1464

Redbrick

20th November - 3rd December 2015 Vol. 80, Issue 1464. www.redbrick.me

Est. 1936

James Moore

Students reflect on a week of terror

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Vigil honours those killed in Beirut, Baghdad and Paris Panel critiques media narratives of Islam News // Pages 3 and 4

Sophie Neal Jack Lawrence Holly Reaney Ellie Patten stirs up warming reviews Joanna asks if Facebook on the merits of winter recipes Newsom's Divers gives us the blues Love for Love Food / Page 16

Music / Page 28

Sci&Tech / Page 24

Culture / Page 35

02 20th November - 3rd December 2015

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Online this week at redbrick.me...

PHOTOGRAPHY

MUSIC

NEWS

NEWS

Vale Fireworks 2015 James Moore captures the Bonfire Night display at the Vale

Charlie Simpson Is Charlie Simpson really a national treasure? Let Alex Ekong persuade you

Video: NOT ON Campaign News interview students in the Guild about the antisexual harassment campaign

Royal Visit Her majesty paid a visit to Birmingham to open the new School of Dentistry

In association with the university's very own PhotoSoc, Redbrick will feature each winner of the society's Photo of the Fortnight competition, starting with this stunning capture by Harry Forsyth.

You can follow PhotoSoc on Instagram at @photosocuob, or at facebook.com /photosocuob.

Redbrick Editorial Team Editor Matt Moody editor@redbrick.me Deputy Editors Lucy Moseley Shannon Carey deputy@redbrick.me Digital Editor Mason Cusack digital@redbrick.me Lead Developer Roshni Patel

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Marketing Secretary Hannah Coles marketing@redbrick.me

News Editors Sabrina Dougall Danyal Hussain Isma Azad Sophie Dober news@redbrick.me

Music Editors Alex Ekong Kirstie Sutherland Matt McCrory Phil Jones music@redbrick.me

Comment Editor Daniella Bassett

Film Editors Jess Ennis Tom Swinford Gurnesha Bola film@redbrick.me

comment@redbrick.me

Culture Editors Charlotte Spence Lucy Mounfield Imogen Tink culture@redbrick.me Life&Style Editors Bethany Barley Ayshea Baker Giulia Bardelli Carys Allott lifestyle@redbrick.me

Sci&Tech Editors Ellie Patten Rachel Taylor Amy Thompson tech@redbrick.me

Food Editors Sophie Neal Gemma Allport Sophie Milligan food@redbrick.me

Travel Editors Daisy Holden Nadhirah Syalin Ally Head travel@redbrick.me

Sport Editors Will Robey Rosie Twells Dan Brett Nicola Kenton

Television Editors Matt Dawson Ella Downing Harry Turner tv@redbrick.me

Gaming Editors Mason Cusack James Lentschner James Marvin Ben Musgrove

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Careers Editors Molly Tuesday Ella Talbot careers@redbrick.me

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Beth Coveney Emily Young Chloe Taylor Kate Gooding Designed and typeset by Redbrick Copyright (C) Redbrick 2015 The views expressed in Redbrick do not necessarily reflect those of the editors, the Guild or the publishers. If you find an error of fact in our pages, please write to the editor.

Our policy is to correct mistakes promptly in print and to apologise where appropriate. We reserve the right to edit any article, letter or email submitted for publication.

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20th November - 3rd December 2015

03

Students Pay Respect to Terrorism Victims

James Moore

Ellie Patten News Reporter

On Monday evening, University of Birmingham students gathered at Mermaid Square to show their support and respect for the victims of recent terrorist attacks in Paris, Beirut and Baghdad.

The vigil was organised by the Francophile society after Friday night’s brutal and shocking attacks on the French capital, which resulted in 129 dead and 352 injured. The tragedy quickly received a strong response on social media sites, with many expressing messages of sadness, remorse and often anger.

Students congregated to share a moment of silence once candles had been lit and prayers were written for the victims all around the world.

With a large French community at UoB, the news deeply affected many students.

Lea Yammine, an exchange student from Paris, felt particularly shocked by the

attacks, especially those in Beirut and Paris, both cities with which she has a personal connection. ‘I am French Lebanese, so since this gathering is for both Beirut and France, I felt doubly concerned and wanted to show my support for both of my countries and even to the rest of the world.’

Yammine expressed her appreciation for the support she has seen on social media.

She reported to Redbrick, ‘Everyone has shown real support.

Albert Dognin, Vice-President of the Francophile society, told Redbrick, 'I think it is really heart-warming to see the huge number of people supporting France and the French people in the wake of the attack.'

Dognin continued to speak about the impact the attacks have had on French students at the University, 'Most of the French [students] feel concerned by the tragic events, and want to show their support for their fellow citizens living in France. You always feel more concerned when such an event happens a train ride away from you.'

He added, 'Here on campus we all feel con-

cerned, UoB is a truly international and multicultural University.'

While it was the simultaneous attacks in Paris which drew the most attention online, the organisers of the vigil placed equal emphasis on paying respect to the casualties

"UoB is a truly international and multicultural University" of attacks further from home, such as the bombings in Baghdad and Beirut.

Dognin stated, 'Even if western media didn’t relay the information as much as for the Paris attacks, these cities have been targeted by ISIS the day before or the same day as the Paris attack occurred. The people were killed by the same hand, in a very short period of time, and it is our duty, as students, and as citizens of the world, to remember that this doesn’t only happen on our soil, but that it happens even more often

in middle-eastern countries.'

Students who attended the vigil appeared to share this same belief. Second year student, Rosie Luker believes, 'We need to realise that terrorism happens all over the world, and that we shouldn't stand for it wherever it happens, not just in France or England or America, but everywhere.'

President of the Francophile society, Louis Serrand, echoed this same sentiment.

During his speech he emphasised, 'We need to keep in mind what happens every day in other countries. What happened in Paris must remind us that it doesn’t matter where you live, it doesn’t matter if you’re living in Syria, in Australia or in America; what matters are your values.'

Serrand concluded his speech by saying, 'We, as students, are the population who can make things change.'

After the vigil, donations were collected for Croix-Rouge Françoise (the French Red Cross) and Oxfam, which are working to help victims of the Paris attacks and those affected by the refugee crisis.

1,000 Sign Petition To Save Hydrogeology MSc From Termination Sabrina Dougall News Editor

@Sabrina_Dougall

1,000 people have signed an online petition opposing measures to scrap Hydrogeology MSc. The petition is calling for the MSc Hydrogeology not to be cut under proposed funding changes from the University.

The course, which began in 1973, currently has 30 students and is run as part of the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences.

"Potential redundancies are a disgrace" Students were notified in mid-October of the plans to reduce provision for hydrogeology teaching in the next academic year.

Students received an email on 22nd October outlining the reasons behind the ‘reprioriti-

sation’ of research funding.

A statement on the University Intranet says the proposals aim to ‘strengthen our research standing’ and target investment on courses which were more favourably assessed by the Research Excellence Framework in 2014.

As a result, termination of Hydrogeology MSc is proposed for the academic year 2016/17.

Investment will instead be channeled into new staff in Geosystems, and more funding for marine geology, palaeobiology, paleoclimatology, and magmatic processes.

One student, who did not want to be named, said: 'I am studying my degree in this area and the lecturers are excellent, hardworking, and at the heart of the geology department’. He believes the potential for redundancies in the School is a ‘disgrace’.

Connie Martin, the student representative for geology, told Redbrick: ‘The proposed changes have unsettled students, particularly in relation to career plans.’

According to Connie, students have expressed surprise and dismay that they will

not be able to take hydrogeology as a standalone module in their second or third year.

She said: ‘The University is renowned for hydrogeology research, and this is one of the reasons some students chose the course. If [prospective students] had known this option would not be available to them it would have been a consideration.’

‘The general consensus is that [geology students] want it to stay,’ she adds. ‘We would like a better idea of the proposed alternatives.’

Roland Brandstaetter, Birmingham branch president of the University and College Union, called the idea of a complete ‘wipe-out’ of the course 'simply outrageous’.

Consultation is currently ongoing, and will come to an end on the 21st December. A final decision is likely to be reached in January.

The petition can be found on www. change.org.Groups or individuals with feedback are encouraged to email hydrogeology@contacts.bham.ac.uk with their comments.

University statement "The proposal highlights the importance of maintaining the highest standards of teaching and supervision across the School’s portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes; and we are committed to ensuring that the student experience is not adversely affected by any changes. Teaching and supervision on the MSc Hydrogeology programme will continue to be delivered in the current academic year for the students on the course."

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20th November - 3rd December 2015

News

UoB Accused of Failing to Pay Living Wage Anna Griffiths News Reporter

@AnnaPhoebee

Despite displaying the living wage logo in the Aston Webb hub, UNISON have accused the University of Birmingham of not paying the Living Wage, which now stands at £8.25 per hour instead of last year’s living wage of £7.85 .This Living Wage, not to be confused with the government’s hourly rate of £7.20 p/h, is set by the Living Wage Foundation, aligned with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The most recent living wage was announced on the 1st of November. According to UNISON, 350 of UoB’s employees aren’t paid this living wage, and they want to see that changed.

UNISON organised a rally to protest the University’s lack of commitment to the new Living Wage, despite the university committing to it in previous years.

The protest was well attended, with some notable guests, including Steve McCabe MP, Councillor Stuart Stacey and Professor Carl Chinn MBE. All three spoke at the event, supporting UNISON’s campaign.

Steve McCabe, the Labour MP for Selly Oak, said, ‘I support a living wage and think all decent employers should be encouraged to pay the living wage. It is a disgrace that the Chancellor has sought to

undermine the concept by deliberately using the language of the living wage for his second rate proposals.’

Bands one and two employees, such as catering, cleaning and library learning support assistants, are all being underpaid according to UNISON. The university’s spokesperson provided a statement in response to the UNISON event: ‘The University takes its responsibilities as an employer very seriously. Support staff on the very lowest rates of pay currently earn £7.85 per hour, well above the

"We are proud of our record of employment and remuneration" £6.70 National Minimum Wage and the new National Living Wage, which is being introduced from next April for workers aged 25 and over, that will begin at £7.20 an hour.

'Our pay rates are revised on August 1 each year and, for the past few years, we have matched the Living Wage at that point. It is not possible to revisit our rates mid-cycle because of the knock-on consequences of what is a relatively steep rise.’

‘The University employs more people

than any private sector employer in Birmingham and we are proud of our record of employment and remuneration.

In addition to pay, all members of staff enjoy generous holiday, sick pay and pension arrangements.’

However, a member of UNISON told Redbrick that the University could increase the pay of those 350 employees by putting a premium on their wages until the pay rate revision in August, yet will not do so unless staff accept cuts in sick leave and other key arrangements.

UNISON believes that the University and their subcontractors should be paying all of their employees the full Living Wage since the University brings in £528 million per year. If they were to pay all staff members the living wage it would cost less than £1 million per year.

Birmingham City Councillor Stuart Stacey agrees, saying: ‘The Council is committed to making Birmingham a Living Wage city, giving all our residents a fair share of the wealth we create here.’

Stacey adds, ‘While we make paying it compulsory for our contractors and grant recipients, we call on all progressive private and public sector organisations to reap the benefits of a stable and motivated workforce that adopting it voluntarily can bring.’

UNISON highlight that Lidl, Morrisons, Lloyds Bank, National Express

and Newman University all pay the Living Wage.

Professor Carl Chinn spoke passionately about the Living Wage, and the University’s responsibility to pay it. In a speech at the event, he said, ‘Each day senior managers, who are paid substantial sums of money, look across to Old Joe, named after Joseph Chamberlain. How many of them think of their responsibility to their low-paid fellow workers and the belief that Joseph Chamberlain had that a great town owed a responsibility to all of its people, irrespective of their wealth?

‘It is more than time for the University to pay at least the Living Wage and to commit itself to truly become an institution that is of Birmingham rather than one that happens just to be in Birmingham.’

UNISON are especially concerned for staff affected during the winter months, where they will see an increase in living costs due to increased heating and electricity bills, and the costs of Christmas.

They say that many will have to choose between ‘heating or eating’.

The affected staff often have more than one job, and have to spend a lot of money on public transport just to get to work. They are quite often the breadwinners in their families. UNISON’s concern is that the shortfall in wages will lead to difficult choices for some of these families.

Katrin Busch

UoB Panel Dissects Institutional Islamophobia Zahraa Vindhani News Reporter

A Q&A panel was coordinated by BEMA, AhlulBayt Society and the Islamic Society in association with the University of Birmingham, to discuss current issues surrounding Islamophobia. The event took place on Monday 16th November. as part of Islamophobia Awareness Week.

This panel was one of three educational events taking place across campus for the entirety of the week, in an effort to raise awareness surrounding the issues of the institutionalisation of Islamophobia in society. The panel consisted of three speakers, including Dr Salman Sayyid, lecturer in Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Leeds; Shenaz Bunglawala, Head of Research at Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND); Afroze Zaidi-Jivraj, independent researcher, blogger, and community volunteer.

With a body of audience that reflected the diverse nature of the University itself, each member of the panel gave a summary of their own research conducted

regarding the discourse and misrepresentation surrounding Muslims, Islam and terrorism in the media.

As first speaker, Shenaz Bunglawala presented a revealing set of evidence substantiating the media’s misconduct in the proliferation of Islamophobic discourse within affluent broadsheet publications.

Articles found within mainstream media that related to Muslims or Islam, were ostensibly depicted as having an agenda of aggression, political instability and military conflict. She then explained mass media’s identification of Muslims as being either ‘moderate’ or ‘extreme’, and how these two labels need to be broken down.

Dr Sayyid identified Islamophobia as an extension of racism itself, believing that anti-Islamic legislature has become a civil rights issue, 'the denial of Muslim agency is an effect of totalitarian rule.'

Throughout his speech, he emphasised how the issue of Islam and Islamophobia was being used by the government as a justification to erode civil liberties. He summed up his argument by quoting Benjamin Franklin, 'those who give up their liberty for more security neither

deserve liberty nor security.' Dr Sayyid shared this quote to emphasise his view that Islamophobia is an excuse to ‘hollow out’ democracy.

Closing speaker Afroze Zaidi-Jivraj outlined the importance of asserting Muslim public consciousness within the media landscape, and how the public can tear down the demonisation of Islam.

Organisations such as the Human Rights Committee (HRC) and MEND work to oppose this Islamophobic narrative, that the speakers believed is conducted by mass media, through challenging the global agenda. A theme that repeatedly emerged throughout the discussion was that the Islamophobic narrative isn’t simply ‘politically incorrect’, but has become a mode of oppression for many who suffer the backlash of ‘anti-Islamic indoctrination’.

Audience members were welcome to pose questions and incur debate on the subject. One member claimed that she 'had never encountered or thought Islamophobia to be a type of racism' akin to say, anti-semitism. The Q&A panel spoke of the subtleness of the media when it deals with the portrayal of Islam.

All three speakers were keen to stress that events such as this are ‘imperative’ in understanding how Islamophobia is institutionalised on a mass scale, and how this issue is rapidly expanding not only in the media, but also within legislature and oppressive social policy.

Audience member Faizaan Jabbar felt particularly illuminated, telling Redbrick, 'I’m glad I came to this event, as it’s opened my eyes to the inner workings of the newspapers we trust for impartial, agenda-free reporting. As a Muslim, I feel it’s my duty to challenge these stereotypes and look for positive and fair representation.'

As part of Islamophobia awareness week, these events and workshops will be taking place across campus, with the intent of educating the student body toward the injustice seen worldwide, particularly in light of the recent international terrorist attacks. They are held with the vision of educating people on how to identify false representation within the media, and to not target those innocent of crimes which, through Islamophobia, have been attributed to an entire religion.

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20th November - 3rd December 2015

5

Protesters' Outcry Over Junior Doctor Workload James Moore News Reporter

Last Sunday, junior doctors protested a new government imposed contract in the centre of Birmingham. The protest began at 2 o’clock and went on until just past 3.

The contract will change working hours for junior doctors, forcing many to work late and unsociable hours without extra pay.

The protest consisted of a gathering of NHS staff and medical students with speakers taking turns on a microphone to denounce the new contract. Speakers included a number of doctors and a final year medical student at another university in Birmingham. Also, Roshana Mehdian, who has been called militant, but denounced that term as 'divide and conquer' tactics. Mehdian called for solidarity and incited staff to strike in opposition to the planned changes.

Hundreds of people attended the protest outside the Waterstones near the Bullring, chanting 'Hunt must go' and 'NHS here to stay; Victory to the BMA'.

The changes to the junior doctor’s contract will mean: a standard working

week of 7am to 10pm Monday to Saturday, with a higher rate of pay for 7am to 10pm Sunday and 7pm to 10pm every day; no system to ensure doctors are paid properly should shifts overrun; no payment for overtime and no incentive for employers to prevent work overrunning; no annual pay progression, pay instead will be linked to stages of training; replacing hour based pay for on-call staff, instead there will be a fixed single allowance.

This contract will be imposed in August 2016. It will only affect doctors in England, since the NHS in Wales, Scotland

"No payment for overtime and no annual pay progression "

and Northern Ireland have all been able to legally oppose it.

Junior doctors voted in favour of a walk out after the British Medical Association (BMA) issued a ballot in November. The dates of strike action are 1st, 8th and 16th December. BMA regret the disruption caused to patients, but argue they have no choice but to go ahead as the proposed contract is 'unsafe'.

James Moore

UoB Spin-out Company Receives £1.2 mil

Firm to develop cutting-edge mobile phone technology in the West Midlands James Moore News Reporter

Smart Antenna Technologies (SAT), a spin-out company of the University of Birmingham, has received a £1.2 million investment from Mercia Technologies, based in Henley-in-Arden.

SAT design and develop pioneering Smart Antennas for the global mobile phone market. A single SAT device replaces all existing mobile phone antennas (DVB-H, GPS, 3G and 4G LTE and GSM) by being cheaper, seventy-five times smaller, and with performance improvements.

A UoB student told Redbrick, ‘this doesn’t seem to affect me; I want to know how this money will benefit students at

Birmingham’ and ‘while we need these technological advancements this is not directly related to students’. Another student said, ‘despite how often we use our phones we never really think about what is inside of them, we never consider who designed the components, you don’t think about the subtle design differences that can change your world’.

SAT, as mentioned previously, is a spin-out of the University of Birmingham.

A spin-out is a type of corporate restructuring, where a corporation breaks off parts of itself to form a new corporation.

The parent company, in this case UoB, has a stake in the equity of the spin-out.

SAT’s Executive Chairman, Dr. Colin Tucker, was one of the founding directors of Orange and the founding CEO of 3, the UK mobile provider. Tucker highlighted the importance of this technology for

upcoming wearable devices, which need to connect to the internet and remain as small as possible.

Mercia Fund 1 was founded in 2000 to fund spin-out projects from the University of Birmingham and Warwick, and in 2007 expanded to cover a total of eight universities, including Aston, Coventry, Leicester and Birmingham City. A 2010 merger with WME, formed in 1982, formed the current Mercia Fund Management.

In an article on the Mercia Technologies Website CEO Mark Payton said, ‘SAT's technology has the potential to be a major component in the development of next generation mobile devices'.

The investment will be used to further SAT’s technology development, and discussions with major laptop and mobile partners.

dents are female and men are underrepresented in professional support staff. The open letter said that the underrepresentation of men in these positions was as a

Shadow Secretary for International Development, Diane Abbott, to ‘fuck off’ after expressing her displeasure at the lack of women in top Shadow Cabinet positions. Abbott had called Phillips ‘sanctimonious’, and told her she was ‘not the only feminist’ in the Labour party. Of the 27 members of the shadow cabinet 15 are women.

Women in the UK are more likely to get into university, graduate from university, graduate with a higher level degree, find a graduate job within 12 months and in graduate jobs for the under 30s, women earn significantly more than men. The rate of suicide for men is more than triple that of women and men make up more than 90% of workplace deaths. Boys underperform at school compared to girls, are twenty times more likely to go to prison, are more likely to be victims of violent crime, and are less likely to access mental health services than women.

International Men's Day Reveals Discrimination James Moore News Reporter

International Men’s Day (IMD) is an annual event celebrated on the 19th of November in more than 60 countries. It has been running since 1992. Its objectives are to focus on improving men’s and boys’ health, and to promote gender equality by highlighting discrimination against men and boys. The event was first celebrated in the UK in 2008 by the University of Kent.

The event is a chance to ‘have some serious fun, highlight some serious issues and to celebrate Britain’s men and boys in all their diversity’ according to ukmensday.org. Issues such as men’s shorter life expectancy, higher suicide rate, difficulty in getting an education, challenges faced by fathers, and the tolerance of violence and abuse against males are addressed by

the event. IMD aims to promote male role models and create a safer world for everyone.

The University of Birmingham and the Guild of Students have no plans to mark the event. The University of York did plan to celebrate IMD this year by highlighting the availability of mental health and welfare support for men, but had to back down after a strong campaign against the event. Scores of students, staff and former students had signed an open letter criticizing comments made by Dr

"The day will highlight tolerance of violence against men"

Adrian Lee, of the equality and diversity committee at York, who had promoted the day. At York University, 56% of all stu-

"Men make up over 90% of workplace deaths" direct result of discrimination against women, and that Men’s Day did not seek a dialogue on these issues or acknowledge patriarchal structures. In contrast, on International Women’s Day the University of York completely revamped their home page to mark the occasion.

Labour MP for Yardley Jess Phillips earlier this year laughed at the suggestion from Yorkshire MP Philip Davies or a debate on IMD, saying that 'every day is international men’s day'. Earlier in the year she had told Hackney North MP and

" s n t

06 20th November - 3rd December 2015

redbrick.me/news

News

First Academic Term for University of Birmingham School

Storm Barney Rocks Birmingham Railway Services Anna Griffiths News Reporter

Megan Stanley News Reporter

The start of the academic year saw the opening of the University Of Birmingham School, making the university the first to open and support a secondary school.

The school is based on the Selly Oak Campus and includes years 7 to 11 with a sixth form. At present, the school currently teaches 150 year seven pupils and 200 sixth formers, with the ambition of having 1,150 pupils by 2020.

For pupils aged 11-16, the school is academically nonselective allowing students from areas such as Selly Oak, Hall Green, Small Heath and Ladywood to begin studying at the school at the start of September. The sixth form is different, selecting students based on academics to prepare them for university study.

As it is a free school, the administration is free to choose the curriculum for their students, however will remain traditional with ambition of students taking

GCSEs and A Levels.

The School is connected to the University’s School of Education and Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, this allows for research to be held to investigate and develop new styles of teaching and other educational practices.

Being connected to the university means that pupils have access to facilities such as the new sports centre and some pupils may be able to use facilities such as laboratories when they aren’t in use. Sixth form pupils will benefit from this type of access, as students will have guest lecturers and guidance on careers from university staff.

At the start of the academic year, head teacher of the school Michael Roden expressed hope for the school and its pupils, ‘we could not be more excited to welcome our first two year groups of University of Birmingham School pupils.

We are looking forward immensely now to getting started and seeing what the future holds for our young people.’

Birmingham Named Top City in Western Europe for Investment Gregory Robinson News Reporter

Birmingham was recently named the top city in Western Europe to invest in and managed to place higher than other European cities including Barcelona, Berlin, Dublin and London. The news was published in the respected World’s Most Competitive Cities Report 2015, which ranks urban areas across the world by industry experts.

The report was compiled by the specialist locations magazine Site Selection, following the news Birmingham was announced as the UK’s most investable city in a survey by Urban Land Institute (ULI) and adviser PwC.

"Cements Birmingham's standing as a highly attractive international business destination"

Neil Rami, chief executive of inward investment agency Marketing Birmingham, said: “As competition between locations to attract investment continues to intensify, this report cements Birmingham’s standing as a highly attractive international business destination across many high-growth sectors”.

Birmingham was ranked in eight key

sectors which are judged as extremely important to the global economy. The eight sectors include automotive, financial services and logistics. In comparison, Manchester and Liverpool were only listed for one section each.

"Foreign direct investment projects... [created] 4,800 new jobs" Neil Rami continued “Birmingham can be very proud of these rankings, but its challenge is to keep the momentum going.

By investing record amounts on its transport links and building an unprecedented amount of modern office space, the city has emerged as a very popular location in which businesses can thrive.”

Birmingham is increasingly seen as an attractive and trustworthy place for major investment. Regeneration has occurred around HS2 and there has also been a growth in automotive production due to the Jaguar Land Rover expansion. Marketing Birmingham has targeted growth for the city in key areas, some of which include advance manufacturing, digital and food.

The wider Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP area secured 73 foreign direct investment projects in 2014, which led to the creation of 4,800 new jobs. The high number of new jobs made the area the most successful LEP in the UK for inward investment.

@AnnaPhoebee

Storm Barney has disrupted several key services in Birmingham after rocking the Midlands. 70mph winds tore through the city overnight, and a yellow weather warning, issued by the Met Office, was in place for the West Midlands for most of Wednesday 18th November.

London Midland train services experienced major problems overnight, with damage from the storm affecting Birmingham rail services in particular.

Trains between Birmingham and Lichfield were cancelled due to a tree falling onto the line. Trains to Wolverhampton were

also disrupted.

The Fort Shopping Park mast toppled due to the strong winds the evening of the 16th. The clean up operation of the 150ft mast’s debris was launched the following morning. Despite the mast falling over a car park, the shopping park has said that no one was injured, and no vehicles were damaged by the fall.

Storm Barney is the second British storm to be named in the new system introduced by the met office. The naming system, similar to that the US uses, is hoped to increase awareness of severe weather and the need for people to protect themselves. Naming storms also makes it easier for experts to follow the storm’s progress and track it on social media.

Labour Councillor to Run for Birmingham Council Leadership Farah Sheraz News Reporter

Labour Councillor for Stockland Green, Penny Holbrook, is the fifth candidate and second Cabinet Minister to run for the leadership elections following the resignation of Sir Albert Bore in October 2015.

Holbrook is well recognised due to her development of the Birmingham Youth Promise, pledging to find a job or training for every young person in Birmingham as well as the way in which she handled cuts made to the Library of Birmingham.

Her main leadership pledges include tackling unemployment, spreading prosperity throughout Birmingham and protecting vulnerable people in the city.

"We need real change in how the city is led"

Expressing her reasons for running for the leadership election, Holbrook stated that, ‘Birmingham is an amazing city, with huge potential ready to be released. If we are going to live up to that potential, we need real change in how the city is led and how we work together. We need to build a city where everyone’s voice is heard, and everyone’s part of the exciting future ahead.

We must address the urgent need for

improvement, continue with the improvement in children’s services, set a balanced budget and change how we work with partners.

"Her desire to set an honest, balanced budget" Holbrook went on to emphasise her focus on helping the most vulnerable people in society, stating that, ‘the council I lead will never, ever forget that you judge a society, not by those at the top, but by how it stands together with the most vulnerable. Economic growth is vital to getting Birmingham back on its feet, but growth that isn’t shared with everyone, is just another missed opportunity.’

Additionally, she stated her desire to ‘set an honest, balanced budget. We will learn the lessons from the general election and show we can be financially responsible while protecting those most in need. Residents see through easy promises. We will be honest about what the future looks like, be clear that Tory cuts have consequences, and set out a clear vision for Birmingham.’

Nominations for the Birmingham City Council elections closed on the 9th November. The new leader of Birmingham City Council will be elected on the 23rd November and will take their place on the 1st December 2015.

redbrick.me/news

20th November - 3rd December 2015

07

Selly Oak Eateries in Great Need of 'Major Improvements' for Food Hygiene

Isma Azad News Editor

@ismaazad

Sarah James News Reporter

Redbrick investigate food h y g i e n e r a t i n g s at U oB stud e n t s ’ f a v o u r i te takeaways, p u b s a n d r e s t a urants in Selly Oak .

Redbrick found that the University Superstore Banana Leaf on Bristol Road received 1 o u t o f 5 i n J a n u a r y t h i s y e a r.

Ve n e z i a , P i z z a L a n d a n d P i z z a Pepper, all on Bristol Road, also received a rating of 1. Selly Sausage also received a low rating of 1. The website states that the café needs major improvement as of January 2015.

Popular fast-food restaurant Rooster House has received a 2 out of 5 in its last inspection.

This outlet is in need of necessary improvement according to the website of the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the government body responsible for public health in food. At its last inspection this August, the S'oak received a 'generally satisfactory' rating of 3 out of 5.

However the Goose and Bristol Pear both received a very good 5 o u t o f 5 r a t i n g . U r b a n Vi l l a g e received a good rating of 4 out of 5. This stark comparison between the different takeaway outlets and pubs in the Selly Oak area suggest that pubs in general have better hygiene ratings than the takeaway counterparts.

The FSA stated that the health ratings are there to give people the option to choose where they eat out or purchase their food based on the information provid-

ed.

According to the FSA, it is q u i t e d i ff i c u l t f o r s o m e o n e t o ‘judge hygiene standards on appearance alone’. Hence the need for a hygiene rating, which helps give the customer an idea as to ‘what’s going on in the kitchen, or behind closed doors.’

The agency also state that the health ratings are there to encourage ‘businesses to improve hygiene standards’. However, if a business has been given a 0 or 1 out of 5 rating, it does have the option to ‘make urgent or major improvements to hygiene standards’. The FSA has stated that ‘the local authority food safety officer in c h a rg e w i l l u s e a n u m b e r o f enforc ement tools as well as giving advice and guidance [to the businesses with a low rating], to make sure these improvements are made’.

Wi t h r e g a r d t o f r e q u e n c y o f inspection, the FSA note, ‘how often the inspectors routinely inspect [a] business depends on the type of business and its previous record. Some premises might be inspected at least every six months’.

The consequences of a food outlet not improving upon a second inspection could result in the closure of the business. However, as stated by the FSA, upon first inspection, if a business is given a rating of ‘0’ or ‘1’, it may not be shut down, as these businesses are being given the opportunity to make improvements. On this, the FSA policy states: ‘[the] local authority food safety officer will[...] giv[e] advice and guidance to make sure these improvements are made’. It is up to the s a f e t y o ff i c e r t o d e t e r m i n e h o w and when these improvements to t h e b u s i n e s s m u s t b e m a d e b y, hence the reason why some local food businesses in the Selly Oak area have still got a food rating of

‘0’ or ‘1’, more than 6 months later.

It is also up to the local authori t y s a f e t y o ff i c e r t o d e t e r m i n e when to close down a business. ‘If the officer finds that a business’s hygiene standards are very poor and there is an imminent risk to health, the officer must take action to make sure that consumers are protected’, by shutting down a food business.

Poor food hygiene can lead to food poisoning, with symptoms like vomiting, stomach pains and diarrhoea. Low health standards in eateries can also lead to more serious illness, inc luding salmonella, which takes effect between 12 to 72 hours after consuming contaminated food such as chicken; E.coli, which can cause severe kidney damage; and listeria, which can, in severe cases, cause meningitis or miscarriage in pregnant women.

Symptoms of food related illness-

es can begin anywhere from an hour after eating the contaminated food to five days following, depending on the type of illness contracted.

The main causes are undercooked meats, and cross-contamination within the kitchen. Infection from people with poor hygiene handling food and poor storage can also be contributing factors.

Ke y F o o d R a t ing s : • U n iv e r s ity Su p e r s to r e Ba n a n a L e a f ( Br is to l Ro a d ) - 1 /5 • Ve n e z ia - 1 /5 • Piz z a L a n d - 1 /5 • Pizza Pepper - 1/5 • Se lly Sa u s a g e - 1 /5 • Ro o s te r H o u s e 2 /5 • T h e So a k - 3 /5 • U r b a n Villa g e - 4 /5 • T h e G o o s e - 5 /5 • Bristol Pear - 5/5

redbrick.me/comment

20th November - 3rd December 2015

Comment

08

Daniella Bassett & Joe Goodsall

Comment Editors Sitting on the tube on my way to the Battle of Ideas festival last weekend, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. With a timetable packed with different debates sat on my lap, it was clear that this weekend was not going to be a light-hearted chat about the nature of the world we live in, but, as the name of the event suggested, a battle which would leave minds wearied and battered. I can, however, say that I rather expected, like in a battle, a winner, or a

"the 'Battle of Ideas'... is a continual battle that has been going on for centuries before our generation and will go on for centuries after it." conclusion. However, by the end of the weekend, my brain feeling much like it had been attacked by a rolling pin and stretched

Top 5 Quotes of the Weekend "Trigger Warning: You will be offended, and if you don't like that, go home."

Mick Hume

"If you're willing to say free speech for me not for thee then you are part of the problem and not the solution" Tom Slater

"Is this a hipster beard or is it a sign of extremism?"

Kalsoom Bashir

"We can have a movie called Psycho about someone with a mental health problem doing bad things, but not a movie called Homo about a gay man doing bad things."

Kyon West

"If you can say yes and then later say that you didn't really feel free to say no then what is really the point I consent?"

Cathy Young

to it’s broadest limits, I had more questions than answers. It was then, exhausted and thinking way too much on the train home, that I came to the conclusion that the ‘Battle of Ideas’ was not merely confined to this weekend, but that it was a continual battle that has been going on for centuries before our generation, and will go on for centuries afterwards.

"'You can't say that' has become the slogan for our day... Free speech is supposed to be free"

The whole weekend was a testament to free speech. Mick Hume assigned the motto of “think what you like and say what you think” to the event and issued a clever trigger warning in his opening speech: “Trigger Warning: You will be offended, if you don’t like that, go home.” There were heated discussions, emotional defenses, passionate expletives, and punch ups going on all over the place... Okay, so there weren’t any

physical battles, but the debates definitely got pretty heated!

Spectators old and young frequented both the main debates and the free ones being staged in the Barbican Centre over the two day festival. When I say ‘old and young’, I truly mean it. There were preschoolers to pensioners rolling around the festival, soaking up the intellectual debates and different opinions all around them. It was an event ‘for the people, by the people’ which allowed everyone to voice their opinions, concerns and questions without a fear of being called ‘politically incorrect’

"it was an event 'for the people, by the people' which allowed everyone to voice their opinions"

or being deemed an enemy of society.

During the course of the weekend, my opinions were challenged and changed, and I was certainly surprised at how much

I hadn’t considered before because I was just stuck in my own narrow viewpoint. I thought I knew what my views were, but this event completely changed my perspective on some topics that I was previously set on.

"the weekend was a crusade to banish ignorance through free speech" Overall, the weekend was a crusade to banish ignorance through free speech that pushed the boundaries of thought and demanded people to step outside the box of their preconceptions. Comment got to sit down with the likes of Cathy Young, Dapper Laughs, and Tom Slater to discuss their thoughts on everything from feminism and rape to free speech and comedy. In this week’s ‘free speech special’ Comment explores campus censorship and the importance of free speech in our society.

The Weekend in 5 Summaries...

Why do young people join ISIS? This debate essentially boils down to two things: identity and ignorance. Ted Cantle kicked off the talk by saying that “there is an alternative narrative that says there doesn’t have to be a them and us. You can have multiple different identities at once”, and a large part of the problem of young people joining ISIS is a lack of education and a malleability of character. Bill Durodie seconded this opinion stating that young people “want to find something to belong to and to believe in” and that legislations like the PREVENT act are ineffective due to the fact that matters of identity and ignorance cannot be legislated out of society. The Islamic state offers people an identity; this is powerful and seductive, and, ultimately, dangerous. Shiraz Maher summarises this lack of something to stand for beautifully in her argument that “we don’t really know what it is that we stand for [in terms of British values] and so we have nothing to offer people to say ‘get involved with this’.” Therefore, the key to preventing young people from joining ISIS, it seems, is education and in giving the young people something to put their faith into that currently just doesn’t exist in British society.

Campus Wars: Safe or Sanitised?

The four speakers were more or less in agreement in this debate. Tom Slater began by pointing out that though there have been examples this year of bans to freedom of speech on the campus, there has also been a backlash. He argued that "Free speech is indivisible otherwise there's no point". Gia Milinovich continued, arguing that “Universities have a duty of care to our young people...they need to enforce a secular space for discussion”. She also posed the controversial viewpoint that a cult of the oppressed has formed and anyone who is not oppressed is an oppressor and is therefore excluded. Christina Hoff Sommers echoed these sentiments as she cited examples from talks she gave in America where she was given an armed guard, and managed to persuade students that clapping was exclusive and that one should use jazz

hands instead. She stated that "The campus is a dangerous place for freedom it's unsafe because it has been sanitised” before handing over to Ian Dunt who pointed to a resistance to debate freedom of speech, arguing that "Free speech is ultimately a matter of self-interest" and finishing the talk, and the battle of Ideas as a whole with a fitting comment: "Our ideas develop more because we come into contact with other ideas."

Having a Laugh: Comedy and Offense today.

A heated debate attended by just two speakers, Daniel O’Rilley, famous for his controversial character Dapper laughs, and Spiked journalist Tom Slater. Daniel began by suggesting that the decision as to whether they are offended is ultimately in the hands of the ticket holder. Comedy relies on the ability to shock and so will inevitably be offensive to some. However, his concluding remarks highlighted the social bias in the comedy world stating that if Jimmy Carr had made a well-spoken rape joke it would have been seen as clever whereas in his case it was seen as vulgar.

Tom Slater concurred, ----- that we cannot underestimate the audience and that the spectators at the shows are often not the people who complain and that the comedians, as artists, have the right to offend. The general conclusion was that the power lay with the audience. What offends one person may not offend another. He finished by pointing out that, as soon as we draw a line between society and comedy, one influences the other.

Stigmatising Mental Illness: Are you mad?

Paul Farmer began, suggesting that the stigma of mental health can be more hurtful than mental health itself. He cited the infamous ‘mental patient’ costume run by Tesco and Asda and pointed out that, whilst understanding has widened, it is still insufficient. Lucy Johnston was next, arguing that “mental health problems are arguably

the most serious form of suffering” and pointing out that we cannot hope to reduce the stigma until we address its cause.

However she made the controversial statement that mental illness is not medical, rather it is the impact of environmental and social factors. Kyon West pointed out that there is no one stigma about mental health, as mental health itself is so complex and varied. 77% of the population believe that someone with Schizophrenia is dangerous but just 9% believe the same about someone with an eating disorder. We can have a movie called Psycho about someone with a mental disorder doing bad things but not a movie called Homo about a gay man doing bad things. Ken Mcghlougen finished off by pointing out that many awareness raising campaigns, blame the public but those in power are often let off the hook, giving the impression that lack of awareness is the greatest problem facing the world today but this can lead to increased anxiety about the world around you.

Blurred Lines: What is Consent?

This debate was certainly blurry. Consent, being the tricky topic that it is, is extremely hard to pin down. The debate began through the emphasis of just how blurred the lines of consent really are with Alison Saunders ensuring us that “it’s not the simplistic cup of tea model” that has been circulating social media. Cathy Young agreed that this model is “cute, but it really doesn’t capture the dialogue that is actually happening” and explored the many intricacies that must be considered when examining whether consent was given, and how this can be counterproductive: "if you can say yes and then later say that you didn't really feel free to say no then what is really the point I consent?"

Thus, everyone on the panel seemed to agree that classifying consent was no easy task.

However, the debate took an interesting turn when Luke Gittos proposed a crisis of intimacy stating that “the first thing we are telling people about sex and intimacy now is that it is dangerous”, and that this in itself poses problems for today’s youth, in that they are programmed to think that intimacy

09

redbrick.me/comment

20th November - 3rd December 2015

Comment

Redbrick Comment Meets: Tom Slater At the festival, Redbrick Comment caught up with Tom Slater, editor of Spiked online magazine and founder of the free speech university rankings project which rates universities nationwide according to their platforms for freedom of speech. Having attended the 'Campus Wars' panel earlier in the day, we had a great deal of questions for him about the freedom of speech in today's society and why it is so important in universities expecially.

Why do you think free speech is so important, specifically in University?

I think free speech is so important because, ultimately it’s the way that we come to understand the world and understand where we should go, effectively. I think that it is only through having a complete open forum that you can test each other's ideas and you can come up with new and progressive ones that ultimately drive society forwards. I think that’s something that permeates all of society. The thing about universities, though, is that they are a place that, more so than anywhere else, should uphold this ideal and this principle, because their whole moral mission is to sort truth from untruth and to allow people to explore their own ideas. So, ultimately I think free speech is a progressive value, it’s for all of society, but universities have a distinct moral mission to uphold it, that’s why it’s such a tragedy that they’re not at the moment.

The 'Free speech University' project assessed the University of Birmingham and rated it 'red' on their scale. They stated that: "The University of Birmingham and the University of Birmingham Guild of Students collectively create an environment that is hostile to free speech. The university, which has received an Amber ranking, places restrictions on ‘offensive language’ and literature. The guild, which has received a Red ranking, holds a No Platform policy, which bans far-right and extremist speakers. It has also banned all materials that propagate prejudicial ‘stereotypes’ and, as part of this, has banned the Daily Sport and the Daily Star. Due to the severity of the guild’s policy, the institution as a whole has received a Red ranking."

What do you think is society's greatest threat to freedom of speech?

It’s a hard one to answer insofar as the attacks are coming from all sides. As much as you could say that it’s these ‘mad feminists’ who want to ban lads mags and censor blurred lines, and tell rugby lads that they can’t say ‘minger’, you’ve got the government trying to impose censorship on campus and almost using the same logic as lad culture, effectively saying that if you allow people to hear certain ideas you create a climate in which radicalisation can flourish. It’s really exactly the same thing. On the other end, there’s plenty of people who are in the last remnants of the antifascist movements who still think it’s a good idea to oppose fascism by no-platforming it. I mean, I went to university at Sussex, and it’s fascinating that they still randomly think that not only taking the national front on student marches, but that banning them is a good idea. So there’s all these different attacks, old and new, but my argument is that ultimately, the reason that this is so spread is because there is a general climate at the moment which ultimately sees speech as dangerous, debate as corrupting, and, most importantly, individuals as vulnerable. The reason you get feminists and conservatives effectively arguing that free speech needs to curtail speaks to the fact that this is a broader climate and not a thing that’s coming from any one direction.

Would you have said that direct attacks, or a more subliminal fear are more harmful or dangerous to the freedom of speech?

Obviously we have to be very vigilant against direct attempts to censor, that goes for student unions, that goes for the states, if there’s any attempt to do that, we really need to be very vigilant to it. So, for instance, the PREVENT duty that’s coming through that is telling universities to censor speakers and all the rest of it is really a big problem, but at the same time, it’s not the jackboot of the state stamping down on the students, we’ve got to recognise that. Often it’s not even the student unions, I think the problem is that these bans are aided and abetted by a climate of conformism and self censorship. That’s ultimately the problem and why I say it’s a broader societal problem than something that’s just being imposed on people, because not only is self-censorship, in itself, very insidious - you’re scared to say what you think and you don’t need anyone to censor you- but the flip side of that is that if you have this conformist climate, this fearful climate, no one is going to oppose these things, if anything, the might even support them. There’s two sides to the same coin; we’ve got to be very vigilant to active state censorship or otherwise, but at the same time we need to challenge this deeper issue of self censorship because one really fuels the other.

What is the government doing, or not doing, to influence freedom of speech?

I think the government is playing into the same trap that everyone seems to be falling into which is ‘I believe in freedom of speech, BUT’, and you see this with David Cameron’s announcement, particularly in July, where he talks about how ‘we’re a British nation, we’re a tolerant nation, we believe in freedom, but there’s such a thing as passive tolerance' - which is nonsense - the idea that the whole point of tolerance is that you should challenge things. So I think what the government is doing is what people do throughout society which is pay lip service to free speech, but then talk about all the ways in which it’s being curtailed. I think the problem is that that’s really the way these debates have been had out for the last 20 or 30 years. Every debate you listen to is one in which free speech is paid lip service to, and then they just catalogue all the reasons why it should be curtailed in these circumstances, and I think the government is doing that as much as anyone else.

Do you think religion causes issues with freedom of speech?

Not necessarily, I mean, I’m not any kind of theologian, so I won’t be able to work out for you whether Islam or Christianity or anything else are ultimately hostile to it. But, I think religion has been caught up with everything else in this ‘climate of concern’. You’ve got Islamist speakers being banned, you’ve got Christian speakers being banned, told that they’re Nazis.

So ultimately, it’s a theological question that I’m not prepared to answer. If there is a religion that needs to be tackled, it’s this cultish belief that everyone is really vulnerable and everyone really needs to be protected. That really feels like the religion that’s really being preached on campus at the moment, I feel like that is where the focus should be.

What do you think about free speech on our University Campus? Tweet us your thoughts! @RedbrickComment

See the full results at www.spiked-online.com/free-speech-university-rankings

redbrick.me/comment

20th November - 3rd December 2015

10

The Issue of Campus Censorship

Jay Harris Commentator

Freedom of expression is a key value advocated throughout the Western world, commonly used through forms of protest, rally-

"Fear plays a monumental role in the censorship of guest speakers" ing over key political issues or immersing in discussions with peers. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly on 10th December 1948, which represents the unshakable rights of all human beings, states through Article 19 that “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression” and that “this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference”. Contrary to the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, numerous University students throughout the United Kingdom are guilty of limiting this inalienable right, to coddle other students from “obscene” or “radical” views that they believe should not be tolerated on a University Campus. Why has this protectionist agenda become the norm across British University campuses?

Fear plays a monumental role in the

censorship of guest speakers from British institutions. Most commonly, students’ unions are fearful of offending certain sects of students. Only a month ago, the students’ union at Warwick University blocked Maryam Namazie, an Iranian-born secularist and human rights activist from speaking at an event organised by the Warwick Atheist Secularist and Humanist Society, before overturning their decision due to widespread dismay, including from prominent figures such as Richard Dawkins and Professor Brian Cox. In a statement, the Warwick students’ union made their decision based on “the right of Muslim students not to feel intimidated or discriminated against on their University campus.” It should be up to stu-

" It should be up to students, regardless of faith or religious views, to accept criticism." dents, regardless of faith or religious views, to accept criticism. Instead of preventing disparate views from being heard by those likely to be offended, we should welcome diversity in opinions and engage in debate to point out potential flaws in arguments.

Many fail to acknowledge the repetition of such censorship, and the hypocrisy that comes with it. In February of this year, University of Oxford students came out in their numbers gripping onto placards reading “No to fascism!” to protest

"Isn’t it somewhat ironic of students to use their gift of freedom of expression to stifle that of others?" against the invitation of Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right Front National, to speak at the Oxford Union. Isn’t it somewhat ironic of students to use their gift of freedom of expression to stifle that of others? A core feature of fascism is the establishment of an authoritarian system, having an unchallenged and single way of thinking. This sounds awfully similar to the actions of the protesting Oxford students. There is absolutely no issue in disapproving of Le Pen’s radical and divisive ideology, but just as students are entitled to their beliefs, so too are fundamentally radical politicians, who may espouse unpopular policies.

Blame doesn’t solely lie with students’ unions for the censorship of speakers; Home Secretary Theresa May can also be seen as playing a part in opposing freedom of expression on campuses. Whilst her policy failed to even go to a vote in Parliament due to opposition from the Liberal Democrats in the previous government, it is believed she intended to ban external speakers at universities and colleges with an aim to avoid the spread of extremist ideology on campuses.

Encroaching on civil liberties is not the way to go about preventing extremism.

Ultimately, it is down to individual students to form their own ideology, and it is up to them to avoid radicalisation.

Something has to change, drastically, in the policies of students’ unions across the

"Encroaching on civil liberties is not the way to go about preventing extremism." country to ensure that everybody has a platform to be heard. We cannot accept a single viewpoint being embraced on university campuses, , as we risk the spread of authoritarian agendas across institutions.

Anxiety: Is It Becoming a Trend?

Hannah Coles

shortcomings by exercising intensively as part of a University sports team and regularly running very long distances. Her con-

Commentator

Ask a famous person what they would tell their younger self and their response will be something along the lines of 'everything will be fine'. This is naturally understandable when you consider how early adulthood is rife with new pressures, awkwardness and adjustment. Yet, it seems today that this trope of adolescence is leading to something darker than just being under the weather.

We're anxious, that is, medically anxious, and scores of young people are struggling to process daily bouts of panic. Both Lena Dunham and Zoella have publicly admitted to suffering from this condition, and a noticeable number of my closest friends have been diagnosed on entering the university phase of their lives.

If these years are meant to be the best of our lives, why is anxiety silently but inextricably linked to the blindly accepted vision of university experience?

According to mentalhealth.org students are more likely to feel anxious all of, if not a great deal of the time. A third of the students in the survey said they cope by ‘hiding themselves away from the world’. This

" It's that fake-Fendi anxiety that could perhaps be behind our acceptance of something so damaging - the real cases are harder to distinguish" is extremely troubling and doesn't bode well considering the bittersweet nature of student life - all at once lonely, but not alone. Behind the closed door of every student bedroom anxiety could easily be taking hold.

There is also the effect that each time someone I know becomes 'ill' with anxiety, it has the potential to become decreasingly important. Like the impact of a new trend when it filters down to the high street: everyone has it nowadays. I acknowledge the somewhat shallow comparison between a psychological disorder and fashion, how-

" it seems today that this trope of adolescence is leading to something darker than just being under the weather." dition has actually worsened since leaving university, and she is now seeking therapy for her symptoms. From the outside, I know that she has had to sacrifice relationships and other enjoyable experiences due to the extent of her anxiety. This is not only utterly tragic, but also vastly incongruous with the sugar coated impression we get concerning university life.

Perhaps the worst part of all this is that my writing has been inspired by the affliction of people I know and love. I didn't go searching to write about this, and I didn't

" It is even debatable whether Lena and Zoella's publicising of their anxiety has done a good deed in raising awareness."

ever it highlights a further more disturbing point about the devaluation of the term 'anxiety'. All of a sudden everyone is struggling with 'anxiety', when much fewer of those cases will be genuine. It's that fake-Fendi anxiety that could perhaps be behind our acceptance of something so damaging - the real cases are harder to distinguish.

I have two very close friends in mind, who both studied at the University of Birmingham and experienced anxiety. Alice* started getting panic attacks when she was living in a house of people that she didn't particularly like, plus having a boyfriend who she desperately wanted her family to approve

of despite his difficult character. They came on all of a sudden when she moved to Moseley and rather bizarrely found a snake in the alleyway by their house on a late return home from campus. She had a panic attack. Rather like the snake she encountered, the inner disquiet had struck out from a tightly wound coil with such overwhelming force that she couldn't really breathe. It's only since another period of panic attacks that her anxiety has been recognised and appropriately medicated.

Helen*, on the other hand, was an obsessive sportswoman. She would fight against her insecurities and perceived

know about the aforementioned statistics from mentalhealth.org until I felt the need to increase my understanding of anxiety's societal impact. This comes from a place of concern for our somewhat blasé attitude towards yet another mental health taboo. It is even debatable as to whether Lena and Zoella's publicising of their anxiety has done a good deed in raising awareness.

Given that the latter is popular for her trend setting reputation, it could simply inspire another wave of anxious youths, looking to fit into a template which so damagingly pairs fashion with 'trendy' disorders whether that be anxiety, self-harming or drug addiction. *Names have been changed to protect the privacy and identity of the individuals.

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12 20th November - 4th December 2015

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Redbrick goes to...

TV Critic Lee Wheeler went to BBC's Sherlock panel to learn all about the new Victorian themed Christmas special.

Last month, MCM Comic Con at ExCel London welcomed some of the inspirational creators and actors of the hit TV show Sherlock. Actress Amanda Abbington (Mary Morstan), writers and creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, who doubles as Mycroft Holmes, and lastly Sue Vertue, producer, executive producer and series producer; all made up the fantastic panel which I was lucky enough to be in the audience for. The queue for the panel was astounding, everyone was buzzing and it did not disappoint. Half the time was taken by the presenter, Morgan Jeffrey, of Digital Spy, and the other half by audience questions.

"The special will be on show in selected cinemas, with tickets available since November 2nd"

Doctor Who: Five Things We Found Out

Ellie Patten caught the top five reveals from the Doctor Who panel with Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, Rachel Talalay and Sarah Dollard at Comic Con Moffat is open to Captain Jack's return

There may be a female Doctor in the future

One member of the audience was keen to know if there is any chance of Captain Jack Harkness, John Barrowman’s beloved character, who first appeared in the chilling World War II episode ‘The Empty Child’, returning to Doctor Who in the future.

Steven Moffat responded that it is entirely possible that Captain Jack could one day return, but only if a story is first written which involves that character. He stressed that Doctor Who is “story-driven,” so if a story does present itself which involves Captain Jack, then we might see his return.

But we won’t be seeing Captain Jack appear simply for the sake of it. We will however be seeing the return of River Song for the Christmas special, so we have the return of at least one fan-favourite to look forward to this year.

When asked (and not for the first time) if the Doctor could ever be a woman, Moffat was very clear in his answer. He told the audience that it would work both artistically, and commercially, as there is clearly a demand for a female doctor by the audience, so it could definitely happen in the future. He said that a female Doctor “doesn’t need to happen, but it can happen.

Absolutely.” He did say however, that there is “no vacancy” for a new Doctor, as there is no sign of Peter Capaldi leaving any time soon.

"There's 'no vacancy' for a new Doctor"

Mark Gatiss' episode is set in the 38th century space Mark Gatiss is remaining quiet about the details of his upcoming episode, but he has revealed that episode nine will be the first “space” episode he has penned, and that the episode will take place in the 38th century. The episode will be titled ‘Sleep No More’ and will be entirely in the style of found footage. (You can now catch this episode in iPlayer!)

Redbrick TV headed to the 9th annual MCM Comic Con at ExCel London to get the latest on Sherlock and Doctor Who First off, it was confirmed that the Sherlock Victorian special is set to air New Year’s Day 2016 with the title ‘The Abominable Bride’. Additionally, the special will be on show in selected Picture Houses and Odeon’s, with tickets having been released from November 2nd.

Now with regard to the special itself, as we know it is going to be set in the original period in which Conan Doyle wrote, but some important news was revealed.

Moffat and Gatiss explained that it was exactly how they would have written had they decided to make the entire series in the Victorian period, and in this they also revealed that the story is completely unrelated to the present day series.

The story will be a “proper gothic story”, and although one would assume the strong female characters would be difficult to maintain in the Victorian era, Moffat clarified that they are “slightly more reserved” but are still definitely there. Similarly, the TV-only characters such as Molly who do not appear in the original book series do still appear in the special and the issue is “addressed squarely”.

Steven Moffat seemed especially panel-adept and many audience questions were repetitive, with him having to constantly remind people that it is a Sherlock panel, and that the Doctor Who panel was later (see below), pleading amusingly “can I get through one fucking panel without the next Doctor question?”

Interestingly, Steven and Mark talked about how the story decides the plotlines

We haven’t seen the last of Maisie Williams Maisie Williams’ immortal character, who has so far appeared in the episodes ‘The Girl Who Died’ and ‘The Girl Who Lived,’ is set to return later on this series, though the writers have been very adamant that she will not be the Doctor’s new companion. Showrunner, Steven Moffat has also said that he prefers the term co-star, or co-lead to companion.

Maisie’s character will reappear in episode ten, ‘Face the Raven,’ which has been written

by Sarah Dollard. Rigsy, a character who appeared in the episode ‘Flatline’ in series eight will also feature in this episode, which Dollard hints will be based on “a real life strange thing.”

The final episode will see the Doctor very alone Series finale director, Rachel Talalay spoke about challenges of directing the unusual format of this series’ penultimate episode. Talalay told fans that episode eleven will focus on Peter Capaldi’s Doctor alone, giving him no one to “play off of,” but this won’t make the episode any less complex or exciting.

At one point, Talalay described the episode as “a man in a room, and he talks for forty-five minutes straight,” hinting more at its strange format, although perhaps not exactly selling the episode. Steven Moffat then joked that they wouldn’t be “putting that on the poster,” but would give no more away about what exactly we can expect.

You can catch the latest series of Doctor Who every Saturday on BBC One, or a number of the previous episodes on BBC iPlayer.

for their episodes, so despite the fear of spoiling Irene Adler’s cliffhanger if a good storyline included her return it would not be inconceivable.

"TV-only characters such as Molly who do not appear in the original book series do still appear in the special" A question about there possibly being more yet shorter episodes, revealed that the current structure is as a result of the BBC’s recommendation. The writers, it turns out, had initially wanted six 60-minute episodes! Mark, however, said it was fortunate that they gave in to the BBC, pointing out that due to the success of the show and its stars, the series would no longer have existed in that expanded form due to how busy Benedict and Martin are!

Overall the panel was an extremely enjoyable experience, providing an intriguing insight into both the series and its creators and offering an interesting tease as to what to expect in the forthcoming special. So be sure to get your tickets for the special cinema showings on New Year’s Day!

50% of our jobs are outside of London

We have 9,100 clients across our regional offices

Our regional practices are at the heart of PwC

68% of all 2015 promotions were outside London

We welcome all degree disciplines

We don’t look at UCAS tariff for our graduate roles

A career that takes you places You might be surprised at the types of projects you could get involved in with us. Not only will you experience a range of challenging projects and exceptional training and development, you’ll also get to work with our high-profile clients. With over 30 offices to choose from, we’re sure you’ll discover an opportunity that’s right for you. Whether it’s joining our Assurance business to provide decision makers with information they can trust, or one of our technology businesses to help our clients embrace emerging trends. With us, you can take your career in a direction that suits you.

Take the opportunity of a lifetime pwc.com/uk/careers

/pwccareersuk @pwc_uk_careers © 2015 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. All rights reserved.

Create value through diversity.

Be yourself, be different.

14

redbrick.me

20th November - 3rd December 2015

Features

The Higher Education Green Paper Sophie Milligan and Beriwan Ceren break down the government's latest higher education reform proposals, and how they will affect students

The Higher Education Green Paper documents the proposals the Government has made for future policies on higher education in the UK. The paper aims to provoke discussions both inside and out of parliament, but it contains no commitment to action, and is often the first step towards changing the law before transitioning into a White Paper, and then a bill which is taken before Government.

This year’s paper proposes many significant changes to the higher edu-

Research

The proposals in this month’s Green Paper touch sparingly on Research however they contain considerate implications for the future of funding for research in the UK. The paper states - ‘we are proposing that HEFCE would no longer have a role in regulating the higher education system or allocating grant funding for teaching and research in England’. The HEFCE currently allocate Quality Related funding for research in Universities across the country.

University funding provides universities with ‘freedom to pursue pure blue-skies research’, ‘a

cation system, including a raise in fees, new rankings of universities, a significant opening of the higher education market, and threats to the Freedom of Information Act. A Green Paper lays out changes the government are proposing to make, in this case to Higher Education. The layout of the paper is to encourage responses to the proposed policies. It is possible to do so on the .gov website by answering the questions on a form, which will then be sent to the appropriate minister in parliament.

Professor Madeleine Atkins, Chief stable base from which permanent academic staff can make credible proposals for research project funding and a contribution to the full economic costs of project research’, and the costs of training new researchers.

The benefits of Quality Related funding across the country are enormous. For every £1 spent by the Government on R&D, private sector productivity rises by 20p.

Furthermore every £1 of government spending on research leverages in an estimated additional £1.36 of private funding. Though the paper proposes a continuation of QR funding who will assume the HEFCE’s role is unclear once it is merged with the Office for Fair Access to become the Office for Students.

Freedom of Information Changes proposed in the HEGP attempt to level the competition universities face from private providers.

However this could mean that universities become exempt from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

The FOIA plays a crucial role in securing democracy and is essential for the transparency of data and information. At the moment HEFCEfunded institutions (universities) are treated as ‘public bodies’. As a result, they are subject to the FOIA. This is different to their private competitors.

The cost to providers of being within the scope of the Freedom of

Lord Dearing writes report on Higher Education in the UK with the conclusion that students should fund their further education.

Information Act is estimated at around £10m per year.

"The FOI plays a crucial role in supporting and securing democracy"

The HEGP states: ‘we want to see all higher education providers subject to the same requirements, and wherever possible we are seeking to reduce burdens and deregulate’. However, ‘if it were in the interest of students and the wider public’, they may consider ‘some exceptions to this general rule’.

Education Secretary Charles Clarke announces 'top-up' fees which are to be paid after graduation instead of upfront.

2003

1997 1998 The Teaching and Higher Education Act is passed, creating tuition fees of £1000 per year.

Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (the leading regulator of Higher Education) said that: ‘The higher education Green Paper proposes a reshaping of the higher education system which puts students at its heart.’

However this has not been the wide reception. The NCAFC have expressed their concerns on the progression of Higher Education. Their reaction to the HE Green paper warns the public: ‘The introduction of fees was the first step towards the full marketisation of the sector – this is the

Fee Raises

Under the propositions laid out in the HEGP universities will be able to raise their fees starting 2017-18. In 2017, Teaching Excellence Awards will be introduced. Institutions who display a certain standard of teaching will achieve the first award.

The level one TEA will then allow universities to increase their fees (in accordance to inflation) up to a cap which is to be decided by ministers. It is probable that the majority of universities will qualify for the award and subsequent fee raise. A further 3 tiers of TEA are suggested to be introduced in 2018-19. Each will each have a separate and raised fee cap.

The decision to implement a fee raise to £3000 is passed by parliament.

Currently, students will graduate with an average of £44,035 debt, but most shockingly, the Institute of Fiscal Studies estimates that 73% will not repay their debt in full.

"Current students will graduate with an average of £44,035 in debt" In addition to this, the student loan book will see a dramatic increase from £46bn in 2013 to £330bn in 2044, casting doubt on the long-term financial stability of the loan system.

Toni Pearce, president of the National Union of Students, said; 'Forcing debt on to students as a way of funding universities is an experiment that has failed our country.'

The Private Market The current student numbers criterion for university title specifies that, in order to be eligible, an applicant should have 1,000 full-time equivalent higher education students of which at least 750 are studying for a degree and 55% of the organisation’s overall student body is studying higher education.

It is now proposed that ‘universities should not be so limited by the size or location of the student body’ and can be achieved by introducing access to the university title for a wider range of providers. Private providers could get degree awarding powers in less

Despite fees having risen to £3000, applications for university places continue to rise in the UK

than four years and university status in less than five.

By ‘streamlining’ the entry of private providers, it is stated in the Green Paper to ‘remove the role of the Privy Council in making decisions about DAPs (Degree Awarding Providers)’.

It is known that new institutions have concerns about the length of time the Privy Council takes to respond to applications.

However, removing the Privy Council’s involvement could concern existing universities as it could arguably damage the standard of UK higher education overseas.

Following a U-turn by the Lib Dems, English universities are allowed to charge £9000 a year from 2012 if they ensure access for poorer students

2010

2007 2004

next move. If this green paper consultation reaches legislation unchanged it will be nothing less than the end of public education.’

The way fee caps are decided – at the moment fees increase following secondary legislation and a vote in Parliament.

The HEGP proposes this will to the secretary of state for Business, Innovation and Skills. The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Office for Fair Access will merge to form the new Office for Students.

2008 The National Union of Students changes its stance from total opposition to tuition fees to fighting further rises from £3000

2015 The Conservatives' Higher Education green paper proposes further raises in tuition fees over the next few years

redbrick.me

20th November - 3rd December 2015

15

Features

Hugh's War on Waste

Rhiannon Stickley reports on chef Hugh Whittingstall and his fight against food waste Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall is waging a war against waste. More ruthless than ever, he’s kicking things off by challenging the biggest culprits of them all; the supermarkets. Through his petition, Hugh wants to drastically reduce the amount of surplus food that ends up in the bin, rather than the mouths of the hungry British public.

The eye opening television series, ‘Hugh’s War on Waste’, has shocked viewers across the country by highlighting the failure of supermarkets to take responsibility for food wastage. Hugh is attempting to remove the enormous blindfold that covers the eyes of our consumer culture. He aims to expose the ludicrously strict cosmetic guidelines that define what is a ‘sellable’ piece of fruit and veg.

"Farmers are suffering with 20-40% of their crop yields failing to make the cut"

You might have found a lump in your throat during the episode that introduced a family run parsnip farm, whose abundance of wonky parsnips forced them to close down after 30 years of business. Shockingly, they aren’t alone. Farmers nationally are suffering the detrimental impact, with between 20-40% of their crop yields failing to make the cut in this absurd beauty contest.

Supermarkets shift the blame for this wastage onto the customers - insisting that cosmetically defective fruit and veg simply don't sell. They suggest this is because in a society of infinite choice, we have developed a fastidious attitude towards the products we buy.

But how can we buy the crooked carrots, the peculiar parsnips or the awkward apples if they aren’t even making it to the shelves? Recent research has shown that 65% of customers would be open to the idea of buying oddly shaped produce, while 75% would definitely buy ‘wonky’ if it was cheaper.

Everybody knows that the most loved strawberry in a punnet is the weird looking one with a bit of character. In fact, does a blemish free, clone-like piece of fruit not just scream ‘genetically modified’ to you?

Most would agree that the inevitable imperfections are actually a reminder that we are buying a natural product.

Understandably, the bruised and scuffed ones may be left at the bottom of the crate, but for supermarkets to claim that a parsnip won’t sell because it is ‘too large’ or ‘too small’ is absurd. Customers are much more broad-minded than that. Besides, can a parsnip ever be ‘too large’? Surely the bigger the better!

The truth is that supermarkets are too competitive to reduce cosmetic standards.

This is out of fear that customers will go elsewhere to buy ‘prettier produce’.

However the solution is simple. If all food retailers collectively relaxed their rigorous

Ten top tips...

1

Put out of date eggs in a bowl of water. If they sink to the bottom, then they’re still fresh.

2

Keep fresh produce in the plastic packaging it comes in. Particularly salad, herbs, carrots and parsnips.

3

Remove mushrooms and potatoes from plastic packaging or they will sweat and go off quicker - a paper or cloth bag works better.

4

If your lettuce is looking limp, put it in a bowl of ice water and it will be revived within minutes.

5

Make smoothies out of tired looking fruit by adding juice or yoghurt and whizzing in the blender.

of the energy in wasted food by converting it into electricity.

Whilst this might seem like a better alternative to landfill, the bottom line is that making electricity out of food, whilst half a million people in the UK are relying on food banks, is utter madness.

"Currently only 2% of the UK's surplus fitto-eat food is sent to redistribution charities"

In Hugh’s words “Food that can be eaten by human beings, should be eaten by human beings.” Currently only 2% of the UK’s surplus fit-to-eat food is sent to redistribution charities. The War on Waste petition aims to increase this to 25%, which would create 1.5 million new meals each week.

The petition also emphasises how our own individual actions can collectively make an enormous difference. By simply becoming a bit more kitchen savvy, we can start reducing the current 4 million tonnes of waste that UK households throw away every year. Hugh is urging us to stop taking ‘use by dates’ so literally and start using our common sense. It really is as simple as giving out of date food a sniff, and if it smells good, just eat it.

As money-conscious students, we should be particularly engaged in this campaign. Here are some top tips on how you can save those precious pennies by wasting less food and helping to strive towards a less wasteful society.

6

Cook with canned and frozen fruit and vegetables. Just as nutritious, they last longer and can be more affordable.

7

Freeze butter, cream, milk and hard cheese that’s about to go off. It’s a common misconception that dairy products can’t be frozen.

8

Make croutons from stale bread by dicing, covering in olive oil and baking in the oven.

9

Use these croutons to enliven soups made from leftovers and sad looking veg.

10

cosmetic standards, then the ‘supposed’ drop in sales would affect no sole retailer.

As a result, farmers would not be forced to throw away so much food; they could grow a bit less, use fewer resources and therefore charge us less to buy the produce.

Everyone is happy.

Who knew a big pile of funny looking parsnips could cause such a commotion?

The programme provoked an absolute uproar on social media as stunned viewers expressed their disgust at what has been going on behind closed doors. In particular, many were outraged that supermarkets can get away with changing or cancelling their orders at the last minute, leaving waste on their supplier’s hands. In response, millions have been sharing the link to a petition online, in agreement that supermarkets have a fundamental lack of compassion towards farmers.

The War on Waste petition is in place to tackle this issue head on, proposing the question: who do we need more of; the people who sell us the food or the people that grow the food? By signing the petition, customers can voice that they are happy to buy wonky parsnips, not least because they are amusing, but to ensure farmers are being treated fairly.

The extent of the problem doesn’t just stop there, as not enough of the food that actually makes it to the shelves is getting eaten. Strict health and safety policies mean that food past the ‘sell by date’ is thrown out or sent off to Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plantations. AD makes use

Most importantly, shop smartly! Make meal plans and only buy what you need.

Hugh flaunting his plums

16

20th November - 3rd December 2015

redbrick.me/careers

Careers Molly Garfoot visited the university's Law Fair to speak to firms and students about pursuing a career in the legal sector Lak Purewal Head of HR Norton Rose Fulbright

Oluchi Nnadi Nadine Audifferen Second year Law students

We are a global law firm and we want to make sure that we reach as many high-quality students as we possibly can.

Why Birmingham? Because it's a fantastic university with a great reputation and a great Law School.

I am impressed by curiosity, so not just the same old questions. I hope that students have done their research on Norton Rose Fulbright and the application process, so it's deeper than just finding out stuff on the website or the brochure; what's relevant? What's topical?

We came down to get a feel of how the firms work, through the people they sent to represent them. Talking to the trainees was definitely the best part, they gave us the reality of what its like to be working at that law firm, as well as helpful information about what you need to put on your CVs. I also wanted to know what I had to put in my applications, what I needed to work on, things like that... People don't tell you this but they come for the free stuff as well!

Abbie Metcalf Recruitment Administrator Hogan Lovells Hogan Lovells have 60 trainees a year, so we organise a lot of social events. We know that it's a new environment and it's probably a challenging time for them, so building networks with other trainees helps.

Our applicants need strong academics, that goes without saying, but also we do look for a lot more. We want really well-rounded people, so obviously you need a lot of legal experience, being part of the law society or a debating society. Commercial awareness is an important factor for us - being able to understand what clients need and that comes from understanding business. We know that there's a good calibre of students here and we do recruit from Birmingham every year.

'The biggest mistake is to think that every law firm is the same that's a long way from the truth' Ambika Sharma Trainee Anthony Colllins Birmingham has really good links with the College of Law and University of Law to do the LPC, which is where I found out about Anthony Collins.

It was really nice to have that familiarity so that I knew what I had to do to get to that final step, the training contract, which is the hard bit when you're concentrating on your degree.

UoB Law Fair 2015 Tori Graney Trainee Solicitor Pinsent Masons

Mark Cook Partner Anthony Collins

My advice for students going to careers fairs is don't be shy! We're not scary people, we were just in your position a couple of years ago.

The careers fair is a massive opportunity to speak to current trainees because they can show you the personalities that law firms look for. I think the biggest mistake is to think that that every law firm is the same - they're not. The personality of the firms are very different, as are the areas they work in, and their strengths and weaknesses.

My biggest go-to: get involved! Be more of a person than your degree, because at the end of the day all these law firms want a 2:1, it's what else you bring to the table that they're looking for.

We've enjoyed eyeballing the people here - we've met a number of students who we know would make a great application to us so it's been a successful event for us in that context.

If you want to make an impact on people's lives in housing, education, public services, health and social care, then we're the right people for you.

Applicants need to be demonstrating that they have interests in wider society and they need to be passionate about issues. During the application, we ask people to pick a thing that has grabbed their attention recently and to write about that as a way of demonstrating their enthusiasm.

A bit of spark, a bit of passion, a bit of curiosity - that's what makes candidates stand out for us. The ability to communicate, the ability to stand on their own feet, the one's who show a bit of personality with us, a bit of humour, a bit of normality as well... they're great.

Katherine Burwood Full seat trainee PwC We are here today to spread the word about PwC Legal and what we're doing. PwC is a young, fun firm and we've got a lot to offer. We are very different to other law firms in that we're not just law, we have every profession.

We are looking for enthusiastic, hard-working people, with a good natural business acumen. We've had loads of really good people that have come to PwC from Birmingham, such as Paul Batchelor, a senior manager in our Birmingham office.

Alumni Interview

Sandeep Kang Solicitor at Bevan Brittan LLP Molly Garfoot Careers Editor

@mollytuesday

What course did you do and what was your career path?

I studied Law and graduated in 2011.

Whilst studying Law at the University of Birmingham I applied for several vacation schemes. One of which was at Bevan Brittan LLP. Following a two week vacation scheme I was offered a training contract.

I then studied the legal practice course at the College of Law in Birmingham.

Following the LPC, I embarked upon a 2 year training contract before qualifying as a solicitor in 2014.

What did you do outside of your studies whilst at university to develop your employability?

I was a member of numerous societies at the University and volunteered at the ARC in the guild. The volunteering gave me the opportunity to develop some of the necessary skills to become a successful solicitor. I tried to develop my legal work experience by applying for placements and vacations schemes as well as attending talks and workshops delivered at the

'I would advise my younger self to have a balanced university experience'

'A bit of spark, a bit of passion, a bit of curiosity - that's what makes candidates stand out'

university and organised by the careers network.

What does your role involve on an average day?

A lot of the work that I do is based around contracts. On an average day, I advise clients on the interpretation of existing contracts and assist with negotiating new contracts. I usually speak with the client about what they require and then provide some suitable drafting.

What should current students do to improve their chances of success within law?

To improve your chances of success within the law, I would strongly advice students to be proactive about their future. I would recommend attending relevant career events, obtaining legal work experience and to talk to as many people about the profession, as possible.

What's your favourite aspect of your job?

And most challenging aspect?

If you could give yourself one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?

The favourite aspect of my job is that I am constantly learning. I love being able to leave the office everyday knowing that I have learnt something new. The most challenging aspect of my job is managing client expectations.

I would advise my younger self to remember to have a balanced University experience. It is important to not solely focus on exams and also take part in enrichment activities.

redbrick.me/careers

20th November - 3rd December 2015

17

Not Studying Law?

Lucy Moseley gives advice on getting into the legal sector as a non-law student.

If you’re in your final year of a non-law degree and thinking about a career in law, here’s how to go about it.

First of all, you need to decide whether you want to be a barrister or a solicitor.

The two are extremely different, so you’ll probably find that one sounds more appealing to you than the other. A really useful website for this starting point is www.allaboutlaw.co.uk. The next step is absolutely essential: work experience.

You cannot get enough when it comes to the legal industry, and it’s not just to boost your CV. It’s a good way of deciding whether law is for you, and what position it is that you would like to aim for.

Research a law firm thoroughly and email them to ask for informal work experience, and get in touch with anyone you know in

'Many successful lawyers have taken the non-law route so don't think you're at a disadvantage'

the legal industry.

When you’ve finished your degree, you’ll need to do a one-year law conversion course, followed by the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) for aspiring barristers, or the Legal Practice Course (LPC) for aspiring solicitors.

firm, it’s a good idea to follow them on Twitter and keep up to date with firm news.

It is important to note that for a lot of firms, if you are accepted onto their Vacation Scheme they will automatically assess you for a ‘Training Contract.’

If you’re interested in becoming a solicitor, there are some important deadlines you should know about:

Training Contracts

Vacation Schemes In the final year of a non-law degree, you can apply for a ‘Vacation Scheme’, which is normally a 2 or 3 week paid internship with a law firm in the summer after you graduate. The application processes are usually quite lengthy and most of them close in January, so it's best to find the law firms that are most suited to you in order to prioritise your applications.

Useful websites for this are www. legal500.com to see which sector the firms are ranked best in, www.lex100. com and www.rollonfriday.com for the inside scoop on what its actually like to work for these firms. You’ll also need to visit the firms’ individual websites to learn about their policies and find out their individual deadlines for applications. If you’re drawn to a particular

If you can secure a training contract with a top law firm, most of them will cover the expenses of your post-degree study and provide you with a grant. This ‘contract’ means that after you complete these two years of study, you will spend your two years of training at their firm, before becoming a qualified lawyer. Training Contracts are therefore extremely sought after, and the deadlines for these are mostly at the end of July, but again check with the individual law firms. Most firms require at least a 2:1 and good A-levels (defined by a lot of firms as ABB or higher).

Many successful lawyers have taken the non-law route so don’t think that you are at any disadvantage. If this is a little overwhelming for you to take in at this point in final year, you could also consider taking a year out to apply for Training Contracts, or source funding elsewhere to cover your studies.

18

redbrick.me/food

20th November - 3rd December 2015

Food

Winter Warmers

Hand-picked, nourishing recipes to beat the Winter blues and warm you from inside out.

Vegetable Soup Sophie Neal Food Editor

This soup is perfect for chilly Winter nights and is very cheap to make. The recipe makes six servings so any leftovers can be refridgerated or frozen for an easy meal at short notice.

Serve hot with crispy garlic bread.

You will need: - 2tbs olive oil - 1 large onion - 1 clove of garlic - 2 sticks of celery - 2 carrots - 1 courgette - 1/2 tsp dried oregano - 2 400g cans of chopped tomatoes - 1 litre of vegetable stock Method: Cook the chopped veg in a large pan with the oil until soft. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes before adding the stock. Allow it to simmer for ten minutes.

Remove from the heat and blitz with a hand blender. Heat for a few more minutes before serving.

Fennel and Celeriac soup with orange zest

Jennifer Cook Food Writer

This is a Hugh Fernely-Whittinstall recipe, so has a signature twist. In this case, the orange zest makes this soup very fitting for the festive season. It serves around four to six people depending on how much you all eat.

You will need: - 30g butter - 1 tablespoon of olive oil - 1 medium onion - 3 large fennel bulbs, trimmed and sliced (approx. 750g) - ¼ large celeriac (250g), peeled and cubed - Finely grated zest of 1 orange - 500ml vegetable stock - Salt and pepper - 4-6 tbsp of double cream/ plain, full-fat yoghurt (to garnish) Method: Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan then add the chopped onion, frying until soft.

Add the fennel, celeriac, orange zest, stock and salt and pepper and bring the mixture to the boil. Simmer for around fifteen minutes until the vegetables are tender. Blitz with a hand blended and serve topped with a spoonful of cream or yoghurt.

Sausage Casserole Phoebe Radford Food Writer

It's hard to trump a steaming casserole at the end of a cold, grey day. A hearty casserole can take a while to cook but needs very little attention in the process, leaving you plenty of time to relax. You can freeze the leftovers for another day too, making it the perfect choice for later in the week when you don’t have the time (or even the will) to cook again.

You will need: - 6 sausages (You could use vegetarian ones to make this veggie friendy!)

- 1 chopped onion - 2 cloves of garlic - 1 chopped leek - 400g can of tomatoes - 400g can of butter beans (or other beans if you prefer) - 200ml vegetable stock - Bread crumbs Method: Preheat the oven to around 200°c or gas mark 6. Fry your sausages in some oil until they are brown. Remove the sausages and put the veg in the same pan for around 10 minutes, until soft. Then add in the tin of tomatoes, the can of beans and the stock and let the mix boil for about 15 minutes. Finally, combine this casserole mix with the cut up sausages in a roasting tray. Sprinkle on top the breadcrumbs and seasoning and bake for 30-40 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.

redbrick.me/food

20th November - 3rd December 2015

19

Digest more at www.redbrick.me/food

Out With The Old, In With The Brew Following a recipe revival, Guiness is now vegan!

Jennifer Cook Food Writer

In a move likely to send shockwaves through Temple Bar, Guinness have announced plans to offer vegan friendly stout for the first time in their brewing history.

Whilst many journalists are hailing the bold change as a victory for vegan campaigners, one must question whether the mere 2,096 signatures collected under the ‘Make Guinness Vegetarian/ Vegan Friendly’ petition on change.com was the sole motivation for Guinness’s move from 256 years of tradition. After all, the rival petition instigated by Late Show host Stephen Colbert has already gar-

nered over 16,000 signatures in under a week, against the three-year pro-vegan campaign.

Fans of the black stuff and general alcohol enthusiasts alike have received this announcement with perplexed bewilderment. What ingredient makes Guinness unsuitable for vegetarians? Cue lab coat and chalkboard.

Isinglass, used in the production of Guinness, is a form of collagen obtained from the dried swim bladders of fish.

‘But why?’ I hear you ask. This fishy factor is an essential part of the beer’s filtration and is used in a process known as ‘fining’ which aids in the removal of unwanted solid particles and degenerate yeast cells.

When questioned about the use of

The YouTube stars serve up delicious food online With Vlogging rising in popularity, Hannah Bell looks at five of the best food and recipe chanels Sometimes, when cooking or baking, you need that extra bit of guidance to make sure you get the best end result. Following a standard recipe from a book or website is great, but my new favourite way to discover new recipes is through YouTube. Like a cooking show on the television you can see exactly how your recipe should look at each stage of the process, but the format of short videos means it is easier to browse, find, and save your favourite dishes.

1. Tesco Food and Wine A great starting point is Tesco Food and Wine. Featuring Tesco’s own bakers and top celebrity chefs, this channel consists of short ‘How To’ style videos, that get straight to the point. Generally all under four minutes, the videos teach you everything from building the perfect burger to cooking vegetable crisps!

2. Sorted Food Sorted Food are in the YouTube food channel championships! This is unsurprising given their funny, educational, and above all very helpful videos that showcase great personalities alongside their food. With an all inclusive motivation of 'if we can do it, anyone can', SORTED use easy to find ingredients, methods of very few steps, and take inspiration from thier multitude of international subscribers.

3. Brothers Green Eats The next stop on your YouTube food extravaganza should be Brothers Green Eats.

Taking it back to basics, these guys focus on great food without the need for kitchen gadgets and expensive ingredients. As well as regular cooking videos, features like their ‘How to live on $3 a day’ series highlights the cost of living whilst also providing creative ideas on how to make your money go further when it comes to buying food.

4. Everyday Food Hosted by the editor of Everyday Food magazine, Sarah Carey, the Everyday Food channel aims to come up with ways to make fast, delicious food at home. As the playlists are laid out like a recipe book you can easily browse through their selection if you’re not quite sure what to make. The focus on clean eating is also great, leaving lots of options for healthy dishes on days when you want to be good!

5. Jamie Oliver Everyone has seen Jamie Oliver on television, but did you know he also has a YouTube channel? Our favourite family chef gets help from a range of chefs and YouTube personalities in these videos, and tries out all the new culinary trends for our entertainment. Although his recipes are a little more challenging, the channel also offers quick technical tips, nutritional advice and information on food related campaigns, making subscription a no-brainer..

isinglass, a spokesperson from Guinness said: ‘While isinglass is a very effective means of clarification and has been used for many years, we expect to stop using it as the new filtration asset is introduced.’

As for the details about this ‘new filtration asset’, Guinness have remained tight-lipped only telling Popular Science magazine that they are 'pleased to have identified a new process through investment in a state-of-the-art filtration system at St James’s Gate which, once in place, will remove the use of isinglass in the brewing process’.

Whilst the alteration of their signature recipe might look like an act of appeasement, the company has previously found success from experimentation, with their voyage into craft beers -‘The Brewers Project’- helping to increase sales figures within Great Britain and Ireland.

Hard-core Guinness drinkers will be relieved to hear that they still have a year of enjoying the old school recipe ahead of them before the new changes become mainstream in 2016. Until the refined palates of the student population can sample the new concoction, we are are left wondering whether Guinness’s decision comes at the expense of a loyal following.

This fortnight's food highlights Digbeth Dining Club Every Friday from 5pm Spot*light

Frankfurt Christmas Market 12 November - 22 December Birmingham Town Centre

BBC Winter Good Food Show 26 - 29 November NEC Birmingham

Kings Heath Winter Festival 29 November (re-organised from 14 Nov) Kings Heath

Sing-a-long Nightmare Before Chirstmas screening 25 November Jekyll & Hyde (Tickets £35, includes meal)

20 20th November - 3rd December 2015

redbrick.me/film

Film

Warcraft: Video game adaptions

In light of the Warcraft trailer, critic James Moore, takes on the pitfalls of game adaptations

Review: Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse

Details Release date: 6th November 2015 Director: Christopher Landon Cast: Tye Sheridan, Logan Miller, Joey Morgan Running time: 93 minutes IMDB rating: 6.5

From 1993’s (gritty, whatever the hell that was) Super Mario Bros and 1994’s hilarious "let’s all laugh at Van Damme" Street Fighter, video game adaptations have been terrible for a long time. Even when talent is involved: Street Fighter was written and directed by Steven E. de Souza, best known for Die Hard and The Running Man, both perfectly good action movies.

Recently video game adaptations, mainly from director Uwe Boll, only seem to exist because the fans of the games will go see them however terrible they may be; no effort is put in, no drive, no desire to make a good product. Not all adaptations are shockingly abysmal of course: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona has had numerous successful films, Pokemon gave rise to some excellent films of my youth, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children in its time had ground breaking CGI. Yet a cursory glance at the Metacritic scores of Western Video Game adapta-

"The trailer opted for a more realistic style than the games..." tions shows the highest rated film, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time standing at a disappointing 50/100 and most others fail to break double digits. So in light of the newly released trailer for Warcraft at Blizzcon this year, can we expect much from the aging franchise?

The trailer opted for a more realistic style than the games, which feature characters with ridiculous oversized shoulder pads on their armour. In some ways I miss the aesthetic but in others I’m glad they opted for something less silly.

Warcraft, the film, was announced in 2006 but setbacks and delays have kept it from release for nearly ten years. Any film that experiences such extreme production issues is almost guaranteed to be a failure - see Charlie Sheen’s Foodfight!

Set to release in 2003, delayed till 2012 despite its budget of $45million.

A part of me however, still wants

"The Warcraft trailer showed an odd mix of CGI orcs and live action humans..."

Warcraft to be good. Blizzard has always made excellent cinematics in their games, and their trailers are some of the best in the business. They know how to make a good film out of their games, and they know how to write a good story: illustrated best by Warcraft 3 and the descent of Arthas into becoming the Lich King. If anyone could make it work, it’s Blizzard.

The story is at the most basic part of the timeline of the Warcraft series, which has become convoluted and frankly absurd in recent years. A simple return to basics also means the franchise is more accessible to those new to the series.

The Warcraft trailer showed an odd mix of CGI orcs and live action humans.

"They either try to advertise to children... or they try to stick too close to the story... " Not that animation and live action cannot mix, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Song of the South did it excellently decades ago, but the question has to be asked: why not make it all CG. There will be fans that will be disappointed and there will be fans that will enjoy seeing the locations of Azeroth they have wondered around in games brought to life in far greater detail. There will also be viewers who have not played any of the games

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who will probably walk out of the cinema having enjoyed what was a simple solid film in the manner of the Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit.

The big problem with video game movies is that they either try to advertise to children like The Wizard (I love the power glove: it’s so bad) or they try to stick too close to the story of a game that doesn’t have a story. What’s the story of Mortal Kombat? Oh it definitely has lore, definitely has some story, but it’s a game about beating people up and ripping out their spines. When you lose that sense of what the game is about and focus on what matters for a film you lose the game and just make a bad film with a bad story. But then, if you try to keep the essence of the game while in a different medium you don’t end up with what a film audience wants. Films are films.

Games are games, they tell a story in a very different way. Apocalypse Now is not Spec Ops: The Line, both are adaptations of Heart of Darkness. The novel told its story in its own way; the film chose a different path and the game another still. Some people will find the novel most moving, some the film, some the game. Because neither was too rigid and instead adapted for its own medium they all can be a masterpiece.

Did you know?

- An Orcish dialect was created specifically for Warcraft the movie.

- It took 123 days to complete filming.

- Warcraft was going to be released in December 2015 but was pushed back to May 2016 to avoid the release of Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens.

««««« James Cox

Critic Horror-comedy is a genre that is rarely attempted. The combination of these genres requires a fine balance of aspects that can completely contradict each other. So with an intriguing premise and eye-catching title, can Scouts Guide join the ranks in achieving the hardest of crossovers?

No. Scouts Guide is nothing but adolescent, lowest common denominator nonsense that fundamentally fails to be comedy or horror, let alone both. Shaun of the Dead works so brilliantly for many reasons; one important one being is that is genre-literate. Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg know their comedy and absolutely love horror.

Scout’s Guide’s comedy is so poor and at base level that it borders on parody. The movie relies on fat jokes, sex jokes, nerd jokes... There is nothing approaching wit or anything even remotely close to a sense of humour.

As for the horror aspect, the film is directed and co-written by Christopher Landon of the Paranormal Activity franchise. So predictably there is nothing approaching genuine horror. The gore is so over-the-top that you can’t take it even close to seriously. The jump scares are the worst offenders, however. The film has a breathtakingly slow pace and the opening sequence feels like the most drawn out pre-credits sequence to anything that ever happened ever. The script is filled with cliché after cliché. The characters are just the worst. The male leads are the most one-dimensional, loathsome, boring individuals that you just wanted to get eaten.

There is no change that is even remotely compelling to watch. The women are there to be leered at and be the objects of lust and desire. When your film has the sexual politics and the leery aesthetic of a Michael Bay film you know you have seriously gone wrong.The only way that this is a good film is as post-modernist satire on the way that Hollywood has cannibalised itself and produces trash lacking in any sort of creative intelligence. Scouts Guide should be studied by all filmgoers as a perfect example of what is wrong with comedy horror in Hollywood today.

redbrick.me/film

20th November - 3rd December 2015

21

Film News Alex McDonald Critic

With the production of Twentieth Century Fox’s Gambit film, an expansion of the X-Men universe, being turbulent of late they have finally found a new director. Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow) has signed on to direct the film with Channing Tatum still set to star. The previous director, Rupert Wyatt, left the project because Fox had little faith in his vision for the card-throwing character.

Ridley Scott’s latest foray into the Alien franchise has had yet another name change: What was originally titled Prometheus 2, as it is a continuation of the prequel series, was later changed to Alien: Paradise Lost. Now, however the titled has been modified even further to be Alien: Covenant. With the film scheduled to be released in 2017, there’s still plenty of time for another name change.

Review: Carol

Critic Matthew Robinson reviews Todd Haynes latest take on clandenstine romance in the 50s

Details Release date: 27th November 2015 Director: Todd Haynes Cast: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Kyle Chandler Running time: 118 minutes IMDB rating: 7.3

««««« Matthew Robinson Critic

You will not see another film as heartbreakingly stunning as Carol this year, or perhaps, for many years to come. It is a study in stillness; an unashamed meditation on life, with all its heartbreaks and joys. The film is a loving and thoughtful adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel, The Price of Salt, telling the story of a romance between a young, wideeyed shop girl and an alluring older woman.

The fifties are beautifully recreated, each shot of Manhattan feels like an homage to a Hopper painting. Todd Haynes’ decision to shoot on Super 16 mm gives the film a nostalgic melancholy, but also a warmth; the muted tones that leak in to one another, the slight hazy sheen give a lovely dream-like quality. It is a canvas upon which the performances sparkle.

There is little action, most of the film appears to happen within cars or wood panelled rooms, but the cinematography is such that you don’t notice. Few films can pull off such tranquility.

"Few films can pull off such tranquillity."

But we begin with a black screen.

Just the sound of a train, moving along a track. And then a conversation. Two people in a restaurant, having a private conversation. We don’t know what they are saying to each other, don’t know how they relate, we meet them only when interrupted and you feel that something has been lost. From there, after the scene has melted away into the rain, we follow the affair from the beginning. Therese is a confused, innocent girl, not certain of her future, or even what she wants in the present. She becomes enchanted by Carol, after selling her a train set in the department store where she works. Carol seems sure of herself, terribly chic, utterly charming.

Carol welcomes Therese into her life, though it soon becomes clear that, perhaps, she is not as in control as she first seemed. She is divorcing her husband, a bully of a man, pathetic in his grasping love for her. Carol may lose her child.

The two women escape together, taking a trip across America inhabiting various motels along the way. They grow close, and closeness turns to intimacy and love.

But life comes between them.

"Cate Blanchett turns in a career best performance."

Cate Blanchett turns in a career best performance. She gifts Carol with a strong will, underneath which lies a fragility that becomes increasingly obvious.

Carol is a woman torn, forced in to a life not of her choosing, shackled into a love-

less marriage but with a daughter she adores, she can never be openly her self, living against her own grain. This tension is seething beneath the surface of every look, every small movement.

Despite this she lives with great dignity, a refreshing presentation of homosexuality in the past. Perhaps this is just because we see Carol through the eyes of Therese. We fall in love, as Therese falls in love. Rooney Mara is quite wonderful, she sits at the films centre like a creature from another world. She instills in Therese an immature innocence, an innocence which slowly fades, to be replaced by a certainty. Through it all she looks like Audrey Hepburn reincarnated, but gives a depth far more rich than anything Hepburn ever delivered.

Blanchett and Mara’s chemistry is magical. They manage to lift each other performances, complimenting each other perfectly. Together they shatter you, you fall head over heels in love with them, with what they have.

The film has an old fashioned feel to it, that goes beyond its setting. It is the way it has been told, the emphasis on little details, the glance directed at the sleeve of a fur coat, the way a cigarette is smoked, or a record lovingly studied.

"Blanchett and Mara's chemistry is magical... they manage to lift each others performances..."

Todd Haynes has delivered a study of romance and humanity reminiscent of Brief Encounter. Like Brief Encounter we return again to the tea room from the beginning of the film, but this time we go further, we leave Therese and Carol with a look, a gorgeous meeting of souls. It is a film which will stay with you long after you leave the cinema in to the cold night.

Carol will leave you breathless, your cheeks wet, your heart warm.

Continuing in Disney’s recent trend of making live action versions of their classic stories, such as this year’s Cinderella and the forthcoming Beauty and the Beast, Chloe Moretz has been cast as Ariel in the long planned The Little Mermaid reboot. Moretz was always high on Disney’s wish-list for casting but Sofia Coppola, who has since left the project, was never interested. There is still no word on who will helm the film.

The first on set photos of Warner Bros. DC movie Wonder Woman have been released, showcasing Chris Pine as Steve Trevor and surprise addition to the cast, Said Taghmaoui, whose role is not yet confirmed. What is confirmed however, is the film’s setting which will be during the First World War. There are as of yet, no pictures of Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman. The superheroine will debut in next year’s Batman V Superman before getting her own film in 2017.

22 20th November - 3rd December 2015

redbrick.me/gaming

Gaming

Review: Fallout 4 Ben Musgrove is let loose in the virtual wasteland One of the trademarks of every free-roaming Bethesda game I've laid my hands on is a point at the end of the tutorial sequence where the entire world is revealed to you.

In TES: Oblivion you left the relative safety of the Imperial City's sewer system to gaze across Elven ruins and the rising land beyond; the Shivering Isles expansion put you in a wooden shack, and then melted the thing in a technicolor miasma to reveal a sky only normally visible to those on acid.

TES: Skyrim releases you from the dungeon that saved you from dragon fire and gently suggests that, as the worst is over, you should get on with it.

These openings are beautiful and cinematic, and they grab you emotionally, but they're a little soft and photogenic. They are not the openings of the Fallout series, which are designed to rip you from a comfortable and sterile home and kick you out into a barren wasteland that has killed most of humanity, and is now going to try to kill you. Fallout 4 has you leave your picturesque village and descend to Vault 111 to escape nuclear desolation. As events unfold, you are separated from your family, and arise from the vault alone and naive. There is one overriding emotion: "What the fuck do I do now?"

"They kick you out into a barren wasteland that has killed most of humanity."

This only works, in part, due to the beauty of the graphics - you wouldn't have your breath taken away by a post-apocalyptic cartoon. Some of the textures on the console versions are a little lower quality than expected, and there are some drops in frame-rate in particularly demanding scenes, but the superb lighting and character models are more than enough to compensate. The experience is much smoother visually than in previous titles; for example, your character actually turns before starting to walk in a direction, rather than adhering to the hilarious ricochet physics of previous Bethesda games. Plus, for PC gamers, there are undoubtedly mods in the works that will genuinely make the Commonwealth look better than pre-apocalypse Boston in real life. There shouldn't be any doubt that it's leaps and bounds beyond Fallout 3, but as the debate continues to linger, here's a comparison of the Protectron from Fallout 3 and 4. The advance is obvious.

The game begins 10 years after the end of Fallout 3, but there's no chance of getting any of that sweet un-irradiated water: the Capital Wasteland of Washington D.C has been replaced by the Commonwealth of Boston. It is essentially more of the same as in Fallout 3, as there is only so much one can do with square miles of nuclear desolation, but any Fallout fan can tell you that this is no bad thing. Fallout 3 was a game so deep that a sister game, Fallout: New

Vegas could sell for full price on the same systems, with the same game engine, and still receive critical and commercial acclaim. The map is big enough to intimidate and take genuine time to traverse, but still retains hundreds of the little intricacies that give Bethesda a reputation for the soul they put into their work - my most recent favorite is stumbling across a skeleton in the bath, with a toaster and a fork. No quest, no explanation, no reward. Just a little humanisation.

In line with keeping the map similar to previous console Fallout games, combat hasn't seen much change since the days of the Lone Wanderer. It's still 'Elder Scrolls with guns and V.A.T.S', the aiming system that lets you pick limbs based on a percentage chance to hit. There's a little more emphasis on gunplay and tactical combat, such as the ability to shoot around the cover that you're pressed up against, but there's little major in the way of change. If you want to spam V.A.T.S while running backwards for 50+ hours of gameplay, you still can.

With this said, there seems to be a little issue in the balancing of combat in the early stages of the game. Having played every game since TES: Oblivion on maximum difficulty, I flatter myself that I'm capable of proceeding at an acceptable pace on such a difficulty. However, the higher the difficulty, the higher the chance of 'Legendary' enemies spawning - basically very hard versions of standard enemies, always carrying some sweet gear. All enemies considered too high a level for you to compete with are marked with a skull, including these legendary enemies, and I'm coming to learn that anything with a skull is pretty much untouchable without repeated stealth headshots and a lot of grinding.

Only at level 20 am I starting to become confident at taking on more than one enemy at a time - and that's with an invincible companion to be my meatshield. It wouldn't surprise me to see this patched slightly in the near future.

"Handheld nuclear launcher not powerful enough? Make it fire two nukes instead."

Despite this minor annoyance, it can be easy to forget that the core mechanics of Fallout 4 are as good as they are - as much of the core gameplay has stayed within familiar territory, it just feels the norm. The reason Fallout 4 has received so many positive reviews, and will pick up a lot of awards, is that the 'if it ain't broke' mentality works sometimes. If you've put hours into previous Bethesda titles, this may feel like a re-skinning or an apocalyptic Elder Scrolls, and this will not stop you ruining your social life hunting for power armor.

One entirely new aspect of the game is the ability to construct. As you go through the game, you are able to take control of

settlements on behalf of the Minutemen, a group of peace-keeping good guys who want to do something selfless and good for the people of the Commonwealth. As part of your responsibility to these settlements, the junk you collect can be covered into resources to build defenses, power systems, and structures for the people of your towns.

You'll need to provide them with food, water, beds, and a safe place to live, but can go as far as setting up marketplaces and equipment stations so you can utilise services in every corner of the Commonwealth.

Essentially, you get to build your own wasteland.

"Essentially, you get to build your own wasteland"

As with any new mechanic - particularly one so divorced from dark RPG's there are some nitty-gritty issues. It can be hard to clip pieces of building together, and the foundations upon which old houses rested before you converted them into 200 wood and 1 ceramic don't really fit the prefabricated abodes or the individual pieces too well. This is a pain to those of us who have what people who don't understand OCD call OCD, that itch when things don't fit. But on the other hand, it's a wasteland.

It's supposed to be neat - the damned commies dropped a bomb on it. The freedom of choice and direction you have when building a settlement far outweighs the annoyance that my doorway is a little too far to the left.

On top of this, you have equipment customisation, which operates on the same resource principles as crafting; better start grabbing those shiny cans like a misguided kleptomaniac. You can turn a pistol into a rifle by sticking a massive stock on the back and a scope to the top; a laser rifle can become an old-school musket, with a hand crank to increase the power. Handheld nuclear launcher not powerful enough?

Make it fire two nukes instead. The customisation leaves huge scope for originality and surprise, and it's a joy to play with in the menus. It also extends to armor and clothing, so you can keep that starting set of power armor all the way through if you're that attached to it. And build pockets into it.

Speaking of surprises, I am going to take a paragraph on behalf of Bethesda to address the glitches that you will undoubtedly experience in the early days of Fallout.

This game is too big to not have a multitude of bugs upon release, despite a 7 year waiting period, and the saving grace of these issues is that they are, almost without exception, fucking hilarious. They range from NPC's copying our Fallout 4 playing posture to people literally running into loading screens. Combine this with blood that acts akin to water in a sprinkler and tear-inducing ragdoll physics that once sent an enemy I shot in the head straight up into the air at 1,000mph, and you have too much novelty to truly be bothered when the game shits on you for no good reason. It's got to be taken in good faith. Bethesda's novel clumsiness shines through as always.

And once you accept those glitches as part and parcel of an incredibly complicated product, there is very, very little to complain about with Fallout 4. It has an incredibly deep and rich lore supporting one of the most tried and tested game engines in the world, and builds upon previous titles from the same developer without sacrificing the needs of the core gameplay. Even console versions without the specs or resolutions of a high-end gaming PC allow you access to a gorgeous game. There is a massive amount of content to be found, before any DLC are even released. And if you need statistical support, get this: PornHub's traffic dipped by 10% on the day of Fallout 4's release. If that's not a ringing endorsement, I don't know what else to tell you.

redbrick.me/gaming

20th November - 3rd December 2015

23

Developer News: Blizzard Roshni Patel discusses Overwatch

James Lentschner talks Hearthstone

After almost two decades of sequels and spin offs, Blizzard has finally announced its brand new Massive Multiplayer Online game, Overwatch. Set in a new universe, the new team based first person shooter is set to take the eSports systems and broadcasters by storm. Akin to the Team Fortress series, Overwatch is designed not to compete against kill objective shooters, such as Call of Duty, but instead focuses on capture and defend objectives.

Once an elite group of superheroes who saved the world from a robot apocalypse, the former members of Overwatch are now a rag tag group of mercenaries battling each other for supremacy. The game requires you to form teams of six to complete various deliver, capture, defend and disrupt activities, that will require strategy and out of the box thinking to outwit your opponents. With the familiar four specialisations, Offence, Defence, Tank and Support, there’s a role in your team for everyone.

Featuring over twenty quirky and unique characters to play, with the opportunity to switch mid battle, there’s little

Last Friday (13th November) saw the release of the third solo adventure for the popular competitive card game Heathstone.

The League of Explorers follows in the footsteps of it's predecessors Curse of Naxxramas and Blackrock Mountain, in offering a series of exciting new cards and legendaries for players to unlock, as well as adding an exciting new game mechanic in 'discover'.

Solo Adventures offer the most cost effective way of earning yourself some incredibly useful and effective cards, as well as guaranteeing yourself a number of legendaries you can't find in regular packs.

The League of Explorers sees the player aiming to collect the four pieces of the Staff of Origination through the regular series of boss battles, but this time there's some survival encounters thrown in for good measure. These new encounters see the player trying to stay alive for a number of turns whilst facing several rounds of traps, ambushes and environmental events, and offer exciting new gameplay to the somewhat repetitive gameplay of card games.

Among the 45 new collectable cards are

Details

chance of this game running out of steam fast. Characters such as Tracer, an Offensive character, who can pulse her pistols and blink forward in time to sneak up on opponents, or dodge them entirely by recalling herself back to higher health and ammo. Or play the deadly, defensive diva, Widowmaker, whose infra-sight and kiss can mean instant death for all those who get caught in her crosshairs. But if you’d prefer to lead the fight, there’s tanks like Winston, the intelligent, genetically engineered gorilla whose jumps and primal rage will shake any arena you’re playing in. And if all of those aren’t your speed, then there’s support characters such as Zenyatta, who’ll either use his orbs to save you or destroy you.

With all new locations, many of which have been subtly designed to mimic real world locations including places like London, Japan and Egypt, this game has been made to all of Blizzard’s usual high standards. Overwatch will have no scoreboard, instead reprising the performance statistics model from Heroes of the Storm, further reiterating team work over personal one-upmanship.

With the betas beginning late October and a debut at BlizzCon 2015, Overwatch has been scheduled for release in Spring 2016. But don’t be surprised if this date changes, because unlike the promotional Star Wars betas, Blizzard intend to use these betas to stress test the system, hammer out the bugs and even rewrite large parts of the game to ensure they’re proud of the end product.

those with the new keyword 'Discover.' which adds much more of everyone's beloved RNG (Random Number Generator) to the game. Upon playing a card with discover, the player chooses one of three randomly generated cards to be added to their hand. This could prove to either make or break a players deck based on the will of the gods of dumb luck, and will certainly deliver some fun and exciting matches whilst adding more variety to the multiple playstyles within the game.

New legendaries include the exciting Brann Bronzebeard, a 3 mana who offers a similar effect to Baron Rivendare from Curse of Naxxramas, allowing the players battlecries rather than deathrattles to be triggered twice, potentially resulting in brutal combinations, especially in the earlier turns. There's also Reno Jackson, who can potentially fully heal your hero provided you have no more than one of each card left in your deck. These all lead up to the final legendary Arch-Thief Rafaam, who like Nafarian and Kel'Thzad before him is a powerful end game card, and makes use of the discover feature to add another powerful card to the player's hand.

Unfortunately for those like me who like to play their way through the entire solo adventure in one go, only the first chapter of The League of Explorers has been released, with the next addition coming every friday from today onwards. This means that eager players won't be able to get their hands on Arch-Thief Rafaam or all 45 cards until early in December, however it would make for a nice early christmas present for any Hearthstone fan.

Pre-Orders: Why Waiting is Better Ben Musgrove debates one of gaming's most heated issues With Black Ops III, Fallout 4, and Star Wars: Battlefront all set for release in the next month, gamers are about to experience an assault on their wallets more vicious than any Steam sale. November is the nuclear bomb of the gaming calendar. 2014 saw the record-shattering Grand Theft Auto swagger to 54 million sales as of August 2015, released alongside FarCry 4 and the annual Call of Duty and Assassins Creed releases. The year before, the new generation of consoles exploded onto the scene, wielding titles like Killzone: Shadowfall in a graphical step-up so profound it made me feel like I’d had instant laser-eye surgery.

"Customers are getting

genuine chunks of game held back from them."

This is the sort of period that gets us excited. Planning how to cut £10 a week from our food shopping so Fallout 4 won’t stop us paying rent is the sort of problem that gamers are very good at solving, and even better at failing to resist in the first place. So let me play devil’s advocate, and plead the following: please, please don’t pre-order these games. Or any games, ever again. And let me tell you why.

Video games tend to offer some superficial reward for buying in early - character skins, vehicle color schemes, and so forth.

There is nothing wrong with some cosmetics only being released to people who commit to the game early: in a multiplayer

environment in a game you love, it’s kind of cool (read: socially unacceptable but we love it regardless) to wear something unique to show your excitement for, or commitment to, a game. However, many pre-game bonuses are made available as DLC after release - so it’s not unique, you just didn’t pay for it. Cosmetic exclusives are a nice idea until released to the general public for half the price of a Boots meal deal.

'Ok, so we shouldn't pre-order because we might not get a unique costume for free? That doesn't sound like much of an argument." Unfortunately, this is just the start. Customers are getting genuine chunks of game held back from them - not just some costumes, but gameplay, literally the reason you bought the damn thing! It’s as though people who don’t pre-order aren't entitled to all of the product they've purchased. Alien: Isolation only allowed preorders access to missions playable as original characters from the Alien film; Evolve allows pre-ordering players access to a monster their conservative brethren don't get. If you buy a game, I believe you should get the whole game. Incentives to gamble on quality for guaranteed extras seems at best brave, and at worst foolish, on the part of the consumer. Anything less seems akin to theft. If gameplay is set aside as DLC, then I have no qualms with paying extra for more game: just don't let other people play it for free.

'But if you pre-ordered, there'd be no trouble! You'd get as much as everyone else!' And this would hold true if every game was a guarantee of quality, and certain to live up to what every gamer wants.

You could wipe every criticism I have so far. Commit early, and you get all content with no risk. Right?

Wrong. Of course not. With the pressures of a multi-million pound market, unrealistic release schedules, and extreme market demand, there are inevitably cases time and time again of games failing to make the grade. I don't need to use examples of hyped games that fell short of expectation because a Google search would demonstrate the point for me, but I will for the sake of the point: the hurried bastardisation of Sim City when it became apparent you couldn't play while offline; charac-

"If you buy a game, I

believe you should get the whole game." ter models like this in Assassins Creed: Unity; people who couldn't even launch the much-anticipated Elder Scrolls MMO; the "embarrassment" of the release of DriveClub on PS4; the multitude of problems with WatchDogs that even forumers could suggest fixes for; the glitches in Halo: the Master Chief Collection so rife that Forbes could write about it; even the game-of-the-year-contender Metal Gear Solid V had a game-breaking bug that took weeks to fix. Video games are unquestionably a risk as a product. In most cases, there will be some form of bug that will impede the player purely due to the complexity of the product being released. It's just the nature of the beast, and the evi-

dence is there - find me another paragraph on this site that uses seven hyperlinks to prove a point.

We can do our best to avoid pitfalls like those aforementioned in two ways. The first way is to put our faith in truly high quality developers. Delaying a game until it is truly ready can be a sign of confidence in the product and in the quality of the team behind it. Just check out this letter of delay from CD Projekt RED regarding The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - y'know, that game of the year contender? The producers refused to release the game until it was ready, and in return have seen consistent critical acclaim for a beautifully constructed title. And just to emphasise the care they put into their product, they've released sixteen free pieces of DLC to everyone who has bought the game, regardless of pre-ordering. Take note, rest of the world.

The other is the increasingly popular slogan across the internet: 'vote with your wallet.' Don't pre-order. Go out and buy a title on the day, by all means; just don't preorder it. You gamble on quality in exchange for superficial extras on a product, and/or content that should be accessible to everyone as a given. The excitement for games is so great that we perpetuate the problems that come with rushing products that we care about in a big market. Don't agree with me? Talk to the people at IGN, BGR, PC Gamer, Gamespot - the list goes on. It's not just the whim of a uni student who likes his games that creates this argument, but a real undercurrent in worldwide gaming. If you love a game that much, go and get it when it's released. Don't compromise the quality of a product you could love.

24 20th November - 3rd December 2015

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Science & Technology

Facebook and Happiness

Redbrick Sci&Tech examines whether social media brings us closer together or leaves us feeling further apart Ellie Patten

Sci & Tech Online Editor By now, most of us have realised that spending too much time on Facebook can lead to a decrease in productivity and concentration. What many of us might not have considered are its potentially harmful effects on our mental health and self-esteem, something which social media is coming under increasing scrutiny for, with concern particularly centring around its effects on young people. Several studies have looked into Facebook’s impact on our happiness, the most recent of which comes from researchers at the Happiness Research Institute.

The study, which took place in Denmark, investigated the effects of Facebook usage on 1095 users in Denmark. Prior to the study, 94% of participants admitted to visiting the social networking website on a daily basis, with 78% visiting for more than thirty minutes per day. The participants were separated into two groups: one group (the control group) continued their daily use of Facebook, while the second group (the treatment group) gave up Facebook completely for a week.

At the end of the study, non-Facebook users reported lower levels of worry, sadness and loneliness than the control group who continued to use the website. While

84% of non-users claimed to enjoy life, only 75% of daily users admitted the same, and a quarter even described themselves as feeling lonely, compared to only 16% of non-users.

Critically, people using Facebook are 55% more likely to feel stressed, non-users were 18% more likely to feel 'present in the moment' while taking a break from the website.

For a social networking tool designed to bring people closer together, build friendships and share stories, this experiment indicates that Facebook may be doing more harm than simply distracting users from their jobs or studies. Facebook, and similar social networking sites may well be contrib-

uting negatively to users’ moods, causing them to feel isolated, worried and sad. How could a website which helps us to share our lives with friends be making us unhappy?

On Facebook, we tend to see edited glimpses inside peoples’ lives. We don’t see the days they spend in bed, unable to move because they feel worthless and hopeless: we see the moments when they are surrounded by friends and smiling from ear to ear. This constant window into the best parts of our friends’ lives distorts our reality, creating the illusion that everyone has more friends than we do, and that they are happier than we are, while we sit alone in our rooms scrolling through our news feeds.

Master OSM 2011

Boozing Cure

Facebook fuels comparisons between friends. According to the Happiness Research Institute, 50% of Facebook users envy the amazing experiences other people post about on the website, while four in ten users envy the apparent success of their friends based on what they see on Facebook.

After all, 61% of Facebook users surveyed claimed to only post their “good sides”, so it’s no wonder users can feel insecure about their lives compared to the rose-tinted version of their friends’ virtual lives, from which all users see are the highlights: the graduations, the new jobs, the new relationships.

However, this evidence isn’t to say that quitting Facebook can instantly improve your life. While multiple studies have linked high Facebook use to low self-esteem, feelings of envy, and loneliness, other studies have suggested that reading positive posts from friends can have a knock-on effect on readers’ happiness, with positive feelings being 'passed along'. The pursuit of happiness involves a lot more than simply giving up Facebook, and what makes one person happy might not have the same effect on another. The study does show, however, that it might be worth taking what we see online with a pinch of salt before we start comparing ourselves to our peers and letting it affect our emotional wellbeing.

Chemo Drug

Discover the best way to stop your hangover!

Uncover recent research in blood brain barrier treatment

Sci & Tech Writer

Sci & Tech Writer

Hannah Richards

A recent study on hangover cures suggests that the only way to avoid the suffering after a heavy night out is to drink less. Tests were carried out on 826 Dutch students who were required to answer questions on their most recent booze fuelled night.

Dr Joris Verster, the lead scientist on the project at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, concluded from the surveys that 'the only practical way to avoid a hangover is to drink less alcohol'. It was found that hangover cures such as caffeine, a greasy fry-up, fizzy drinks and even the questionable ‘hair of the dog’ treatment had no significant effect on a hangover.

The study showed that eating after alcohol failed to reduce the severity of the hangover in more than half the students questioned. However, those who had food showed a slight statistical improvement in how they felt compared to others who didn't, not a massive significant difference.

Scientists in Australia have also found that even drinking lots of water will not cure a hangover, despite it being perceived as one of the best ways to cure the ordeal of the morning after.

All those attempts to rehydrate will not break the grasp of your hangover, even though your Mum always told you to do so. Professor Kypros Kypri involved in the research at the University of Newcastle in Australia said: 'Most people, myself included, grew up thinking that you needed to drink as much water in-between alcoholic drinks to reduce the hangover, and there’s is a good reason for doing that, to reduce your consumption! But it doesn’t seem to reduce the hangover

effect'.

Even though hangovers are a wellknown, although self-inflicted, problem, scientists are still not completely sure of the science behind the hangover.

It is widely recognised that the metabolism of alcohol plays an important role in the probability of suffering a hangover.

It is also evident that people process alcohol at different speeds; some may also clear alcohol from their bodies more or less efficiently than others. This allows for a huge variation in the population when it comes to the severity of individual hangovers and what helps resolve them.

"despite these studies, said a resounding no to drinking less" I asked students to get involved in a quick poll, created to get an insight into our post-night-out habits. Most people said they drank plenty of water, ate something greasy and just slept it off but others also suggested that exercise and a hot sauna or shower would also alleviate their symptoms. Many would also take precautions before and during the night out such as having a big meal and avoiding alcohol mixing and found this beneficial in preventing hangovers.

However, in general, research shows a clear correlation between the amount of alcohol consumed and the severity of the hangover and most ‘cures’ made little-tono difference. Whilst further research is needed, these new findings suggest there is one simple answer- ‘drink less’.

Nonetheless when asked if the studies would encourage students to drink less, it was a resounding no. The hangover must be worth it!

Kara Watson

The Blood-Brain Barrier is a tightlypacked single layer of cells that protects the central nervous system from toxins and pathogens. It has always been an issue when administering drugs, e.g. for chemotherapy, as they cannot reach their intended target, brain tumours. But a team in Toronto recently breached this barrier for the first time ever.

Tiny bubbles were injected into the patient’s bloodstream which created holes in the barrier to the brain. An ultrasound wave beam was then applied which

has been planned. But this seems to be the forefront of this kind of research and looks very promising. There are plans to use this method for treating other brain disorders such as Parkinson’s, dementia and Alzheimer’s. In fact research has found that opening the blood-brain barrier helps to remove a harmful protein involved in Alzheimer’s and also improves memory and other cognitive functions.

"drugs directly act on the target"

made the bubbles vibrate and push their way past the barrier, carrying the chemotherapy drugs with them and enabling them to reach the tumour. This method is much better than the other available procedures due to its non-invasive nature.

Alternatives include directly injecting the brain or using a substance called

"other methods are too dangerous"

mannitol to breach the blood barrier. But these two methods can be dangerous, risking damage to the brain or affecting blood pressure.

These beams of ultrasound waves safely and temporarily open the brain barrier and it worked in the first in a trial of around 10 patients. However, it is not yet known whether it has worked on healing the tumour itself; an operation to remove part of the tumour for analysis

Dwayne Reed

Find our latest technology articles online: www.redbrick.me/tech

20th November - 3rd December 2015

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25

Science & Technology

Save The Giant Panda?

Sci and Tech investigates whether the Giant Panda should be saved from extinction Kara Watson Sci & Tech Writer

Should we really be saving the giant anda?

The distinctive giant panda is an animal famous for being endangered. With its big black eye patches, cuddly appearance and overall likability, it is easy to see why many argue in favour of saving this bear from extinction. But with only a few thousand individuals left in the wild and breeding programs not always meeting with success, is the giant panda really where we should be focusing our conservation efforts?

It is inescapable that saving this animal is very expensive. Breeding centres spend millions of dollars each year and the giant pandas specific diet makes them hard to keep in captivity. About 99% of the panda’s diet consists of bamboo which makes them expensive to keep in zoos.

Many also argue that the panda is not worth saving due to it being an ‘evolutionary dead-end’, mostly in reference to its poor adaptation to its bamboo diet.

Being a bear means its evolutionary ancestors were carnivorous or omnivorous so they would have had a diet of which meat would have been a key feature. But the giant panda rarely eats meat or anything other than bamboo in the wild, although a more varied diet is sometimes given in zoos. A key compo-

nent of bamboo is cellulose, a substance that is tough to break down, needing specialised enzymes. A study looked at the droppings of various different pandas to analyse the bacteria that were in their gut.

It found that their digestive system was more equipped to that of an omnivores and had low levels of plant-digesting enzymes. This means that they end up digesting only about 17% of what they eat.

On top of this, it is well-known that reproduction rates of giant pandas are low, with the females only being able to mate for about 2-3 days per year. This is the main factor for unsuccessful breeding attempts in captivity. Another significant problem for the giant panda is deforestation. They live in only a few mountainous regions in central China and the destruction of their habitat is causing a significant decline in their numbers.

So with all the issues that the giant panda and conservation efforts to save

them face, is it really worth it? Recent research says yes. It suggests that saving the giant panda may also be helping local animals. They looked at other vulnerable species that are endemic, meaning they are found only in China, and found that these animal's habitats overlap the location where the giant pandas now live, in the Sichuan province in central China. This means that investing in saving the giant panda's habitat will have an umbrella effect over these other animals such as the golden pheasant and the Tibetan macaque. Giant pandas have a big influence over conservation decisions and without them, these animal's habitats may have been destroyed as they are less well-known with fewer campaigns to save them. So the argument that we are wasting resources on the giant panda and neglecting other species that need help may not stand up to this evidence, as they are in fact indirectly benefiting.

Wikipedia

There is even some contradictory research on the pandas' poor adaptation to their diet. Some studies have found evidence that pandas do in fact have specialised gut bacteria to digest the tough cellulose in bamboo to maximise the nutrition gained from their food. This suggests that their diet may not be as big a contributory factor to their extinction as first thought. It is thought that giant pandas first evolved their bamboo exclusive diet around 2 million years ago. So they have managed to survive that long with this unusual diet.

So is it really as bad as it seems?

Many argue that habitat destruction is the main issue for the pandas, and that remedying this should be the focus. Even considering their low reproduction rate, pandas are actually quite successful in that respect in the wild, although they appear to lose interest in mating in captivity.

There are many good, for and against arguments, for saving the pandas and it remains a commonly discussed topic.

Although the millions of dollars spent on pandas could be used elsewhere, the pandas may have a significant effect on general conservation in China. Since they have survived with their bamboo diet and unusual reproductive cycle for millions of years, deforestation seems to be the main issue they face and protecting their habitat could be very important for both them and other local species. Money spent on the giant panda may not have been wasted after all.

Burns Victims Tiger DNA

The University of Birmingham's latest scientific research Amy Thompson Sci & Tech Editor

The University of Birmingham have been working with NIHR Surgical Reconstruction and Microbiology research centre based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, to develop a new dressing to help reduce scarring for patients affected by burns.

The new dressing contains a compound called Decorin. Decorin was discovered by Professor Ann Logan at the University of Birmingham. It is a naturally occurring molecule that is found in very small amounts within the body, and is involved in the healing process when tissue is injured by burns. It is vital in reducing the amount of scar tissue that is made when we suffer from burns.

"Decorin can slow down the scarring process"

Professor Logan said: 'When the tissues are damaged, it is a race between scarring that quickly closes the wound with a ‘patch’ and regenerative healing that reconstructs more normal tissue – therefore our strategy is to use Decorin to slow down the scarring process.'

Professor Liam Grover, also from the University of Birmingham, has now gone on to combine Decorin and the latest in material science to create a new dressing that incorporates high concentrations of

Decorin. This has allowed the Decorin to be placed directly on top of a person’s burns, letting it enter the burned area.

This new dressing also has a unique property; it can be freeze-dried allowing it to be easily transported. When the dressing needs to be used it can be made soft and malleable again by soaking it in saline.

Because of this exceptional property there is great interest in the possibility of using the dressing in war zones after bomb

"This new dressing will help to reduce a burns patient's scarring" explosions to reduce the amount of scar tissue for victims.

Being able to reduce the amount of scar tissue a burns victim has during treatment is of vital importance. As scar tissue can hinder mobility and can cause severe pain for patients as it can become very tight. By reducing the level of scar tissue it is hoped that patients will be able to keep more of the mobility after burns accidents.

The NIHR SRMRC have been awarded a £1.6 million grant to continue further research into Decorin. They have recently started a three year trial using the Decorin dressing at the Queen Elizabeth hospital.

If the trial is successful, it is hoped that the team will be able improve the dressing further enabling it to help burns victims with facial scarring and eye damage.

New Research: DNA extracted from tigers' scent markings Charlotte Ward

Sci & Tech Writer Recent new research into the conservation of tigers has revealed that DNA can be extracted from a tiger's scent markings.

There are fewer than 3500 individual tigers left in the wild and despite conservation, efforts both current and past have not been sufficient enough to halt the declining numbers. Many of these tigers are threatened by poaching and habitat loss, and have been labelled as 'Critically Endangered' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

In order for tiger population numbers to be estimated in the wild, surveys of their numbers must be taken in the field.

Conservationists do this by collecting evidence that they exist in the environment, for example by faeces, scratchings, and foot prints. Normally, tigers are elusive and shy, meaning that collecting population numbers by sight is difficult, especially given their dense habitats and carnivorous appetites.

Traditionally DNA is collected from tiger 'scat', or faeces, which can provide information about the tiger’s wellbeing and gender. This information can also be used to identify when different individuals have been visiting an area. However, scats are not as frequently obtained, particularly in humid, tropical environments where tigers are found, because decomposition rates are high and so evidence is destroyed at a fast rate.

However, tigers use scent markings as a means of communication to other tigers, particularly to mark territories or advertise their whereabouts. These markings are normally frequent and DNA can be extracted between 10 minutes and 29 hours of being sprayed. In this new research, DNA has, the first time, been extracted from these scent markings and may give researchers new and more reliable evidence for the existence of tiger populations.

26 20th November - 3rd December

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Life & Style

Snobs v.s. Mechu: The Debate

Life&Style writer Jade Woodhouse takes the Snobs side against our very own Mechu-loving editor Ayshea Baker in the battle of Birmingham's clubs. Which team do you belong to?

TEAM SNOBS

TEAM MECHU

Although most of us may still be mourning the loss of ‘old’ Snobs, with its sticky floors and lack of personal space, the ‘new’ Snobs definitely hasn’t tarnished the reputation of the classic Birmingham night out.

So, why choose Snobs over Mechu?

Let’s start at the main process of the night for most of us, getting ready. Mechu’s ‘smart’ dress code is in fact another code word for stress. The dress and heels combo often becomes too much effort, and although it’s nice to style it up, the idea of going to Snobs in something baggy becomes all the more appealing. Various questions immediately arise with Mechu; Body-con? Eyelashes? Straightened or curled? Whilst Snobs pre-drinks only wonder what mixer you need with your vodka. Of course, Snobs welcomes the dressier club-goer, but who can argue with the comfort of trainers on a night out?

As well as (literally) seeing the same faces upon entry to the club itself, with the iconic wall of heads, you’re almost guaranteed to bump into someone you know, or once knew, in Snobs. Their student nights are undoubtedly the ‘go-to’ and whether it be a social or a birthday there’s sure to be a friendly face somewhere on the dancefloor; and with cheap drinks and entry, you won’t need to splash the cash to have a good night; the same cannot be said for Mechu.

Whereas Mechu’s strict dress code and pricey drinks seem to attract only an ‘exclusive’ clique of people, Snobs cannot be reduced to merely one ‘type’ and this is the beauty of the club itself. After being voted Birmingham’s ‘Worst Night Out’ by The Tab in 2014, Mechu’s ‘VIP’ atmosphere is no match to the varied, yet nonetheless fun, vibe of each Snobs room. As if it wasn’t obvious enough from the huge disco ball rotating in the upstairs room, Snobs thrives on the people who populate the dancefloor.

From Diana Ross to Arctic Monkeys you’re sure to hear a song that infectiously makes you want to dance and with most genres being covered, there’s a song for both every mood and member of your friendship group. You’ll never need to worry about looking out of place as Snobs boasts a complete pic n’ mix crowd, something Mechu quite clearly doesn’t.

At the end of the night you can leave Snobs safe in the knowledge that you’ve gained both a great night out and probably a few friends; from either the smoking area or the toilets. It may have been going for over 40 years, but Snobs hasn’t lost its sparkle as the cheap and cheerful club that remains a Birmingham gem.

Who says you can’t have a night classy night out in Birmingham? Sack off the stereotypical, sticky student night that is Snobs, for a young professionals’ environment where the eclectic drinks and unlimited free bottles of champagne and vodka at the VIP tables mean that you don’t actually have to splash your cash to have a great night out. If you want a safe option where you clearly sweat more than you drink, then perhaps Snobs is for you, but if you’re up for trying something different, adventurous and utterly lavish, then Mechu is the place to be.

Everyone at university dresses casually for most of the time so guys, why not get on a suave shirt, or tailored jacket? Slick back your hair and look your absolute best for the girls (because everyone knows that every guy looks better dressed smartly)! Who wants to dress like a tramp at Snobs when you can unleash your inner Beckham or Beyonce at Mechu. Girls, the options for what you can wear are endless - from a dress, to a playsuit, to a skirt- forget about what some say, the dress code allows you to bring out a slightly smarter outfit without dictating what you should and should not wear! Heels are also not a necessity, yes if you want to look taller, skinner and altogether more appealing then get those stilettos out but pumps and wedges are also a viable option! Ultimately, you can either get some fresh photos for your social media at Mechu with the potential of meeting lots of nice people or you can embrace the sweat and sticky drink spillages guaranteed at Snobs.

Mechu is completely unique to any other club in the Birmingham student nightlife as it embraces the chique ‘London’ style nightlife by having several dance floors playing an array of music, many bar areas including a champagne bar and intimate booths if you fancy chilling and drinking with friends or indeed ‘more than friends’. Let’s face it, on special occasions everyone goes to Mechu for the overflowing cocktails and buckets of booze donned with sparklers from the Champagne girls. This classy club attracts a variety of people and enables you to escape the student life for a few hours and enjoy an evening of sophistication and bliss - that is if you remember it! Forget about the endless queuing at Snobs, it’s easy to bag a quick bevvy and get back on the dance floor at Mechu!

This club has raised the bar of the Birmingham clubbing experience and welcomes partygoers to a glamorous and vibrant atmosphere. Unlike Snobs, Mechu attracts an array of celebrities from MIC’s Jamie Laing to Gaz from Geordie Shore- if that isn’t a reason to swap your Thursday for a Mechu night, then I don’t know what is!

Whether you’re inside on the dance floor, tucked away in a cosy booth or table, or outside under the warm heaters surrounded by the rustic brick exterior and high- top tables, Mechu is the exclusively inclusive club and a diamond amongst the so-called ‘gems’ of Birmingham’s night life.

Office Envy: Top workspaces around the world

The idea of a stereotypical office doesn’t usually stir up feelings of excitement and anticipation for work with cramped desks and dull colour schemes. However, there are some companies, particularly in media, that appear to be breaking the mould in order to create a more exciting dynamic work space in order to get the most out of their staff. Life&Style writer Katelyn Ryder looks at some of the most interesting offices from around the globe.

YouTube, San Bruno, California:

Selgas Cano, Madrid:

Google, San Francisco:

YouTube's creative office works to produce relaxing innovative spaces to inspire colleagues and content creators. They have slides as well as indoor putting spaces, free-roaming Segway riding and even pods designed to take power naps in! It’s a wonder they get any work done at all.

Positioned in a forest, Selgas Cano's architecture office features beautiful views of the surrounding woods with its minimalist design and floor to ceiling windows. With half the building below and the other half above ground, this building uses natural lighting and a spacious setting to create a calm and relaxed space to inspire the innovative design work.

This large and colourful work space for Google’s engineers combines work and play to inspire creativity as it features a slide to travel between floors, a games room, a music room for impromptu jam sessions and even a photo booth! Selfie break anyone?

redbrick.me/lifestyle

20th November - 3rd December

TV's Top Fashion Icons

With so many flawlessly fashionable women on the silver screen, Life&Style writer Jessica Newman takes a look at the most iconic stars our generation.

1. Carrie Bradshaw: Sex and the City Gracing our screens from 1998 with countless pairs of Manolo Blahniks and cocktail dresses to the nines, Miss Bradshaw became the Noughties’ number one fashion icon by mixing eclectic vintage and off-the-runway pieces. Carrie taught us the value of having an unforgettable and truly individual style, as did Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte, each of whom also took on serious trend-setting. But no one can forget the Carrie-esque fashion moments, like the opening credits in a fluffy baby pink tutu while patrolling the streets of New York City, to the final episode in Paris dressed in a Versace meringue of frills. With six seasons’ worth of inspiration, here’s to Carrie’s fearsome fashion!

Favourite style quote: "I like my money where I can see it hanging in my closet!"

27

Fierce

Kris Jenner Turns 60 The matriarch of the Kardashian-Jenner household turned sixty this week and had the most lavish Roaring Twenties themed birthday party. With a $2 million budget, this was the party to end all parties. Our favourite look was Kourtney Kardashian’s Great Gatsby tux.

Burberry's Christmas Campaign Burberry’s stunning advert recreated the opening scenes of Billy Elliot with a star studded cast, including Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Julie Walters and a cheeky appearance from Romeo Beckham. One of the more uplifting Christmas campaigns!

2. Blair Waldorf: Gossip Girl

Steven Klein for NARS

It would be rather unusual not to see TV’s favourite Mean Girl named as one of the most fashionable on our screens. Idolised by millions of viewers, Blair never fails to go all out. Lace, ruffles, chiffon and colour are all-encompassed in Queen Bee’s never-ending wardrobe. Despite being only a fictional character, Blair has been seen as a style symbol from the very first series of Gossip Girl. Her quick wittedness, trademark expressions and style tips make her truly iconic. Particular kudos has to go to her revolutionisation of the headband. Once upon a time we feared these hair-scraping childlike accessories, however with Blair as the trendsetter she transforms your ordinary headband into an upgraded non-preppy accessory for everyday outfits.

Top beauty brand NARS have launched their holiday collection recently, designed by fashion photographer Steven Klein. The muted shimmery eye tones are offset by the dark lip colours perfect for creating that dramatic party look.

Favourite style quote: "Fashion is the most powerful art there is."

3. Jessa Johansson: Girls Girls’ very own bohemian Jessa has to be another, more secret, TV fashion icon. Her free-spirited character is epitomised in the way she dresses; floaty fabrics, exotica gowns, 90’s grunge and Rapunzel-esque hair. Giving away Stevie Nicks’ witchy vibes, we at Life&Style are very fond of the effortlessly cool, fearless and unusual style of Jessa, played by Jemima Kirke. Her renovated thrift-shop numbers prove her style is accessible and adaptable, and most importantly, incredibly cool. Take her usual fedora, scarf and velvet coat and you have it! A TV star worthy of the icon status.

Favourite style quote: "I’m offended by all the ‘supposed to’s.’ I don’t like women telling other women what to do or how to do it or when to do it.”

H&M x Balmain-ia If you managed to buy any pieces from this collection, then you should feel massively pleased with yourself. The website crashed; people crashed in a fashion frenzy fighting over the goods, and the clothes are now on eBay for 10 times the amount.

Alber Elbaz splits from Lanvin In the wake of Raf Simons’ departure from Dior, another fashion great has left the circuit. Alber Elbaz was the brains and beauty behind Lanvin for 14 years, and his shocking departure leaves more unanswered questions about the future of fashion houses.

Pay gaps

4. Chanel Oberlin: Scream Queens If you’ve yet to see E4s newest import comedy-horror series Scream Queens, then we recommend that you start catching up! The show follows a group of sorority sisters as a killing spree unfolds on their campus and trouble ensues. In fashion terms, all of the sisters of Kappa Kappa Tau are dubbed ‘Chanel’, so it comes as no surprise that this series is a fashion statement in itself. Miss Oberlin, played by the witty Emma Roberts, is already a fashion icon. Her style has similar Waldorf preppiness and includes lashings of pearls, fur coats and Chanel inspired skirt-suits. Pink and feathers and florals equals a recipe for girly excellence.

Favourite style quote: "I may be dead, but I'm still pretty."

Men still earn on average 14.2% more money than women at work. According to the Fawcett Society, from November 9th women will effectively work for free until the end of the year due to the pay gap. Not cool.

By Daisy Holden Travel Editor

Finished

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redbrick.me/music

20th November - 3rd December

Music

Album Review: Joanna Newsom - Divers Jack Lawrence Music Critic

Five years after the release of 2010’s Have One On Me , Joanna Newsom delivers yet again a record that is as dense as it is beautiful and rewarding.

Despite receiving immense critical acclaim and popularity from her previous efforts, Newsom both manages to retain her modest and down-to-earth folk style whilst also exploring further genres and sounds.

When discussing the music of Joanna Newsom, criticism will often fall upon her distinct, unique and shrill voice (described by the Daily Telegraph as the voice of a ‘hobgoblin’) to such an extent that some listeners may overlook her incredible talent for songwriting. In this sense, Newsom can be compared to an artist like Bob Dylan, as despite delivering consistently wonderful music and waxing lyrical epics, both are sometimes dismissed for having a polarising and ‘unusual’ singing voice. Such a dismissal would be unfortunate as, both lyrically and instrumentally, Newsom has only upped her game on Divers . If someone were to judge the music purely

"Lyrically and instrumentally, Newsom has only upped her game on Divers"

on the ‘weirdness’ of her voice, they would be severely missing out.

Joanna’s love for the English language is as apparent on this record as ever before, often sending her listeners in search of a dictionary just to solve her labyrinth of lyrics (what other artist can rhyme ‘Ozymandian’ with ‘Sapokanikan’?). Although to some people this kind of song-writing might come off as pretentious or over-indulgent, I would argue that it only strengthens the unique persona that Newsom has created for herself, creating images of fantasy in cryptic lines like ‘lost in obsolescence / the text will not yield,

nor x-ray reveal / with any fluorescence / where the hand of the master / begins and ends’. Like her voice itself, Joanna Newsom’s lyrics are an acquired taste, and to some, may seem like a bit of a chore to decipher. However, though I barely understand even half the lyrics (or sometimes individual words) on Divers, this is not detrimental to the album, instead only developing its uniqueness

"A fantastic collection of songs that establishes her further as a major songwriting force" when compared to most other releases this year.

Musically, Newsom has also showed a further evolution in her sound, utilising not only her trademark harp and piano, but also incorporating harpsichord, marching drums, and the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra into the mix. As in Have One On Me, the album experiments with genres like jazz and blues by featuring various ‘un-folk’ instruments, such as slide guitar, mellotrons and even synths in tracks like ‘Same Old Man’. Furthermore, the studio production of Divers has been improved considerably, further distancing Joanna Newsom from her strict folk origins and allowing Divers to set a more grand, expansive backdrop to her unique voice.

The lead single from the album, ‘Sapokanikan’, follows a tender introductory ballad, immediately raising the tempo by including a bouncy, jangled piano riff backed up by marching drums and trumpets. By Newsom standards, ‘Sapokanikan’ is as close to a pop song as she will likely write, even though the melody flirts between the upbeat and the melancholic seemingly at random. Furthermore, the conversational and consistently morbid lyrics read like a story or fairy-tale, reminiscent of Newsom’s folk storytelling work on ‘Ys’.

The following track, ‘Leaving the City’, is another favourite, featuring an

evolving melody that begins with sparse harp and piano playing and later explodes under a distorted mellotron and drums.

Later in the album, Joanna returns to her more acoustic folk roots, stripping back the instrumentation in the title track ‘Divers’ and delivering beautiful harp and piano ballads. Though in her previous work these tracks stood out as perhaps the strongest, on Divers , they may make the album feel a little disjointed when listened to from beginning to end. This is not a criticism of the individual songs (I still think they are all fantastic), but it does make the album, as a full package, less impactful and grand when compared to her previous albums, which tended to follow set lyrical and instrumental themes across their duration.

My only other criticism of Divers is that it does not show a significant change in Newsom’s sound, something that her previous albums ‘Ys’ and ‘Have One On Me’ managed to do more successfully.

Though this may detract from the ‘epic’ scale of her previous two efforts, Newsom has arguably created her most accessible work yet. Divers is a fantastic collection of songs that establishes her further as a major songwriting force in the modern indie and folk scenes.

Single Review: Coldplay - Adventure of a Lifetime James McPherson Music Critic

A stark contrast from their quieter, more soulful album Ghost Stories, the lead single from pop-rock quartet Coldplay’s newest creation is full of fun, vibrant colours and immediately grabs your attention. It captivates the reassuring idea of new hope and being reinvigorated through new love.

It forms the fifth track on the band’s seventh studio album, entitled A Head Full of Dreams. Sadly, lead singer Chris Martin has hinted it may end up being their last, saying: ‘I have to think of it as the final thing we’re doing. Otherwise we wouldn’t put everything into it’. The idea for the album was first introduced to us back in December 2014, in an interview

with then-Radio One DJ Zane Lowe, where they called their previous album the ‘night to the day’ that is their new uplifting material.

The track starts with a high-pitched, catchy riff from guitarist Jonny Buckland, which forms the basis for the whole song and is repeated throughout. Then, the rest of the band joins in with an upbeat style, reminiscent of disco-rock songs of the past.

Chris Martin’s opening lines, ‘Turn your magic on [...]/ Everything you want’s a dream away’, introduce us to a woman who is inspiring him to believe in himself again and enjoy life to the full.

Martin also gives a powerful message later on when he sings ‘Under this pressure, under this weight / We are diamonds’ implying that no matter what struggles we go through in our lives, they make us a bet-

ter person in the end. These lines may be considered in reference to his split from actress Gwyneth Paltrow, showing that he has moved on and feels good about himself again.

"The band's seventh album... It may end up being their last" Coldplay’s constantly changing style is refreshing to listeners, as each album has its own character, complemented by their growing songwriting ability. ‘Adventure of a Lifetime’ may be a departure from the Coldplay of old, but it is definitely something to get excited about.

redbrick.me/music

20th November - 3rd December

29

Tweet of the Week

@dan_garvey: "Mothers generally find me polite."

On Saturday 14th November, second year English student and founding member of New Street Records Dan Garvey was tragically killed in a plane accident. Here, Dan's friends pay tribute to him and share their favourite memories.

I can’t say that I knew Dan as well as some people did but I knew him well enough to say that he was one of the warmest, funniest people I’ve ever met. I’ll miss his wit, his endearing, bumbling charm and his exceptional taste in music but, most of all, I'll miss just seeing him around; the idea that he won’t be is still too ridiculous to understand. I wish I could have gotten to know him better. Conrad Duncan

I feel incredibly lucky to have met Dan and we shared some great times together. I can't remember a single time when being around him wasn't fun as he always carried such a positive and kind energy. He was a good friend to many of us and it's hard to see such a great person unfairly leave us so early. Thanks for being such a cool, quirky dude Dan. We will always remember you. Pablo Doyle

One time, over the summer, I was living in the house alone and Dan came to visit me.

He shared wild stories of his spontaneous hitchhiking trip to France. We drank red wine, listened to The Clash and talked about our uncertain futures. He was radiating potential. We played J dilla instrumental tracks and had a freestyle rap battle.

Then we watched gardening shows in bed until 4am and fell into a lovely dream.

Kimberley Irving

Dan's laugh was more infectious than a water-born illness. I don't think I ever saw him without a smile on his face and I don't think I'll ever forget the sound of that giggle. He was the guy I think we all aspire to be like: taking absolutely everything in his stride, always radiating positivity, being infinitely generous and selfless. It sucks because he's also the guy you need to be around at a tragic time like this, cause I know he would know how to lift spirits and help ease the pain. I will never be able to look at a leopard print shirt and not think of you. Love ya dan x Adam Jackson

Dan was one of the kindest, friendliest people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. He was maybe the only person in the world who truly shared the fanatical love for Alex Turner I have.

He was always the best dressed guy in the room and the one with the biggest smile, always willing to help out wherever help was needed. It's so hard to remember Dan through a vale of sadness as all my memories of Dan feature him smiling and laughing. I miss our shared love of the phrase 'John Lennon as a TV chef', I miss our hatred of Hayden Christiansen, I just miss you being around to add some brightness to this planet. The world is a worse place without you in it. Phil Jones One of the friendliest people I ever met. When NSR first started and I was a little shy, he always made me feel so welcome and part of the group. Wish I had the chance to know him better but grateful to have known him for as long as I did. Hannah Davies Dan’s life intersected with mine for too short a time, but it was such an important, formative time for me because he taught me so much about myself. He made me relax, made me laugh, made me a happier person. He always told me to chill, not to take things too seriously, to laugh at myself.

His charm was irresistible, his carefree nature was infectious. He drove me up the wall but his cheeky smile and cute fucking dimple would melt any of my frustrations away. He was always happy to see me, and could be counted on to greet me with a smile. I understand the term 'senseless tragedy' more acutely than ever. There is no sense, no rationale to the terrible thing that has happened to the Garvey family and there are no words to make sense of what they are being put through. Dan crossed paths with so many and I'm so fortunate that, even if fleetingly, he crossed mine. Dan, I miss you. Natalie Hatton From the first day I met Dan in Joe's (one-on-one as he'd got the New Street Records meeting day wrong), he instantly shone out as one of the most genuine, passionate and kind hearted people I've ever met. He was always first to volunteer himself to help others, for example, in managing Versatyl & Pilgrim where his enthusiasm and selflessness shone out - standing at every single event, supporting his friends with a smile on his face - in a way that inspired others including myself. One of my favourite memories of him has to be when he volunteered his valuable time in exams to be interviewed on BBC WM, not only making his friends and family laugh but the whole of the West Midlands too, with his stories of student life, his jokes and, of course, his intelligence helping us to come first in the music quiz. He was one of the most genuine guys I have ever come across and I'm confident he impacted in a positive way the lives of everyone he met.

Laura Hand

It is a tragedy to have lost such a warmhearted, genuine, funny and positive individual who brought light to so many lives. There was never a time I saw him without a smile on his face and he never failed to put a smile on mine too. There will always be an empty seat at meetings and lectures that can never be filled. I'll miss you Dan. Danni Ferrante

In Memory of Dan Garvey There was a time, only last week, where we both had insomnia at four in the morning, so we were just up chatting on Facebook and being silly sending each other gifs of Sandra bullock holding inanimate objects and it made me laugh so much and, even though it's small, it's just a fond memory I have of him. Autumn Evans It was such an honour to know and have the chance to be friends with someone of Dan's calibre; he was such a passionate, kind-hearted man, the ultimate charmer, someone who could get on with anyone and win them over in seconds; he certainly won me over. I'll forever miss that cheeky grin of his, his infectious laughter and his pure love for music, his friends and family. No amount of words can even begin to describe the shock and grief I feel over losing you, Dan, but I know you'll always be with us in spirit. I'm so grateful to have known you for the heartbreakingly short time I did and all I can really say is thank you for everything.

Love and miss you so much already, man. You were truly wonderful.

Kirstie Sutherland A valued friend to many of us, Dan's light-hearted humour and loyalty will be greatly missed. Dan touched the lives of everyone at New Street Records, as such a thoughtful, kind and approachable person. Rest in peace 'Dan the Man'.

Kishan Bodalia

I haven't known him very long, but a few days ago we watched Shia LaBeouf's live stream until about 4am and spoke about life, then he made me lots of toast. He was actually one of the kindest people I've met.

Tumi Adepegba I would have to say that the first night I met Dan is my best memory because that’s when our friendship began. It was the first night of University and I drunkenly approached him asking him why he was wearing a coat on the dance floor. That night we found out we had lots in common, we’d both been to Bestival that year, both studying English and we loved all the same music. He told me how much fun he had travelling Asia in his gap year and that he was going to do South America when he graduated. We spoke for hours that night and he said he’d knock for me the next day so we could go to campus together, we went to almost every lecture together since that night.

Sabrina Rachelle Bowen Dan Garvey - what a rockstar! Will always remember him as the all round funny guy, New Street Records model and website guru. So many lovely memories of him and his passion in helping not only the business (all those hours spent up a ladder with the damn vinyl bunting) but everybody around him. I feel so honoured to have known and been able to work with him, he will always be a member of the New Street family. Anna Blesing

I worked with Dan at New Street Records and I will always remember how at my first meeting, he was the first person to welcome me, offer me a seat and introduce himself. His friendly, infectious smile made me feel instantly at ease and soon enough we were laughing and joking as if we'd known each other for years.

And he was the same all the time, with everyone he met – it was a pleasure to have known someone so kind and thoughtful even for so short a time.

Beth Coveney I don’t really have a single big amazing story with Dan. We didn’t go mental on a night out together, we didn’t accidentally get lost in a forest or anything - but that’s just the thing isn’t it?

He was consistently amazing, nice and wonderful.

I feel like there isn’t a single big story, because every moment we spent together was the story. Just knowing Dan was a thrill in itself. That, the constant Hemingway references, and the leather jacket. I remember when he walked in the first time we met, and I was just so impressed by his charisma and charm.

That time you nearly threw me in the canal when you were dancing at the Versatyl and Pilgrim video shoot - and they weren’t even filming then. I wish they were. You genuinely were the nicest person - it just won’t be the same without you mate. Hayin Li I’m so honoured that even though it was for a terribly short time, I had the pleasure of knowing Dan. Dan was one of the most selfless, witty and loving individuals I knew. His contagious laugh would instantly light up any room he was in. I will always remember last Thursday when you were perfectly harmonising to “Girls & Boys” by Blur in the car, and when the time I made you chicken and chips at Chicken.com – far better than any takeaway you’ve had, I’m sure. But mostly, I’ll never forget the last time I spoke to you. It was in the early hours of Saturday morning sharing our love for young Leo DiCaprio and talking absolute nonsense. As much as it aches to not have you around anymore I can only hope you’ve gone to a better place, found peace and forever continue listening to old school rap.'

Giulia Bardelli

30 20th November - 3rd December 2015

redbrick.me/television

Television

X Factor: Has it Gone too Far?

Now into its twelfth series, TV Critic Tamsin Hackett investigates how Simon Cowell's hugely successful music competitions has strayed too far from what made it so successful to begin with.

Tamsin Hackett TV Critic

The X Factor has been a fun, loved family show since 2004, it’s enjoyable and it’s an easy watch; you get exactly what you expect.

That is, until the current series. I don’t know if it’s just me but I am finding this series of X Factor almost excruciating to watch: it took longer than ever to get to the live shows and the six chair challenge was hours long.

Maybe the show is just trying to reinvent itself, but to my mind, I think this series’ producers are just trying to squeeze as much time and money out of us as possible and in doing so they’ve really let the fans down.

To be fair, I was enjoying this series up until around the ‘boot camp’ stage. The auditions were shown as normal, and I could even deal with only seeing one act before each ad break, however since boot camp the whole thing has suddenly become very Americanised. When the six-chair challenge was first introduced a few series ago, it was a bit over the top, but admittedly it was slightly more interesting than what boot

camp used to entail. But this time the boot camp took several weekends to complete where before it used to be just two Saturday nights. Not only did we have the 6-chair challenge, but we also had the normal boot camp stages to decide who would make it to the challenge. Frankly, it becomes difficult to watch and enjoy so many different rounds of auditions.

What really got me worked up about this

"When it was announced that judges' houses would be live, embarassingly I was actually excited" series though, was the ‘live’ judges’ houses.

When it was announced that judges’ houses would be live, embarrassingly I was actually excited. Rather stupidly I thought that live judges’ houses would mean that the auditions would be live from judges’ houses. That’s not what they meant though, what they meant was actually a pre-recorded episode of judges houses shown to all the acts and judges on

stage, after which the judges would make their decision on who to take through to live shows. This new arrangement gave the judges weeks to make their decision making the concept of a ‘wild card’ seem silly as surely they could’ve made up their mind securely in that time.

If this entire concept wasn’t enough to drive you mad then the small box showing the contests watching their own performance should have. These contestants though it was a good idea to sing along to themselves.

There was also the flop of the 10-second countdown for the judges before they had to decide whom to take through when, as I mentioned they’d actually had weeks to make their decision, so the suspense was lost on me. Not only was it the set up this year that caused a stir, but the decision to put Mason Noise through to live shows after his tantrum at the 6-chair challenge. Originally, Simon Cowell put the singer in his place and asked him to apologise and leave, however at some point away from the cameras the decision was made to bring him back presumably for the publicity and drama it would create. I think this made Simon look like a

Missing out on the Hype

by Nancy Turner

Only ever having Freeview at home meant that I was that bitter kid all through primary school.

Whilst everyone else was discussing all the great shows they watched on Disney Channel I was reminding everyone that Tracy Beaker and Arthur topped Hannah Montana any day (I still stick by this – Tracy is my idol). Rather embarrassingly it wasn’t until a few years ago that I realised that when people talked about That’s So Raven! they weren’t talking about that CBBC show Raven with the strange man dressed as a bird forcing children to compete in impossible tasks.

Sadly, I still haven’t moved up in the world from Freeview and so once again I find myself left out of the hype. Only now it’s less about High School Musical and instead all about Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones - which from what I’ve seen doesn’t look all too dissimilar from Raven.

If I thought that I was missing out as a child,

it was nothing in comparison to missing the hype these days. With the rise of social media these shows have an unbelievable following and it is impossible to avoid the hype around them. If you don’t watch these shows its honestly just best to avoid conversation for a few days after an episode as you can guarantee you won’t have a clue

what anyone is talking about.

Never has this been more apparent than with Jon Snow. Major spoilers ahead for the latest season of Game of Thrones. To someone who has never watched the show, Jon Snow is the cute old man that reads the news on Channel 4. When hoards of people started to tweet that Jon Snow

fool, and let the audience down once again as someone they disliked was brought back for entirely the wrong reasons.

"We missed out on the traditional Halloween themed episode"

The first live that aired on Saturday was mostly back to the good old X Factor – minus a few favourites (let us not forget Dermot O’Leary and Louis Walsh) – but because of the long drawn-out build-up to the lives, the first episode fell on Halloween and we missed out on the traditional Halloween themed episode that has become highly anticipated in the last few years. And it would seem, with this live show seeing X Factor receive the worst ratings since the shows first episode, I’m not the only one who’s been let down by this series.

It may be time for X Factor to take a step back and look at what exactly worked before.

Tweet us your opinions @RedbrickTV had died they had no idea just how heartbreaking this was for those who don’t watch the show, nor did they know just how distressing it was to see him seemingly rise from the dead the next evening to read the news.

It is true that with Netflix and Putlocker its hardly impossible to watch these shows without Sky, but the problem is that by the time you come to watch them the hype is over and you already know everything that happens from everyone else’s previous tweets and conversations. I’m pretty sure I know all the major deaths of Game of Thrones, I have a fairly solid understanding of who A is and Gossip Girl isn’t the same once you know it’s not Darota.

And if you do by some stroke of luck manage to watch a ridiculously hyped programme without it being ruined by spoilers? Don’t expect it to live up to the hype. It will be good, but it won’t be the best TV show ever like you have been told it would be for months. And rest assured that if you do end up loving it, don’t expect anyone to care – they’ll have moved on to the next big TV show that you don’t watch.

20th November - 3rd December 2015

redbrick.me/television

31

TV Quote of the Week: Master of None on relationships: Dev Shah: "I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose."

EastEnders and Social Change

In light of EastEnders' latest storyline, writer James Tyson considers how important the long-running British soap has been for social change in the UK. As crazy as it may sound, the popular TV soap-opera EastEnders has always pushed the boundaries when it comes to what we find acceptable.

Wait, just hear me out.

Their most recent storyline involving 67-year-old Les Coker coming out to his wife as a transvestite named Christine after hiding it from her their entire fifty-year married life. Transgender former boxing promoter Kellie Maloney (born Francis "Frank" Maloney) has spoken out publicly at how common this situation is in the real world, praising EastEnders for bringing it to the attention of the public. She has however made it clear that she is transgender, and that this is very different to the transvestite storyline being portrayed.

But this is not the first time EastEnders has been ahead of the game when it comes to minorities. In 1987 EastEnders was responsible for screening the first ever gay kiss in a UK soap opera, much to the outrage of the viewing public, with the BBC received a record number of complaints.

"In 1987, EastEnders was responsible for screening the first ever gay kiss in a UK soap opera"

Despite the wrath of a large number of people, with even parliament discussing whether it was appropriate to have gay men in a family show when AIDS was sweeping the country, they carried on with the storyline, championing the gay community.

The transgender community is only the most recent minority group to gain mass

media attention, which many accredit to the public transition of Caitlyn Jenner (formerly Bruce Jenner). In October it was announced that 21-year-old Riley Carter Millington is to be the first transgender actor to play a transgender character in a UK soap. Speaking on joining EastEnders, Riley has said he is ‘extremely excited to be joining Eastenders. I can honestly say that I

"Riley Carter Millington is to be the first transgender character in a UK soap"

have now fulfilled my two biggest dreams – to be living my life as a man and to be an actor.’ Hopefully these roles will help the transgender community gain day to day acceptance within the wider public forum.

Of course, it isn’t just EastEnders changing public perception. Coronation Street have recently also hired an actor with Down Syndrome, Liam Bairstow, playing Cathy's nephew, Alex. EastEnders however already had a storyline involving Down Syndrome.

Honey and Billy’s baby, Janet, was born in 2006 with Down Syndrome almost ten years ago. The Down Syndrome Association claimed this was ‘a great way to get the message across that having a baby with Down Syndrome is not the end of the world.’

So, could it be true? Could a soap opera really shape the way we view our culture?

And do they do this intentionally? Or to put in cynically, are they just using these storylines for the shock factor to keep viewing figures up? I’ll leave that up to you, but from what I can see, these story lines can only be a positive thing.

Master of None: Family, Race, Relationships

TV Editor Matt Dawson looks into black lesbian (Lena Waithe), and yet not a single joke is made at their expense shows Aziz Ansari's latest Netflix show. a reflection of how progressive society If there is one word I would use to describe Netflix’s original programming, it would be “consistent”. This applies to their quality, and the freedom they have to explore more controversial, hard-hitting themes is refreshing. Aziz Ansari’s new comedy series, Master of None, continues this trend.

"The freedom they have to explore more controversial, hard-hitting themes is refreshing"

The Parks and Recreation star plays Dev Shah, a struggling actor and secondgeneration Indian immigrant in New York City. Over the course of ten episodes, we see his relationships progress in his love life with Rachel (Noël Wells), among his friends and his parents (played by his real-life parents, Shoukath and Fatima Ansari). Casting his own mother and father was a stroke of genius, making the highlight episode “Parents” all the more poignant. For someone with little acting experience, Shoukath Ansari steals every scene he is in, and it’s clear to see where his son gets his sense of comic timing.

In almost every episode, Master of None addresses themes that are normally quite serious such as feminism, the treatment of the elderly and representation of minorities in the media. These topics are handled deftly, while still managing to maintain a comedic tone. The fact that Dev’s friendship group is made up of an Indian, a Taiwanese man (Kelvin Yu), a white American (Eric Wareheim) and a

has become. However, as clearly pointed out by Dev being rejected for a role for “not doing an accent”, or how frequently women are followed home from bars, the show highlights how there is still some way to go.

The jokes rarely fail to land, and are very much character driven. Master of None takes advantage of its celebrity guest stars, with the standouts being Danielle Brooks (Orange is the New Black) as Dev’s agent and Claire Danes (Homeland) as a cheating wife. It manages to treat relationships in a more realistic way than most romance films, all set to a killer soundtrack. It all clearly draws from

"It manages to treat relationships in a more realistic way than most romance films, and all set to a killer soundtrack"

Ansari’s book Modern Romance: An Investigation (which is surprisingly interesting and well researched).

The only place in which Master of None falls down is that it ends without giving a sense of resolution. This will hopefully be elaborated on in a further series, as well as looking closer at Dev’s friends because there is a lot of untapped potential there. The fact that this, untapped potential, is my greatest criticism, should be a testament as to how good this show is. But nonetheless, based on the reception so far, it certainly ooks like we haven’t seen the last of Master of None just yet.

32 20th November - 3rd December 2015

redbrick.me/travel

Travel

Top 10 Travel Destinations for 2016 After Lonely Planet revealed their Top Ten Travel hotspots for 2016, Travel writer Gino Spocchia gave us his very own.

Earlier this month, the esteemed travel journalists over at Lonely Planet released their predictions for the hottest 'must-see' travel destinations for the upcoming year. They advise you to 'make these irresistible places part of your travel plans next year as they take a turn in the limelight.'

The must-visits range from Poland to Palau, and have been hotly discussed on many forms of social media. We asked Travel writer Gino Spocchia to give us a run down of his personal top 10 picks for 2016.

1) Washington D.C., USA This American state is one of the most easy to navigate in the US, with monumental surroundings and plenty to offer the book lover. The largest collection of Shakespeare paraphilia lies at the Folger – a suitable sight for the 400 year anniversary of the playwright’s death in 2016. Whilst Clinton and co. make their prolonged race to the White House, you can touch down in the city in just 8 hours and 30 minutes from London Heathrow. As America’s first black president steps down, its first national museum dedicated to African Americans opens it doors - and ten floors. The NMAAHC will be an apt celebration of the power of diversity and strength of the people.

"The university hub at the centre of the 'world's happiest country' is the ultimate combination of contemporary cool and medieval delight" 2) Aarhus, Denmark Despite being renowned for its tourist hotspot Copenhagen and its delectable pastries, Denmark has much more to offer.

It's second-largest city, Aarhus, is relatively unknown, however the university hub at the centre of the 'world’s happiest country' is the ultimate combination of contemporary cool take the ARoS art gallery, the oldest public art museum in Denmark outside of Copenhagen - and medieval delight check out the Den Gamle By, an open-air town museum located in the Botanical Gardens. Venture to the Viking Museum to learn all about how Denmark’s growing tourist destination was founded. Not one to miss, Aarhus has as many cobbled-brick streets as the Lego bricks for which it is famous. Be sure to stop by the Lagkagehuset bakery for an unforgettable pastry treat.

3) Snowdonia, Wales One of the UK’s oldest national parks is home to an ancient landscape which looks as if it's been thrust straight out of the Ice Age. With glorious, sweeping valleys, surging mountainsides, and a cornucopia of lakes, forests, and wildlife, Snowdonia offers an abundant array of activities including hiking, kayaking, and sightseeing. Nearby Welsh villages offer steam railways, heritage museums, and mine exploration. Yet these aren’t the only peaks to be found in North Wales, as Surf Snowdonia makes waves in 2016 with the world’s first inland surf lagoon – an artificially exhilarating oddity amongst the nourishment of the natural environment.

4) Shanghai, China The pulse of the yen in the Lujiazui financial district, the salute of the Huangpu River at the Bund waterfront, and the concoction of architectural styles and statements make Shanghai the global giant it is today. Be sure to ascend to the inspiring view points at the top of the Oriental Pearl Tower, and delve into the depths of Shanghai’s spectacular street food by trying their exquisite dumplings. China’s reknowned metropolis will soon be complemented by a new Natural History Museum, set amongst a traditional Chinese garden of elegance and serenity.

5) Maputo, Mozambique Mozambique is an increasingly prosperous nation in Southern Africa whose capital city – Maputo – mirrors the energy, hope, and inspiration of the people.

It is a melting pot of cultures, with broad colonial avenues and palaces splashed with African character. Stalinesque concrete adds grit, whilst French lattice ironwork lends beauty to the fabric of the core, where street vendors and markets congregate. Catch a Chapa (pronounced 'shapaa') bus from downtown Maputo to the nearest beach.

Here, the will to relax seems to evaporate from the gleaming Indian Ocean, aided by a reliable tropical climate. Also consider visiting the sprawling elephant reserve, botanical gardens, and citrus-squeezer-esque Catholic Church (quite literally - google it!).

6) Naples, Italy In the fiery south of this boot-shaped nation is a city brought to life through the spirit and spontaneity of its locals. Dripping like mozzarella in the midday sun, Naples has been the capital of a Mediterranean kingdom for 600 years. Swimming amongst dolphins and a thriving port in a vivid history and vibrant culture, it's a must-visit. Away from the atmospheric Unesco World Heritage centre, the Bay of Naples gravitates towards the solemnly majestic Mount Vesuvius, where closer inspection brings you upon the ruins of Pompeii – a breathtaking and engaging experience.

The 3...

7) Ljubljana, Slovenia Shrouded by bushy greenery, the immaculate white brickwork and red roof tiled buildings surround the meandering Ljubljana River. As Slovenia’s capital city, university centre, and outdoor capital, the hotspot certainly has a lot to offer. The imperial Tivoli gardens are an ideal, peaceful escape from the bustling, busy nature of Ljubljana’s main streets. The castle within these grounds stands proudly next to the iconic fortress crowning Mount St Mary, which is a popular hiking spot in the warmer months. As night falls, Ljubljana swaps its cafes and museums for an electric party scene. It is a delightful hybrid of the best European and Slovenian traits.

8) Nelson, New Zealand Nelson’s airport has few international connections, making a venture to this part of New Zealand - and the world’s most picturesque landscapes – thrillingly authentic. Nelson is the gateway for the Tasman National Park, where long days of daring adventures, including canoeing and cycling, are easily spent soaking in the wildly mesmerising coastline and parkland. Follow the Tasman trail along the turquoise coast, savor the organic serenity of the Neudorf Vineyard, and warm your heart and mind with boutique handblown glass workshops. Nelson and its nature have been hiding for too long, so be sure to give it a visit.

"Follow the Tasman trail along the turquoise coast, savor the organic serenity of the Neudorf Vineyard, and warm your heart and mind with boutique handblown glass workshops."

9) Toulouse, France Rose-pink macaroons are delicate, but this ‘pink city’, or 'la ville rose' as the French would say, is bold. Toulouse is perhaps so underrated that to consider it as a holiday destination seems slightly odd, despite it being the home of both Airbus and European Space. The capital of the craggy Pyrenees, Toulouse is a focal point for French ballet, opera and orchestra. The medieval old town is elegant and graceful, where architecture, food, and canals unite. In 2016, it will definitely come to life with the hosting of the UEFA European Championship at the refurbished Stadium de Toulouse.

10) Leipzig, Germany As fast as an ICE Deutsche Bahn train, Leipzig has been revived as a popular travel destination by its burgeoning arts and culture scene taking over once ghostly factories, and set in stone by a refurbished Saxon heritage. The Leipzig Riverside Forest is a remarkably preserved nature reserve with a traditional folk-tale-like quality, reminiscent of Disney movies and idyllic theatrical classics. Alternatively, techno dominates the music scene, and heightens the exuberance and imagination of the city’s younger population. There are a vast range of pubs, clubs and bars offering something for everyone.

Independent shopping districts...

Travel writer Grace Jackson reveals the top three UK cities for independent shopping.

1

2

3

Bristol

Edinburgh

Manchester

Bristol is known as a liberal, bohemian city, filled with ‘off the high street’ shops. Clifton Village, the historical quarter of Bristol offers both expensive designer boutiques and student-friendly gift shops selling West Country trinkets.

The aptly named Christmas Steps is the street that hosts violin shops, a bow maker, handmade instruments as well as Opus 13, a store for sheet music and vinyl. The popular Bristol Cider Store was recognised as the best independent cider vendor in the UK with its locally produced stock.

Edinburgh is famous for its collection of independent artists, writers and entrepreneurs and it holds the largest arts festival in the world every August. Naturally, it attracts a lot of interesting people and the historical quarter, Grassmarket, has a plethora of second hand bookshops and vintage clothes stores by local designers. Red Dog Music with its unassuming shop front hides a magnificent collection of musical instruments. West End and Bruntsfield boast tearooms, coffee shops and gourmet chocolatiers.

Manchester Craft and Design Centre has quite a few local studios to explore, and Afflecks is a multi-storey shopping emporium devoted solely to independent designers. Here you can find almost anything from tarot readings to tattoo studios. Nearby, there are special cafes, restaurants and bars.

Sometimes the shops and cafes double up so you can peruse while you eat. The way that Manchester combines all of its bohemian culture into one shopping centre is what really makes this a good place to go shopping for cool trinkets.

redbrick.me/travel

20th November - 3rd December 2015

33

A Diary Entry From... Cinque Terre Travel writer Giulia Bardelli gives us an autobiographical insight into her Italian summer adventures.

For as long as I can remember, I have always dreamed of visiting Cinque Terre. It was actually around the time I properly started reading online blogs, in 2010. I remember seeing cliffs of coloured houses reaching the marina, and imaginging just how beautiful the view from one of them must be.

This summer, I had the chance to go not only to Cinque Terre, but to be able to visit four out of the five towns with one of my best friends too. It was an ultimate dream come true.

The English translation of ‘Cinque Terre’ is ‘Five Lands’, as it consists of five unique and picturesque towns aligned along the Southern Italian coast. These are Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.

Each town is full of history, great food, and amazing sea views from every corner. There are also hiking trails you can go on to reach each town, which have incredible sights overlooking the horizon. Visit a hiking trail at sunset to really get the best view of the sun beaming against the bright coloured houses. It's also an ideal time to get some amazing holiday snaps.

"For as long as I can remember, I have always dreamed of visiting Cinque Terre... I remember seeing cliffs of coloured houses reaching the marina, and imagining how beautiful the view from one of them must be them."

My friend and I stayed in a quaint little apartment in Vernazza with a rooftop terrace overlooking the sea, a lucky last minute find. Our host welcomed us with open arms at the train station and brought us directly to our apartment.

She gave us some recommendations on what to do and where to eat, and wished us a great couple of days in the Italian town. Vernazza is known to be one of the more romantic and less busy towns, but it also turned out to be one

of my personal favourites!

That afternoon we changed straight out of our travel clothes into our swimsuits, and headed down to the marina.

There we met a couple of locals who were jumping from the rocks into the rough sea water. Being the daredevils we are, we dove in with them – getting out was a struggle as the currents were very strong, however it was still a unforgettable and thrilling experience. It was an afternoon well spent with new friends discussing their previous interrail destinations and listening to the many stories they had to tell. That evening we dined at Ristorante Vulnetia. We indulged in pesto pizza and sipped prosecco whilst conversing with the French boys next to us. If there’s one thing you must try when in Cinque Terre, it’s the pesto pizza - or anything with pesto for that matter. After all, it is where pesto originated – you’d be silly not to.

During our stay in Vernazza, we woke up early to avoid the hustle and bustle of the tourists, and to ensure we got the first batch of fresh bread from the bakery under our apartment. I woke up at 5:30am the first morning to catch the sunrise, which I didn’t get to fully appreciate as I was still half asleep on the terrace lounge chair. Plus, the soul warming smell of the fresh focaccia being baked below didn’t help either.

Each morning we would head out at about 7am, get a selection of fresh pastries and enjoy our breakfast by the sea, watching the last moments of the morning’s sunrise.

We explored the town of Riomaggiore, where we had hoped to go kayaking, but unfortunately the sea conditions were too dangerous for us to venture out into the deep blue.

Instead, we sat on some rocks and watched the local fishermen tieing up their boats. Riomaggiore is one of the largest towns, alongside Monterosso, so here you’ll find a lot more movement, as well as restaurants and boutiques along the main road. For lunch, we stopped by one of the many fried seafood 'fast food' (so to speak) restaurants. We shared a portion of fish and chips, which was more than enough, but it definitely did leave us wanting more. Being in villages where fishing is tradition means that the seafood is fresh and a lot cheaper – definitely do take advantage of this and eat as much seafood as possible. We strolled to the top of the stretch and headed to the square where there was a buzz of young Italian children playing a game of tag, making the

A Postcard from... Kos Travel writer Rocco Campanero captures the beauty of Greece’s vibrant island.

Kos has some of the most beautifully kept beaches of all the Greek islands, a lively nightlife, and a delicious national cuisine. Some of Kos’ best beaches are the Mastichari, Thermes, and Paradise beaches, with crisp, golden sand accompanied by the ever-reliable, gorgeous Greek weather.

EXPLORE! The island’s tourist capital, Kos Town, has an array of quirky Greek coffee shops, ice cream parlours, bars and restaurants. Located in Kos Town is the island’s marina, which is filled with multimillion-pound yachts and cruise liners to admire. A stroll down to the island marina every evening is a perfect way to salute farewell after a beautiful day in Kos! In your spare time, visit the ancient Greek ruins located inwards of the island. For all you medical students, Kos boasts one famous former resident – Hippocrates, who is known as the ‘Father of Medicine’, and a trip to the ancient Greek Asclepeion is a must for all history and culture buffs.

The asclepeion, an ancient Greek health farm, is a perfect way to transport yourself back thousands of years to see how the Greeks practiced medicine.

EAT! Gyros – need I say more? For those of you who have never tried Greek gyros before, it’s basically a meat pita or wrap served with a fresh salad, feta or halloumi cheeses, and tzatziki sauce. The Greeks are also famous for their yoghurts and salads too, a perfect opportunity to eat light on your trip to Kos, if you wish.

ON ANOTHER NOTE...

Whilst many tourists this summer enjoyed luxury holidays in Greece, another important issue gripped the island of Kos – the migrant crisis. Migrants from war-torn areas in the Middle East travelled to Northern Europe, with a pit stop in Kos. What was pleasant to see were many tourists buying bottles of water and fruit for the displaced, as a symbol of solidarity and empathy.

environment all the more livelier.

We also headed down to Manarola by train, where we explored the town. During the summer holidays the trains can get overly crowded, which is not ideal, so make sure to look at the train timetable at the station so you catch it. In Manarola we met some fellow Australian and Canadian travellers and had an aperitif at Nessun Dorma. Nessun Dorma is a beautiful restaurant overlooking the town with stunning views. The staff are so welcoming and friendly; the food and wine were to die for. The meal was ideal to end the day in the perfect way, overlooking the ocean and Manarola.

Our last day was spent exploring Vernazza; we’d only really swum here briefly, so thought we’d take advantage of our early awakening and go explore. We climbed the many stairs leading to Castello Doria to get a good view of our town. Unfortunately, only the tower of the castle still remains standing today, as it dates all the way back to the

"It is easy to be overcome by the sheer vibrancy of the city... making Stravanger's interpretation of history utterly unforgettable."

15th century, but the view from the top is well worth the walk.

A calmer tide that afternoon meant we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon swimming by the marina. Minus the traumatising waves from the first day, the water was still, which led to an afternoon of floating in the water, soaking up the sun's rays and enjoying our final couple of hours in the romantic Italian town. We met some Aussies and took advantage of their gopro to shoot some fun videos of us leaping into the ocean and doing somersaults. Later, we invited them over to ours, where we enjoyed some authentic Italian wine from Vernazza, and overlooked the town lit up in the dark.

This trip, my best friend and I met an array of interesting people and saw some utterly unforgettable sights. To say this was a great ending to an incredible trip would be a complete understatement. I'd reccomend Cinque Terre to all.

34 20th November - 3rd December 2015

redbrick.me/culture

Culture

Birmingham Back to Backs

Culture Editor Imogen Tink visits a Birmingham hidden gem Situated just behind New Street Station, the Birmingham Back to Backs are nestled in the very heart of Birmingham and are a residue of the history of the city’s population over the past 150 years. The Back to Backs were originally tiny houses literally built back to back to each other in different quarters. Within these quarters communities would form. They were built in the 1800s in order to provide homes for the ever increasing population of the Birmingham of the Industrial Revolution.

The Back to Backs were still inhabited by residents until the 1960s and 1970s when most of the courts were demolished to make way for more modern accommodation. Ten years ago the National Trust acquired the city’s very last surviving court of Back to Back buildings and has been preserving them ever since, much to our advantage.

"The Back to Backs are a fantastic way of intimately reaching an understanding about what life was like in these small Brummie communities that were formed in the Back to Back Courts."

On a cold Autumnal morning a few weeks ago my flatmate and I visited the Back to Backs. In a small group we were given a guided tour around three properties in Court 15. Each house had been refurbished in the style of the era in which they were lived in, complete with authentic furniture, wall paper, household items and clothing from the 1840s, the 1870s and the

Want to visit? During school term times they are open 1pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday and during school holidays they are open from 10am. Pre-booking is essential.

"This well and truly opened up my eyes to the wave of social change that has occurred over the past 100 or so years" 1930s. There were murmurs of fond recognition from other members of the group who recognised certain items including an old Radio Times and a record player amongst the items found in the houses. Our tour guide also gave us a detailed history of precisely who lived in these houses at specific times; this well and truly opened up my eyes to the wave of social change that has occurred over the past 100 or so years. For instance, one couple who lived in Court 15 in the 1870s had ten children, one of whom died of typhoid, a disease that has now long since been practically wiped out due to huge developments in sanitation. Our tour guide pointed out that the introduction of a flush-

ing communal toilet in Court 15 significantly lowered the rate of death by waterborne diseases. It is amazing that something taken very heavily for granted in modern society was considered a luxury less than 200 years ago.

Whilst three of the Back to Back properties have been preserved as houses, the final property on the tour remains as a Tailor’s shop, complete with all its features from the 1970s. We were shown all manner of items, including sewing machines, unfinished clothes and a bottle of aftershave, the smell of which other male members of our group seemed particularly familiar with!

The Back to Backs are a fantastic way of

worthy. We see this everyday, from the rich man who can’t stop gloating about his new sports car, to the young teenager eagerly exaggerating his mastery of lovemaking.

People lie and overstate things to make them seem more than they are. Lucy strikes this chord, often. His character is so similar to that of an average 17 year old, that you can’t help but feel personally invested in his experiences. His pains pain me; his joys made me glad. His ambiguity and pure selfishness made me remember things about myself.

"...maybe de Witt is just showing us a side of ourselves that we don't want to face..."

intimately reaching an understanding about what life was like in these small Brummie communities that were formed in the Back to Back Courts. We were blessed with a friendly and informative tour guide who, unlike in most National Trust properties, encouraged us to handle objects, use the furniture and much more during our visit.

We became well and truly immersed into the world of the Back to Backs, and gained a great sense of what life was like living in Birmingham throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The exhibition that followed the tour was equally fascinating and gave further insight into the people and communities of other Back to Back Courts in other parts of Birmingham. If you fancy an interesting day out, this is definitely the place for you!

Undermajordomo Minor: A Must Read Danyal Hussain gives us an insight into de Witt's new gothic inspired novel Before embarking on this review, I want to make it clear that this is the first de Witt book I have read. Furthermore, my own readings tend to be firmly entrenched within the epic fantasy genre and its various sub categories. Now, why is this seemingly unnecessary fact mentioned in this review? Well, because I truly want to impress upon you how much I enjoyed this book.

"De Witt's Gothic inspired world brings with it a certain wistful joy."

Undermajordomo Minor tells us the story of Lucien Minor, better known as Lucy. His journey, from shunned anonymity to warm love and then a great, and literal, fall, is at times wonderful, alarming and downright bizarre. De Witt’s gothic inspired world brings a certain wistful joy.

His characterisation of Lucy within the world, a young, melancholic dreamer striving to find some meaning within his life, should strike a chord with all who have experienced youth. That feeling of wanting to better yourself, wanting to seem alluring and interesting, is perfectly encapsulated

by Lucy in his use of a tobacco pipe, to make him appear both enigmatic and enticing, and in his lies to Klara, his great love, to make him sound more appealing and

"...you can't help but feel personally invested in his experiences."

This also makes it exceedingly funny.

You’d think that with the heavy themes the novel covers, that this would be a dark and brooding adventure. Not so. De Witt fills the pages with a simple, yet strong, hilarity.

His use of blunt language, short chapters and meandering, superfluous conversation is delightful. Lucy isn’t a great human being. However, he isn’t a bad one either.

De Witt creates a character that is so like us that we can point at his actions, chuckle and nod in understanding. Lucy allows us to laugh at ourselves and realise that for all the trials and tribulations we suffer, for all the horrible and selfish things we do, we’re just human.

The book flows wonderfully. The tense moments aren’t particularly tense and the sombre moments aren’t particularly sombre. However, his apathetic, diary-like atmosphere does make it difficult to truly invest in the plot. We care about Lucy and we, obviously, care about Rose, his cute little puppy, but it really stops there. Klara, his love, is presented as a sympathetic character. Her dilemma over which man to choose, Lucy or her soldier Adolphus, is interesting. But we only care about it from Lucy’s perspective. Similarly, the other recurring characters just aren’t interesting.

De Witt himself emphasises the focus on Lucy’s narrative by the selfish reaction he has to deaths of various characters in the novel. It makes the reader uneasy that Lucy ignores the death of a close friend in order to chase after his woman. But then, maybe de Witt is just showing us the side of ourselves that we don’t want to face.

From sordid, depraved sex parties to emotionally dead, rat eating mad men, Undermajordomo Minor had it all. The sheer outlandish events that occurred around Lucy were, whilst entertaining, completely fitting within the flow of the story. A great writer makes the unnatural

seem natural and de Witt pulled that off on countless occasions throughout the novel.

His one misstep was the ending sequence.

Lucy falls down the Very Big Hole, only to survive and instead make his way back to a vastly changed home, in a ridiculously convoluted manner. It was, to be frank, a mess. It felt like de Witt had an ending planned but just wasn’t sure how to get there, although the foreshadowing would suggest otherwise. It just didn’t fit or feel right, something that was starkly noticeable in a novel that otherwise flowed so naturally.

De Witt’s characterisation and use of apathy and melancholy in this gothic setting is noteworthy. It makes one sigh in contentment and smile wryly as Lucy grows and experiences his coming of age.

Whilst the ending was a bit of a pity, Undermajordomo Minor has earned de Witt a new fan, one who now intends to hungrily devour the author’s other works.

redbrick.me/culture

20th November - 3rd December 2015

RSC Love for Love Review

Holly Reaney makes us reconsider the reputation of restoration comedy Restoration comedy has a reputation for occasionally being drab, decked out in blue and white wallpaper-patterned clothes. In the case of Love for Love, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Selina Cadell’s production merges Congreve’s traditional 17th century narrative with a vibrant farcicalness, making a challenging play (unfamiliar to most) accessible and hilarious.

"There was almost a total eradication of the fourth wall with interplay between the audience and cast throughout the whole performance..."

With a slight Alice In Wonderland feel, Cadell fuses the 17th century and the 21st to create a totally unique performance, including a montage of chaos where a man rode a sheep and another was dragged by a dog whilst shouting ‘Fenton’ being a highlight of the madness.

There was almost a total eradication of the fourth wall with interplay between the audience and cast throughout the whole performance, with cast members asking the audience to hold gloves and hats. There is no effort to disguise the fact that the performance is a parodic fiction.

Within the play’s prelude, stage managers are redressing the seemingly unprepared stage, replacing a banner that reads Hecuba (the play’s predecessor in The Swan) with one reading Love For Love. During this redressing, the cast walked amongst the audience, interacting with them; asking about their evenings and seemingly just attempting to pass the time. In the moment, this all seems very perplexing, yet it offered a much needed entrance down the rabbit hole to the strange world the play inhabited. It set the tone for the audience, this is a play like no other.

"The play acknowledges its 17th century heritage with several song and dance numbers, which were beautifully performed..."

The stage itself was simplistic; stripped back wooden boards, cheap fading white drapes and a singular doorframe. This exposed the actors, yet they took this opportunity to embrace the stage, occupying the whole space, including the stalls, with exceptional mesmerising skill. The bland stage also gave Rosalind Ebbutt’s sublime costume design the space to shine. Bright blues, golds, pinks, purples decorated the stage, displaying beautifully glistening and decadent costume.

"With a slight Alice in Wonderland feel, Cadel fuses the 17th century and the 21st to create a totally unique performance..."

The play acknowledges its 17th century heritage with several song and dance numbers, which were beautifully performed, creating dynamic and exciting displays. The play retained it’s ‘rough around the edges’ facade throughout the sailors’ dance, with people entering at apparently wrong moments and misplaced props. However, this added to the play’s unique charm, creating a skilfully off the cuff performance that exhibited greater skill than an expertly polished play.

A quirky performance of great colour and spectacle, it was delightfully engaging. The audience felt a part of the play, laughing every few moments, especially at the unprecedented on-stage interval surprise.

Love for Love will be running from the 4th November to the 22nd January at The Swan Theatre, Stratfordupon-Avon.

Further information and tickets can be found at http:// www.rsc.org.uk/whats-on/ love-for-love/

35

36 20th November - 3rd December 2015

redbrick.me/sport

Sport

Top Five: Alternative Ballon D'Or Zak Rowe chooses his top five for the Ballon D'Or, if the obvious candidates of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were not included.

Zak Rowe Sports Writer

When the Ballon D’Or (the annual award for the world’s best footballer) shortlist was announced earlier this week, the majority of the 23 players included would have come of little surprise to anyone with even the slightest interest in football. Again, the list is comprised mainly of attacking players, with just a single goalkeeper and defender being nominated for football’s most prestigious individual award.

Despite goal scoring clearly being the main criteria for a nomination, few could argue that the when the Ballon D’Or is announced in January, it will be, for the fifth consecutive year, either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo who take home the trophy. However, whilst no player is on the same level as the aforementioned superstars, several come close and here I will consider some of the other nominees before providing an alternative top five players of 2015.

Before I reveal my other choices, I must first give a special mention to a number of players who have performed exceptionally well during 2015, but just miss out on spot in the top five. Firstly, Belgian playmaker Kevin De Bruyne enjoyed a superb campaign for Wolfsburg last season; his 10 goals and 20 assists saw him guide the Wolves to second in the Bundesliga. Another Belgian who has helped steer his national side to number one in the world rankings, Eden Hazard, also deserves not to be ignored. Last year’s Premier League Player of the Season was class above the rest as he added goals (19 in all competitions) to his exceptional creative talents, scoring or setting up 32 goals in 52 matches, leading to his manager Jose Mourinho claiming Hazard performed better than Cristiano Ronaldo during the season.

A final special mention has to go to Barcelona’s Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic. A relative unknown on the global stage before his move from Sevilla to Barcelona in 2014, Rakitic developed into one of Barcelona’s most important performers last season, opening the scoring in the Champions League final and effortlessly slotting into the midfield position that had been vacated by Xavi. Unfortunately, players like Rakitic often do not receive the credit they deserve due to the unattractiveness of their work, hence the 27 year old’s surprise, but thoroughly deserved, inclusion.

5. Alexis Sanchez The Arsenal and Chile forward is simply a delight to watch. The 26-year-old began his Arsenal career this time last year in sensational form, and his performances haven’t dropped since. His work rate and desire is simply sensational and, in addition to being far and

away Arsenal’s best and most consistent player last season, scoring 25 goals in 52 games (including an unbelievable

more so considering the number of creative players in the Bayern squad.

Additionally, with 13 goals and set up his teammates on a further five occasions in European Championship Qualifiers for Poland, he almost singled-handedly guided his side to France next summer. If Lewandowski is able to continue his current form and performs well at the Euros, perhaps he will be challenging for the main prize in 2016.

3. Sergio Aguero

long-range effort in the 2015 FA Cup final), the Chilean also picked up the PFA Fans’ Player of the Year, showing that supporters of other clubs acknowledge his fantastic ability and attitude too. His knack of performing when it matters have seen him transform Arsenal in potential title candidates, however it is for his national side where his biggest achievement lies.

Sanchez was instrumental in guiding his national side to their first ever Copa America title with brilliant performances against Uruguay and Peru, as well as scoring the winning penalty in the final against Argentina, confirming his status as one of the world’s best.

4. Robert Lewandowski

The Bayern Munich forward is possibly the best striker in world football currently, and unquestionably the most prolific. In just nine league matches this season, he has already scored 13 goals (including one incredible game where he netted five in nine minutes against Wolfsburg - arguably the Bundesliga’s second strongest side), as well as three in three in the Champions League. Yet, it is not just his goalscoring which makes Lewandowski stand out; in 62 games for the Bavarians since his move from rivals Borussia Dortmund in 2014, he has registered 15 assists. This is a very impressive return for a striker who does not play as a conventional target man, made even

From scoring that memorable winner against QPR in May 2012 to clinch Manchester City a first league title since 1968, to his recent five-goal haul against Newcastle, Sergio Aguero has been nothing short of exceptional since his move to England. His goal scoring record speaks for itself (32 in 42 during the 2014/15 campaign), however it is the Argentinian’s tireless work rate and willingness to chase many a lost cause, as well as his ability to produce something out of nothing, that have seen him come to be regarded as perhaps the world’s best outside Cristiano Ronaldo and international teammate Lionel Messi, drawing comparisons to fellow Argentinian and arguably the greatest player of all time, Diego Maradona.

I believe there are two players worthy of top spot; with very little to separate Luis Suarez and Neymar as Messi and Ronaldo’s closest challengers. However, as mentioned before, in my opinion this prize should not exclusively concern goal-scoring, and the overall contribution of these two players to their respective clubs sides in 2015 is what stands them in a class above the rest.

1.Luis Suarez Alongside Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez form two-thirds of Barcelona’s attacking trio; in 2014/15, the three of the them scored 122 goals between them, including 25 for Luis Suarez. Moreover, the 28-year-old also provided 24 assists for his teammates, thus playing an integral role in Barca’s incredible run to completing the treble

last season. Despite his career being filled with controversy, there is no denying his talents as arguably the world’s best finisher and the Uruguayan appears to have left his past behind him as he excelled in 2015 with 22 of his 25 goals coming after the turn of the year.

1. Neymar

Arguably the most skilful player on the planet, Neymar has enjoyed a stunning 2015. Despite not quite living up to the hysteria that surrounded his controversial transfer to Barcelona in his first season with the Catalan giants, his second was nothing short of spectacular.

Goals in the Champions League and Copa Del Rey finals finally proved his doubters wrong of his ability to perform in the big matches, and made up two of his 39 last season as Barcelona swept aside all competition to complete a historic treble. Neymar has started this campaign in similar fashion, and surely one day he will win the top individual accolade in world football.

Additionally, the Brazilian is well on his way to becoming his national side’s all time top goalscorer; at the age of just 23 he has already scored 46 international goals, as well as being handed the captaincy following that disastrous semi-final defeat to Germany.

You can see how well Zak has done (minus Messi+ Ronaldo) when the results of the Ballon D'Or are announced at FIFA's Gala evening on the 11th of January 2016.

redbrick.me/sport

20th November - 3rd December 2015

37

A Sport in Crisis: Athletics and the Doping Scandal Nancy Frostick reports on the latest doping crisis to hit athletics, and questions whether what we see on track and field can be trusted anymore.

Nancy Frostick Sports Writer

The world of athletics has this week imploded with reports of wide-scale doping and corruption by the Russian Athletics Federation. Events snowballed rapidly and have resulted in a provisional ban from all competitions for Russian athletes, which could threaten their chances of participating at the Olympic games in Rio next summer.

It would also affect their right to host the World Race Walking Cup and the Junior World Championships in 2016. The governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), headed by Lord Sebastian Coe, is already under fire amid claims of internal corruption, and has faced further criticism for their negligence on the matter. As more evidence comes to light the legitimacy of a growing number of athletes is thrown into doubt, and the reputation of the sport is increasingly damaged.

The IAAF took action by imposing the

"The IAAF has come under fire from critics for its relaxed policies and negligence in following up suspicious blood samples" ban on Russia after a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report declared “state sponsored doping” had taken place in Moscow testing laboratories and among key

officials. The Agency found evidence of direct interference and intimidation by the state in the form of giving athletes advance warning of drug tests, allowing missed or positive tests, and the bribery of officials as part of the cover up. The incriminating evidence goes further as athletes were found to have refused or avoided tests by giving testing labs incorrect contact details, and banned medicines and syringes were discovered in athletes’ rooms at a training camp. The Moscow laboratory in question destroyed nearly 1,400 blood samples it was asked to retain by WADA when it was told it would face investigation. It also found that the Russian Security Service were present at testing labs as part of wider state intimidation of officials.

The IAAF has also come under fire from a number of critics for its relaxed policies and negligence in following up suspicious blood samples. Wada even went as far as to suggest that the lax attitude of the IAAF led to the ‘sabotage’ of the London 2012 Olympics due to the participation of athletes who were not clean. Upon his appointment as President of the IAAF, Lord Coe launched an internal investigation to establish the degree of corruption present in the Federation as a method of challenging critics. He recently suggested that in light of the findings in Russia, the pace of the investigation had been increased, however it has been argued that Coe has been naïve. Before his appointment, Coe acted as Vice-President of

Left, IAAF President Lord Sebastian Coe facing mounting pressure following reservations.

the organisation for eight years, and after the recent police investigation into his predecessor, Lamine Diack, in relation to bribery allegations, there have been calls for an independent review. High-profile athletes such as Team GB 400m runner Martyn Rooney have argued that Coe must have “buried his head in the sand” if he was not aware of what was going on within the organisation before he became president.

The effects of the scandal are huge for athletes and the governing bodies alike. The Russian athletes who have abused the doping system will face bans and may be stripped of any medals and titles they won, so they can be reallocated to clean athlet-

'As a clean athlete, you do start to wonder how many medals you should have been awarded and all the things you have missed out on.' The scandal drags the leading figures into the limelight forr intense investigation.."

Mariya Savinova and Ekaterina Poistogova finished first and third respectively in the 800m at London 2012 and have been named

amongst those potentially facing sanctions.

However, clean athletes feel that they have been unjustly deprived of medals as longdistance runner Jo Pavey expressed in an interview for the BBC: “As a clean athlete, you do start to wonder how many medals you should have been awarded and all the things you have missed out on." The scandal also drags all the leading figures in the sport into the limelight for intense investigation and criticism, and this scandal may well overshadow international athletics for years to come.

Now, more than ever, is the growing sense that spectators and fans can no longer trust sport because of the increasing exposure of cheating and corruption amongst athletes and officials alike. Most recently football’s governing body FIFA has been under investigation for a range of corruption charges, and in the last few days Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger has suggested that doping may be present in football. Lance Armstrong has become one of the most disgraced names in sport due to doping, baseball found itself in a similarly dire situation around a decade ago and F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone has faced corruption allegations. With an annual budget of just £20 million, it is easy to understand why Wada struggle to keep on top of all the doping claims across sport and across th globe. It is clear that all sports face issues of corruption and cheating, it just happens to be the turn of athletics.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a fullscale investigation into Russian doping.

Keep up to date with the world of sport online: www.redbrick.me/sport

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redbrick.me/sport

20th November - 3rd December 2015

Sport

Rugby Mourns Tragic Lomu Loss

From Bournbrook to Baltimore

Sports Writer

US Hockey Reporter

Alex Davies

Rugby Union suffered a great loss this week as the sport got to grips with the death of the great Jonah Lomu. The former winger died from a heart attack in Auckland during the morning of 18th November, aged just 40 years old.

Despite being diagnosed with a rare kidney condition in 1996 which hampered his career, Lomu was looking well at the recent World Cup in England and the news came as a shock to everyone in sport. Reaction has been overwhelming and New Zealand prime minister John Key expressed his condolences: “Deeply saddened to hear of Jonah Lomu’s unexpected passing this morning. The thoughts of the entire country are with his family,” he said.

Largely believed to have been one of the greatest players to have graced the game, Lomu played in 63 tests for

New Zealand and shot to prominence in the 1995 World Cup following his rampaging run through several England players. One of four tries that game, it was a moment which exemplified Lomu’s fine attributes.

His performances in that World Cup in particular are attributed to both the acceleration of participation in the sport which followed and also the greater commercialisation of Union which enabled the game to enter the sphere 1 heofa professional sport. But not only was fine player on the pitch, he was also a humble gentleman off it and was an 1 idol for many following his tough upbringing as a child.

Lomu will be remembered as one of the sport’s greats and the impact he had on Rugby Union will never be forgotten.

Faye Curran

What does the student-athlete life looks like at the University of Maryland ( one of the top four universities for field hockey in America) versus that of the University of Birmingham? The University of Birmingham is the most successful student University hockey club in the country, with the Women’s team being at the top of the Premier league leader board and reigning BUCS champions two years in a row.

Comparatively, The University of Maryland has won eight NCAA championships and has just secured a place in the sweet sixteen play-offs this coming weekend.

On average, the University of Birmingham player spends about £500 on playing throughout a season. For the Maryland players it is free and they receive extra luxuries, such as an iPad

"In Birmingham..the participation is there but the money isn't." for studying, money for lunch when they are travelling away and over $1,000 worth of clothes. Maryland have at least 3 of their games televised by the B1G 10 network whereas none are televised for the University of Birmingham. The longest car journey in the UK is four hours to Canterbury meanwhile. the longest bus journey from Maryland is 10 hours to Miami or Ohio, and flights to get to games that are just a little too far to drive.

The conclusion, there is money is there in America, but long-term participation isn't. In Birmingham, the long-term participation is there but the money isn't.

Maybe a hybrid of the two will allow hockey to become a sport on that world stage.

Seven Goal Lions Roar to Victory Alex Davies Sports Writer

The University of Birmingham’s men’s second XI eased passed Nottingham Trent’s fifth XI to book their place in the final 16 of the Midlands Conference Cup.

Birmingham entered the game as strong favourites, asserting their dominance straight from the off. The blustery conditions on the Metchley 3G weren’t always conducive to free-flowing football but the 2nds knocked the ball around admirably against their dogged opponents.

The opening exchanges saw Birmingham looking to spread the play early and this game plan was being rewarded as Robbie Murphy had his full back on proverbial toast. With Trent on the back foot, it was no surprise when the second XI broke the deadlock after only nine minutes. Jake Williams delivered a good ball from a free kick which found its way via a deflection to the head of Dan Donovan. The full back headed the ball back across goal which Captain Max Pashley nodded into the empty net to cap Birmingham’s solid start.

After some good opening exchanges, the game ebbed and flowed yet struggled to ignite and it wasn’t until the 43rd minute that Birmingham doubled their advantage. The impressive Murphy beat his full back with ease before his low driven cross was turned into his own net under little pressure by Trent’s own left back.

Despite the set-back, Trent didn’t let their heads drop and to their credit, they continued to battle on despite the gulf in class. But it wasn’t long before the Birmingham 2nds confirmed their authority by adding another goal.

Some nice wing play by substitute Sam Crompton and Adam Smith saw the former pull the ball back to the penalty spot for the latter to dispatch confidently.

Trent’s belief had visibly disappeared and Birmingham found them-

selves with all the time in the world to pick their passes and with the midfield trio dominating proceedings, it wasn’t a surprise when the floodgates opened.

Indeed it was one of the threesome, David Corder, who capped off a lively performance with a stunning fourth. The ball broke to him 25 yards from goal and with cries of ‘shoot’ coming from the side lines, he duly obliged and fired into the top right hand corner of the goal.

Trent lacked any real quality throughout the game and it became clear that they would need a Birmingham slip up if they were to have any real sight on a goal. Goalkeeper Michael Booker was the man to provide said error on 75 minutes when his misplaced pass fell straight at the feet of Trent’s striker. However, in typical fashion he struggled to get the ball out of his feet quickly enough and his tame effort was cleared by the head of Pashley.

Birmingham’s insistence on hitting the wings was bearing fruits and it was from this position that the fifth was scored. Eric Torelli snuck in down the left hand side and his pull back was dispatched by Crompton. Five shortly became six through Murphy and there was just enough time for Birmingham to finish the rout with a seventh; Crompton latching onto a through ball to lob the Trent keeper.

The final whistle saved Trent any more misery as they went home with their tails between their legs. Birmingham can be pleased with a performance which was as professional as it was impressive.

They were always going to have the upper hand in terms of quality, making it key for the players to go into the game with with the right mentality. For Birmingham it’s job done, after obtaining a result that will surely boost confidence. A tougher test will await in the next round but if they can execute a performance on par with today’s, they’ll surely fancy their chances.

redbrick.me/sport

20th November - 3rd December 2015

39

From the Editor's Desk: Mourinho Must Move On The worst start to a league campaign since 2000-2001, stories of a squad revolt and facing scrutiny at every turn, Online Editor, Rosie Twells, argues why it’s time for Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho to step down Rosie Twells Online Editor

It’s been a frightful few weeks for Jose Mourinho, players, staff, fans and all those connected with Chelsea F. C. Media reports have picked up on every detail emerging from the dressing room, training ground and news conferences, suggesting that with every poor result, Roman Abramovich’s axe is coming ever closer to falling on the manager’s head. Mourinho may appear defiant, adamant in fact with a near arrogant attitude, that he is the ‘Special One’, the right one, to handle a situation like this.

However, this time the united front demonstrations are not convincing and I cannot help but think it’s all a façade. The Chelsea manager must see surely that this ship has run aground; he is in deep water and now would be a good time to call the emergency rescue services.

Poor results are one thing, but conduct and behaviour off the pitch are another, and these elements form a large proportion of the misery endured by Chelsea at the moment. Mourinho’s latest fine from the FA was £50,000 for misconduct, as well as a one match ban. This is not the first time he has faced punishment from the higher football powers this season which, in his eyes, only adds to the theory that Chelsea are being treated differently to other teams in the Premier League. Whilst it is only fair and fitting that individuals are reprimanded for disciplinary problems, it does seem that Chelsea are the only team failing to control the current state of affairs. It is imperative that managers lead by example and Mourinho is at risk of being portrayed as the petulant child, throwing his toys out of the pram when decisions don’t go his team's way.

In addition, Eva Caneiro is taking individual legal action against Mourinho for his

treatment of the medical staff during the opening day match against Swansea.

Labelled ‘naïve’ after making the decision to treat Eden Hazard and leaving the team temporarily with nine players on the pitch, Caneiro is now seeking a claim for constructive dismissal and her actions are piling on the pressure for Mourinho. The number of ongoing battles off the pitch is certainly not decreasing as the season progresses and is becoming more and more of a distraction to the team. Chelsea need to find some sort of form if they have any chance of rescuing the first half of this

"Mourinho is at risk of being potrayed as the petulant child, throwing his toys out of the pram when decisions don't go his team's way."

league campaign and it seems this is an unlikely prospect with the current manager in charge.

The individual problems faced by Jose Mourinho suggest that there is a severe lack of stability at the club with the potential for rifts between the ranks. Last year’s Player of the Year, Eden Hazard, looks a shadow of the attacking winger he was in the previous season and has been blamed for several selfish passages of play in recent games. Likewise, accusations have been flying round in connection to midfield maestro, Cesc Fabregas, who has been branded by the media as the ringleader behind the supposed dressing room revolt.

The Redbrick Crossword This week's prize is a £5 Joe's Bar Gift Voucher

In turbulent times like these, all eyes are also on Jose Mourinho’s righthand man on the pitch, John Terry. A recent press conference could not keep the Chelsea captain out of trouble either as he became embroiled in a debate with Robbie Savage following criticism of his performances in the Premier League so far. Whilst this may buy Mourinho time and deflect some of the attention away, the observant Abramovich will always be alert to the smallest of changes in the Chelsea camp. It will not be long before the ruthless Russian takes control where not even past records or reputation can save the manager.

It is inconceivable to think that a shambolic start like this for Chelsea means that Mourinho is a terrible manager who has lost his tactical knowhow. At the end of his career, he will be hailed as one of the greats with Champions League, Premier League, Copa del Rey and Europa League trophies in the cabinet, alongside many more. Fans at Stamford Bridge have expressed their desire for him to stay, but this poor run of results combined with external factors off the pitch are strong reasons for the Chelsea board and chairman to decide that enough is enough.

Playing the victim in every scenario is not the right attitude to possess when trying to galvanise a team and Mourinho’s antics are only drawing more negative attention to the London side. Every club goes through bad spells during a season, but the crucial factor is how a team responds. The response from Chelsea has been less than convincing and changes need to happen if their season is going to improve. Mourinho can walk, before he is inevitably pushed, with his head still held reasonably high.

Lucie Turner

Crossword Editor

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2. ___ Movie: In which a woman finds herself romantically involved with an insect. (3) 5. All this dude wanted was to ‘phone home’. (2) 6. The second name of a famous actor who has portrayed a pirate, the Mad Hatter and a skilled yet tormented hairdresser. (4) 9. The type of dancing that requires carrying a watermelon. (5) 10. Baz Luhrmann directed native’s Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman in this heart-breaking blockbuster.

(9) 13. In a galaxy far, far away, George Lucas caught all these wars on camera. (4) 14. A ‘ratical’ new chef cooks up a storm for a reviewer. (11)

1. A story told backwards is twice as good. (7) 3. Chris Pratt proved his status as an action man when he had to escape a park overrun by ___. (9) 4. A type of fairground ride AND the forename of a truant protagonist.(6) 7. A film where Kate Winslet learned the importance of 'sharing is caring' (especially when your boat sinks). (7) 8. 2017 will have us ‘Finding’ our nostalgic selves + this forgetful friend called ___.(4) 11. Which Shia woud tell you to JUST DO IT. (7) 12. Which ‘Söze’ was part of the ‘usual’ suspects. (6)

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An under pressure Jose Mourinho

40 20th November - 3rd December 2015

Sport

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Brotherhood.

Redbrick Sport The international friendly between England and France on Tuesday 17th November at Wembley Stadium was one of several sporting tributes to the recent terror attacks in Paris. 129 people lost their lives and many more were injured in tragic circumstances last Friday.

In a time when solidarity was needed most, football set a shining example to the world that rivalries could be cast aside; Tuesday evening showcased a united display on the pitch by the Eurpoean sides. Set against the backdrop of an illuminated Wembley arch in blue, white and red, both teams stood arm in arm during the national anthems.

A rousing rendition of La Marseillaise before the match from both sets of fans was one poignant marker of an event that has shook the world. This was followed by an impeccably held minute's silence, whilst a standing ovation was given to the French players as they came out of the tunnel to warm up. On the 57th minute, Lassana Diarra, whose cousin was killed in the attacks, received a special acknowledgement from the crowd.

On a night where the result did not matter, Wembley and the world stood united.