) and attorney Hugh Lang (Don Cheadle), Whip struggles to remain sober in the run up to his trial. This much is revealed in the trailers. What is not revealed is the long slog it takes to get from the crash to the trial. The two hours in between see Whip get drunk, begin a highly implausible relationship with a recovering heroin addict, get drunk, invite her to live with him, get high, get drunk, wonder why she’s not impressed. Then there’s the incessant preaching. It gets to a point where it’s hard to determine if this film was sponsored by the AA, Coca Cola or Christianity, since all three are constantly attempting to drum in their respective messages until the prospect of a whisky or three seems like a reasonable coping mechanism. Yes, Washington is on fine form, but his best efforts cannot make this film any more than predictable, preaching, misogynist Oscar-bait.
Bullet to the Head
Ben Affleck was named Best Director at the Directors’ Guild Association Awards, making him the third director to win but not be Oscar-nominated that same year. The Argo star is up for BAFTAs in acting and direction this weekend, so will the film’s recent wins at the PGA and SAG awards cause an upset?
THOMAS LOFKIN Critic Release Date: 1st February 2013 Director: Walter Hill Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Momoa, Christian Slater
The first thing to say about Bullet To The Head is that it is a surprisingly good film. In an age where terrible action movies are a dime a dozen, genre veteran Sylvester Stallone makes a great return to form with this tense, violent thriller, with great direction from seasoned filmmaker Walter Hill (of The Warriors fame). When his partner is killed on a routine assassination gone awry, hired killer Jimmy Bobo (Stallone) forges an uneasy alliance with a young detective in order to avenge his partner’s death. Cue a journey of revenge where people get shot, stabbed, blown up or beaten to a pulp. You know, the usual. The acting is what you would expect from a Stallone film, with terribly cheesy one liners, shouting and comical back and forth dialogue between the two main characters. The story is relatively unimportant as all the brawls and shootouts will keep you entertained, but there is very little to interest in the film's slower parts. Thankfully, these are few, and the fantastic sound editing and camera work ensures that you will feel every punch and flinch at every gunshot. Will it win any Oscars? Of course not. Is it entertaining? Extremely. If you want cinematic art, please steer clear. If, however, a scene where the hero and villain go at each other with a pair of fire axes sounds more up your street, then see it. Worth a rental at the very least.
TopThree
Paul Thomas Anderson’s follow-up to The Master is set to start shooting this spring. Inherent Vice, an adaptation from Thomas Pynchon’s 2009 novel, is rumoured to star Joaquin Phoenix in the leading role after replacing Robert Downey Jr. and should see an end to PTA’s recent five year gaps between projects.
Bloody-minded Anthony Keen braces us for the top three goriest films #1 Braindead
Braindead could be the goriest film of all time. Directed by Peter Jackson in 1992, the story centres around Lionel Cosgrove, whose mother is bitten by a Sumatran ratmonkey, and proceeds to go zombie on the whole neighbourhood. As the zombie count increases, Lionel abandons his attempt at hiding them in his basement, and goes at them with a lawnmower. The scene used 300 litres of fake blood, and over 19,000 litres was used throughout the entire film. How’s that for messy?
#2 Saw III
The Saw films are typically seen to be at the more extreme end of the horror/thriller genre, but Saw III is perhaps one of the gorier iterations. The traps are some of the most brutal, ranging from drowning in rotten pig guts to having the victims' ribcages ripped apart. Saw III is definitely one of those films where you don’t want to watch, but really can’t stop yourself. But it’s okay because, according to Jigsaw, their souls deserve it. Apparently.
#3 Kill Bill: Vol. 1
Any Tarantino film belongs on a 'most gory films' list, and Kill Bill is an obvious choice, being one of his more bloody creations. Volume 1 has some great moments too, from the casual cutting off of bystanders’ limbs to the fighting of the 'Crazy 88' in the climax. Tarantino’s ridiculously fake but oh-so-satisfying blood effects can be seen throughout the entire show, and you can’t help but be entertained by spectacle of it all.
Following on from the successful Ted, Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane is back in the director’s saddle for the comedy-western A Million Ways to Die in the West, an apparent homage to the genre classic Blazing Saddles. This year’s Oscar host will reportedly star along side Charlize Theron. Hooray!
Guild of Students Newsletter Edition Three - February 2013
Time to Celebrate
Wheelie Bin Win! Following years of campaigning, wheelie bins were last week introduced to a number of streets within Bournbrook as part an initiative to improve cleanliness in the area. The three-month trial, funded by the University, in partnership with Birmingham City Council, saw 1,200 large wheeled bins being delivered to student streets. The first collection has already taken place (February 6th). Your Vice President (Housing & Community) James Robertson comments: “The Guild has been campaigning for a long
Tickets for this year’s Guild Awards are on sale. The Guild Awards, taking place on Tuesday 19th March in the Great Hall, is an evening to celebrate and recognise the fantastic work of University of Birmingham students.
time to secure wheelie bins for student houses. This initiative is an exciting breakthrough, which we hope will combat the issues surrounding refuse and waste in the area. We hope they’re here to stay.” For more information on collections, see birmingham.gov.uk/refuse R, CLEANER FOR A SAFE ELLY OAK , S GREENER
Volunteering and Employment Weeks This term, the Guild will celebrate both Student Volunteering Week (11th to 16th February), a national campaign aimed at highlighting the fantastic volunteering students do, and can do, whilst at university, and National Student Employment Week (25th February to 3rd March), an annual event designed to help bring students and employers together.
11 to 16 February 2013 th
th
Monday 25th February to 3rd March
Final Year Students, Have You Had Your Say? The National Student Survey (NSS) 2013 is live now. Now in its ninth year, the NSS is a nationally recognised annual survey of final year undergraduates in the UK. If you are eligible to take part, this is an invaluable opportunity for you to express your views about your time at the University of Birmingham and help improve your University, and shape the experiences of future undergraduate students. The NSS is your chance to have your say and give opinions on what you liked
about your time at university in addition to things that you felt could have been improved. The survey takes five minutes to complete and it is completely anonymous. To take part, check your @bham.ac.uk email account for your invitation or visit thestudentsurvey.com
Tickets cost £20 and include a two course dinner, student group entertainment, and free entry to the Guild Awards after show party at the Guild. Tickets can be purchased now from the Student Development counter in the Guild. Nominations for the awards are open until 4pm on Friday 8th February. For further information, please visit guildofstudents.com/ guildawards2013
Throughout National Student Employment Week the Job Zone and Worklink have organised a number of events to help you improve your employability and find work, ranging from workshops to CV checks and one-to-one help, guildofstudents.com/nsew. During both weeks nominations open for the Birmingham Volunteer Awards and Student Employment of the Year Awards. So, if you know someone who volunteers or a group that has shown incredible Achievement, Dedication or Leadership whilst volunteering in the student or local community, why not nominate them for an award? Or are you an outstanding student employee, and your employer agrees, why not get them to nominate you? Visit, guildofstudents.com/volunteerrecognition for more information.
Tuesday 19th March 2013, in the Great Hall
Joe’s Plus
PLUS
Card expires:
31/08/13
Did you know you can now use your Joe’s Plus card in Dilshad in Selly Oak? If you have a love for authentic Indian food, why not pay Dilshad a visit with your Joe’s + card and enjoy the great spotlight offers. Joe’s Plus cards cost just £2 and can be purchased over the bar in Joe’s.
@GuildofStudents
Tweets of the Month @artystar “Just seen @Antyface in Sunshine Guy at @GuildofStudents. Fantastic performances from whole cast-great that guild continues to be creative hub” @RuthLindley “Really pleased that we’re getting wheelie bins! Yay! @GuildofStudents”
Inside: New Year, New You; Go Green Week; Focus on: POLSOC; What’s On and much more…
David’s Column “Hi, “I’m told that ‘they’ say (though I have no idea who ‘they’ are) that the second term is the term for Sabbatical Officers to get things done. I can see the logic – we’re veterans of our role now. So on that note, expect to see some big things before the end of term. Already we’ve had the awesome news of WHEELIE BINS – after eight years hard work by successive VPHC’s. Alternative live entertainment is also being launched in the coming weeks and who can forget that it’s almost election season once again. Cardboard at the ready! “For many of you, you may also be feeling like you’ve found your feet now. Or perhaps you’re looking ahead at little over a term left at university. All I can say is make the most of it! Whether you’re looking to dive into something new, or you want to get the best from the time you have left at Birmingham, go for it and don’t look back – who knows where you might end up!” David Franklin President, Guild of Students @Guild_President
Officer Highlights
We asked YOUR Officer Team to tell us about some of their achievements so far. Read the next edition for updates from the other half of the team, and go to guildofstudents.com to read the updates in full.
Katherine East, Vice President (Welfare) SHAG week. It took a great deal of planning and whole load of the Joe’s menu, as well as all of the GO products at the University. Now students can make an informed choice about what they put in their bodies.
in the Guild. We reached over 4,000 students, as well as getting nearly 100 students tested for chlamydia.
James Robertson, Vice President (Housing & Community) Introducing 1,200 wheelie bins to Selly Oak after eight years of lobbying and campaigning by the Guild.
Secured agreement from the local council to adapt licensing laws to help increase property standards for students.
Adapting the Residents’ Association Scheme to organise a 1,200
Leander Jones, Vice President (Democracy & Resources)
A grand start to the new year of alternative events with the Ceilidh (‘kaylee’). These have been a roaring success.
The TUC and NUS demonstrations. They were a powerful statement to the Government that they should make the interests of workers and students a top priority, and should stop pushing through lots of detrimental measures through the back door.
A little contribution towards a more diverse range of food for a diverse campus. The Subway at the Guild now sells Halal sandwiches.
which all Guild departments will follow.
new changes that have taken place through Guild Council.
Convincing the University to sign up to the Workers’ Rights Consortium. A monitoring body that ensures workers in developing countries producing garments for use in Western universities aren’t exploited. in Guild Council to set this committee up, and since then I have made sure it is successfully up and running.
Greening the Curriculum. This project has come a long way. It has
including the promotion of environmental protection, cultural diversity, social and economic justice, and respect for human rights. I have already gained a commitment to the principle from several bodies in the University.
Jimmy Hughes, Vice President (Sport) Promotion of an active, healthy lifestyle to students via reforming the Joe’s menu and changing my job role to Vice President (Sport and Nutrition).
Fighting for sporting value in the form of gym membership (nine months), improving BUCS meals for sports clubs and representing students in the construction of the New Build sports centre.
Increasing sporting participation by encouraging students to get involved in local participatory events, working with sports clubs/ Guild societies and helping to improve ‘Try Sport’.
Increased linkages between the Guild and UBSport through publicity.
New Year, New You by Jimmy Hughes, Vice President (Sport)
It’s that time of year again! We’ve overindulged at Christmas, over-spent, over-eaten, drunk far too much, and succumbed to bad habits like chocolate cake for breakfast, a glass of wine with every meal and we haven’t exercised for weeks. We reach January a little rounder, slower and poorer than we were, and we’re glad of the chance to detox. New Year’s resolutions are to exercise more, join the gym, start running again. We’re going to lose weight, start eating properly, start adding to the savings again,
get a new hobby, make an effort with people and generally try to sort ourselves out to have a good year.
continue moving forwards! We need to renew our enthusiasm and give ourselves another kick-start to keep those resolutions going.
And then we reach week three or four of ‘the new you’ and it’s cold, we’re still poor, we’ve not magically lost that stone and a half, we’re bored of soup, it’s too cold for salads and we can’t instantly run ten miles like we pictured.
We need to realise that although we’ve made the decision to change or work on something, we are not going to see changes overnight, so we need to make our targets achievable and sustainable; so change your mind set and accept that it’s going to take a little longer and you’re allowed to treat yourself.
However, it’s a new month now! We’ve struggled through January, we’ve all taken a step in the right direction, and we need to reinvigorate ourselves, find some motivation and
Go Green Week Later this month, People and Planet will host their annual Go Green Week. Go Green Week is a national awareness week which sees universities up and down the country participating in events organised by People and Planet, the largest student activist network in the UK campaigning on human rights and the environment.
This year People and Planet in Birmingham have partnered up with other student groups and organisations to bring, what they hope to be, the ‘biggest and best’ Go Green Week ever. Like in previous years, the clock tower face of Old Joe will soon be turning green to mark the start of a whole host of events and activities to promote
Most importantly, realise that we’re all in the same boat and we can help each other. Talk
to others in the Guild, sign-up to do things together, and challenge yourself.
Good luck!
18th-22nd February environmental behaviour, education, and activism. Please do come along to these events and search for the ‘University of Birmingham People and Planet Society’ Facebook page for full Go Green Week 2013 event details and updates.
If you’re a student, we hold meetings every Wednesday 3-4pm, meet at Guild Reception. Visit guildofstudents.com/ gogreen for more information.
Carnival RAG welcomes Guide Dogs
Focus on.. . University of Birmingh am Politics Soc iety (POLSO C) Established: 2010
President: Megan Baxter, 3rd year History and Politics Student Your group in 20 words: POLSOC is the student run, non-partisan political society open to all students at the University of Birmingham.
On the 4th February, Carnival RAG welcomed the Leamington Spa Guide Dogs team and their dogs on to campus.
Favourite moment/memory so far: Being told on a night out at Fab that our society is amazing by some fresher members!
The event took place across campus throughout the afternoon with the aim to raise awareness of the charity and educate students about the good work Guide Dogs do.
Greatest achievement/proudest moment: Organising an alumni careers evening where we welcome back 10 POLSIS alumni who spoke about their career paths and how to succeed with a degree in politics. This event was so successful we are running it again this year on the 18th March!
The Leamington Spa Guide Dogs team, including puppies and dogs in training, working dogs and their owners, chose the University campus as an ideal location to train the puppies who need to get used to busy environments with lots of people. Carnival Rag were on hand to collect donations for Guide Dogs. Funds collected will go towards helping the good work of the charity to continue.
What makes your groupt stand out from the rest? We run a really wide variety of events, from socials, to sports matches, political events like guest lectures and debates, as well as careers and employability events. We also run an exam and essay mentoring scheme to help students during the most stressful times of year. Why get involved with your group? We are a really friendly society with lots of events going on,
Dez, Guide Dog of The Year 2012 winner, with owner John Tovey.
Officer Team Elections
money with your membership. If you’re studying politics or are interested in politics then this is the right society for you!
Nominations for this year’s Officer Team Elections have now closed. Voting will take place through the my.bham portal between Monday 4th March (10am) and Friday 8th March (4pm). All candidate manifestos will be featured in next week’s edition of Redbrick (15th February), along with further information on how to vote,
Contacts… politics@guild.bham.ac.uk guildofstudents.com/groups/politics-polsoc uobpolitics.co.uk/ @uobpolitics facebook.com/uobpolitics
upcoming hustings, and the Presidential Debate. For further elections information, visit guildofstudents.com/elections
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Give it a go! We have approved another 11 new groups for you to join. You can join these and any of the other 180+ student groups now via guildofstudents.com/groups
Coffee For anyone interested in coffee and coffee culture. coffee@guild.bham.ac.uk
African Development Forum africandevelopment@guild.bham.ac.uk
Foolish Wits Shakespeare Society For anyone interested in the works of Shakespeare - discussions, activities and small-scale productions. shakespeare@guild.bham.ac.uk
AgeUK For anyone interested in raising funds for Age UK ageuk@guild.bham.ac.uk Bloodsoc bloodsoc@guild.bham.ac.uk Christian Union ubcu@guild.bham.ac.uk
Freedom From Torture For anyone interested in campaigning for victims of torture or fundraising for the national Freedom from Torture Charity. fft@guild.bham.ac.uk
Nigerian For students from Nigeria, of Nigerian heritage or interested in Nigerian culture. nigerian@guild.bham.ac.uk Opera opera@guild.bham.ac.uk Premiership Inclusive Football Appreciation For anyone interested in football from watching top flight matches to football quizzes. pifa@guild.bham.ac.uk
Games Development gds@guild.bham.ac.uk
If you want to start your own group, we can help, please download a ‘Group Start-Up’ form online or pick up a copy from Student Development.
What’s on? nights out, taking place over the next four weeks… Sunday 10th February
Saturday 16th February
Wednesday 20th February
Wayfarer Day Trip 9.30am – 5.30pm The Berwyn’s situated in Eastern Northern Wales, are a good place to stretch the legs. Email: wayfarers@guild.bham.ac.uk
Valentine’s Masquerade Salsa Ball 10am (ends: 2am, Sunday 17th February). A full day of workshops of all different genres with fantastic teachers, an afternoon of inter-university and open round competitions. The daytime events will be followed by an evening of dancing in the amazing Great Hall in the heart of the University of Birmingham campus, the Aston Webb building. Tickets: £15-30 (varying ticket options) Email: latinodance@guild.bham.ac.uk
University Mental Health Day Guild of Students Try out a range of activities to improve your mental wellbeing. From Comedy to Zumba. Participate in any of these events for a chance to win a pair of tickets to see Jo Brand live at the Guild of Students on the 27th of February. Visit: facebook.com/GuildDAMSA
Friday 15th February Wayfarer Weekend Trip: Dartmoor 5.30pm (ends: 5.30pm, Sunday 17th February) Dartmoor is a national park in South but still very picturesque. Perhaps you would also like to capture the beauty of the region, or simply want to spend a weekend relaxing in South Devon, then this is the trip to be on. Email: wayfarers@guild.bham.ac.uk
Saturday 16th February
Edinburgh Hitch 6am (ends: 5pm, Sunday 17th February) Join Carnival RAG on an incredible hitchhike adventure and spend a whole weekend in the beautiful Scottish capital city of Edinburgh, home to the likes of haggis, Edinburgh Castle and Edinburgh fringe festival. Tickets: £35 Visit: carnivalrag.com
Manchester RAG Raid: Animal Theme 9am (ends: 2pm, Sunday 17th February) This incredible price (£5) also includes transport to and from Manchester plus accommodation. On the Saturday night we also invite you all to join us on a fantastic evening social. If you’re looking for a cheap, social and entertaining weekend, all we ask for is a few hours of your time bucket shaking. The theme is animals so get creative – best costume and top collectors win prizes! Tickets: £5 Email: ragraids@carnivalrag.com
Saturday 16th February
Tuesday 19th February
A Gilbert and Sullivan Extravaganza 10.30am – 6.30pm Birmingham Cathedral, in association with the University of Birmingham Gilbert and Sullivan Society and the St Mary’s Robed Choir and Singers, presents: A Gilbert and Sullivan Extravaganza! Come and sing in this concert showcasing songs from some of the most famous operettas. Tickets: To sing £8, to attend the concert £6 (A concessionary rate of £5 applies to both prices) Email: gns@guild.bham.ac.uk
Little Shop of Horrors 7.30pm – 10pm Guild Musical Theatre Group presents their 2013 spring production of “Little Shop of Horrors” at the University of Birmingham. This comedy rock musical set in New York City introduces us to an unfortunate
Saturday 16th February Nigerian Society: Tour of International Slavery Museum 10am - 6pm, Merseyside Liverpool Email: nigerian@guild.bham.ac.uk
boss, a ditzy but sexy heroine, a bloodthirsty man-eating plant named Audrey II, and a masochistic dentist, permanently high on laughing gas. Coupled with the appearance of three feisty singing ladies who carry us through the show, it is without a doubt one of the all-time classics in musical theatre! Tickets: £4-£10
Friday 1st March
Hindu Society: Roshni 2013 6:15pm - 1:00am, Tower Ballroom. The University of Birmingham Hindu Society are pleased to continue the legacy of the event that has excited and enthralled audiences for many years, we present to you... Roshni 2013! Tickets: guildtickets. co.uk/event/Roshni-2012
tions Time TBC, Guild Council Chambers
Monday 4th March 1.30pm, University Square, Campus All positions. Monday 4th, 5th & 6th March Article19 presents: The Graduate 7.30pm, Dance Studio, Guild of Students. Email: article19@guild.bham.ac.uk Thursday 7th, 8th & 10th March
Thursday 21st February Guild Council 6pm, Guild Council Chambers Guild Council is the highest student decision making body within the Guild of Students. Guild Council passes motions ranging from making a commitment to provide mobility and access arrangements for disabled students, right the way through to taking a stance on the Government cuts to Higher Education funding. Email: councilchair@guild.bham.ac.uk
7.30pm, Fusion (Vale) Email:
Friday 22nd February Valefest Presents: Battle of the Bands 8pm - midnight, The Bristol Pear For your listening pleasure, The Vale Festival is hosting a fearsome battle musicians. The victorious winner will claim the grand prize of a coveted place on one of the 4 amazing stages at this year‘s Vale Festival on the 1st June 2013. All proceeds will go towards this years chosen charities. Tickets: £3 on door Email: valefestival@guild.bham.ac.uk
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For more information or if you are interested in performing, please visit guildofstudents.com/alivefridays
Don’t forget our regular events which run each week throughout term-time...
TBC, Guild Council Chambers
10pm-3am, Guild of Students. Tickets £4 from guildtickets.co.uk
Contact Us... info@guild.bham.ac.uk guildofstudents.com 0121 251 2300 Follow the Guild of Students on twitter @guildofstudents and ‘like’ the Guild of Students’ facebook page at facebook.com/guildofstudents
Loaded at Gatecrasher
Fab ‘n’ Fresh
ALiVE Fridays
Birmingham’s destination nightclub with 4 club rooms. 9 bars and 6 feature areas. 10am – 3pm Tickets £4. 10% of all drinks with a Joe’s Plus card!
The Guild’s most popular home-grown event right on your doorstep! 10am – 3pm. Tickets £4.
Free, live, Friday night entertainment in Joe’s. from 7pm. guildofstudents.com/alivefridays
www.redbrick.me/film | 17
It's science fiction, but not as we know it Joe Allen argues that the genre known for prizing robots over romance is gradually discovering its emotional side
When thinking about the easiest genres in which to place films, it's almost impossible to exclude sci-fi. Categories such as romance, horror and action can be more difficult to exclusively whack onto a movie, since most blockbusters contain, at the very least, elements of all three, but sci-fi is immediately identifiable. Does the movie have sweeping panoramas of the infiniteness of space? It's probably sci-fi. Does it have a female character dressed in improbably skimpy space-armour? It's probably sci-fi. Does it have lasers? The gist is well and truly gotten. Science fiction is an instantly recognisable genre into which many people's favourite films can be slotted: Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Iron Man, et cetera, et cetera. The genre has its beginnings in classic Gothic literature such as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, constantly remaining in the public consciousness through authors like H.G. Wells and George Orwell (apparently 'ell' is the happening phonetic for science fiction). Some of the earliest cinematic works can be described as sci-fi; the MÊliès classic Le Voyage dans la Lune concerns, funnily enough, a titular trip to the moon, which in 1902 was nought but a twinkle in humanity's collective eye. These works are all staggering in their ambition and remarkable in their creation of what is essentially an entirely new world, one somewhat based on Earth, but
with new, wonderful, awe-inspiring technology. Sci-fi in cinema is often lauded for its visuals and the scope of its setting: James Cameron's Avatar was a visual tour-de-force, utilising revolutionary computer graphics to achieve that iconic aesthetic well-known by the savvy cinema-goer. But sci-fi is often criticised, too. Amidst all the jaw-dropping spectacle and eyewateringly expensive special effects, critics often cry out for an emotional core. They simply cannot identify a meaningful character or tear-jerking line of dialogue anywhere in the futuristic nightmare they've just witnessed. It's generally agreed that Star Wars is a great movie, but it's rare that anyone remembers it for the emotion inherent in key characters' deaths rather than the incredible spectacle of the Death Star trench run. The same can be said of Kubrick's masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey; though 'that' chassis has become a cultural monolith, moments which would perhaps be seen as emotional in other genres are here generally perceived as simply necessary for plot propulsion. What is it, then, that renders scifi a stoic mute, incapable of communicating the emotions it must feel as a living, breathing genre? Some of it, nay, most of it has to do with spectacle. Because most sci-fi movies are large-scale space operas (or at least this was true until fairly recently), it can be very difficult to
identify single figures to whom one can relate amidst the flurry of blaster fire. The implausible nature of sci-fi requires a set of archetypal characters through which the audience can experience a world entirely different to their own, thus giving rise to somewhat wooden personality types which preclude emotional connection (yes, Han Solo is awesome, but nobody cares about what happens in his private life). Besides this, because sci-fi requires a huge amount of disbelief, often alien races are included in the narrative to really contribute to that feeling of distance and dislocation upon which sci-fi thrives, and unless the alien races in question are written particularly well (which, in a scant two hours of content, is very unlikely), they simply lack enough depth to feel like emotional beings. All this, though, is changing, and so should general opinion. Duncan Jones's cold, lonely Moon depicts a man lost in space, not only physically but mentally; the space of his own thoughts is oppressive and claustrophobic after being the only human for many years on a space station orbiting the eponymous moon. Similarly, Mark Romanek's 2010 tearjerker Never Let Me Go contains light sci-fi elements but manages to deliver a heart-rending story of growing up and self-sacrifice. It's time for sci-fi to stop being a joke and start taking itself seriously, and maybe then the rest of the world will follow.
18 | 8th - 14th February 2013
Goodbye... THQ
@RedbrickSci&Tech
As the games publisher shuts its doors Thomas Halliday looks at the developers affected. Relic Entertainment
On the 8th of January, 2013, it was announced that THQ, the long standing publisher of games such as Homeworld, Dawn of War, Saints Row and Red Faction would be disbanded after a long financial struggle. THQ attempted to sell the studio as a whole, but were unfortunately unable to, and as such were sold off individually to the highest bidders on 22nd January.
Dawn of War, Homeworld, Company of Heroes The creators of some of the most widely revered and awarded strategy games ever made were picked up by video game giant Sega, who already own The Creative Assembly, the developers of the Total War series of strategy games.
THQ Montreal
1666 THQ Montreal, THQ’s newest studio, was working on a game with the working title of 1666, and has been acquired by Ubisoft, giant publisher of games such as Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry.
4A Games
Metro: 2033 Another addition to the Koch Media stable (which already includes Deep Silver, makers of Dead Island) is 4A games, who are currently working on Metro: Last Light, which should also carry on without interruption. It seems unlikely that they will remain as 4A Games however.
The rest... Other game licenses, such as the Homefront and South Park titles have also been sold, to Crytek, makers of Crysis, and Ubisoft, although it is unclear as to whether the team working on South Park will be kept on. It is likely that many of them will, as the game is already a long way into development.
Chicken soup can help a cold
Claire Harris Writer
Dropping a penny from the Eiffel tower could kill someone It’s hard to visit a tall building without hearing this one. The penny only weighs around a gram and tumbles as it falls, meaning that it will meet too much air resistance to gather much speed. So in fact, the aerodynamics of the penny means that instead of lodging itself in your brain, it will only cause a bit of a sting on impact. Still, it’s not the best idea to try testing this out.
Myth
We swallow eight spiders in our sleep every year A ‘fact’ many people will be glad to hear isn't true. The original myth was created by columnist Lisa Holst in 1993 when she attempted to prove that people will believe anything they read online. Ironically, it is now one of the most commonly believed ‘facts’ on the internet.
Myth
It’s been used for centuries, but maybe that extra bowl of chicken soup might just help more than you thought. Back in 2000 researchers of the study added the soup to white blood cells (which cause the respiratory symptoms associated with a cold) and found it significantly reduced white blood cell activity. However, the laboratory study hasn’t been applied to real life symptoms. Despite this, the scientists believed that the soup could contain a range of substances which could be medically beneficial, including a possible antiinflammatory effect. So what about next fresher’s flu season? Try some soup, at least it’s warm.
Truth
Science Facts: Truth or Myth? Adult brain cells cannot regenerate
Shooting the gas tank will blow up a car Everyone’s favourite action movie will feature this sequence at some point; the hero sends a bullet into the tank of the bad guy’s car and it explodes dramatically. While, in reality, the bullet either gets stuck in the tank or passes straight through.
Myth
It isn’t all downhill in later life. Whilst a lot of crucial brain development happens early on in your childhood it doesn’t all have to end there. Scientists at the Salk Institute, California, teamed up with doctors in Sweden in 1998 to prove that new neurons could develop after birth. The study discovered that the learning and memory centre of the brain could create new cells, giving new hope for studies of Alzheimer’s disease.
Myth
www.redbrick.me/tech | 19
Vigil Games
Darksiders Unfortunately Vigil wasn’t able to secure a new publisher, and was therefore shut down, although interest was expressed by Japanese developer, Platinum Games, so there could be a chance of them acquiring the license for Darksiders and some of the members of the original team.
The top 5 games published by THQ Sam Atkins Science and Tech Editor
5 Beating EA to a worthy UFC game was an achievement, and UFC Undisputed 2010 is still one of the best fighters on the market.
4
Volition
Free Space, Red Faction, Saint's Row Volition have created some of the silliest and most entertaining games of the THQ catalogue, and Koch Media have announced that the development of their upcoming games will continue uninterrupted.
Saints Row: The Third takes a lot of cues from Rockstar’s GTA series, but this is as ridiculous and over the top as gaming gets.
3 In the early PS2 days, WWE owned the industry, with WWE Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain being the favourite of many die hard wrestling fans.
2 Total environmental destruction isn’t just an option, it’s inevitable in Red Faction: Guerilla still one of the best third person shooters of the generation.
1 Any RTS game released post 2006 owes Company Of Heroes a huge debt. It’s still the game of choice for many PC gamers, evident in the high anticipation for the sequel.
Blackberry Z10: Too Little Too Late? Josh Holder Online Music Editor
@Josh_H
Cast your mind back to June 2007, rumours have been swirling for months, speculating that Apple is to unveil a phone, thought to be called the ‘iPhone’. Then, on June 27th, Steve Jobs wandered on stage, and announced the mythical device to the world. With its multi-touch display, revolutionarily simple user interface and Apple’s signature level of meticulous design, its unveiling charmed consumers across the globe, and in doing so, set a new, unreachable benchmark for other manufacturers to aim for. Only recently have the likes of Samsung and HTC succeeded in catching up. But what about the once heavyweight, RIM, the manufacturer behind the BlackBerry series that formerly ruled the office, and even made a dent into the consumer market with its BlackBerry Messenger offering. It’s taken them almost 6 years, but after numerous delays, they’ve finally released their first true iPhone competitor, the Z10, which runs on their new BlackBerry 10 OS. It’s a sleek, dark phone, which conspicuously features no buttons on its front. The phone is unlocked by swiping upwards from the bezel towards the top of the device, and the OS relies heavily on these swipe gestures to navigate through menus. It’s a refreshing take on touchscreen control, and
for the most part, it’s intuitive and an effective way of reducing the number of buttons needed to control a phone. The problem is that the Z10 has no must-have feature that will help it compete with its much more established competitors. It’s got a very strong suite of messaging apps, but so do all of its competitors. Has it got Facebook? Check. Twitter? Check. Angry Birds? Of course. But none of these are apps that will help to differentiate the Z10 from the other more proven smartphones out there. The only truly unique feature it offers is called ‘BlackBerry Balance’, which allows you to switch between your personal messages, contacts and apps, and a secure work environment which has all of your company’s messages and documents securely stored. It’s hardly going to win over the consumer market in the same way that Apple can by touting Siri, but it is a welcomed feature for business users who may have previously had to carry two devices, and it could be the business sector that keeps RIM profitable in the near future. With Blackberry 10 and its new devices, RIM is fighting an uphill battle against both Apple’s behemoth, and the steady flow of excellent Android devices that are fighting for some attention. With the iOS and Android app stores full to the brim with high quality apps, it’s difficult to see how RIM will ever be able to tempt defectors back to their platform. Even the fight for third place will be difficult, with Windows Phone 8 having the full might of Microsoft’s marketing budget behind it, and Nokia’s reignited passion for creating quality products. We won’t know for certain for a few more months, maybe even years, but at this point, it seems like RIM is too late, and offering too little, to reclaim its spot as one of the dominant smartphone manufacturers.
20 | 8th - 14th February 2013
City Breaks: Where would you go?
@RedbrickTravel
Hannah Detheridge ponders about where to go on her 21st... Picture this scene: My mother calls me up and says to my uncontrollable glee that we should ‘go away for your birthday’. Nowhere too ‘out there’ or ‘ridiculously overpriced’, so after firmly pushing Africa, New York and most of South East Asia from my mind we settled on ‘going away’ meaning Europe. A city break, a weekend break. The kind of thing proper adults do. But where would you go? London is always a winner, but I won’t even insult your intelligence by going into why. Let’s hop over the Channel for this particular question. First up, Paris. I’ve actually been to Paris, and I promise you, I saw no one dressed in stripes and a beret scooting along on a bike brandishing a string of garlic bulbs. I know, I was disappointed too. Initially, Paris was my first choice, seeing as the last time we went we were rather pushed for time (with an eight year old brother in tow, who did not want to go to the Louvre, who insisted on being carried up most of the 1665 steps up the Eiffel Tower, and much preferred the idea of Disneyland). We could always go somewhere else in France, and sit drinking litres of wine and eating fresh bread and cheese. Belgium seems nice, very flat and green, and I hear they’re particularly nifty with chocolates over there. My step-dad suggests Norway. The only thing I know about Norway is that it is full of lakes and apparently very cold, and that’s where Vikings came from. Interestingly, Norway also has a midnight sun in the summer, something I thought only occurred up at the North Pole. But I’m ruling out Norway, on account of the whole Arctic Circle thing. My mother suggests Dublin, and although it’s close, there could be something to be said for sitting in a pub for four days solid slurping Guinness and asking the locals if they’ve seen any leprechauns lately. Spain perhaps? The home of the family beach holiday, this time we could go to arty Barcelona or cultural Madrid. Is Spain really full of flamenco dancers in frilly dresses clacking castanets on every street corner? A strong part of me suspects that sadly, this is not the case. From my past experience, Spain is the home of tapas and slightly rude waitresses. Italy: home of the well dressed and beautifully manicured. We could go to Venice, all those floating streets and beautiful architecture. What could be more romantic than floating around on a gondola, lobbing seeds at the twenty thousand pigeons in St. Mark’s
Square or admiring the street artists basking along the rivers? However, due to popular romantic connotations, I’m not sure how keen I am to share the streets with all those loved-up couples slobbering over each other on every corner. Florence? What do we know of Florence? I know that if we end up in Italy I will come back a stone heavier from the copious amounts of pasta and pizza I will undoubtedly eat. The Uffizi, the Duomo, and Michelangelo’s David, smugly surveying the city. Most of what I suspect of Florence has been gleaned from Forster’s A Room With A View, so I’m guessing things may have moved on slightly since 1908. A friend suggested Rome, the Colosseum (all those lion savaging gladiators) and lots of really good food. As I am generally concerned about my stomach in these cases, good eating could tip the scales. Amsterdam. I hear a rumour there are two sides to Amsterdam, the art galleries, Van Gogh, clogs, pretty streets. Then from countless friends’ reports, there’s also the other side. You know the one. The Red Light District, the drugs and all that. I’m pretty sure that if we went, the Red Light District is probably not somewhere my mother would wish to be seen...Perhaps we should rule out Holland. Someone suggests Eastern Europe. Conjuring up frankly disturbing memories from Borat, I asked what it was like. ‘Oh, like Borat. There were donkey drawn carts and we even saw a wolf on the train platform, which was really just a bit of gravel.’ Sounds just like the sophisticated weekend away for the mother-daughter bonding I have been dreaming of. I then consider slightly out of Europe, what of Russia? Certainly an interesting place to say you spent your birthday. There's St. Petersburg or Moscow, and the flights are surprisingly affordable. Apparently, St. Petersburg is Russia’s answer to a European city, whereas, what I’m really hoping for is everyone walking round in heavy coats and fur hats. Will there be snow? There’s the stereotype of gruff, vodka swilling Communists to face, but I’m sure I could handle all that. I am a uni student after all; we’re all well practised in the art of drinking vodka. So to conclude, we’re still no closer to deciding. All suggestions are welcome. We could always rule out a civilised city break and just go clubbing in Ibiza for four days I guess.
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Go
ay St
It was once said long ago, that ‘the There’s no doubt about world is a book and those who do it, we live in a beautiful counnot travel read only one page’. When Saint try which has a lot to offer to holidayAugustine said this, I don’t think he was inspired makers. Each year, millions of tourists by the holiday makers on Blackpool pier. Why have flock to the UK to explore its world famous rocks, rain and rubbish food, when you could have sun, sights; from London to the Lake District, it would sea and sand? The first reason to ditch the grey skies of the take a lifetime to see everything that this country has UK has to be the weather. The British summer is an apology to offer. Veterans of local holidays will roll off several of a season compared to the glorious heat of Spain or Italy. If The advantages of exploring our British assets; the first one you’re somewhere sunny (or at least dry) you’re travelling experidecision to being that it is cheaper to stay this side of the channel. With ence is sure to be enhanced as you’ll have more time to be outside. travel abroad or train deals popping up all over the internet or access to a car Perhaps the biggest motivation for travel abroad is simply so that you have a holiday in the to take you directly to your destination, holidaying in the UK can have a completely new experience. In essence, this is the point of British Isles is one that will save you a whole lot of cash. Although, England isn’t the a holiday or a longer period of travelling and discovering somewhere we all face at some point. cheapest place to live, you are less likely to get stuck being unfamiliar, and immersing yourself in a new culture is an experience overcharged in a tourist trap if you aren’t being forced to wear that you can’t get on the Cornish coast. It has been argued by many that Travel writer Tamara Silver looks at the pros a bum-bag and a sun hat. Another argument in favour of local going abroad, depending on your destination of choice, can get you holidays is that they are less hassle. There is no having to more for your money. Cheap flights are readily available at the click and cons of home or exchange your Pounds for a currency that you don’t underof a button, and particularly less touristy destinations can be cheaper away... stand, and you’re also unlikely to end up embarrassing than our small, pricey island. Travelling abroad broadens your horiyourself with communication problems (leave the diczons in a way that staying in the UK can’t; holidays are about tionary at home!). Finally, by choosing to stay in the change and having a break from our daily lives and getting out UK, you can spend more time on holiday, and of our natural habitat promises to provide this. Finally, conless time stuck on a plane or ferry. This ceivably the best reason to go and explore the world is means longer spent exploring and relaxsimply because you can. It may sound obvious, but ing, and less time arguing about the world is out there to be experienced, and o ad whilst we are young and have few responwhy you missed your flig m e. ht. sibilities, what better time to go? ..
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www.redbrick.me/travel |21 Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
Madagascar
Madagascar
The Photo Edition. Travel Pictures to Inspire, by Elizabeth Waind Madagascar
Madagascar Pushkar, Rajasthan, India
Madagascar
22 | 8th - 14th February 2013
Feature
@RedbrickArts @RedbrickArts
WriterMonth of the
January winner 2013
Alana Tomlin is the President of Writers' Bloc
and is currently studying English with Creative Writing BA. Last year, she founded the Writers' Bloc publication, The Journal. She predominantly writes poetry and her work has recently appeared in the Nine Arches Press magazine Under the Radar.
The head of the table 1 During a dinnertime discussion about inter-faith ministers, I consider spilling the bottle of red wine over your shirt. 'Imagine a mountain, with many different paths leading to the top. Some of the paths are so far apart, on opposite faces of the mountain, they forget that the other exists.' In an attempt to respond to this statement, I choke on a piece of spaghetti. I pull it from my throat you frown. 'Yet all of the paths lead to the same place, the same goal.' 2 I test the blocks with my little finger. The tower sways each time either of us exhale from the tension of the game. I go for the middle block on the second layer to the top. You try to put me off by poking my armpit. You laugh, showing your too-small teeth. After three turns, the tower falls. We sit in separate armchairs. I am by the window, you are by the bookcase. Above you is a photograph of your father speaking, his head bent to one side. He was a healer, and in his office at the bottom of the garden he used to keep a monkey who cleaned his shoes and told him when it had been too long since he had spent time with his children.
Redbrick Arts is open for February Writer of the Month submissions. We are looking for prose (max.1000 words) or poetry (max. 30 lines) of any theme. For more information or to submit, please email arts@redbrick.me.
www.redbrick.me/arts | 23
Reviews
It is always fascinating to see a play that is an acknowledged classic without having any idea of what it is about and, in this case, never having seen anything else by the author. Noël Coward’s play, written in 1930, is given what appears to be a straightforward run through. It has simple but attractive period sets and costumes, and a cast who relish playing their parts in an archetypal, inter-war, upper-middle-class British way. There is little of the stiffupper-lip to be seen here, however. The first act seems to be setting up a farce – two honeymooning couples are staying in adjoining rooms in a hotel, and it turns out that two of them
were previously married and divorced five-orso years before. There are some witty lines but few memorably funny moments, however this changes dramatically in the second act. The divorced couple – Matthew Banwell’s Elyot and Kate Owen’s Amanda – have fled to Paris, where they resume their tempestuous relationship in spectacular fashion. They swing wildly between romantic bliss and raging rows, a challenge which the actors meet in fine style, though a couple of times they
Matt Kears Critic
stumbled over the fast-paced dialogue. There are some times when the play’s age shows – the ‘lovemaking’ scenes, which apparently caused some consternation at the time, are not really worthy of note any more, but there was an audible gasp from the audience when Amanda’s cartoon-style breaking of a record over Elyot’s head was met with a slap to the face in response.
Domestic violence is not exactly common comedic fare these days, so it is a testament to the performers that they and the audience can move swiftly on from this – very shortly afterwards the audience was laughing just as before. This production could
hardly be called groundbreaking, but it is an effective, energetic and very funny version of a play that holds up extremely well.
Carlos Núñez, Philip Pickett & Musicians of the Globe: Celtic Roots-Two pipers piping @ Town Hall Jessica White Critic
Iconic Celtic folk-legend Carlos Núñez, from Galicia in northwest Spain, has been described as having the quality of a classical music virtuoso and the charisma of a rock star. He collaborated with piper Philip Pickett and Musicians of the Globe at Birmingham’s Town Hall, reviving traditional Irish and Scottish reels and jigs with a hint of his hometown, Vigo. Alongside his famous Galician pipes, a gaita, Núñez brought with him a group of some of the best folk musicians, their fiddles,
pipes, guitars, bandoras, drums and a rather unusual and humorous Jew’s harp. The Town Hall, an internationally recognised venue, was ideal for this concertdue to its high ceiling, fabulous acoustics and as much history as the music itself. Set in a semi-circle, Núñez on one end and Pickett on the other, the dialogue began. We started in Ireland and slowly snaked around to the Scottish coast, where we were given a taste of traditional jigs and reels performed on a combination of pipes, flutes and Baroque string instruments, accompanied by much clapping and yelling from both the musicians and their audience. Of course, you cannot have Núñez without his
gaita and some traditional Galician piping. Needless to say, he most definitely did not disappoint. His tone was impeccable and he did not fail to take his audience with him on his travels. Pickett himself also played his traditional pipes; if you listened with your eyes closed you would never believe that you were in Birmingham. With such exciting beats and rhythms and many Galician people in the audience, it was only a couple of minutes before some of them took it upon themselves to initiate a Muiñeira dance - typical of Galicia, Spain. The Núñez-Pickett collaboration was perfect. Between the two of them, we watched and listened to a dialogue between very different yet very parallel cultures, travelling through their history on a sea of notes and riffs. All in all, the concert was fantastic and made us realise how proud we should be to be students of Galician.
24| 8th-14th February 2013
Who Owns What We Eat? @RedbrickFood
Jemima Lovatt Food Editor
@jemimamy
When purchasing food, consumers are increasingly likely to spend extra on 'ethical' produce. This has led to a flurry of such products but the reality is that the real owners of popular brands such as Tropicana, Green & Black's, Cadbury, Ben&Jerry's and Quaker Oats don't care about the ethics but the value that appearing ethical adds. It certainly does add value. The Wall Street Journal recently investigated the value of ethics finding that consumers were prepared to pay on average $1.40 more for ethical coffee whilst appearing unethical could cost on average $2.42. The article was sadly written to please savvy business owners as it focused on how ethical you need to be to claim the extra cash out of your customers saying that 'companies don't necessarily need to go allout with social responsiblitiy to win over consumers. If a company invests in even a small degree of ethical production, buyers will reward it just as much as a company that goes much further in its efforts'. This appears to be appealing to an audience of narrow minded, ingenuine business owners and the reality is that it is these individuals who dominate our grocery aisles. To an extent, this is the reality of 21st century capitalism. In a competitive market driving down costs and increasing product value is key and ethics can achieve that relatively easily. This is largely because the consumer allows them to. Our power as a consumer might be perfunctory but it is still present, despite the fact that many of us fail to use it. We struggle to look beyond the packaging, marketing and advertising, consequently we have been caught in a trap: buying conglomerate owned, ethically branded produce and feeling good about it. It is the feel good factor that is the real killer. It is not tangible and it appears at first to be something that a conglomerate such as Pepsi or Kraft cannot buy. Yet they can and, more importantly, they have. Pepsi owns Tropicana and Quaker Oats whilst Unilever claims Ben&Jerry's, Nestle bought up Terry's Chocolate Orange and Kraft has taken our own Birmingham based Cadbury. So many of these companies simply have no idea what the ethical claims the enterprises they have bought up actually mean and simply run with them because they add profit. Although not food related, a good example of this is Barclays. Originally a Quaker bank set up with genuine principles, it has fallen to ethical lows as revealed, blow by blow, in the years of economic recession. Dragged into parliament to explain himself, the then Chief-Executive Bob Diamond was asked by MP John Mann: 'Can you remind me the three founding principles of the Quakers who founded Barclays?' He could not. 'Honesty. Integrity. Plain dealing' snapped Mann. Big businesses don't do real regardless of the industry but in the world of food this has an impact on what we eat everyday and we are totally taken in by ethical claims which are for many companies simply an extra USP. Many businesses don't believe in ethical values, they simply want to increase sales and this is revealed by the way they hide their name. If a product is ethical, envionmentally friendly and high quality, then why on earth wouldn't a brand such as Procter&Gamble, Unilever or Kraft want to be associated with it? Because they are only too aware of the oxymoron created between who they are and what they're selling. Mark Kastel from The Cornucopia Institute, an organic advocacy group, claims that 'When you look behind the facade, the story doesn't fit'. Not only are brands exag-
gerating their good will, sustainability and social impact but there is evidence of 'organic' products featuring imported ingredients, totally undermining their ethical backdrop and cheating the consumer who believes they are buying more than just food. As values becomes increasingly mass-produced, the real small food companies struggle with higher price tags for apparently the same added value. Not for long however, as many are quickly bought up by a larger company who claims dividends on their 'story' but continually compromise on standards until the product is a skeleton of its former self. Ethical values are not real to the owners of such companies but simply a premium for which they can charge a hefty fee from our pockets. It is strange though that so many businesses give in. Surely if your ethics have so far harvested enough success that you are worth buying up, then why not stick with it? Innocent Smoothies fell foul to Coca-Cola who purchased a ÂŁ30 milion stake in the student start-up, which sells smoothies with an ethical ethos, in 2009. In an article published by the BBC, Richard Reed, cofounder of the popular brand, explained that the purchase allowed Innocent to expand into the European market but assured consumers its values would remain: 'Every promise that Innocent has made - about making only natural healthy products, pioneering the use of better, socially and environmentally-aware ingredients, packaging and production techniques, donating money to charity and having a point of view on the world - will remain. We'll just get to do them even more'. Yet at the same time, Coca-Cola was instructed to correct an advertising campaign in Australia because the claims that Coke does not make you fat or rot your teeth were considered 'misleading'. How on earth can such a company not eventually poison the work of an apparently very genuine enterprise like Innocent? Just two years later, Coca-Cola claimed a majority stake of 58%. Innocent claimed that Coca-Cola would remain a 'passive investor' but with a majority share, how long will it be before Innocent follows so many ethical and, in fact, British, brands in being bought up by foreign ownership who simply cannot care that much about their ethos? Paradoxically, some small businesses with high aspirations fail to deliver. Cadbury only committed to Fairtrade in 2009, whilst Green&Black's only went completely Fairtrade by the end of 2011. Yet these are the brands who are supposed to be doing the right thing. G&B have claimed the 'organic' label all over their produce leading to confusion over exactly what that means, many assuming that it includes Fairtrade. The issue is really with the system. Consumers pick up what they think is right from the aisles but there needs to be a clearer way of defining 'right'. Organic, Fairtrade, sustainable are all buzz words thrown around to create the right brand but the reality behind them is rarely watertight. One ethical ethos needs to be the minimum that we expect. There should be no alternative because whatever way you look at it, unethical produce shouldn't be allowed on our shelves. One independent organisation that monitors the whole business to ensure that it is creating a product to a high ethical standard should be the minimum that we expect on our shelves. In someways it doesn't matter whether the business is a
conglomerate or start-up if it is living up to what it says, quite literally, on the tin. Some criticise the later years of Cadbury for lacking interest in the West Midlands and in its Quaker origins. Perhaps this is because Cadbury was, by this stage a conglomerate itself. Being bought by Kraft no doubt allowed the company to play to its British and Quaker origins but the reality of these 200 years later is somewhat lacking. Conversely, Kraft appears to be delivering a greater social ethos than the last years of Cadbury, with a huge amount of investment into Bournville, the technology behind chocolate manufactuing and, indeed, Britain through employment opportunities and apprenticeships. At the end of the day consumers should be more aware of the real ethics of the brands they are buying into. Ultimately the onus is on the business to ensure their ethics are up to scratch, they claim a great deal of power in society but are often slow to take responsibility. We know that we can't really trust businesses, even the ones who seem to be independent and fighting for high quality and 'real' ethics are often owned by bigger brands or are failing to deliver behind a marketing facade. Independent standards need to be set, consumers are easily confused by the buzz words associated with 'good' brands and cannot know whether what they are buying into is an extra bonus for the business owners or an ethical reality.
'We have been caught in a trap: buying conglomerate owned, ethically branded produce and feeling good about it.' 'If a product is ethical, environmentally friendly and high quality then why wouldn't a brand such as Procter&Gamble, Unilever or Kraft want to be associated with it?' 'There is evidence of 'organic' products featuring imported ingredients, totally undermining their ethical backdrop' 'Some small businesses with high aspirations fail to deliver'
www.redbrick.me /food | 25
All you need to know about Vodka... Lija Lascenko Food Writer
For some mysterious reason, one of the first images to cross the English mind upon hearing the word ‘Russian’ is vodka. It is surprising indeed, because according to the Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health (2011), 41% of Russian respondents claimed to abstain from drinking, whereas only 14.4% of the UK respondents did so. While opinions on the implications of these findings might differ, the power of the stereotype makes it clear: Russians must definitely have some specialist knowledge about this spirit. Therefore, I will present an exclusive Russian perspective on 7 ways of using Vodka. Multipurpose disinfectant Due to a high concentration of pure alcohol, vodka is a perfect remedy against bacteria and can be used in case of emergency instead of a disinfectant. If you cut your finger or have dust in your bruise after a football match, there is no need to rush to the pharmacy. Gently wipe the wound with a cotton pad soaked in vodka; it will remove dirt, kill any germs that provoke blood-poisoning and accelerate the healing process. Anti-spot therapy Sometimes an entire week can be ruined by spots which are reluctant to leave your face, despite desperate application of a wide range of anti-spot balms, gels and tonics. Again, vodka can come to your rescue. Wiping spots with vodka will help reduce spot-causing bacteria and make the swollen spots dry a lot faster. However, be careful not to apply vodka all over your face, as it will make it sore, and remember to use moisturising cream after the spot vanishes. Anti-febrile agent Lying in bed with a high fever is painful and uncomfortable. To reduce the fever, ask someone to rub vodka onto your chest and back (don’t apply it to the spine) before going to sleep. When you wake up, you will notice that your temperature has reduced dramatically. If this does not help, repeat the same procedure once more. Marker refill Imagine that you are asked to baby-sit your little sibling or cousin and, having spent hours jumping and playing, you urgently need to rest. Drawing is the easiest way to keep the hyper-energetic child occupied, whilst you can sit down and watch a movie. But how do you bring your siblings’ dried up markers back to life? Well, this is as easy as pie: open the back side of the marker, drop in some vodka and close it or simply dip the marker’s tip in vodka. The markers will last several hours longer and you will get your well-deserved break. Most importantly, keep vodka out of the baby’s reach! Anti-dandruff mask As we all have different types of hair, the following recipe is applicable to greasy hair only and its usefulness might vary from person to person. Add to a half pint of vodka two teaspoons of rosemary or onion juice and leave it in a dark place for several hours. Apply the liquid to your head before washing your hair. Believe it or not, but this natural remedy is believed to cure dandruff! Flower food Thanks to vodka, you are now healthy, beautiful and ready for a Valentine’s Day date. But how to make your gorgeous flowers last longer? Add several drops of vodka to water and snip the flower stems at a 45-degree angle before putting them in a vase. This will keep your flowers fresh, reminding you of the romantic evening with your soul-mate. Feet deodorant Unfortunately, even the most ardent romance can be ruined by smelly feet. If you don’t know how to stop excessive sweating, vodka might be a solution. In addition to showering, try wiping your feet with vodka on a daily basis. Quite often the smell is caused by bacteria residing next to the sweat glands. Vodka will kill the nasty bacteria and free you from fear of taking off your shoes. Strange as it may sound, this list is less than one third of vodka’s useful qualities. So why waste this valuable spirit only on cocktails and shots?
26| 8th - 14th February 2013
The Valentine's
@RedbrickLifeStyle
What to do? Whether you're a single pringle or deliriously loved up, Birmingham is the place to be to enjoy your Valentine's evening. Life&Style writers Esme Myers & Hannah Myerson discover what's on offer from dinner in the Balti Triangle to speed dating in Selly's finest, Selly Sausage...
For couples... The Electric Cinema:
Why not make this Valentine’s Day that bit more special by heading along to the Electric Cinema for a unique twist on the classic date? This cinema is situated in the heart of the city and is Britain’s oldest working cinema. Both screens are fitted with a number of sofas for you and your date to get comfy on while you enjoy a cheeky drink from the cinema's bar. If you do bag one of these sofas you will also be entitled to a text waiter service, so every top-up can be had without you leaving the comfort of your seat. And if your date isn’t going quite as well as expected, you can always use this perk to have a flirt with the bartender on the other end of the line.
Balti Triangle:
If you are willing to venture out of the city centre to experience the real taste of Birmingham, then there is nowhere better to wine and dine your date than the Balti Triangle. Home to around fifty Balti restaurants and take-aways, Valentine’s Day might just be the perfect excuse to enjoy the authentic feel of one of the Balti Triangle’s more traditional restaurants. So, if the way to a man’s (or woman’s, trust me, no girl in her right mind would turn down a giant naan and a chicken korma) heart really is through the stomach, then this may just be the only love triangle you want to be part of this Valentine’s Day.
Aquarium and a pub lunch:
For those couples who just aren’t romantically inclined enough to sit through a candle-lit dinner, there is a fun yet slightly less intense alternative. Sea Life Centre Birmingham is situated beside the canal and is a relaxing way to avoid some of the overly-sentimental Valentine’s activities. The centre is home to a huge variety of marine animals ranging from clownfish (everyone’s favourite thanks to Disney’s beloved Nemo), to hammerhead sharks and sting rays. If the first part of the date goes well then the perfect way to continue it is by making a short walk along one of Birmingham’s beautiful canals - this quaint waterside gem is the perfect ending to a perfect date.
For singles... Wear a Mask and Do the Rumba
Say adiós to your sorrows by throwing some serious shapes at Dance Club Latino’s Masquerade Valentines Salsa Ball, held in the Great Hall. The quest for a handsome prince becomes futile when every face in the room is mysteriously hidden by a thin layer of cryptic white plastic. Furthermore, this alluring accessory gives you license to boogie on down with pride, despite any possible coordination deficiencies. If you are, however, a nervous singleton with a susceptibility to ‘Clam Hands’, this pardy might not be the one for you. Tickets are £15, but the magic of the mambo is totally priceless.
Dismember that motherfucker
For those of us less lucky in lurve, winning over someone’s heart is a challenge too great. Don't let your disappointment and pain build up inside you, it's time to take your torment out on something inanimate that you can't offend. Take inspiration from The Valentine's Day Heartbreaker programme and get in contact with some pals doing medicine. There’s nothing quite like a communal heart dissection to unite singletons on this woeful day. A bit like rat dissection in school, this is a whole lot more meaningful. Bring Your Own Scalpel. Things are about to get extremely cray.
Speed-date at the Selly Sausage
Before splashing out on your £4 ticket, you must accept that this move is the ultimate acknowledgement that you are a young, desperate single who is more than willing to mingle. Experience the best Selly Oak has to offer starting at 7.30pm. A free drink is included to help you get yo flirt on and/or provide the necessary numbness. Worst comes to worst, you’ll meet no-one of interest and spend the rest of the evening indulging in the Pancake of the Week (see blackboard for details).
What to buy? Can't decide what to buy the boyf this Valentine's? Have a high maintenance girlfriend who doesn't settle for anything but the best? Well, you need not fear, Life&Style writers Marianne Lampon & Olivia Wilson have sussed out the best gifts whatever the budget..
For him... SAVE
Make a mixtape CD with songs that mean something special to both of you. You could include songs that remind you of holidays together, his favourite song, or a track that takes you back to the first time you met.
SPEND
For the guy who wants to keep things stylish, a pair of classic Vans Authentic shoes are a perfect gift. Just under £50, the shoes are super comfortable and have a timeless style. With lots of colours to choose from, you’ll definitely find a pair that will suit his personality and fashion sense.
SPLURGE
Depending on your man’s hobbies, an experience day is a great way to give him the chance to have a go at something he has always wanted to try. The car enthusiast would love a Ferrari driving experience, and the thrill-seeker might like to try Snowboarding at an indoor ski centre. www.redletterdays. co.uk always have a great selection to choose from.
For her... SAVE
Baking is an obvious choice, but take it one step further and do a whole afternoon tea. All you need is mini sandwiches and a big pot of tea. If you’re feeling like an adventurous baker, a red velvet cake would be perfect for Valentine’s day.
SPEND
Student bedrooms can look a bit drab, so why not give something to brighten it up a bit? A pretty photo frame with the a photo of the two of you works a treat and is still a personable gift. Alternatively, a flower cushion from etsy.com can be made to order, and will last a lot longer than a bouquet of roses!
SPLURGE
Help her escape Selly Oak and get rid of essay stresses with a spa day. Treatments vary in cost, so you could pick something simple like a massage or choose a few treatments to really pamper her. Try Solace Spa in Edgbaston for great package deals, or for something a bit more luxurious check out the Spa du Vin at the Hotel du Vin.
www.redbrick.me/lifestyle |27
Issue
Fierce
The Anti-Valentine: a broken heart vs. a broken bank account
Lucy Whife & Megan Nisbet Life&Style Editors Mean Girls: The Musical - This is so, totally FETCH.
Jinal Kansara #BeyonceBowl - Can Beyonce do no wrong? Sorry Michelle and Kelly, you just don't stand a chance.
Life&Style Writer
Is there any point in accumulating your savings and investing your time in the perfect Valentine’s Day gift this year? It is strange how this one day in particular shows the extent that some of us go to prove how much we love a person. It seems like nowadays, those three little words are just not enough. If the whole concept of Valentine’s Day is based on love then why is this not conveyed every day of the year? Perhaps the reason behind this is to save money and if that’s the case then why splash the cash at all? A year’s supply of ‘I love you's' is a better approach than showering loved ones with meaningless teddies and red roses that might not last as long as your love. If it is the genuine love you’re after then buying your way into it is not the best option. Save your money and think logically about it, spontaneity goes a long way and could be critical to maintaining your loved up relationship. An impulse purchase such as a £40 Pandora charm
Sophie Cowling Former Life&Style Editor
@SophieCowling1
To spice up Valentine's Day for any singletons this year, I thought I would share with you the latest dating craze from across the pond, ‘Grouper’. Unlike traditional online dating tools this has become hugely popular with people in their early twenties in New York. The premise is simple and amusing. You and two of your friends register through Facebook and are set up on a blind date with another set of friends that Grouper matches you with. You pre-pay for your first round of drinks online at a, probably very cool, bar in the city that Grouper has selected for you. This is the extra brilliant part: if the three friends you are set up with stand you up, they buy you an extra drink as Grouper has their card information. This informal date situation has been likened to how you met boyfriends / girlfriends in secondary school – everyone hangs out in a group and then couples off with whoever they like best or is left over (ah romance). The process of matching you sounds fairly questionable – they ask you three questions to do with your ‘funness’ and then match you based on your 'interests' while having access to your Facebook profile pictures (aka people get paired on similar 'attractiveness' ratings). While the general concept of online dating seems a little bizarre in your early twenties, something about Grouper seems genius. You go out for a drink with your friends at a fun bar and meet some new guys/girls. It’s not awkward as you’re
or £28 build-a-bear monkey may be the right move to prove to someone that they are worth the expense but where does it end: how much money do you have to spend to let someone know they are worth it? For many, money seems to be a measuring tool for love: the more you spend, the greater your love is. To those who believe in this myth, I urge you to think more carefully before stepping into any store with the intent of buying your Valentines a luxurious gift as this may have serious consequences for your bank account. My advice is save your money for that inevitable rainy day, Valentine’s Day is, after all, just another commercial tradition.
Take Me Out Gunnies-Style - Let the hanky, see the panky. A great way to bag yourself a date. Reading Week - Finally. Birmingham Vintage Fair - Pop down to the Custard Factory this Saturday for a vintage supermarket sweep. Die Hard for the Singles - If Bruce Willis is the only guy we see topless this Valentine's, things could be worse... David Attenborough on Jonathan Ross - A Grandad that everyone wants.
How the New Yorkers do the Dating Scene with your friends (and may potentially be more funny for story-telling purposes if it IS awkward) but you may at the same time meet a new group of friends or potential boyfriend/girlfriend. Having said this, it may only sound like a semi-good idea for places such as New York or London where it can be hard to meet new groups of people (see Yelp threads: ‘NY Dating sucks’ or ‘It’s impossible to find love in London’). I’m
not sure whether this would work as students on a University level – a drink with three people you may have sat next to in a lecture or an ex of one of your friends in The Soak does not have quite the same exciting ring to it. Nevertheless it is an interesting, modern twist to dating in your twenties!
Gale Force Winds in Selly - Seems like we're all embracing the bed head look for Feb. One Direction Boys - Just because you're rich and famous and good-looking and everyone loves you, does not mean you can cheat on your girlfriends. Being Single on Valentine's - Mechu there? BADGALRIRI on Instagram - She can't stop twerking. True life. True knob. Guild Elections - So much for democracy? Naughty naughty! Dissertation Deadlines - 10,000 words looming over our poor little third year heads. Help! Topshop's Comic Girl Collection No one wants a pair of cartoon graffiti joggers...no one.
Finished
28 | 8th-14th February 2013
Birmingham denied share of points by the post @RedbrickSport
Jack Schofield Mens Rugby
Birmingham 1sts
13
Manchester 1sts
16
Tom Walsh Sport Reporter
The Birmingham rugby union boys suffered an agonising late defeat at a freezing Bournbrook on Wednesday evening against a well drilled Manchester side. The game started at an intense pace, with Birmingham’s defensive ambition displayed from the off with some huge tackling from winger Robbie Montgomery and great work on the floor from back row duo Dan Wood and Jamie Wilkins resulting in an early turnover to apply early pressure. With both sides’ defences proving strong, the boots of both fly halves dominated, engaging in a territorial battle to stamp some early authority on the game. Against the run of play, Manchester winger Freddie Scobey was able to latch onto an offload and release his searing pace to punch a hole in the Birmingham.
He touched down just to the right of the posts making the conversion a formality leaving the away team with an unlikely 7-0 lead. However this was not to deter Birmingham, who always seemed the more creative of the two sides, as they combined the will to play attacking running rugby with sheer forward brute power. In particular Birmingham used the rolling maul to good effect which will have pleased coach Mike Umaga. Despite the game being finely poised, Birmingham’s forward power showed when hooker Jake Knowles teamed up with second row teammate Sam Markey to power over for what looked like Birmingham’s first try. However in a twist that was to become all too common, the try was disallowed as the referee had ruled that Birmingham had committed a maul infringement. Manchester immediately struck back with another penalty, again against the run of play. Despite the deficit, the dynamic Knowles and flanker Wood put in huge defensive shifts, working especially well on the floor to give field position. This field position laid the platform for the first of many breaks by prop Chris Dowell-Bennett and after six phases the pressure finally told, as Manchester were penalised in front of the posts. Wood nonchalantly knocked over the three points to leave the half time score at 10-3.
The second half began as frantically as the first when Robbie Keith nudged Birmingham into Manchester’s half, before Markey and co were able to get a dangerous rolling maul moving again. This resulted in flanker Wood being held up to the disgust of the growing Bournbrook crowd. The resulting scrum was dominated by Birmingham as number 8 Tom Vought controlled the ball beautifully to touch down for Birmingham’s first try of the evening, making the score 10-10. As the contest heated up, both sides again fought for possession, giving little away, with Birmingham having to rely on the boot of Keith to rescue them on several occasions. Birmingham’s defence maintained strength and the hit of the day went to Ollie Shirtcliffe, who absolutely smashed his opposite number in a tackle which had the Bournbook supporters going wild. The Shirtcliffe tackle seemed to galvanise the home side as they continued to put in a huge defensive effort, led by Markey and the increasingly dangerous Wood, whose Pocock and Hooperesque ball fetching ability, much to the annoyance of Manchester, kept Birmingham in the driving seat defensively. The ever dependable Wood then kicked Birmingham into the lead for the first time with a well struck penalty, making the score 13-10.
@JSchofield92
Despite the huge defensive effort, Birmingham conceded two penalties for playing the ball on the floor. Wood was sin binned and Manchester capitalised on the resulting penalties to make it 16-13 to set up a tight finish. With three minutes to go, Birmingham won a penalty a long way out, but Wood after serving his time in the sin bin, was unable to level. It was always going to be a tight finish, but no one could have anticipated what was to happen in the closing minutes. On the 10 metre line inside the Manchester half, Birmingham won their second penalty, which would be the last kick of the game. Wood stepped up with the chance to level. Wood struck it beautifully, and to the agony of the crowd, the ball struck the right upright, resulting in a 16-13 win to Manchester. After the game coach Mike Umaga said that ‘the result was a pity and a draw would have been a fairer indicator of the game. We probably weren’t as clinical as we would have liked in the middle third of the game, but we just have to dust ourselves down and get ready for Loughborough at home next week.’ Despite the agonising result, the boys should take heart from their impressive performance, particularly defensively, and channel frustrations into the upcoming Loughborough game.
www.redbrick.me/sports | 29
Cross country success Tie break heartache continues in Leeds Men's Tennis
Birmingham 2nds
6
Nottingham Trent 1sts
6
*Nottingham Trent won 2-1 on champion tiebreaks
Joel Lamy Sport Reporter
@alex_s777
Alex Seftel
James Hughes Sports Reporter
@jimmyhughes02
It was a clear, cold and crisp day at Bodington Hall Playing Field, Leeds University with the stage set for a cracking day of cross-country running from university athletes across the country. Saturday 2nd February was to be the day of the 2013 BUCS CrossCountry Championships. The day itself was split into three races: the Men’s ‘A’ race (9.8k), Women's race (6.55k) and the Men’s ‘B’ race (7.5k). Within each race there was the individual gold, silver and bronze medals up for grabs, as well as team medals for the top three university teams in each race. Traditionally, this event has often been dominated by University of Birmingham, St. Mary’s University College and Loughborough University and this year was no exception. The men’s ‘A’ race was won by Southampton’s Steve Connor, with St Mary’s taking the team gold. However, gritty runs from Jack Gray (5th), Will Gray (7th), Alex Cornwell, the men’s team captain, (16th) and Ed Sheppard (25th) earned Birmingham a highly creditable team silver ahead of Loughborough in team third place. After the men’s ‘A’ race it was time for the pick of university female cross-country running to take centre stage. After the men’s ‘A’ race the course was already churned up which made conditions under foot tricky to negotiate for the athletes. However, this clearly did not impact too much of the Birmingham girls as eight runners stormed home in the top 25, including an
individual silver medal for Lauren Howarth. This remarkable consistency delivered team gold for the University of Birmingham with the medals going to top three of Lauren Howarth (2nd), Catherine Blew (8th) and Melissa Hawtin (women’s team captain) (9th). Team silver and bronze in the women’s race went to St Mary’s and Loughborough respectively. Once the men’s ‘A’ and women’s races were out of the way the ground was well and truly a mud-bath and it was time for the Men’s ‘B’ race. While this race does not carry any BUCS points and Universities can enter as many athletes as desired (unlike the ‘A’ race where there is a maximum of six entries) there were still large amounts of pride on the line. Individual gold went to St Mary’s Toby Loveridge, as well as team gold also going to St Mary’s. Despite the impact of injuries that promoted many ‘B’ race runners up to the ‘A’ race, Birmingham still came home in a commendable 9th place as a team with Chad Lambert (8th), Sam Bennett (40th), Frankie Conway (43rd) and Andy Constable (46th) making up the first Birmingham team of four across the finish line. All in all, the strong and determined Birmingham cross-country team that headed in high spirits to Leeds put in hearty team performance amongst a field of talented cross-country runners. With team gold in the women’s race and team silver in the men’s ‘A’ race as well as an individual silver the Birmingham team can be very proud of its accomplishments.
@Joel_Lamy
The men’s second team were dramatically denied a place in the semi-final of the Midlands Conference Cup after losing a tie-break shoot-out to Nottingham Trent firsts. After the matches in the singles and doubles had left the score tied at six-all, it went down to three champion tie-breaks with Trent able to win two to Birmingham’s one. It was a cruel blow to a Brum side who had shown themselves to be the equal of their opponents but who have now seen their excellent debut season end on a sour note at the indoor courts in Solihull. The men’s seconds are a newly formed team and they have showed their class this season, romping through the Midlands 3A to sit on poll position with six wins and a draw out of their seven matches. Facing a Nottingham Trent side who were third in the division above, captain Sam Travell admitted that his side were the underdogs for the clash, but hoped that the players could step up to the plate and cause something of a minor upset. Before the match, he said: ‘We’ve had a great season so far. Now the league is finished we can concentrate on the cup and hopefully progress further today. They’re favourites being in a higher league and having had a good season. They’ve got a good base and they’re a first team so they’re always going to cause problems. But hopefully we can punch above our weight and get into the semifinal.’ Travell’s words were clearly heeded by the rest of the team as they shared the spoils in the doubles. The captain partnered Alex Zaman to a 6-4, 7-5 win over George Gardner and Joe Maunder at the same time as top pairing George Symons and James Skinner were defeated 6-3, 6-4 by Tom Knowles and Liam O’Connor. Moving into the singles, it was once again evident that there was little to separate the two sides despite the difference in leagues. Top seed Symons was edged out 6-4, 6-4 against opposite number Knowles whilst Travell lost 7-6, 5-7, 6-1 to O’Connor. However, Skinner outclassed Maunders 6-3, 6-0 and in the final match Zaman claimed a hard-fought 6-4, 0-6, 7-5 win over Gardner to level up the scores. To separate the two sides it went down to three champion tie-breaks with the first player or pairing getting to 10 points claiming the win. In the first of these Travell and Skinner lost 10-7 to Gardner and O’Connor and despite Skinner then returning to defeat Maunder 10-5, Zaman could not complete his heroics of earlier and was beaten 10-7 by Knowles, thus ensuring that Nottingham Trent took the win. After an exciting contest which had a great ebb and flow, Travell reflected on a disappointing defeat for his team, although he praised their efforts after pushing Trent all the way. Despite the narrow loss, it has been a successful year for the seconds who will at least be able to reflect on a job well done following their league exploits earlier in the season.
30 | 8th-14th February 2013
Sport View. Following the money trail With athletes' heads increasingly being turned by money, Tom Walsh argues that we should simply enjoy the benefits this brings to sport as a whole. Tom Walsh Sport Reporter
The amount of money in sport has steadily been increasing over the past 20 years. Taking football as an example, it is now stuck in a finance dictated cycle which it will find very difficult to release itself from. Mostly gone are the days when top flight clubs were owned by local businessmen and women, now the Premier League provides a playground for the world's richest and power hungry. Just a quick look at the Premier League table will confirm such a point. Of the current top seven teams in the Premier League, five are owned by wealthy foreign individuals or groups. Yes of course this foreign ownership is capable of bringing new life to clubs, just looking at Manchester City's recent success in the Premier League and FA Cup, but there is worrying evidence to believe that the owners are only buying in order to establish a public or political presence. In allowing foreign corporations to buy English football clubs, there is the risk that they do not understand the way English football works, or the history and nostalgia that goes with putting on the shirt and stepping out onto that hallowed turf. Two recent examples of difficulties come through the Championship sides Cardiff City and Nottingham Forest; both clubs owned by foreign owners. In the Bluebirds case, the Malaysian owners made the decision to change the club's kit after a century of playing in blue, to red. While Nottingham Forest, under the ownership of the Al-Hasawi family, are looking for their fourth manager since taking over in July 2012, suggesting they lack the knowledge of English football, and lack the courtesy of providing managers with time to implement strategies and tactics, even if results and success aren't immediate. The common desire of new foreign investors is to either 'rekindle the glory days' or 'return the club to the top of the Premier League'. This is where the problem really starts. With a particular focus on Manchester City, the wealthy Emirati owners provided huge sums of money with the aim of 'bringing in the best players in the world'. Sure enough, the Manchester City squad now boasts some of the world’s best; the squad boasting the likes of Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero, who formed part of the £481.3 million spent on 30 players between September 2008 and December 2012. Of course despite this huge budget available, there has to be a way of persuading these top players to come to a club that had finished 15th, 14th and 9th in the three previous seasons before the takeover - huge salaries. Reportedly Yaya Toure earns
£220,000 a week for his services, which to many is seen as a ridiculous sum. However, in reality it is just a sign of the times. In order to sign the top "blue-chip" players in the world, foreign investment and the huge wages are needed. Ever since huge investment first showed itself to be the power it is, it has been impossible to sign a good player at a reasonable price, and pay him a reasonable wage, as football is gripped in an ever increasing cost spiral. The money that is now on offer to players all over the world is extraordinary. It would be fair to say that for some, it is no longer about prestige or passion playing for a club that is steeped in history, it's about how financially worthwhile such a move would be. The phrase 'new footballing challenge' is now overused by players seeking financial gain, and such rhetoric is usually seen through by footballing fans. Recent examples include Didier Drogba's move to Shanghai Shenhua, followed by Galatasaray, after the Chinese club were reported to have not paid his £200,000 a week salary. Drogba is just one of many players such as Asamoah Gyan, Nicolas Anelka and Robbie Keane, who have all attempted to ply their trades in emerging leagues, and found that their ability is simply leaps and bounds above the rest. However, it must be noted that football as a whole is not the only sport affected from an influx of money. In cricket, the upcoming Pakistan Super League has attracted huge controversy the world over, and despite security concerns, is still due to go ahead as planned this March. The global players union (Fica) has highlighted 'significant concerns' over safety, and the cricket unions of Australia and South Africa have banned contracted players from competing. However players from all over the globe are still prepared to play despite the concerns, with the top players earning $100,000 for two weeks of work. This just goes to show that players are willing to risk their lives for big money, which is a worrying trend. In the golfing world too, the news that Rory McIlroy has just penned a deal worth £31,000 a day with Nike represents a similar choke hold by money on sport. Now, if you want to sign the best, or have the best use your products, you are going to have to pay top whack. However, despite lambasting the role of money in sport, it obviously has some positives. In 2011 the tax created thanks to spiralling player wages from
the 20 Premier League clubs exceeded £1 billion, and is therefore a huge contributor to the UK economy. It can also be argued that the money invested in English sport means that it ensures that the best players, in any sport, compete regularly in Britain, and ensures the country attracts more world class events. Huge investment can also be fantastic for maintaining clubs with a great history. For example, in 2009, the Liebharr group saved and re-established Southampton, after it dangled perilously near administration and the loss of 123 years of history. The investment is also good news for English youngsters, as the new £100m training facility begins to take shape beside the Etihad
stadium in Manchester, housing 16 training pitches, which can only enhance the chances of playing professional football for the younger generation. In short, it is very difficult to stem the flow of money into sport. The debate and anger will go on about how much players are paid, but in reality there is nothing that can really be done to stop money ruling. Therefore the benefits of the huge investments should just be enjoyed - whether that's watching the world’s best week in week out, or playing 5-a-side on a Wednesday afternoon on one of Manchester City's new training pitches, enjoy it.
www.redbrick.me/sports | 31
Page 31 Sports Shorts
Tweet of the Week
Online this week @BeckAdlington
Heroes... Italy Over the past few years, the Italian rugby side have steadily improved, culminating in their finest victory to date last weekend, defeating the French 23-18 for the second year in a row.
Phil Mickelson His runaway victory at the Waste Management Open in Phoenix Arizona was his first win on the PGA Tour of 2013, and returned him to the top 10 in the World golf rankings. This coming just a couple of weeks after his controversial tax comments, He is now making the headlines for the right reasons.
'Its been an incredible journey, one I will treasure and remember for the rest of my life. Thank you x' Weekend Wager
4/11
Super Bowl review
Luke Strauss looks back on one of the most dramatic finales in recent memory, with the Ravens beating the 49ers by just three points. 6 Nations round up
Redbrick Sport Quiz
Transfer window review
2. Who is currently the Championship top goal scorer?
1.Brisbane Heat 2.Glenn Murray 3.Four 4. Muirfield 5.One
The Redbrick Crossword
Ross Highfield gives his take on the Premier League transfer window. He assesses how each club has done and highlights the best January deals.
Donovan Mike Crossword Editor
This week's prize is a ÂŁ5 Waterstones Gift Voucher Completed crosswords to be submitted to the Redbrick office, located in the Guild basement
Please complete this form before you hand in your completed crossword to the Redbrick office. Name:
Email Address:
Phone Number:
Scribble box
Women's Hockey 1sts Won 1-0 Loughborough1sts Men's Lacrosse 1sts Won 14-3 Leicester 1sts
Men's Table Tennis 1sts Lost 9-8 Loughborough 1sts
1. Which team won the Big Bash last month?
5. How many medals did Great Britain win at the last Winter Olympics?
Men's Golf 1sts Won 5-1 Loughborough 1sts
Women's Squash 3rds Lost 7-6 Leeds 2nds
Ellie Jones summarises the opening weekend of the competition which saw dramatic wins for Ireland, England and Italy.
4. Where is the 2013 Open Championship being played?
Men's Football 1sts Lost 1-0 Loughborough 2nds Women's Football 2nds Won 2-0 Oxford 1sts
After an absence lasting over six months Rafael Nadal makes his long anticipated return to tennis on his favourite clay in the Chile Open. Unsurprisingly he is already favourite for the tournament and we are expecting him to claim his first title of 2013 in his first event.
3. How many Olympic medals did Rebecca Adlington win overall?
Results - 6th February
Across
Down
6. Discoverer of Tutankhamun's tomb (6,6) 7. A job involving the handling of payments (7) 9. Spanish greeting (4) 11. Wolfgang __ Mozart (7) 12. Steve __ , Australian wildlife expert who died in 2006 (5) 14. Barbie's boyfriend (3) 15. 'Reservoir Dogs' Mr. Pink, Steve __ (7) 19. To make excuse for, or regretful acknowledgment of, a fault; for previous crosswords, Redbrick would like to __ (9) 20. Cleopatra's serpentine killer (3) 22. 2012 comedy film starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis (3) 23. European organisation for Nuclear research, where the Large Hadron Collider resides (abbreviation) (4) 24. Dutch wooden shoe (4)
1. Native American axe (8) 2. Capital of Nepal (9) 3. Lion King antagonist (4) 4. Mythological Greek character who went into the underworld to rescue his wife (7) 5. Large dog breed (5,4) 8. Semi-hard Dutch cheese (4) 10. Speedy bird that rarely lands (5) 13. Gary __ , former Leicester, Bolton and ShefďŹ eld Wednesday manager (6) 16. Smooth transition from one section or theme to another (5) 17. Wind in the Willows protagonist (4) 18. First King of Israel (4) 19. __ Garfunkel (3) 21. Collectible playing disc; 'Remember Alf? He's back... in __ form!' (3)
In other news The squash team host a quintuple header next week in which both 1st teams, both 2nd teams and the men's 3rd team compete. Can they repeat the success of last year in which both men's 1sts and 2nds reached the finals? The archery club last week hosted the 4th leg of the annual BUTTS League which saw 55 archers compete. Birmingham performed brilliantly continuing their improvement as a club. They now look forward to the British University Team Championships on 17th February in Lancaster.
...and Villains Gambling We have all seen the increased presence of betting advertisments in and around sport. However, when we see that the Champions League may have been affected by match fixing, this must be questioned. Peter Odemwingie His visit to a QPR car park last Thursday afternoon was just one of a number of ridiculous going-ons during the Transfer window. But his disrespect for West Bromwich Albion and his manager are what have earnt him a place in this column.
Interested in being part of Redbrick Sport? Get in touch: sports@redbrick.me @redbricksports Redbrick Sport
~~1~2~~3~4~~5 ~6``````````` ~~`~`~~`~`~~` ~7````8`~9``` 0~`~`~`~~`~~` `~`~-``````~` =````~`~~`~~` `~`~`~~q~~w`` `~~e`r````~~` ~~t~~`~`~~y~~ u````````~i`o `~`~~`~`~~`~` p``~[```~]```
32 |8th-14th February 2013
BUCS cross country championships How would Birmingham fair in an event that has brought major success in the past?
p28
www.redbrick.me/sport
The colour of money Should we be concerned about the major role money plays in sport?
RedbrickSport
p30
Victory secures championship for netball girls Netball
Birmingham 1sts
47
Nottingham 1sts
31
Tom Dodd Sport Reporter
George Evans
@georgeevanss
@TomAlexDodd
The Birmingham Netball 1sts produced a masterful performance in front of a noisy crowd in the Munrow Sports Hall to defeat Nottingham 47-31, a result which effectively crowns Brum as league champions for 2012/2013. The opening quarter was end to end, with the visitors starting stronger and continually inching themselves onepoint ahead whenever Brum had restored parity. By the end of the first 15 minutes, there was nothing to separate the teams and they headed for the break allsquare at 11-11. Birmingham had gone into the game unbeaten but had yet to really pressure the away defence for a sustained period of time. That changed significantly in the second quarter and all of a sudden, Brum were on the front foot as they began the half with four unanswered goals thanks to the incredible accuracy of goal shooter Philly Koehli who, aided by goal attack Jazz Hatheley, helped Birmingham build a lead that they would not relinquish for the remainder of the contest. Nottingham continued to create chances, and Beth Ashurd as goal shooter did her best to keep the game close, but too many times the home defence did enough to clear the danger. In stark contrast at the other end, Birmingham were cutting through the Notts defence more and more, and Koehli maintained a 100 per cent accuracy record for the second quarter as the home side closed out the passage to lead 23-16 at the halfway stage. The third 15-minute period mirrored
the opening quarter as there was very little to choose between the two sides. The Nottingham shooters found their range once again, and looked as threatening as ever going forward against the Birmingham defence, and had the gap down to a mere four points at one stage, before the home side moved up a gear to stretch out the advantage to 33-26 by the end of the penultimate quarter, with centre Ellie Townsend and wing defence and captain Lucia Karonias beginning to run the show in the centre section of the court. The game was far from over, however, and Nottingham came out strong in the final quarter, putting some lovely passing moves together. They couldn’t sustain such a tempo, though, and once Birmingham had weathered the early storm, they once again set about adding to their total. Koehli and Hatheley were superb all game and they continued to cause havoc amongst a tiring Nottingham defence as the tie entered its final few minutes. Birmingham carried on attacking to the final whistle and when the conclusion finally came, they had run out 47-31 winners; more than doubling the winning margin achieved in the corresponding fixture at the beginning of the campaign. As well as leaving Birmingham just two victories away from an unbeaten season, it also gives the girls a second successive league title. After the match, captain Karonias praised her side for raising the level in the second quarter, stating that it was something they had worked on specifically in training. Once the league is finished, Brum will look to the NationalPlay-offs to continue the success and with repeat performances of this game in the two remaining fixtures, confidence will no doubt be sky high.