1468

Redbrick Issue 1468, Vol. 80

Friday 4th March 2016

New Street Records A&R Night 2016 Redbrick Music Review

Page 13

'No one's interests are served by open discussion' Proposals for research-focused restructuring and redundancies at School of Modern Languages met with criticism University promises "the highest standard of teaching, informed by outstanding research" Concerns over consultation process after letter to staff opposing open discussion BUCU to ballot for strikes in summer term and beyond over redundancies NEWS // PAGE 3

Sophie Neal shares her career-boosting blogging tips

Nia Lewis saves the day with a Mother's Day gift guide

Jess Ennis rounds up the Academy Awards

Ellie Patten explores the state of privacy online

Careers Page 17

L&S Page 24

Film Page 23

Sci Tech Page 14

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Friday 4th March 2016

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03

Growing opposition to Modern Languages restructure proposals - Students launch awareness campaign and BUCU goes to ballot on strikes to oppose changes - Further consultation planned for this month amid concerns about letter opposing open discussion - The university promises 'the highest standard of teaching, informed by outstanding research' made’, and that it will ‘continue to work with staff, students and other stakeholders throughout the formal consultation process.'

However, in a letter to staff Matt Moody about the changes, the University is quoted as saying, ‘No one’s Editor-in-chief interests are served by open dis@mattmoody17 cussion’. The letter has been Increasing opposition to planned reported by Private Eye, who changes to the Department of allege that the purpose of the Modern Languages is emerging, changes is to ‘push the department with a student campaign launched up the research league tables’ at to raise awareness of the changes, the expense of teaching. The artiand Birmingham University and cle also suggests that ‘staff have College Union (BUCU) voting to been told not to discuss the matter hold a formal ballot on strike action without written permission from over possible redundancies. the “change management group”’.

If agreed, the current proposals Students told Redbrick that could see up to 12 staff made they are angry because whilst they redundant by August 2017, were allowed to participate in a with 10 staff 'trained in consultation on the plans, both research and they were ‘only teaching' hired in informed 24 hours in their place to advance by a single ‘enhance the sentence at the botd e p a r t m e n t ’s tom of a long research capaciemail’. This email Student signatures ty’. The move has made no mention on a letter to the been criticised by of redundancies. some students, The consultation Vice-Chancellor who are concerned took place during condeming the the changes will lectures and ‘only changes mean less focus on five students attendteaching in the departed’. However, two ment. online discussions have The proposals have been been held with students curmet with industrial opposition too, rently on their year abroad and with BUCU voting with a 95% another consultation is planned for majority in favour of holding a Wednesday 16th March. formal ballot for strike action in Included in the proposals, protest against the proposed com- according to the statement, is ‘an pulsory redundancies. investment in the Department of The strikes are currently pro- Modern Languages to support it in posed for the full weeks of 25th - revitalising its curriculum and 29th April and 13th - 17th June, as enhancing its research capacity’. well as continuing action of one Students have raised objections day striking per week, beginning to the apparent change of focus in the Autumn term. from teaching to research because 16% of the department’s of high tuition fees. As one Italian research is currently 'world lead- student put it: ‘we're paying to get ing' with 59% rated 'internationally taught’. excellent', according to the 2014 Although the university has Research Excellence Framework stressed that it aims to provide report, used to assess the quality of high quality teaching ‘informed by research at UK higher education outstanding research’, there are institutions. concerns that replacing dedicated A statement released by the teaching staff with research staff university reads: ‘[we are] focused who have less incentive to teach on ensuring that our students will lead to lower standards.The receive the highest standard of university has responded to these teaching, informed by outstanding concerns, stating that 'proposed research’. changes will maintain overall staffThe statement continues, ‘we ing levels but increase the proporappreciate that this is an unsettling tion of research active teaching time for those involved’, stressing staff - academic staff experienced that 'no decisions have yet been in both teaching and research.

James Moore News reporter jxm363@bham.ac.uk

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Language teaching would still be delivered by a combination of language tutors and academic staff, both native and non-native speakers, as it is now'.

The proposed changes include the installation of an ‘interpreting suite’, which the department website claims will help ‘expand its curriculum and meet student demand’, with the redevelopment of space in the Law Building to include a ‘bespoke facility for teaching interpreting’. This has been criticised as ‘too vague’, with students arguing that investment in infrastructure, however welcome, cannot make up for quality teaching.

Many students were unhappy with the university’s use of the National Student Survey to justify changes. The NSS has been criticised in the past by academics for asking vague questions that can be loosely interpreted to justify changes.

Some students were concerned over the future of the Languages for All Scheme. This scheme ‘offers undergraduates the chance to access free language tuition’. However, the University has assured students that the LFA will be unaffected by the proposed changes.

Redbrick contacted the university for a statement on the proposed changes to the Modern Languages department. The statement in full reads: 'The University of Birmingham is a large organisation, with 7,000 employees, and in common with other leading research universities, we are focused on developing and innovating our research in areas where we can excel and ensuring that our students receive the highest standard of teaching, informed by outstanding research.

'We must also respond effectively to changing global circumstances – fewer students are studying modern languages, but there is continued demand for skilled linguists in many professions.

As a result, in order to ensure future competitiveness and meet our strategic objectives,

While all major language courses will continue to be available the University will cease to offer Basque and Galician courses.

Currently Birmingham is one of only two universities offering Basque, and a major selling point of the department is that it offers all languages spoken in the Iberian Peninsula: Castilian Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Basque and Galician. The University has said that ‘there are no plans to withdraw current programmes’.

'The letter to staff reads "No-one's interests are served by open discussion"' The member of staff responsible for Basque at Birmingham also teaches the language at Liverpool.

If Birmingham does cease offering Basque, it is claimed by the protesters that it is possible they would have to stop at Liverpool as well, effectively preventing all teaching of the language at higher education institutions in the country.

The decision to cancel Basque reportedly came as a shock to staff and students as its teacher’s salary is not funded by the University but by the Basque Government in Álava, Northern Spain.

The proposals follow a number of proposed or actual changes made by the University. Three years ago the Institute of Archaeology and Antiquities was dissolved and merged with the Classics department.

Pure Archaeology degrees are now no longer available at the University of Birmingham. Last year plans were unveiled to scrap the worldleading Hydrogeology course.

Many of the departments and courses that have been scrapped had falling student numbers. One student said: ‘if you want to increase student numbers, don’t stop providing the course’.

To justify these changes the University has said that ‘fewer students are studying modern languages, but there is continued demand for skilled linguists in many professions’.

More than 160 students have already signed a letter to the Vice Chancellor condemning the changes.

University statement the University has announced proposals that include an investment in the Department of Modern Languages to support it in revitalising its curriculum and enhancing its research capacity.

'This will be achieved through the appointment of a significant number of new senior academic positions, by increasing the proportion of research-active staff in the Department in order to deliver more research-led teaching, and by aligning language expertise with demand. If the proposals are agreed, there will be a reduction of up to 12 posts while 10 new academic staff will be recruited by autumn 2017.

'There are no plans to withdraw current programmes and there will be continuing support for all major languages;

this also includes Birmingham’s Language for All Scheme, which offers undergraduates the chance to access free language tuition. We are committed to ensuring that the student experience is not adversely affected by the proposed changes.

'While the proposals represent an increased investment in Modern Languages and would maintain the overall size of the Department, we appreciate that this is an unsettling time for those involved. It is important to stress that no decisions have yet been made. We will continue to work with staff, students and other stakeholders throughout the formal consultation process and anticipate that a final decision will be taken in June.”

04

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Friday 4th March 2016

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ChildLine appeals for UoB student volunteers During National Student Volunteer Week, the charity is appealing for help Gregory Robinson News reporter

ChildLine Birmingham is currently seeking University and College students from across the region to take part in a ‘pioneering’ new volunteering programme. The volunteering programme will be based at ChildLine Birmingham’s base on Hagley Road - the second largest base in the country. The call for volunteers comes after National Student Volunteer Week officially launched this month (22nd February 2016).

National Student Volunteering Week celebrated its 15th year and has become a fixture in many college and university calendars, with 86 different institutions taking part in 2015. The programme encourages students from across the country to take part in a wide range of volunteering opportunities in order to gain new skills, meet new people and to give back to their communities.

ChildLine Birmingham’s recruitment for volunteers is

needed in order to sustain the high demand the service is currently experiencing.

According to ChildLine, every 25 seconds a child calls the free and confidential ChildLine helpline, which is marking its 30th anniversary this year. Calls are answered by ‘trained’ and ‘dedicated’ volunteers who help and support the vulnerable children calling.

However the charity is inundated with calls and emails, and now needs more volunteers to cope with demand. ‘We are there to listen to children and young people,’ said Birmingham City University student and ChildLine volunteer Madina Outama.

‘We’ll even be there for those who just want to talk.’

After four years of volunteering, the 19-year-old Psychology student from Kings Heath finally became a fullyfledged volunteer counsellor.

‘It’s been really enjoyable,’ she said. ‘I was 15 when I first got involved. I remember volunteers from ChildLine coming in to my school to talk about the charity. I got really interested

and intrigued in the charity’s work.

‘There are so many ways to respond to all our calls and emails. I initially thought I’d have to write generic responses but I soon found out that I could put my own personality into

'You don't have to be robotic when you're talking to young people' each case. You don’t have to be robotic when you’re talking to young people. We want to help and support young people by talking to them about any problems or issues they’re having.

‘I would really encourage students to volunteer. It’s a great opportunity to help and support children and young people but also to improve their own skills.

They’ll become better communicators and will widen their awareness of issues young people go through.’

BCU student Manpreet Bharj, 51 hours to become a volunteer 20, of Edgbaston, has been vol- counsellor or eight hours to unteering since September 2014. become an email counsellor.

She said: ‘I volunteered because They must also attend workI wanted to work with children shops and work a minimum of in the future and it’s a good way 4.5 hour weekly shifts for 40 to get experience. weeks in the year. A specially ‘I worked as an email coun- devised timetable for volunteersellor and responded to children ing has been produced in confrom very different backjunction with local universities. grounds to mine. I This meets the flexible started to volunteer needs of students by after my mum allocating volunteer heard about shifts during less ChildLine on the pressurised periods. radio. I was ChildLine responding to a V o l u n t e e r hours needed to lot different Co-ordinator for become a types of emails.

Birmingham, Some distressKuljinder Nahal, volunteer ing but others said: ‘Student volcounsellor really rewarding. unteers bring so You really apprecimuch energy and ate the emails saying enthusiasm to ChildLine. thank you. It makes Our Student Programme your day. offers great flexibility during ‘I would encourage any stu- exams and studies. This means dent thinking about volunteering they can gain still gain experito come for the experience, ence, enhance their CV and whatever they’re studying. It’s make a real difference to chilso rewarding and you’ll develop dren and young people.’ new skills.’

Volunteers need to train for

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Unreported Issues: A look inside the Freedom from Torture Conference Shivani Bansal News reporter

Freedom from Torture is the only UK-based charitable organisation that focuses purely on the recovery and recuperation of survivors of torture, through physical and psychological rehabilitation.

Since its inception over 30 years ago, Freedom from Torture has had over 50,000 referrals of victims of torture from around the globe. Stemming from Amnesty International, the charity concentrates directly on the issue of torture, particularly of refugees and asylum seekers who come to the UK seeking aid for a better life.

The conference took place on Saturday 27th February 2016, and was run by the University’s own Freedom from Torture society. A variety of people came to the event, including the Leed's University Freedom from Torture committee. The event allowed all those who attended to share ideas and discuss current issues with a wide audience.

The conference kicked off at 10am with a welcome reception.

The audience were then split into two groups; one group

attended the Amnesty workshop and the other attended the STAR workshop. The Amnesty workshop, held by Kate O’Hagan, focused on the refugee crisis and

'An estimated 9 million people have fled Syria since 2011' the issue of torture globally.

O’Hagan made attendees aware of relevant statistics, such as Syria being the country most refugees flee from; an estimated 9 million have fled since 2011. In addition, she told the audience that Pakistan was the most popular country to flee to, whereas the UK has taken less than 1% of refugees.

STAR focused on what individuals can do to fundraise for charities to aid refugees, whilst explaining what they do as a charity.

After a lunch break, a survivor of torture gave a stimulating talk.

The speaker spoke with sincerity and dedication towards helping other survivors. He explained how the process of becoming a refugee in the UK is more difficult than

most people believe; it can take ketchup with her card, but not even longer than 15 years. soap. Another woman in the video According to the speaker, told of how she lived in such the UK is harsh and folsqualor that she woke up lows no logical system to cockroaches in her to convert an asylum ear and had to be seeker into a refurushed to Accident gee. Asylum seekand Emergency. ers and refugees He stated truths receive a card about the condiWeekly with £40 credited tions of refugees government for a week. which often go budget for a However, there are unreported by the limits to what you media. refugee can spend the money A panel discuson. sion followed, which In a video he prefeatured Dr Chris Allen, sented to the audience, a a social policy lecturer at the woman refugee could buy tomato University of Birmingham; Steve

£40

McCabe MP; Kate O’Hagan from Amnesty International; and Sarah Ricketts from the UoB Freedom from Torture society. The panel gave an insight into the differing opinions involving the issues of refugees.

Overall, the event was insightful. For those who are interested in being a member of the Freedom from Torture committee, the AGM is happening on Monday 7th March at 5pm.

For more information on the society, follow our Twitter @ uobfreedomft and our Facebook Fft Uni Birmingham.

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Uni of Birmingham students decide: in or out of Europe?

Redbrick reports on the EU debate's campus campaign launches

IN: University of Birmingham in Europe James Moore News reporter

The ‘University of Birmingham in Europe’ launch event took place on the 4th of February in the Arts building, and was attended by around 40 students.

The campaign will soon be registered as an official Guild society; Guild President Jack Mably was present at the event.

The Guild is officially in favour of staying in Europe, and will work closely with the campaign.

According to James Cox, spokesperson for the campaign, its purpose is ‘not to convince people to stay in the EU, but to ensure that those who do want to stay go and vote’.

Figures estimate that around 70% of students are in favour of staying in the EU. Cox said that ‘elections are often over exam periods or when students are at home, so many do not have the time to vote, or are not registered at their home address’. He described the campaign as ‘grassroots’ with ‘a focus on students’ and said they intended to run ‘a positive campaign’, promoting opportunities for students such as the Erasmus programme,

an EU exchange student programme founded in the 1980s.

Erasmus also runs exchanges with countries outside the EU, such as Iceland, Norway and Turkey.

Cox also implied that the EU has helped to bring peace to Europe. With the Second World War and Yugoslavia still in living memory, Europe is unquestionably more stable under current circumstances. Conflict still exists in Ukraine over their intention to side with the EU as an ally over Russia.

Campaign Chair, Joe Barker, promoted the opportunities offered by the EU, such as science funding to universities. Without this EU funding many research programmes at universities like Birmingham would cease to exist.

Many lecturers in Science and Arts have expressed concerns over the loss of the funding from the EU if Britain decides to leave.

Jack Mably, president of the Guild, gave an unprepared speech where he extolled the cross-party nature of the in campaign. Students who had voted: Green, Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democratic and UKIP attended the event.

Mably concluded that in this referendum all our careers and futures were at stake.

The campaign will function with a strong social media presence and will have regular organised meetings to raise awareness of the importance of registering to vote, saying, ‘this campaign will not be won through knocking on doors’.

A student at the event, who wished to remain anonymous, said he was anti-EU but came to the event to see if he could be swayed.

Many other students I spoke to were of a similar opinion. One student said he was concerned over the undemocratic nature of the EU, where Parliament does not create law, it only passes them.

Laws in the EU are created by the EU Commission which is made up of only 28 members.

Campaign volunteer Jeevan Jones expressed concerns over the status quo with the UK’s relationship with the EU. Jones also expresses doubts at the likelihood that 70% of students at Birmingham were in favour of staying in, believing that a university like Birmingham with many privately educated students, would be more Eurosceptic.

The campaign expressed its dedication to being cross party and ideology free. Jones said that they were keen to make everything not exclusively left-wing.

Whether you are left or right leading universities rely on the EU.

News reporter

Students gathered in the Bratby bar, to discuss the University of Birmingham’s Brexit campaign.

According to the ‘out’ campaign leader, Joe Hamblin, the campaign is ‘not about winning the young person’s vote, but about getting an alternative opinion around campus’. This alternative opinion is that the UK should leave the European Union.

Despite the opposing side having official guild backing, they are receiving help from the national campaign ‘vote leave’. It is also planned for ‘vote leave’ to become an official guild society.

Figures from the YMCA currently indicate that almost three quarters of young people want Britain to remain in the European Union.

Hamblin said that the Eurosceptic campaign was to be centred around UK economic issues. He believes, ‘the net balance would be better off if we were out, we’d be able to make our own trade deals, we’d be able to make closer ties with countries like India and South Korea where a lot of growth is coming from.’

Hamblin also states that the European Union

has been ‘disastrous for many British industries, including steel.’

This is supported by the fact that the European Union has been blamed for the dire state of the British steel industry. The ‘out’ campaign claim that Westminster has been unable to protect the industry from cheap Chinese exports due to strict regulations set in Brussels.

Right-hand man of the campaign, John Tibbits, hopes to dispel the notion that voting to leave the EU can be associated with issues of race. Tibbits states, ‘it’s not about whether you’re pro-European or not, it’s about whether you’re proEuropean Union, as an undemocratic, unaccountable body. I’m very proud to be European, I just don’t like the construct that is the European Union’.

One of the fundamental issues highlighted by the Be-leave campaign is the EU’s ability to override democratic decisions. Hambin

Campaign Statements: Katarina Dubrova Jeevan Jones

Guest reporters

'We believe that UoB students are better off in the EU. Over 3 million jobs are linked to trade with the EU, and we believe leaving will jeopardise those jobs and future job opportunities for graduates.

'Research funding from the EU is incredibly important to the University of Birmingham, supporting skilled jobs in research, development, and the sciences. Many of the funding supports research into medical and technological innovations, and leaving would put those jobs and research projects at risk.

Part of the success is driven by the ability for researchers to work and collaborate without barriers.

'Many students at the university undertake years abroad using the Erasmus scheme. Being a member of the EU allows students to access the Erasmus scheme and leaving may put this at risk. Almost 15% of UK academic staff are from other EU countries, and there is a danger that leaving will close off British universities from talent.'

Joe Hamblin

OUT: B-Leave - A Student Campaign To Leave Molly Thomas

05

drew on the Greek crisis in 2007 when Greece lost a quarter of its national income and output, as a result of the EU overriding the Greek’s decision to not accept any more austerity. Jointly, the EU and the IMF cut public spending, pensions and public workforce in an attempt to force Greece to repay its huge debts, even though the Greek people had previously voted against such actions.

A common consensus amongst the campaign group is that Britain should be looking further afield and making its own trade deals.

John Tibbits commented that by being a part of the EU, ‘Britain discriminates against people who we have a history with, people who are skilled and could add something to our country over people from the European Union that perhaps don’t share the same cultural affinity.’ Tibbits also argues that the EU is a regionalist project, and that he would like to see Britain become

a global power once again.

A student at the meeting stated that he had joined the Be-leave campaign because he wanted the UK to have ‘more control’ and not ‘be forced to accept legislation that is created by an undemocratic, unelected body of bureaucrats in Brussels.’

When asked if they had any concerns regarding the threat to Britain if we were to leave the European Union, one student commented, ‘they need us far more than we need them.’

The ‘out’ campaign has been growing exponentially since the first meeting in December. They plan to utilise the powers of social media to spread awareness by starting up a Facebook page and a website.

All those present at the meeting expressed strongly that the vote to leave was a cross-party campaign, as Hamblin stated it is’ about being as mutual as possible’ and ‘for the purposes of the campaign I’m officially non-party.’

If you are still sitting on the fence about whether we should be in or out, both campaigns will be holding a debate on March 3 in Poynting lecture theatre.

You can email Bleavebham @gmail. com if you have any questions for the out campaign team.

Guest reporter

'The truth is that the EU has been a disaster for European students. Under 25s in Spain face a 50% unemployment rate, young people in Greece have suffered under austerity forced on them by the EU, and EU membership has cost the UK £87 billion since 2010 (more than all the money “saved” through Tory cuts combined). Voting to Remain is an endorsement of these failed policies that have created immeasurable human misery. On the other hand, when we vote to leave, we’ll be able to reinvest that money in our NHS, reclaim our democracy, and become a truly Global Britain with trade links around the world.

'These are just some of the arguments for Leave, but if you’d like to discuss them further in a friendly setting, then B-Leave meets every Monday at 6pm in the Bratby Bar in Staff House, and our meetings are open to everyone – we have regular attendees from the Remain campaign and every political party.

'If you are interested in getting involved, B-Leave meets in the Bratby Bar in Staff House every Monday at 6pm. For more information, visit their website, www.bleave.uk and Facebook page, B-Leave.'

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Friday 4th March 2016

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'Spies, Lies and Whistle-Blowers: Former MI5 intelligence officer delivers a speech on campus, explaining what life was like as an MI5 employee.

Anna Griffiths News Editor @annaphoebee

On Tuesday the 23rd of March, former MI5 intelligence officer Annie Machon spoke at the University of Birmingham, to deliver a speech entitled ‘Spies, Lies and Whistle-Blowers’.

Ms Machon worked for MI5 from 1991 to 1996 in a few different departments, notably in its Counter-Subversion Department and its International CounterTerrorist Division.

She and her former boyfriend David Shayler resigned from MI5 in 1996 as a form of protest at alleged crimes committed by the secret service. Shayler became a notable whistle-blower, and by association Machon did too, by feeding alleged crimes to the British press. Machon and Shaylor had to flee to France to avoid being arrested by the British government, as Shaylor had broken the official secrets act. The evenings talk focused upon these events, and ended with a Q&A session afterwards.

Ms Machon began her speech by detailing how she became involved with MI5 in the first place.

In 1990, she had originally applied for the foreign office, yet had received a ‘very cryptic’ letter back from the Ministry of Defence, who invited her to an interview in London. At the insistence of her father, Machon attended the threehour interview, which took place

in an ‘empty, unmarked building in Tottenham Court Road’. Machon said after three hours in the interview, her interviewer asked her to sign the Official Secrets Act Contract, of which she needed to sign, in order for the interview to continue. Machon stated that she did initially have suspicions that the interview was for the Secret Services.

Machon stated that the application process was 7 months long, where she had to go through further interviews and skills sessions.

In 1991 she was offered a job within the MI5, being placed in a section called F2, an anachronistic department that spied upon ‘subversives – citizens’. Machon stated, that it became clear and worrying to herself about the vast extent of surveillance on ordinary citizens which MI5 conducted. She stated that this department – F2 - was a ‘throwback to the Cold War, and not so much involved with counter terrorism’, which is what she had been told the main focus of the modern MI5 was.

MI5 subversives that were investigated included: many people involved in activism and the political left; the reggae pop band UB40; every candidate that stood in the 1992 general election; and a child who had written to the HQ of the Communist Party of the UK, asking what communism was, as part of a school project. A large portion of these numbers ‘posed no visible threat to national security’, yet were investigated anyhow.

Machon highlighted the prob-

lem of having an entire cohort of MPs that had files open on them – even if they had nothing on them, MPs were unable to request viewing what was on the file, and thus were unwilling to hold MI5 to account. MI5 was, according to Machon, ‘lying to their ministerial supervisors’, and were able to run almost any operation it wanted to.

Every two years, intelligence

'The infamous Gaddafi assassination plot made [Machon and Shayler] resign from MI5' officers are moved department, so Machon was moved to T-Branch, which dealt with Irish terrorism, and then to G-Branch, the international counter-terrorist division. It was in G-Branch that she became increasingly more uncomfortable with how MI5 was run.

From the tap that was put on a Guardian journalists phone, to the false prosecution of two innocent Palestinian students who were accused of ‘aiding others’ to plant a car bomb that blew up outside the Israeli embassy; Machon and her partner David Shayler increasingly doubted their employer.

It was the infamous Gaddafi Assassination plot that made them resign from MI5, disgusted with the British’s alleged involvement with a failed assassination attempt on Gaddafi of Libya, that killed civilians instead.

Machon explained that this was the ‘case that made her quit’. She and Shayler went to the press, who took some time to be persuaded, and left for France, where she and her former partner avoided extradition. Family and friends of

Shayler were arrested and interviewed and her flat in London was torn apart in a search while she and Shayler were away. 'Clothes and bed sheets were taken’, Machon said, and the ‘psychological control they had over us was increasing’.

Eventually, after years of living in Paris with bail conditions [as France had refused to extradite them, claiming that it was a politically motivated extradition], Shayler and Machon returned to the UK. Shayler stood trial, but according to Machon, was unable to mention several key facts pertinent to the case, including the Gaddafi assassination plot. Shayler was sentenced to six months in prison – the judge said that ‘Shayler did what he did in the interests of the public’.

Since 1996, Machon has been a journalist, author, political campaigner, and consultant, speaking widely on intelligence-related and civil liberties issues.

Machon used her university speech to criticise the organisation of MI5, the mass surveillance it undertakes, and its illegal opera-

tions during the 1990s. However, she was also keen to mention that MI5 does a ‘lot of good too, which can’t be reported’.

The theme of the evening was very much that of accountability.

Machon believes that surveillance in the UK is the worst in the world; that the UK is the least ‘legally accountable and most legally protected’ intelligence agency in the world; that there are too many laws preventing the media from freely reporting.

She said ‘privacy is the last bastion of we the citizens to push back against the fascism of states.

‘For the last 800 years, people have fought for these rights. We are too complacent in modern society – protect yourself’.

Machon is campaigning for MI5 reform, specifically for there to be an internal route through which MI5 intelligence officers may register complaints, and hold departments to account. Her speech was well received, and despite her critical stance on intelligence agencies, at the end she was overwhelmed with questions about how to go about applying.

Anna Griffiths

UoB ranked Third in producing the most CEOs Farah Sheraz News reporter

An analysis of data from 26,000 former university students was conducted by crowdsourced pay data website, Emolument.com. Their objective was to discover which universities had the highest proportionate of graduates who then went on to become Chief Executives, Chief Technology Officers, or partners.

The analysis found that ‘alumni from Sheffield, Brunel

or Leicester University [were] less likely to be wooed by big banks or consultancies than their Oxbridge counterparts and [are]therefore more eager to launch their own business or joining budding start-ups, thereby climbing through the ranks more quickly and reaching leadership positions in smaller, more nimble structures’.

A Second Year Law Student told Redbrick that the rankings ‘reflect the hard-work and determination of students.

This ranking has provided the

University with the recognition it deserves for the achievements of their students’.

Another Second Year student, Kate Cooper, also commented on the rankings, stating that ‘this is an achievement to be proud of. The rankings truly reflect the fact that the University has a diverse group of staff and students, alike’.

Emolument revealed that the top nine universities in the UK to produce the greatest number of CEOs were as follows:

London Business School – 5% of graduates from this institution went on to pursue leadership roles Cambridge University – 3.9% of graduates University of Birmingham – 3.2% of graduates Strathclyde University – 3.1% of graduates Leeds Beckett University – 3.1% of graduates

University of London – 2.9% of graduates who studied at one of the 18 colleges within this University, including Kings College Royal Holloway – 2.6% of graduates Leicester University – 2.6% of graduates Sheffield University – 2.3% of graduates

NEWS

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbricknews

07

Redbrick Investigates: The Health of Students at UoB With health being a prominent issue in the lives of many students, Redbrick investigates why students feel ill more often and what is the cause.

Grace Duncan News reporter

Megan Stanley News reporter

74% of the 80 students asked in a recent Redbrick survey said they had noticed that they were getting ill more often to varying degrees. However, in the same survey, 40% said that they feel most days they lead a healthy lifestyle and 34% saying that their lifestyle was healthy some days. So why are we getting ill?

Freshers’ Flu is the most common illness to catch, with most students saying that they have suffered from it. However, this is not due to lifestyle changes, instead it is caused by the environment you are in. Whilst, the initial cause is environmental, the problem is exacerbated by poor diet, lack of sleep and stress, as it all conspires to weaken your immune system.

There is little you can do to avoid these things; hence it is very difficult to avoid Freshers’ Flu. One student told Redbrick ‘last term, after freshers week, I seemed to be ill constantly, one of my flatmates even commented that she thought she had never known me healthy.’

If Freshers’ Flu is supposedly caused by a sudden change in environment, then why does illness persist? What can we do about it? To prevent any type of flu, NHS UK recommends good hygiene such as washing hands regularly and having clean surfaces to prevent the spread of germs.

Dr Kevin Hill, Chair of NHS South Lincolnshire CCG, said,

‘Preventing the spread of germs is the most effective way of slowing the spread of flu. The power is literally in everyone’s hands because washing our hands with soap is one of the most effective ways of creating healthier communities.’

However, Freshers’ Flu is not the only illness that students are prone to getting. Ignoring the common cold, students are also very susceptible to glandular fever, meningitis and mumps.

All of which currently have no clear cure other than bed rest and Paracetamol.

This year was the first year that the NHS recommended to those about to start university to receive the vaccination against the deadly Meningitis W. This decision was made following an increase in deaths from 22 cases in 2009 to 117 in 2014.

According to Public Health England, it is important that anyone who plans to go to university gets vaccinated because they will be mixing closely with lots of new people, who may unknowingly be carrying the meningococcal bacteria.

'40% of students we asked were not registered to a GP near the university' In the 2015 Freshers welcome pack, students were given symptom cards for meningitis and septicaemia. However, one student admitted to Redbrick that they ‘haven’t even looked

Have you noticed yourself getting ill more regularly while at university?

at it’ since the day he moved in, another confessed that they had definitely thrown it away.

Sue Davie, chief executive of Meningitis Now, said, ‘It is critical that young people are not complacent about the disease and they take the necessary steps to protect themselves, stay vigilant and seek urgent medical help if they suspect it.’

A vast majority of students are registered with the University GP, however roughly 40% of those that we asked are not. The most common reasons for not registering at the local doctors are: they can’t be bothered, don’t know where it is, haven’t needed to use a GP or would prefer to rely on their home one, due to convenience or medical history.

One student told Redbrick that signing up for the doctors at university caused ‘more hassle’ due to her medical needs, and now thinks ‘it would have been easier to remain with my home doctors’ since ‘it’s only an hour away.’ It was also found that most students do not buy medicine when they are ill due to costs.

An investigation found that University Welfare was not used regularly by students who feel ill. Only 3% of students asked said they would contact Welfare if they felt physically unwell and 9% if they thought they were developing a mental illness. However, one of the reasons for this is that 30% of students are unaware of what support the University Welfare Office provides.

In terms of mental illness, we found that 50.6% of those that we asked thought that the University did enough, with the other half disagreeing.

With mental health being counselling and wellbeing servsuch a prominent issue in our ices. However, according to society at the moment, it is their website, after an initial important to highlight the rariassessment a student may have ty of an actual mental illness. to wait several weeks for an Alan Percy head of counselling appointment. During the wait at the University of Oxford, is students are encouraged to take keen to stress that many of the advantage of other services such students don't have a mental as groups, or self-help guides. health condition instead ‘stuHowever, in the case of a students often come to us dent in need of urgent expecting to be guidance, the given a prescripUniversity service tion of some fails. Students are kind’, but a encouraged to lot of diffiseek help from a culties are GP or The caused by Samaritans, of students are normal life especially durunaware of what problems, ing the busy support the such as famperiods in ily or relaMarch and university Welfare tionship November, An Office issues, or anxoption for online provides iety about their counselling is also work. available.

According to the The Guild of NHS website, the best Students also provides way to combat issues of mental Nightline and The Student health is to talk to people you Mentor Scheme; both organisacan trust. Most issues can be tions are available to give advice resolved without use of mediand listen to student worries all cation. confidentially. Yet, 30% of stuIn regards to mental health, dents asked were not aware of the University has a Mental these services. Even the remainHealth Advisory Service that ing 30% of students that were offers specific help to students aware of these schemes, with autism or Asperger's synUniversity Welfare is the least drome, and any other mental used form of help according to health issue. This service proour survey. vides confidential advice, liaiAcross all areas of student sons with university tutors and health there seems to be issues.

GP’s, as well as wellbeing 73% of students we surveyed groups that offer a range of stated that they relied on those sports and activities. Their around them for medical advice. website gives advice on how to This creates the impression that maintain mental health, for some individuals aren’t receivinstance keeping physically ing the most effective help from active, eating well, talking student services. In turn, queswith friends and family, and tions are arise regarding what asking for help. can be done to improve student The University also offers health.

What do you think is the main reason for you getting ill more often?

30%

Do you think the University does enough to aid with mental health related issues?

08

NEWS

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbricknews

Midlands has the most zero-hour contracts in the UK

Nicole Jeary News reporter

Zero-hour contracts have become increasingly controversial in recent years, and proved a source of contention during the 2015 election. David Cameron, in an interview during the 2015 General Election debate, conceded that he could not live on a zero hour contract. Nevertheless, such contracts have been steadily on the rise during Cameron’s tenure in Government and following the global recession.

Labour has openly criticised

their prevalence in today’s economy, pledging to end ‘the epidemic’ of zero hour contracts that are ultimately ‘undermining family life’. The Government have henceforth failed to pass decisive legislation to address the issue.

'Undermining family life' Zero-hour contracts have been condemned for the lack of employee financial security they provide, and their potentially exploitative nature. These contracts can mean that employees

are not given the assurance of regular pay, and employers are not obliged to provide regular hours or wages.

Nevertheless, the number of workers on zero-hour contracts has risen to 19% in recent months, and has disproportionately affected the West Midlands.

Furthermore, statistics collected by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) in 2014 reveal that 37% of those on zero-contract hours in the UK are between 16-24, thus suggesting that those most targeted are students.

Despite criticisms, zero-hour contracts continue to be wide-

spread, and can prove convenient for some.

When asked whether these contracts were detrimental for employment, one student at University of Birmingham remarked that ‘whilst it provides uncertainty of income, which is a problem for those families with more regular expenses, for students it gives them flexible hours which is beneficial whilst studying.’

Students' opinions, however, proved divided over the issue.

Another student who had worked a zero-contract hour in the past stated ‘one week I was put in for 80 hours, the next week I was

put in for none. It was impossible to book time off.’

'Zero hours contracts remain a grey area' Ultimately, zero contract hours remain a grey area, and thus still widely in practice. The informality with zero-hour contracts can prove unsettling, however students are entitled to statutory annual leave and the national minimum wage.

Thugs threaten terrified Tennis Court students Grace Duncan News reporter

Residents of a flat in Tennis Courts were moved out after two unidentified people gained entry to their home. The incident occurred after one of the residents of the flat allegedly committed internet fraud.

The residents were threatened by two large men in tracksuits who declared that one of their flatmates had defrauded them and several people that they knew. One of the residents of the flat told Redbrick that they

were angrily shouting at the flatmate in question, demanding their items.

After one of the men had explained why they were there, the second man emerged from the accused flatmate’s room carrying a box. The contents of the box remain unknown.

According to the resident that spoke to Redbrick ‘this man was much more aggressive than the first and started threatening me along with the rest of my flat, saying we were lucky that this time they had been civil and hadn't beaten anyone up or smashed up anyone's room.

‘He then said that if he or any-

Brummies are the most likely to be hit by lightning Emily Young News reporter

It’s a commonly held belief that lightning doesn’t strike twice. New figures, however, show this isn’t the case for Birmingham and the Black Country.

The statistics were obtained by the Birmingham

Mail, following research for the NHS that was carried out by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Last year, seven people in the region were struck by lightning, which is more than anywhere else in the UK. Nationally, twenty two people were hospitalised as a result of being hit by lightning, thus Birmingham residents made up

one else he knows was to be scammed by our flatmate again, it wouldn't be him who returned but he would send some gang-

'The residents were threatened by two large men who accused them of internet fraud' sters and they would be a lot more violent and would cause some serious harm to anyone who they found in the flat at the a third of this figure.

This means a person in the region has approximately a 1 in 350,000 chance of being struck by lightning. This is in contrast to Greater Manchester, where people have a 1 in 1.37 million chance of hospitalisation as a result of being hit by lightning.

The local figure, however, has slightly fallen in recent years: 13 people were struck in 2012-2013. Yet this is still more than anywhere else in the country during that year.

Among the 13 that were struck by lightning was football fan Reg Corbett. In October 2012, Corbett was miraculously saved after his umbrella protected him from a

time.’

After this exchange the men left and the residents called Vale Security. After a meeting with the manager, the Vale decided to give the flat new accommodation for the rest of the term for their own safety although they still have access to their original flat.

Those living in Centre Court, where the incident took place, received an email from the Vale stating that ‘both the vehicle and pedestrian access gates at Centre Courts will be locked to ensure your security. You can gain access via the pedestrian gate by using your ID card.’

One resident of Centre Court that spoke to Redbrick about the incident, stated, ‘I often wondered why we seemed to be the only part of university accommodation who did not have to pass a security system before entering the blocks and, while inconvenient, this new development does make me feel much safer.’

A different resident stated that ‘if this has come about because of the gang incident, surely it is unlikely to happen again if your flatmates have not committed a crime. For the rest of us it is just an inconvenience’.

lightning strike in Castle Bromwich.

He told the Birmingham Mail at the time, ‘Suddenly there was a huge clap of thunder and I felt a huge shock down my arm and found myself flat on the ground.’

Corbett added, ‘I must be the luckiest man alive as I

my hand, I am fine.’

One of the region’s worst lightning strike incidents happened in August 2003, when a woman suffered a heart attack and almost died while watching a football match in Great Barr. Thirteen others were also treated for burns and eye injuries after the August storm.

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, 90 per cent or more of lightning strike victims survive their ordeal. The Society states the most at risk groups include farmers, hill walkers and golfers

'Apart from a few bruises and some redness on my hand, I'm fine' gather other people have been killed in this way. Apart from a few bruises and a redness on

Have you been struck by lightning? Get in touch at @redbricknews

AGM

Vote for your new committee!

Free pizza!

Monday 14th March 3pm to 5pm Guild Council Chambers

Post-AGM pub social!

Did we mention the free pizza?!

10

COMMENT

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbrickcomment

You Will Pay! Government Plans to Prosecute Student Loan Dodgers Ellie Patten explains why you should take this headline with a pinch of salt.

Ellie Patten

with tax evaders.

The description of said petition which has already been signed by over 15,000 people as of this morning reads: Lately, words of outrage have "There are plans to make not begun to appear on my Facebook repaying a student loan a criminal feed, all expressing horrified reac- offence, meaning no matter how tions to headlines along the lines much you earn you still have to of: "'Government will prosecute pay it back in a certain amount of those who fail to repay their stu- time. This could make it very hard dent loans on time', warns Jo for current and future students to Johnson" and "UK student loans: live a basic life." 'we will trace and prosecute borIf this were true, then yes, it rowers who don't pay'". would make it very hard for stuUsually I'm one of the first to dents to live even a basic life - in throw myself into outrage at any fact, maybe impossible. But luckiinjustices towards students, and ly, this is completely untrue. the first to start signing and sharing Anyone who finishes reading the petitions, such as the one which articles that stirred up this reaction, has littered my newsfeed this past or even makes it as far as the week in response to this same fourth paragraph, would realise the announcement. This time, howev- government aren't actually going er, I can't help but think my fellow to force you to repay your loan "no students and Facebook friends matter how much you earn". have got something wrong.

The government are not To the 15,000 peo(this time) trying to increase ple who have already the amount we pay back added their names each month to ensure to a petition that even those on a against the life-long salary of prosecution of £22,000 will fully graduates who pay off their loan don't pay back in 30 years. have already signed their loans, They are not sadly, you've going to imprison a petition against been misinyou if you earn the allegedly formed. Either under the repayment proposed action. you've fallen victhreshold of £21,000. tim to snappy and Nor are they going controversial headto visit you on your lines that have caught deathbed and demand that your eye, yet failed to read you pay them a lump sum to the article (shame on you - don't remove your debt. you know how clickbait works?)

What Jo Johnson, Minister for or you probably also sympathise Education and Science, actually Commentator @EllieMPatten

15,000

said was this: “We will take stronger action to trace borrowers including those overseas, act to recover loan repayments where it is clear borrowers are seeking to avoid repayment, consider the use of sanctions against borrowers who breach loan repayment terms and, if necessary, prosecute.”

There is a crucial phrase here: "where it is clear borrowers are seeking to avoid repayment"

I can't help but think my fellow students and Facebook friends have got something wrong This means people who disappear abroad after graduation to pursue an extended "gap yah" and end up earning well above the £21k threshold whilst soaking up the sun in Australia while never paying back a penny. This means people who are earning enough to make the standard repayments, but instead have found loopholes, or cheated on their paperwork and banking to ensure they get to keep their cash. This isn't akin to being "unable" to pay back your loan: this is akin to tax evasion.

Personally, this isn't something I want to sign a petition against.

Like most students, I wish my student debt was smaller. In fact, in an ideal world, it wouldn't exist at all.

But it does, and like the majority of graduates, I will repay 9% of my hard-earned income above £21,000 each year until it's either paid back or wiped out.

And I'm fairly sure that a lot of students would agree with me that we don't want people to get away with cheating the system, while we hand over our money honestly, even though we're only earning a

starting salary of £23,000 , whilst attempting to survive in London (which I'm told is no mean feat).

If suddenly the government does decide everyone will repay their loans in full or else face prosecution, that's when the estimated 45% of us who will never fully repay our loans should be worried.

But until then, stop signing petitions before reading the full story.

"Put on a proper suit, do up your tie, and sing the national anthem" Raphael Barnett-Ward Commentator @bibliog_RAPH_y

Mr Cameron declares “put on a proper suit, do up your tie and sing the national anthem” to Corbyn during PMQs. A day after, a video was seen of MPs pi**ing themselves with laughter at a joke that Corbyn would not be recognised when meeting the EU. When I was 13, I entered a school competition regarding environmental issues. After a long campaign on replacing plastic bags in our local shops with mine and my team’s very own reusable bags, we won. Prior to winning we and 9 other school teams had a presentation day in the Science Museum in London. The presenters that day were Piers Morgan and Fearne Cotton. In the morning Mr Morgan walked round every school’s table asking questions about the projects. His first victim – me. Before greeting me or hearing our schools idea he asked me “Does your school have a hair length limit?” Stunned by the shock of having Piers Morgan come to me with the mic, I kept

quiet and shrugged. He said, amidst hordes of laughter, “get a haircut” and then asked the important questions to one of my classmates. I was livid that my shagginess was apparently too embarrassing for Piers. It seems that

Cameron’s response should have been relevant to the NHS, not a personal attack shagginess has a link with disorganization, embarrassment and frankly ignorance. But, why? What has appearance got to do with opinions, ideas, and politics?

Alright, if somebody turned up to Parliament in an onesie, and a woolly hat perhaps then it could be seen disrespectful and unprofessional. The Houses of Parliament have dress code guidelines, which is fine. However, the abuse directed at Corbyn was

unjustified, he was in a suit – he had followed dress code guidelines. Cameron’s comments were in response to a Labour MP shouting that Mary Cameron (his mother) should be asked about the NHS after she signed a petition opposing cuts to children’s centres. His response ignored the heart of the point, avoided policy, and instead embarrassed Mr Corbyn just for a House response (which he got).

Corbyn’s silence in this matter (and the video of being laughed at) has not necessarily gained him support but has gained him sympathy and respect. No matter what side you swing on the politics ladder, a sense of respect should always be present. Cameron has clearly sidestepped this respect has he slowly become a schoolboy bully?

Ridiculing a 66 year old for laughs, is that what we went in our political mantra? It is understandable to have the odd laugh in these long winded debates - I mean we often see the odd MP nod off - but there is a fine line between joking and bullying. For two days in a row both Tory and some Labour MP's have bellowed with laughter directed at Mr Corbyn about Mr Corbyn – not about his policies,

rather about him potentially not being known in Brussels, and the fact he hasn't pulled his tie up, or sung the national anthem. These personal attacks are unjustified.

Firstly, when he visited Brussels Corbyn was well recieved and was respected at the meeting. Obviously his policies were fairly debated and some members of the EU may have completely rejected them. Further, the Sun headline of Corbyn not singing the national anthem at the Battle of Britain memorial ceremony was over the top and brutishly published. In spite of Corbyn saying that, for future events, he would sing the anthem (though we often see people fail to sing it, be it the English football team or other politicians at ceremonies) the Sun wrote that he was: “a national disgrace”, “hapless” and, most shock-

ingly, claimed (days later) Corbyn only agreed to be initiated as a Privy Councillor because his party stood to gain financially – with the laughable headline “Labour hypocrite: Leftie who hates the Royals WILL kiss Queen’s hand to grab £6.2m”. The Sun forcibly had to apologise for the front cover on a later edition (however they did so with tiny font).

However Corbyn received no apology – the IPSO (Indpendent Press Standard Organisation) did.

It is not just Cameron that has been part of this bullying campaign, so have celebrities (including Piers Morgan - agh) and even Labour members.

I am in no way saying vote for Corbyn, I just believe every politician deserves a voice in spite of how done up their tie is.

Although Cameron claimed he was a “terrorist sympathiser” Corbyn has done nothing so far which has arguably made him

COMMENT

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbrickcomment

dangerous, thus there are no grounds for this personal bullying.

What has become obvious in recent weeks is Corbyn’s class. He has stood in silence at being laughed at and refused to swoop down to personal mocking when it comes to PMQs. And he was not the person to bring up the recent comments on NHS policy by Cameron’s mother. Having Parliament filled with bullying, brutish, bigots will limit the type of person to enter. Perhaps if the Houses of Parliament was filled with more representatives of our society the public would be more interested. Not that everyone in Parliament is an Eton schoolboy, but the lack of diversity is shocking. At a quick glance you only see white, middle-aged, men. Yes, perhaps these are the best politicians – which is also fine - but to ridicule someone for not dressing the same as you seems childish.

Cameron’s response should have been relevant to the NHS, not a personal attack. Personal attacks have no place in politics, unless

they refer to actual beliefs (so not dress wear).

I decided to try and sit through a PMQs. What surprised me is the loudness. I haven’t watched one since Miliband, and things have changed – namely the decibel levels. It was crazy: every comment, every name, every action got a raucous response. The setting was incredible and definitely made it harder to concentrate on the important issues. Perhaps a revised Houses of Parliament is in order with stricter guidelines. If I were an MP I would definitely make the odd joke if I knew I would get a response like that. The Speaker often screams “QUIET”, and sometimes names someone to “SHUT UP”, but in reality, is always ignored. With the majority of the room filled with anti-Corbyn MPs, is bullying towards him left, right and centre really a shock? One thing is clear however, that if that noise level happened at EU/UN meetings the world would raise its eyebrow.

As I've previously written,

American politics is relentless and brutal. But there is a sense they stick to policy debate (with the odd slip of Trump accusing candidates of not being American citizens), In Britain, time and time again policies are overshadowed by frankly ridiculous headlines: 'Miliband eating a bacon sandwich', 'Corbyn not singing the national anthem', ‘Cameron’s pig debacle’. How much responsibility do we have to take? We are the voters, we are the people who share on social media. If we are more interested in the personal lives of politicians than policiy then perhaps we are responsible. Is politics slowly becoming a remake of Keeping up with the Kardashians? If Cameron knows that personally attacking Corbyn will gain more support then he will do it.

This is not an attack on Cameron, nor a support campaign for Corbyn. This article is a condemnation of bullying and personal attacks that, I hope, are on their way out.

So Just How Racist are the Oscars?

Joe Goodsall Comment Editor @MightyLlama42

Chris Rock has made some severe comedic missteps in the past (Grown Ups 2 springs to mind), however his opening to the 88th academy awards on the 28th of February, was not only funny but edgy and bitingly on the mark. The issue of the lack of diversity in has plagued this year’s Oscars. Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Spike Lee and Anohni all announced a boycott to the ceremony in response to the lack of nominations for people of colour, and just last month the academy announced a diversity improvement plan involving changes to the voting system and board of voters in an effort to combat the perceived lack of diversity.

But why now? As Chris Rock noted in his opening monologue “this is the 88th academy awards this whole no black nominee’s thing has happened at least 71 other times!”

Humour aside, Rock does raise a very good point. He goes on to joke about how the black community had bigger things to worry about back in the 60’s than who the nominees for the Oscars were at which a large, mostly white audience laughed uncomfortably, glad that the joke wasn’t aimed at them. He then goes on to ask what he admits is the biggest question on everyone’s minds: Is Hollywood racist?

Now I realise that a white, male, British student is the least qualified person to examine U.S. race relations but bear with me. Let’s examine the snubs at this year’s Oscars.

Selma, the film documenting Martin Luther King’s historic march from Selma to Montgomery calling for voting rights, was entirely missed off the list despite massive critical acclaim.

Straight Outta Compton received a best origi-

nal screenplay nomination for all four of its white writers.

Creed’s Sylvester Stallone was nominated in the best supporting actor category but not Michael B Jordan whose performance received acclaim equal to that of Stallone’s. The one which struck me as most unfair was Beasts of no Nation, a stunning and moving relation of an African child’s experiences as a child soldier, which received no recognition at all.

Clearly it’s not the case that there were simply no good films involving African-

This is not a question of talent but rather one of numbers Americans.

So despite continued demonstrations from all sectors that there are artists of colour equally as talented as white ones, the most prestigious academy in film overlooks some of the best films made this year. I don’t think this is a question of talent, but rather one of numbers.

According to a study by the Annenberg Centre for Communication and Journalism, the number of AfricanAmericans is in rough proportion to their percentage of America’s population. The problem is that those roles are rarely performances which will attract the attention of the Oscars. According to a separate study by the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA, the vast majority of roles for AfricanAmericans are in comedy or action films. Whilst it’s not impossible that an Oscarworthy performance could be written for one of these genres, it’s far more likely to come from a drama or thriller. The Oscars, and even Hollywood may not be the root problem when it comes to race relations

in America but more the symptom. It’s not that AfricanAmericans are not getting jobs in the industry it’s that those jobs are not going to attract the attention of the Academy Awards, to the extent that even when excellent films made by black directors and starring black actors are released, they are passed over. What needs to change is not Hollywood’s but rather society’s attitude to black artists. Until the notion that black actors and directors can consistently pull off Oscar worthy films is accepted in the public consciousness, the Oscars will remain decidedly white. I once again defer to Chris Rock’s succinct summary of this point when he pointed out that “Leonardo DiCaprio gets a good role every year”.

Whilst the same could be said for Julianne Moore, Jennifer Lawrence, Tom Hardy, Meryl Streep, or George Clooney, the same cannot be said for any actor or actress of colour.

The obvious problem which stems from this is that the Academy Awards play a pivotal role in shaping the public’s conception of what a ‘good’ film is. Rewarding artists for the quality of their work as opposed to how accepting the public are of that work is exactly the purpose for which the Academy Awards were set up.

Whilst there are acclaimed films by talented filmmakers of colour which go unrecognised

by Hollywood, the problem will persist. So ultimately it seems that the fault does lie with Hollywood. It is their responsibility to take a stand and demonstrate to the world that talent can come from anywhere regardless of race or ethnicity. Until then black filmmakers may unfortunately, continue to be snubbed. Mind you if you think African-Americans were underrepresented at this year’s Oscars, wait till you see how many people of Asian or Latin American descent were nominated.

11

Redbrick Satire Guild overthrown in military coup Joe Goodsall Comment Editor @MightyLlama42

In a stunning turn of events, the democratic Guild of Students has been overthrown in a swift and violent coup enacted by one of the presidential candidates.

It seems that the run up to campaign week has frayed some tempers to boiling point. Though normally a peaceable and relatively friendly affair, this year’s elections were marked by violent clashes between supporters on campus and in Selly Oak and the disappearances of certain dissident individuals.

Hoping that the violence might have been alleviated by the prospect of an election result, the university took little action.

However, when it became apparent that they were falling behind in the polls, one presidential candidate took drastic action.

Marshalling their supporters and arming them with Bunsen burners, Nerf guns and weapons from the battle re-enactment society and Fet-soc, the candidate

marched on the Guild, which, after a brief struggle surrendered.

The other candidates for guild office were seized and imprisoned in the Room of Requirement until the 'supreme leader' has decided what to do with them.

The next morning, the new Guild dictator took the title “Supreme Leader of the Guild of Students”, along with all other titles and offices in the Guild. Despite the complete dissolution of the entire democratic structure, however, they insisted that the Guild was still a democracy, 'just with no voters and no government except me'.

The move has been met with ambivalence by the student body, with many hoping that this new development will result in less bureaucracy, more freedom for societies and even a more interesting election process. Meanwhile our new supreme leader hopes that the move will drum up interest in guild politics.

Third Year student confident of securing employment Chris Austin Commentator @chrisaustin93

James Topping, 22, is confidently expecting ‘two or three’ graduate job offers to arrive in his inbox over the next few days.

Many Final Year students at university apply for various graduate jobs from every corner of the job market.

Areas such as law, business and the media are all especially competitive.

Mr. Topping has registered an interest in a job in the media but has seemingly done very little to actually gain employment in that field. However, Mr. Topping is sure that the right job will come along eventually.

‘I used the BBC online thing, that helps you apply for jobs there.’ claimed Mr. Topping, who has applied for one job in Radio at the BBC and nothing else. When asked he thought made him the ideal candidate for the position, he said ‘I’m not one to brag, but I’ve actually been a guest on the local university radio twice during my time studying here’. He argued that people who do the student radio or paper almost always get good jobs with radios and papers.

Surely if he had needed to be get involved more than twice, someone at the radio would have told

him.

Mr. Topping has also confidently told us of an ‘ace up his sleeve’ in the quest for a job. ‘My cousin used to work for the BBC and she reckons she can give my CV to a couple of her old friends there.

Mr. Garde, a friend of Mr. Topping’s cousin who works in the media, told us that he was indeed given a copy of the student’s CV. Unfortunately, the CV had to be disregarded as ‘one month of employment at the Student Union, two years as the lacrosse social captain, and two appearances at an open mic comedy event’ were not the ideal experiences that the employer was looking for.

When asked whether or not he had made any other applications, Mr. Topping smugly told us that his friend’s dad used to host the news on Channel Four and he expected to be emailed any day now. ‘It really is who you know and not how many jobs you apply for, or however that saying goes’.

Want to write for Redbrick Satire?

Email us at comment@redbrickonline.co.uk

12

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Friday 4th March 2016

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The Health Debate: Raw or Restricting?

Travel Editor and Food Journalist Ally Head discusses the rising trend of holistic living and the vital importance of a balanced lifestyle.

Ally Head Travel Editor @AllyHead

The last year has seen both the food and fashion industries leap on the bandwagon of raw lifestyles, holistic living and ‘clean eating’.

Celebrities such as Ellie Goulding, Gwenyth Paltrow and Demi Moore all reportedly follow health gurus and international icons such as Deliciously Ella, Madeline Shaw and the Hemsley Sisters in their vegan and raw food quests.

Ta k i n g over the industry one step at a time, encouraging all t h i n g s matcha, kale and chia seed, the approach is inspiring millions, and pushing a different, arguably more economical way of living.

The three bloggers mentioned above share one thing in common; they’ve all shot to fame in the last few years predominantly and primarily as a result of the social media coverage of their raw, holistic lifestyle choices. Ella launched Deliciously Ella back in 2011, and has since sold millions of books worldwide, opening her own Deli at the end of 2015. Madeline Shaw has just released her

'The new army of health bloggers are doing wonders for the obesity epidemic and current state of the UK's health' app, ‘Glow Girls’, with raw recipes and yoga mantras for everyday. The Hemsley Sisters continue to cater for the top names in the fashion industry, whilst selling their very own ‘Hemsley Spiraliser’ and kitchenware collection.

These role models also have another thing in common; their strict, restricting life styles and exclusion of certain food groups. Between them, the bloggers exclude meat, fish, dairy, refined or

processed sugars, wheat or grains from their diet in some form. They all stand firm that making such conscious lifestyle decisions everyday leaves them with increased energy levels, happier outlooks and a ‘cleaner’ immune system. Their social media feeds showcase perfectly cooked courgetti, or cacao nib truffles, or creamy avo on toast with a sprinkling of sunflower seeds. The appeal of such foods is overwhelming, all offering ‘nutritious’ alternatives to saturated, calorie-dense alternatives. It’s difficult to see why anyone invested in their health or intrigued by the more extreme lifestyle wouldn’t be tempted to try such idealistic methods.

I myself have tried many of Deliciously Ella’s recipes– her Chickpea & Quinoa curry is beautiful, and her Raisin and Banana loaf to die for. There is definitely positivity and pride to be found in alternate ‘healthy’ home cooking, as opposed to grabbing a convenience snack, high in saturated fats and processed oils. In this regard, the new army of health bloggers are doing wonders for the obesity epidemic and current state of the UK’s health. Encouraging individuals to stop and consider their health, one day at a time, can only be positive.

Nonetheless, many remain sceptical – and rightly so. Is having such a high percentage of food and nutritional advice so readily available on the Internet a good thing? Are bloggers preaching such prescriptivist binary rules helping, or doing harm?

None of the individuals mentioned are nutritionists, cooks or chefs; they are simply individuals using social media outlets to brand themselves and document their love of food.

Nonetheless, it is unquestionable that such means, once simply descriptive, are now arguably a prescriptive means of lifestyle instruction for many.

J o r d a n Younger found out first hand that such a restrictive and high maintenance way of living could be harmful. She was an international health icon with over a million followers on Instagram, thanks to her ‘Blonde Vegan’ brand. That was, until her lethargy increased dramatically, her periods stopped and she developed unstable mental health issues revolving around food. She admitted herself that the deluge of nutritional and health advice on the internet and in the media could be fuelling a dangerous but as yet unrecognised eating disorder.

Orthorexia Nervosa was a term

coined in 1997 by Dr Steven Bratman, and simply describes a fixation with healthy eating to the point where it becomes a crippling compulsion, described as “a disease disguised as a virtue”. It is all too clear how such lifestyle choices could encourage those in more vulnerable positions to harm their bodies, both physically and mentally, by means of such restrictive diets.

This article does not aim to make broad, sweeping statements. It aims merely to weigh up the pros and cons of such alternate methods. Such extreme diets work well for certain individuals – the key example being Deliciously Ella herself, who used the raw approach in an attempt to heal herself from P o s t u r a l Ta c h y c a r d i a Syndrome back in 2011. According to her blog, she was in chronic pain, suffering innumerable heart palpitations and severe difficulty walking, sleeping for up to 16 hours a day. Her natural, whole foods based lifestyle healed her completely, giving her her life back. Many followers of whole food diets are self-admittedly individuals who have healed themselves of eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, and taught themselves to love food again through the embracement of such diets.

Nonetheless, there is still a much darker, undiscussed side to the health foods revolution. Take, for example, Belle Gibson, who similarly to the women above, had a successful social media presence with millions of followers under the name of ‘Healing Belle’. Her app, ‘The Whole Pantry’, was one of the first to be included on the Apple Watch.

She falsified claims about having terminal cancer, and about healing such cancer by the same methods as above – a whole foods, plant based diet. No chemo – no drugs - just raw food. She misled thousands and defied qualified doctors in their recommendations.

Such instances are rare exceptions, admittedly, but they stand as firm reminders that such extreme lifestyle binaries can inevitably influence unfavourable and potentially dangerous decisions. Nigella Lawson and Mary Berry have both recently spoken out to the press about their independent dislike of the term ‘clean eating’, with Nigella going as far as to say that ‘people are using certain diets as a way to hide an eating disorder or a great sense of unhappiness with their own body’. This stands as a glowing reminder that in ‘Food

World’, there is always another trend, and always another ‘in’ way of eating. Ten years ago, celebrities and chefs were going crazy for the Atkins diet, or advocating ‘no carbs’. What happened to people cooking good, wholesome food that they love, from fresh, high quality produce? The British Medical Journal clearly advocates an active lifestyle, and a balanced inclusion of vegetables, fruit, nuts, legumes and protein. So why restrict yourself if you are lucky enough to be able to afford such nutritious luxuries in your every day lifestyle?

Balance is the key to everything, and each person’s body is different.

But what should be the same for each and every individual is the will to nourish your body with whatever food makes you happy. Given the current state of supermarket shelves and processed ‘norms’, it is often difficult to make healthier options.

Yes, initially, it will take longer to prepare fresh produce than anything processed. But it will be so much more beneficial to inform and educate yourself about health guidelines in the long run. You’ll thank yourself for staying up to date with the nutritional value of food, in order to work out exactly what is best for your own body.

The majority of health bloggers agree that although what they

'Good, wholesome food can completely change your life' preach works perfectly for them, may need to be adapted for each individual and their personal lifestyle. If Omega 3 rich oily fish gives you energy, then it is nonsensical to completely cut it out of your diet when it is only doing you good. On the flipside, if you suspect dairy is making you lethargic, perhaps it’s best to cut down for a few weeks, and actively observe what difference it has to your lifestyle.

Good, wholesome food can completely change your life, as long as you know how to utilise it properly. Source organic, fresh produce and research recipes from your favourite chefs. Utilise local, independent bakeries and butchers, and find joy in making the perfect dish with your finds. Your body will only thank you for it.

Get cooking, teach yourself something new and start embracing a more balanced lifestyle today.

Top 5: Foodie Instagram Accounts 1. @jamieoliver King of sugar and salt free cooking and MBE holding celebrity chef Jamie shares dinner inspo a plenty on his bright and beautiful Instagram account. Featuring plenty of surprise celebrity guests, and with sneak preview snippets from his monthly magazine, his account is the ultimate go to for foodie inspiration.

2. @cassiecooks For all the best behind the scenes shots from BBC Good Food Magazine, be sure to follow Food Editor, Cassie Best.

With a beautiful account full of gravity defying chocolate marshmallow cakes, perfect pasta and plenty of beautiful runny yellow egg yolks, what more could you want?

3.

@twicethehealth

Think Joe Wicks & the infamous LeanIn15 but with double the girl power, and you have power duo Twice The Health. Consisting of Londonbased, Lycra-loving friends Hannah and Emily, who describe themselves as ‘two fitness chicks living in London using [their] love of exercise to excuse [their] love of food’, their account is great to follow for healthy and hearty meal ideas, fitness inspiration and all the latest health brands.

4. @deliciouslyella For that bit of raw inspiration, follow Health Queen Deliciously Ella. With snaps from her new cafe, The Mae Deli, exclusive recipes and behind the scenes shots, it’s full of wonderful veggie and vegan inspiration for everyone.

5.

@spoonforkbacon

Food stylists and photographers from LA Jenny and Teri form the perfect power duo and Instagram account in the form of SpoonFormBacon. With plenty of exotic recipes and exciting test shots, it’s the account sure to make your mouth water.

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Friday 4th March 2016

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13

Live Review: New Street Records A&R Night Paige Tracey checks out NSR's newest talent...

Aeons

Wil Owen

Overall Having never been to a New Street Records event, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I attended their A&R and Media Night. It took place at a venue I was very familiar with, the hidden upstairs room of the Bristol Pear, a setting comprable to another favourite haunt of musicians: The Hare & Hounds in King's Heath. As the wine starts flowing, I realise any previous apprehensions I may have had about attending the night were ill founded. The New Street representatives were all friendly and accommodating, and keen to point out the artists I should be focusing on. It was a great opportunity for any music loving student to grab a drink and socialise with other students, the New Street Records staff or even the artists themselves before they embarked on their sets. Although I was not familiar with many of the individual acts before attending, the genuine excitement expressed by the crowd was enough for any music lover to feel more than comfortable with. Overall, I would recommend attending any New Street Records gigs like this in the future. The platforming of so many different musical styles on the stage really meant that there was something for everyone, and I applaud the team for scooping up such an enjoyable variety for the evening.

There's nothing in Owen’s persona that fails to epitomise the ‘boy next door’ character. As I talk with the third year English Literature student before he opens the night, he discusses his favourite artists and what he hopes to achieve in his music. He rounds off the names Nick Drake and John Martin as his main influences, whom he describes as ‘mellow and moody singer songwriters’. ‘That’s the kind of style I aim to achieve in my songs’, he says. ‘Orange Blue Sky’ is a track which has an ethereal magnetism about it, an effect similar to Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’. The acoustic singersongwriter is a role Owen plays very well, and he certainly has the potential to establish himself amongst this crowd. The only improvement that could be made would be to work on his selfconfidence on stage, but perhaps that’s part of his charm.

The next big highlight for Owen is his acoustic stage appearance at Valefest. ‘Luckily, they approached me,’ he laughs, ‘I’m very lazy!’. Although not signed to NSR, he reveals it was the company who approached him to play at the A&R night - a promising sign for a promising musician.

Trick of the Light

Trick of the Light are a group of three school friends, who formed the band prior to joining the university this year. Their raw capability, entwined with youthful naïveté, is very telling in the music of Michael, Jason and Beth. Their sweet fresher’s optimism seems to light up the top floor of the Bristol Pear. Heavily influenced by mainstream acoustic and hip hop stars like Ed Sheeran and Rizzle Kicks, their music lures in listeners, providing the same honest, conversational vocals these artists exhibit.

When the band takes to the stage, the influence of the former artist is clearly audible. The raw acoustics of their opening track, ‘Toxic’ are very reminiscent of Sheeran’s ‘Drunk’. Though Beth and Michael have different vocal types, their voices combine together beautifully on the track’s ongoing harmonies. The rap inserted by Jason towards the track’s end is just what is needed to amplify this song’s boldness and attitude.

Aeons are definitely a force to be reckoned with. Lead singer Alex Ekong describes the band as ‘Selly Oak’s most dangerous group’. He goes on to describe their music is a wet dream for emo kids. ‘We definitely model ourselves on all the big emo, or death metal names - Enter Shikari, Bring Me the Horizon, Killswitch Engage.’ ‘We have had some promotion amongst Metal Society,’ guitarist Glen says, ‘But we would like more. We’re keen to stress we are more metal than classic rock.’ Whatever their music is classifiable as, Aeons definitely provided one of the night’s most powerful performances. Ekong’s antagonistic and operatic vocals burst across the room, juxtaposing what one might expect from his small and modest stature. The tenor quality of his voice very much reminds me of the original seventies rock stars, rather than the modern day ‘screamo’ bands the group models themselves on. Think here of the likes of Meatloaf. ‘We are very, very dangerous’ is a refrain Ekong gurns at the crowd; he clearly wants to amplify the underlying aggression he projects into his performances. The seriousness of this is not immediately clear, considering how contrasting it is to Ekong’s personal character. Nevertheless, it works in amassing the crowd’s excitement, as they raise their hands to the belligerent guitar riffs provided by Glen. You can check out their upcoming headline show at Fear Jam on March 11th, a performance not be missed, or who knows what the consequences will be from this ‘dangerous’ group.

DAME

Chatting to New Street Record’s newest signing was always going to be an exciting opportunity. Even so, DAME’s down to earth and unpretentious persona facilitated that experience all the more easily. Formerly known by her real name, Shannon Farmer, I was keen to know what inspired her new moniker.

‘Shannon Farmer never had a ring to it,’ she confesses. ‘That was always the first problem.

However, I used to play with four boys, and I wanted something that would emphasise my feminine role amongst that environment. It’s an idea that has been worked with by many artists recently, such as Lorde or

Ladyhawke.

DAME sounded like a really cool idea for doing that. Obviously, the thinking behind that was not to create division, or to push forward a politically charged message about gender equality. It instead acknowledges that females can bring a very different vision to music than males. That was something I found, having worked with guys for so long.’

DAME signed her New Street Records contract the night before the A&R. ‘It was crazy!’ she says. ‘I’m now so excited about what the future holds.’ So she should be - her performance created something of an uproar in the room. Her music is describable as an amalgamation of classic jazz and modern funk. The soulful vocals arrive from nowhere, and the demonstration of her voice’s wide vocal range places her in league with the likes of Mariah Carey and Joss Stone.

The audience demanded and received an encore, showing the extremely positive reception she has crafted for herself. The set was the perfect ending to a perfect night, and proved why New Street were so keen to get her signed in the first place.

Sam Jackson

Before playing a secret set, I couldn't help but to chat with New Street Records’ first ever signing, Sam Jackson. This was especially after I recognise him by his ‘beard of a pirate’, a phrase that has comically been associated with Sam ever since someone wrote it on Ekho. ‘The last year has been crazy for me,’ retorts Jackson. ‘I went from playing small gigs in bars and pubs to headlining the O2 [Academy] at a New Street Records event'. When I ask about how the signing first came about, he tells me New Street approached him after someone submitted one of his videos to the A&R team. ‘That’s why the A&R night is so important’ he says, ‘it gives artists a great opportunity to showcase their talent. Especially as many of those playing here tonight aren’t yet signed; hopefully this will have given them a platform to be in the future.’ Jackson says he never tries to be a man of the people with his music, and never makes vain appeals to popularity. ‘I write music I want to hear. I make music I want to listen to.

I’m not trying to

impress anyone but myself, and constantly trying to self-improve in terms of my artistry.’ In three words, the ‘pirate’ sums up his music as singer-songwriter, country and rock, and states his main influences are Chris Stapleton and John Mayer. ‘My new single, ‘Emily’ is being released on Friday 26th February with an EP scheduled for release on the 18th March’ he finishes.

Groove Directory

Groove Directory rounded off the night with covers of hit pop songs, opening with Ariana Grande’s ‘Problem’. As a lot of the crowd had left at this stage, I guess it was a bit of fun for the remaining guests to engage with.

It reminded us what the essential importance of music is: to enjoy, and to not take things too seriously. The group reworked Lady Gaga’s ‘Just Dance’ with a really jazzy approach, so much so that I did not recognise the song at first. They clearly have a lot of talent in their instrumental ability, and lead singer Abi Farell’s vocals were very smooth and soulful.

Therefore, it seems as shame that the group’s talent is somewhat wasted on what is essentially a cover band. I believe if they were to embark on releasing original hits, they could go far.

14

FEATURES

Friday 4th March 2016

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Does Privacy Still Exist Online?

Do you feel safe online? Ellie Patten asks if privacy has a place in the modern age Ellie Patten

Sci & Tech Editor @elliempatten

In an age when our phones know more about us than our parents, when teenage hackers are capable of crashing ‘secure’ websites and when targeted advertising follows across the internet, online privacy is becoming a prickly issue.

Despite 84.2% of us believing we are careful with the information we provide online, only 19.3% read privacy statements, according to Redbrick’s recent survey.

Since privacy policies can take approximately 10 minutes to read, and most of us use several different sites which employ the policies, this is no surprise. According to a 2012 study, it would take the average person 30 full working days to read the privacy policies of all the websites they use in a year – this equates to around 200-250 hours.

However, without reading these policies, users simply aren’t aware of how much information they are giving away to these companies, or even how they use their data. It seems that many users simply trust companies like Facebook, Twitter and Apple to ‘do the right thing’ and keep our data safe. Or perhaps they have simply accepted the fact that their data may not be secure, and have given it away regardless.

To find out more, Redbrick conducted a survey, asking Facebook users how much they trust some of the biggest technology companies with their data, and what measures they take to protect their personal information.

Despite all participants in the survey being Facebook users, only 44% claimed to completely trust the site, while 20% revealed they actively distrust the site. This is a troubling statistic – despite users not entirely trusting Facebook, and many not reading the site’s privacy statement, they are still willing to use the website,

and many even use their Facebook credentials to access other websites, linking their accounts with services including news sites, online shopping destinations and music streaming services.

Similarly, 49% of respondents said they trust Whatsapp, whilst 38% trust Twitter and only 35% are confident in their trust of Instagram.

Despite the number of users who said they completely trust Facebook, this was also the website which was the most actively distrusted by its users, while users were more likely to feel indifferent to Instagram or Twitter.

Respondents proved to be more amenable to Google, Microsoft and Apple, indicating that users feel their data is more secure with these services.

Seemingly the most trusted site, 69% of respondents said they trust Google, whilst Microsoft and Apple fell slightly behind with 64% and 56% respectively.

Several respondents commented on the number of hacks into Facebook, Twitter, and iCloud which have been reported in recent years, citing these as one of the reasons they do not trust these services. One anonymous respondent said: 'Even with privacy settings, it would be impossible to trust the services with a large amount of personal information'.

Another demonstrated a blasé attitude towards their privacy, commenting: 'I don’t trust them, but I also don’t care'.

The survey also highlighted that whilst 68.4% would be happy to send personal details to a friend by text message, only 43.9% would use Facebook Messenger to do the same, and even less would do this by direct message on Twitter (7%). This reveals that while we don’t necessarily distrust technology to transmit personal information securely, there is a large variation in how much we would trust various methods to do this.

When asked about their meth-

'It seems that many users simply trust companies like Facebook, Twitter and Apple to 'do the right thing''

ods of keeping data secure, only 17.5% claimed to use VPNs, whilst 59.6% admitted to not knowing what these are.

VPNs, or 'virtual private networks' are only one way in which users can keep their data secure. When using an unencrypted public wi-fi network, communications can be intercepted. VPNs prevent this by encrypting outgoing communications to prevent information being intercepted.

Computer systems engineering student and Redbrick’s Lead Developer said: ‘We're continuously sending masses of sensitive data in public spaces and we're not even encrypting it well. At home we have a certain trust among our peers, but at public wi-fi hotspots we certainly don’t have that. So why do we trust [others] not to use packet sniffers and collect our data through the cookies crumbs that services like Facebook, Twitter and Google so readily drop onto the network we share?’

When it comes to the content we share online however, we seem to be a little better at protecting our privacy. 71.9% of respondents said they share less online because they are worried about what other people, including criminals and potential employers may see.

Whilst some argued that using the internet destroys privacy, others indicated that privacy is the responsibility of each individual user, with just over half believing that privacy still exists online. One user said: ‘To a certain extent, if you keep privacy settings on maximum, you can control who sees your information’.

Another agreed: ‘You don't have to share anything you don't want to when going online’.

However, not all users share the view that we have the ability to control who sees our data. One Facebook user told Redbrick: ‘Everyone has the potential to access everything. There are always loopholes and ways around security for someone out there. To believe otherwise is ignorant. Everyone who wants your information, and has the means, will get it, and they probably already have it'.

Does privacy still exist online?

Do you trust companies with your personal data?

Do you read privacy statements of the sites you use?

Would you share personal details over Facebook Messenger?

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Friday 4th March 2016

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15

Fairtrade Fortnight: Why Is It Important?

29th February - 13th March marks Fairtrade Fortnight. Gemma Allport tells Redbrick about the impact it has at home and abroad Gemma Allport Food Editor @gemma_allpo

Fairtrade is a global movement with a strong and active presence in the UK, represented by the Fairtrade Foundation. The movement aims to provide all farmers and workers with a fair trade for their produce. Fairtrade is itself a mark - a registered certification label which can be used on products sourced from producers in developing countries such as India and Ethiopia where items have been produced in accordance with Fairtrade standards. These standards include fundamental principles such as democracy, where profits for products are equally distributed amongst producers, and for producers to secure a fair price for their produce. On top of this, all producers receive a Fairtrade premium on their products.

This premium allows producers to invest in their own development and continue to grow and be successful as businesses - empowering farmers and workers to continue to secure a better deal for their labour for generations to come.

The Foundation was first established as a charity in 1992 with the support of several other charities such as Oxfam and Traidcraft. Since then, it has grown to such an extent that over 1.5 million farmers and workers are now Fairtrade certified producer organisations and these organisations exist in 74 countries. Here in the UK, over 23 million pounds of Fairtrade premium is generated from Fairtrade sales and the brand has become a household name. Popular products such as Clipper tea, Café Direct coffee and Cadburys chocolate are all Fairtrade certified and form part of the 4,500

Fairtrade products available worldwide.

Fairtrade is important for a number of reasons. As previously stated, it empowers people in developing countries to secure a fairer deal for their produce and to continue to grow as successful businesses. However, Fairtrade also seeks to improve the quality and productivity of the items being produced so that not only are more products cultivated, but these products are of a consistently higher standard - meaning that farmers can receive more money for their goods.

The fact that the Fairtrade Foundation works to help give women in developing countries the skills necessary to gain employment as farmers or workers is another reason why this organisation is so important. This is because, in countries such as India and Sri Lanka, women are often still viewed as subservient

A Fairtrade Breakfast Geo Muesli Geo Museli is a Fair Trade cereal made in the UK. Flavour varieties of the product include exotic fruit, fruit and nut, luxury granola and very berry. For 750g Geo Muesli costs around £3.70 a box from the Traidcraft online website (although according to the type the price may vary slightly). In the tropical mueslifor example the fairtrade raisins are from Chile and South Africa and the fairtrade banana is from Uganda- so full of plenty of fairtrade goodness!

Clipper Tea If you fancy a nice hot brew whilst munching away on your muesli look no further than Clipper Tea - one of the best tea brands on the market. Most of the main supermarkets - including Waitrose, Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s - sell this product at around £2.60 for a box of 80 organic teabags. The brand also sells a variety of green tea items and organic refreshing infusion tea items. Infusion flavours include wild berry and orange and coconut and will be certain to get those taste buds tingling!

or unequal to their male counterparts, and so struggle to achieve any form of economic independence. The Fairtrade Foundation is helping to change these perceptions though, by training women to understand the principles of business and providing them with the means to cultivate their land and generate an income.

Besides the economic benefits of Fairtrade there are also several environmental and social benefits.

As one of the Fairtrade Foundation’s aims is to provide a sustainable income and future for farmers and workers alike, the organisation is very aware of the impact climate change has upon business and so several standards encompass ways in which companies can be more environmentally friendly. For example, certain standards have resulted in switches to less toxic pesticides which are better both for the environment and for the farmers’ health.

Socially however Fairtrade has an immense impact upon the lives of farmers and workers in numerous ways. This is because farmers and workers who participate in Fairtrade often feel that they possess more power to control their future and have a voice. The support that Fairtrade offers increases levels of business expertise, promotes gender equality and through investments made due to the premium system - makes for better education, housing and medical facilities in worker communities.

In light of the importance of Fairtrade you may wonder what the University does to support such a vital movement. Well, surprisingly for some, it actually does a lot!

In November 2003 the University of Birmingham achieved Fairtrade status - making us the second University in the UK after Oxford Brookes University to achieve this status.

Amongst other criteria, the University has to make Fairtrade

products including food and cotton available in all campus shops.

As an example of this, all uniform t-shirts worn by Guild of Students staff are made from Fairtrade cotton and all coffee served in University run catering outlets has been Fairtrade since 2010 (under the Eros coffee brand).

Campaigns must also be run on campus to increase the understanding of Fairtrade and consumption of Fairtrade products with a clear student based contribution.

Originally this was done by the University’s Ethical Trade Society but in recent times has been done by the Oxfam Outreach society. This society annually put on a whole host of events during Fairtrade Fortnight to support the Foundation and to help maintain the University’s Fairtrade statusand this year is no different!

Events for the fortnight include a Fair Trade Tea Party, serving Fairtrade tea and coffee as well as an assortment of cake and biscuits, and a public debate on Fair Trade vs Free Trade with a Fairtrade coffee producer from India attending as a Guest Speaker (to find out more information visit the society’s Facebook page at: Oxfam Outreach society UoB 2015/2016).

For this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight the foundation have launched a ‘Sit down for breakfast, stand up for farmers!’ campaign. Based on the famous Martin Luther King quote: ‘before you finish eating your breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half of the world’, this campaign aims to highlight our dependence on farmers and workers for the drinks, foods and products that we love whilst 795 million people are undernourished globally. To find out about the events the Fairtrade Foundation are putting on or how you can get involved this Fairtrade Fortnight visit the organisations website at: www.Fairtrade.org.uk

Five breakfast products that Redbrick recommends you should boy for your Fairtrade breakfast

Taylors of Harrowgate Coffee Taylors of Harrogate are a Yorkshire family business dedicated to producing outstanding coffee and tea. Their ‘Good Morning’ and ‘Pure Origin Guatemala’ coffee blend varieties are both 100% fairtrade and are sure to give you that much needed caffeine boost first thing in the morning! Supermarkets including Morrisons, Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s all stock both of these products for £3.50 per 227g bag. Delicious!

Bananas Full to the brim with a healthy dose of potassium (great for maintaining a good blood pressure) and pectin (a fibre good for the digestive system) bananas are the perfect accompaniment chopped up in a bowl of porridge, Weetabix or muesli! If you’re not that big a fan of breakfast, a banana by itself will give you lots of energy to help start the day in a healthy way. Supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and the Co-operative all sell Fairtrade bananas at an average price of £1 a bunch.

Sainsbury's Organic Strawberry Conserve and Seville Orange Cut Marmalade At only £1.50 for a 340g jar, a slather of Sainsbury’s organic, Fairtrade Strawberry conserve or Seville orange medium cut marmalade would be the perfect way to make your morning toast that bit tastier! Both of these products are made with Fairtrade sugar and could also be stirred into your morning porridge or cover your crumpets.

16

CAREERS

Friday 4th March

@redbrickcareers

An Insider's Guide to Start-Ups Our Careers Editors spoke to the brains behind start-up companies to find out about their career journey and the advice they offer to budding entrepreneurs.

Lael Hardtman Careers Editor

Redbrick spoke to Sam Wilson and Ellie Bekalo, Co-Founders and Directors of Virtalent, an award-winning Virtual Assistant service for professionals. They both studied International Business & Spanish at Aston University and graduated in 2014.

When was your company founded and how did it start?

We both started the business immediately upon graduation.

We spent the first 6 months building the necessary technology to deliver the service, as well as creating our website and gaining initial feedback from prospective customers, before launching the service at the start of 2015. When we were preparing for final year exams, Ellie and I realised that we were surrounded by hundreds of people our age all with lots of different skills, from some people being fantastic artists and graphic designers, to web developers, to people speaking several different languages, and so on.

But these same people were working in Gatecrasher at 3am

Spotlight: Debut A careers app for the students that could change the game of graduate recruitment Molly Garfoot Careers Editor

If you’re a student applying for graduate jobs, you will be familiar with the extensive and repetitive application processes and probably be wondering: is there any other way around it? Debut, a relatively new app aimed at students, offers an alternative.

Molly Garfoot spoke to the company’s Marketing Manager Matt Thomas about how the graduate careers platform has catered the job search to today’s cohort of students.

Beginnings Charles Taylor, the CEO and Founder of Debut, was left frustrated with the graduate recruitment process when he found himself filling almost identical

It takes more courage, more resources and more sleepless nights than you would imagine! and struggling to find a graduate job. This seemed crazy when small businesses want to access these same skills, so essentially we matched the two together and created Virtalent!

The name itself is the combination of “virtual” and “talent”. We wanted to give people our age the opportunity to use their skills (either natural talents or skills learned from their degree) and earn a good income in the meantime. All of our Virtual Assistants, from graphic designers to social media account managers, now earn at least £8.50 per hour and can work from the comfort of their own rooms.

What was the biggest obstacles you faced and how did you overcome it?

It takes a lot more resources

forms for a variety of different companies.

Matt calls out this traditional application process as “slow, unresponsive and not fit for purpose anymore, especially for the mobile world that we live in.”

The bulk of careers activity occurs between September and December, thus creating a deluge of applications for candidates, and often causing students to rush to complete them.

Therefore, a vicious cycle is created when not enough care and time can be dedicated to each individual application.

"The recruitment process does not work hard enough for students," says Matt, “so that’s the main thing we want to change”. Debut was thus founded in 2015 in the hopes of completely changing the way students engage with companies.

Functionality One of the innovative ways that Debut connects students to careers is through in-app games.

According to Matt, ‘gamification’ is a growing area in recruitment because it allows for more engaging and memorable ways for candidates to interact with the company. Two brand-focused games have come from Deutsche Bank and L’Oréal.

The aim of the games is centrally to help students under-

(mainly cash!) to start and grow a business than we had first thought. This pressure is difficult to deal with, both on a personal level and as a business. Fortunately we raised a small investment round when we launched the service at the start of 2015 and grew the company quite quickly through sales revenues from our growing customer base. We’re now raising a much larger investment round to help us take on more Head Office staff and increase our marketing budget (helping us contract more student Virtual Assistants in the mean time.)

When was your proudest moment?

We have now had students from over 50 different universities in the UK apply to work with us. The best of these students are now working remotely for companies such as the Marco Pierre White restaurant chain and the top 50 law firm, Mills & Reeve, as well as some really awesome start-ups and small businesses, in the UK and USA. They are helping us change the perception that students are “lazy” or only worthy enough of an (often unpaid) internship – our VAs work very hard and really are

true professionals. It’s hard not to be proud of the team we have built at Virtalent!

Would you recommend students to start up their own companies?

Starting a business is not for everyone and it isn’t a decision to be taken lightly if you are going to throw yourself into it full-time. It takes more courage, more resources, more time and more sleepless nights than you would imagine! But, that said, it

I would now never consider getting a 9-5 job again and working to build 'someone else's dream' is the single most rewarding thing we have ever done and we really have never looked back.

If you feel you have the determination and work ethic to build a successful business, I would recommend trying something on a smaller scale (i.e. “lean

testing”) before dedicating lots of time and money to it, but ultimately ideas are worth absolutely nothing and only by actually starting something will you know if it is the right career path for you!

University is an ideal time to start a business as you have some free time, a fall-back plan (i.e. you aren’t dependent on the business to pay your rent!) and are surrounded by lots of potential business partners! It offers a safety net you won’t have once you graduate.

What have you personally gained from your experience in a start up? What value has it added to your career?

Both of us have grown to understand, on a very deep level, what we are good at and what motivates us. I would now never consider getting a 9-5 job again and working to build “someone else’s dream” now! Starting a business has been a life-changing decision, though it has certainly been a difficult and challenging journey to get to where we are today and we still have a huge challenge ahead of us as we grow the company. www.virtalent.com

fast tracks to interviews.

Currently, there is engagement from companies across different sectors, including finance, law, consulting and engineering, and the Debut team is looking to expand into pharmaceutical and science-based roles soon.

Future of Recruitment

stand the company, by using certain key words throughout the game to understand the brands’ different cultural traits.

These methods have proved to be popular, with the two games seeing over 30,000 gameplays in the last month alone.

But it doesn’t stop there. Matt revealed that Debut hopes to make in-app games that eventually hold psychometric functionality, so that the app can start to test a variety of the students’ skills in a more enjoyable way than traditional testing.

Debut feature a job board displaying all the roles available at employer partners. Debut makes the individual job card as detailed as possible, as the matching feature relies on specific company traits and surveys for each of the companies to

find out what they’re like and speaks to current graduates to ask them how they would rate the company (on criteria such as workplace friendliness).

Essentially, the company uses data to separate branding from real life which is often the battle for students navigating the recruitment process. How does it work for employers? Matt reveals that “we don’t let employers access an individual’s data, but [we allow them] to set criteria for certain roles; degree, member of a society...or they might be trying to achieve diversity targets. All those factors can be figured to reach students through Debut.”

If a candidate matches their hiring criteria, the company can send out ‘talent spots’ to offer access to exclusive events or

Matt believes we will soon start to see a rapid progression towards Millennials’ importance to the workplace, because “within the next 5 years, Millennials will make up 50% of the work force [and] companies aren’t ready for that. I think that shows in the antiquated recruitment process; from the start of your career journey, you’re working in a way that doesn’t suit you.

As a student you can do pretty much anything through your phone, but it hasn’t translated to careers yet, so that’s what we want to do.” In terms of what the future holds for Debut, the psychometric element will become a key feature of the app.

However, the platform will remain user-focused as Matt tells us they "want to build something that changes [the process] for the better and the only way we’re going to do that is by working closely with students.” www.debut.careers

CAREERS

Friday 4th March

@redbrickcareers

17

Start Blogging to Boost Your Career Lifestyle blogger and food editor Sophie Neal reveals what blogging can do for your career prospects and how to kick off your own blog.

Sophie Neal Food Editor @sohpie_etc_

The graduate job market is as terrifying as ever and it is very easy to feel like you could get lost in the sea of job applications. With employers apparently spending an average of seven seconds glancing through your CV, is there anything that could make you stand out and show you possess a range of skills?

If you’re lacking a little in the work experience section on your CV, it might be worth thinking about starting a blog.

So why will setting up your own space on the world wide

Interview with Imagine Forest founder Greg Woodin Careers Editor @greg_woodin

We spoke to Safia Begum, the founder of Imagine Forest, a virtual world that helps children with their reading and writing skills. She graduated with a first class honours degree in Business and Management from Aston University in 2015.

What was your career journey after graduating?

Since graduating I joined the BSEEN programme to start my own business. I was reluctant to join any graduate schemes because I wanted to be in a position where my work would make a huge impact on the company or improve society somehow.

When was Imagine Forest founded and how did it

web make you stand out?

It shows you are committed and motivated. Setting up a blog and continuing it for a substantial amount of time shows you are dedicated, self-motivated and committed – all desirable attributes in the work place. If you have run your blog alongside your studies, it shows you have also developed your own interests ouside of your degree subject.

It demonstrates a range of skills. You will find yourself developing your skills in photography, editing, proof-reading and getting to grips with social media. These are all huge assets if you are applying for roles in PR, marketing and journalism and are certainly something to

start?

The Idea of Imagine Forest existed in early 2015, where after attending various enterprise workshops at Aston University I was inspired to start my own business. Imagine Forest was born from my interest in writing stories and desire to a have social impact through helping children improve their writing skills. Authors like Dr. Seuss were a great source of inspiration for me, as they really helped me to understand the world and deal with tough moments as a child. After lots of research, I realised the monumental role that technology plays in a child’s life today, and

My biggest difficulty has always been my shyness and communication skills that children are more likely to play games on a tablet than pick up a book. The idea developed into a creative-writing virtual world for kids – where children

shout about on your CV. It proves you are an individual. Although having a first class degree is all well and good, employees look for certain personalities. If your personality involves not having much to say about yourself, it isn’t the best start for an interview or application. Your blog will help you build a personal brand because your personality becomes the brand. You might surprise yourself about how you develop as a person as you get into the swing of blogging!

It can give you a professional edge. If your blog hits the big time, you might find yourself being contacted by PR’s to work with them on campaigns. This is super exciting but you can also use it on your CV. Building working relationships proves to potential employees that you can be professional and present yourself in an appropriate manner. It shows that you have enough drive and passion to get contacted in the first place, go you!

It can lead to big things.

When I started my own fashion and lifestyle blog I wasn’t sure where it would lead. Fast forward four years, and it’s essentially a part-time job for me.

Although I don’t think I could make it into a full-time career, it is totally possible nowadays to go self-employed and run your blog as a business if you can build it big enough!

It is something to talk

about. In interviews, employers will often focus on the biggest chunks of your CV and quiz you about them. If they ask, ‘tell us how you grew your blog’, you will have a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate all the skills you’ve gained.

Starting your own blog?

My top three bloggers: Good Girl Gone Brum : Emily is a final year English Literature and Creative writing student at UoB. She is a vegetarian and writes restaurant reviews, recipes, and foodie. www.goodgirlgonebrum.co.uk

Pick a platform

Wonderful You: Meg writes about fashion and beauty. Her blog is packed with gorgeous photography and inspirational posts. She has shown that with dedication and passion, blogging can be taken full-time. www.wonderful--you.com

Your blog name will essentially become your brand so try keep it short, snappy and memorable.

can sign-up, write stories, earn points and then use these points to upgrade their character. These gaming elements were added to make story-writing fun for reluctant writers.

ble investors. I made it to semifinals of the Baldwin’s Kickstarter competition and the reason I didn’t get any further

What attracted you to the bSeen programme and how has it helped you?

I was attracted to join the bSeen programme due to the support they offered to turn my idea into a real business. For example, they ran a series of workshops in the summer where I learnt to promote my product on a low budget, define my target market and gained insight on business planning. I was also provided with an excellent mentor who helped me improve on my weaknesses (such as confidence issues.)

What were some of the biggest obstacles you faced when starting your company and how did you overcome them?

My biggest difficulty has always been my shyness and communication skills. I have always been the type of person to keep things simple and direct. But I found that this doesn’t always work out in business, especially when you’re trying to sell your idea at networking events or to possi-

Jordan Bunker: Jordan is a student blogger who writes about men’s fashion, lifestyle and travel. He proves that running a successful blog is possible alongside your studies and is an ASOS student ambassador! www.jordanbunker.co.uk Sophie is a fashion and food blogger at www.sophieetc.com.

She will be speaking at the Careers Network event on The Art of Blogging, taking place in the Learning Centre, LG12, on Wednesday 9th March at 1:30pm.

Being an entrpreneur depends on your patience and resilience to handle the unknown was that they felt I wouldn't be able to communicate my passion for Imagine Forest in front of hundreds of people in the finals, as the panel could see my shyness. Networking events help me get used to talking to people about my idea with confidence.

When was moment?

your proudest

Making it to the finals of the Santander 60 Second Pitch competition and winning 3rd place based on public votes. This achievement definitely gave me more confidence in my product, as the votes I received showed

Blogspot and WordPress are the main blogging platforms and come with premade templates for your site.

Pick a name

Buy a domain

This isn’t essential but it makes you look like you know what you’re doing! You can buy your .com or .co.uk through your platforms for around £5 a year.

Get social

Streamline your social media channels: use consistent handles and hashtags. Employers may look at them for evidence that you do what you claim, so ensure you keep them updated.

that others thought that Imagine Forest was a great idea.

Would you recommend students to start up their own companies?

In my opinion, being an entrepreneur requires you to understand all areas of business from finance to legal technicalities to ensure you’re running effectively – even if you find this stuff boring. You also could be operating at a loss for a long time before you breakeven, meaning you might not get any salary in the first year or a very small salary depending on your business.

However once your business starts growing, the satisfaction that comes from owning a successful business is unbeatable and you never know how much your business could be worth in the future! So it really depends on your patience and resilience to handle the unknown.

I would give two pieces of advice to any aspiring entrepreneurs: always think before jumping in and take some time out, it can help you see new solutions to a problem and develop your creativity. www.imagineforest.com

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MUSIC

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbrickmusic

Redbrick Meets: Ady Suleiman Daniella Bassett Music Critic @treepaperbook

Nottingham nurtured neo-soul singer/songwriter, Ady Suleiman is one of the most individual talents on the music scene at the moment. Having picked up Gilles Peterson’s ‘Breakthrough Act of 2014’ at the Worldwide awards, and previously supporting the likes of Laura Mvula and Lianne Le Havas, Ady is an incredibly talented and charismatic young lad.

He answers the phone, cheerfully admitting that he’s still bundled up in bed - making two of us! With incredibly laid back, easy manners, it is not hard to chat with Ady, but it’s certainly hard to stick to any sort of plan or list of questions; it was like chatting to an old friend.

'I find performing can be quite spontaneous, like sometimes you're just like 'this song feels right'' When we finally get down to some questions, Ady and I chat about what he did before he got into the music industry: “Football was my main thing, but also I loved art as well, like Theatre Studies. I was really

Local Artist Spotlight: Sam Jackson Natalie Hatton Music Editor @nataliehatton

Sam Jackson and his beard have been a feature on the UoB music scene for the last year, and since his signing with student-run record label New Street Records in February 2015, he has made a name for himself as a confident and impressive performer. 2016 will be a big year for Sam, as already proven: he’s recently headlined the O2 Academy and the Oobleck; his newest single, ‘Emily’, was given a world exclusive first play on Burn FM; and his upcoming EP, Strangers Again, will be released at the end of March.

Sam has honed his bluesy pop style in the last year, with ‘Emily’ being a departure from last year’s acoustic ‘I Just Want To Love You’, and with the upcoming EP, there are sure to be great things to come.

bad at reading scripts though. I found it really hard to get parts in school plays and stuff because you have to spot read, and they give you the script and they’re like ‘this is your part’ and then you have to just do it, but my reading and comprehension is awful, so I couldn’t do it!”

An Arsenal supporter, and former player for Nottingham Forest FC, Ady explains that he’s “never been all like ‘yeah, music’s what I’m gonna do and I’m gonna be really successful’, I was always like ‘I don’t know if I’m good enough to do it’, you know?” and that his parents have “definitely played a big role” in his musical career. “It was actually [his] parents that were like ‘Yo, you’re sick. Keep doing it’”, and we’re certainly lucky that he did.

Ady has released two full EPs since 2015 that are completely full of absolute bangers.

Having been compared to the likes of Frank Ocean and Amy Winehouse, I was dying to find out what the inspiration for his unique sound was. He revealed that his musical influences and inspirations have changed over the years “depending on what point in my life I was at.” He walks me through his progression from “Jimi Hendrix and all that kind of rock stuff” along with “blues and jazz”, to “a lot of soul, like Ray Charles and James Brown”, to “hip hop and R&B” when he was about 17/18, right down to the present day where “it’s kind of all of it!”

This certainly shows through his music, as does his love of the

sound of bass, which he named as his favourite sounding instrument: “my favourite is bass, like double bass or bass guitar just because, I don’t know, it’s just so sick isn’t it? It’s a wicked instrument that keeps the rhythm.

Drums are pretty boring, because you can’t put any melody to it, but bass is like right there with the bottom end.”

The bass and horns on Ady’s ‘Live in Manchester’ EP are incredible, and sound like so much fun to play, so I asked him what his favourite songs were to play and which was his all-time favourite gig that he had played: ‘I think when you put a new song in, obviously they’re your favourites because they’re new and like fresh, but I think if I had to go for one, it’d probably be ‘Serious’ just because I find it really easy to get into the storytelling of that tune.

As for my favourite gig, it has to be Giles Peterson’s Worldwide Music Festival in the South of France. It was on my birthday, so it was amazing. I flew all my mates out and had my 21st there, and it was a wicked show. It was really good fun. It’s a wicked festival, and we stayed there for the whole week. The lineup was wicked, there was loads of cool stuff going on’.

Having more than a few gigs under his belt

now, I wondered if Ady had gotten used to the whole performing process, and it has just become standard, or whether it was all still new and exciting for him, but it seems that the Nottingham singer still finds something fresh in every gig that he plays: “I find performing can be quite spontaneous, like sometimes you’re just like ‘this song feels right at the moment’ and sometimes you change set, so we’re playing the set and I’ll be like ‘well we can’t put this tune in now because it’s too hype or too m e l l o w ’ .

Sometimes they’ve been the best gigs for me when I’ve like made a mistake.”

Curious about this I asked the singer what the biggest mistake he had e v e r made o n stage w a s , and he wasn’t afraid t o

admit his lyrical slip ups: “I’ve forgotten some of my own lyrics, not even forgotten them, just sung the wrong ones. It’s always on the same tune, ‘Need Somebody to Love’, it’s at the beginning it starts like almost acapella, it starts up proper slow, and, I don’t know why, I just like say the wrong words, but the crowd will know I’ve fucked up, so sometimes I just start again.”

After chatting about this year’s festival line ups and swapping adolescent T4 On the Beach stories, we wrapped up the interview discussing which song Ady would play if he only had five minutes left on earth to make an impact: “Fucking hell. I don’t know, I wanna like think about it and give a proper answer. But, off the top of my head, it’d probably be that really cheesy Bob Marley song that goes ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ - Three Little Birds - yeah probably something like that. You can’t really fuck with that message can you?”

After hanging up the phone, I couldn’t help but smile at Ady’s genuinity and warmth. His personality is just as captivating as his music, and I, personally, can’t wait to see what he has to offer at the Hare and Hounds at his live gig on the 6th March 2016. Hopefully he’ll remember the lyrics to ‘Somebody to Love’!

Single Review: Gwen Stefani - Make Me Like You Gregory Robinson Music Critic @GregoryBTW

Gwen Stefani has finally blessed the world with yet another delicious slice of pop perfection that is her new single ‘Make Me Like You’. Some fans may regard the sheer happiness and upbeat nature of the track quite surprising considering the events which have unfolded in Stefani’s personal life. However, Gwen’s music ranging from her work with the band No Doubt, to her debut album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (aka one of the best pop albums of all time), has always contained a particular sense of optimism and idiosyncrasy. It has been almost a decade since Gwen released her second studio album 'The Sweet Escape', and after initial comeback singles ‘Baby Don’t Lie’ and ‘Spark The Fire’ which failed to catch on with the general public, the self-reflective breakup anthem ‘Used To Love You’ became the first official taste of Gwen’s upcoming third studio album This Is What The

Truth Feels Like, which will be the singer’s first release following her divorce.

Like the former, ‘Make Me Like You’ has a polished, somewhat retro production which harks back to funky electro-pop music of the 1980s while also being fresh and, as can be expected from Gwen, incredibly catchy. The track features a prominent guitar riff which bubbles into charming synths in the chorus which are reminiscent of Gwen’s 2006 single ‘The Sweet Escape’ and ‘Lovefool’

by The Cardigans. The production by newcomers Mattman & Robin (who most recently produced Selena Gomez’s new single ‘Hands to Myself ’) highlights Gwen’s quirky vocals and alluring adlibs.

While ‘Used To Love You’ details the failure of a longstanding relationship, ‘Make Me Like You’ is all about moving on from the bitter past and unexpectedly finding love. In the opening verse, Stefani declares: 'I was fine before I met you / I was broken but fine / I was lost and uncertain / But my heart was still mine / I was free before I met you / I was broken but free / All alone in the clear view / But now you are all I

see'. In the chorus, Stefani sings: 'Why'd you have to go and make me like you? / This is a feeling I’m not used to / I'm so mad at you cause now you got me missing you' Following the release of the first two singles from Gwen’s new album, one thing is for sure: the ten year hiatus from her solo career has not stunted her ability to churn out pop earcandy.

MUSIC

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbrickmusic

19

Single Review: Jake Bugg - Gimme the Love Matt McCrory Music Editor @IAmNotMatty

Jake Bugg’s first two records didn’t really grab me. While they pulled a few punches with catchy, folktinged hits and sombre acoustic moments, I never felt convinced by Bugg’s brand of bolshy indie rock; an impression reinforced by his enigmatic live show.

'It's impressive how adeptly Jake takes on a whole roster of new instrumentation' Recently, however, Jake has been making motions towards his third album, On My One, and teasing some songs that break his usual folk formula.‘Gimme The Love’ immediately sets itself apart from Bugg’s back catalogue with its upbeat drum track. It evokes feelings of Screamadelica and other dance-inspired 90’s Madchester moments, emphasised by a subtle synth background and busy

bassline. On top of this comes an impressively intricate guitar track that interjects little flourishes into this driving song. It’s a densely layered three minutes in which Jake balances high-pitched, reverbed guitar parts with a gritty, dance-worthy bassline.

Surprisingly, Bugg’s Nottingham drawl works well over the emphatic instrumental.

His near-spoken delivery on the verse is comparable to Anthony Kiedis on ‘Can’t Stop’ while on the chorus multi-layered vocals continue to impress the dance dynamic that the track constructs so well. It’s impressive how adeptly Jake takes on a whole roster of new instrumentation and arranges it with a considered and mature production. A nice guitar solo and lightly distorted breakdown are additions that adorn an already catchy and pronounced song. Overall, ‘Gimme The Love’ shows Jake Bugg convincingly expanding his sound. His first foray into music with an outstated dance and electronic influence indicates that we can expect a stylistic shift. from his upcoming record. Judging from what we’ve heard so far, this is going to be one to anticipate.

Album Review: The 1975 - I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It Phil Jones Music Editor @PhilRDJones

The 1975 are a band that are loved and hated in equal measure, with a polarising frontman, potentially pretentious song titles, and a strange fixation with chocolate and petticoats. Their debut album was a mixed bag of decent songs, filler tracks and more filler tracks. However, Matt Healy and co have promised this record will blow our minds, but have they delivered? Read on to find out... (spoilers: not really) If somebody texted you the title of this album you’d have cause to instantly block them and probably call the police. Healy seems to attempt Alex Turneresque poeticisms but comes closer to Adam Johnson Whatsapp messages. It captures the ludicrousness of Elton John’s latest album artwork (Google it) but takes it to the completely opposite extreme. This album title isn’t clever. It’s not eye-catching.

It’s laughable. It’s not even pretentious; it’s just an incredibly weak attempt to gain Buzzfeed headlines. It does to poetry what the Big Bang Theory does to comedy. It’s about as revolutionary as Jeremy Clarkson’s Amazon Prime series. It’s just dire.

In previews for this record many have predicted that the songs would be completely dif-

ferent from what is on the debut record, but to say that the album is a complete departure from the band’s debut would be to do it a disservice; there are many, many moments on the record which could have been lifted directly from the self-titled debut. At times, it’s so The 1975 it hurts. It really is the tracks which break from this mould which stand out on first listen however, be that in a good way or a bad way.

'Healy seems to attempt Alex Turner-esque poeticisms but comes closer to Adam Johnson's Whatsapp messages' ‘UGH’ provides the perfect middle ground between the airiness of the first album and the attempted funkiness of this follow-up. Placing the track directly after the lead single is interesting as it sounds like the post-midnight version of that track.

‘If I Believe You’ is the 1975 having a punt at gospel and actually comes across quite well, if you ignore the clunky religious-based lyrics. In fact, that is quite a common thread throughout the tracks on the album: the songs work, if you look past the

clunky lyrics. However, it is often hard to when you are presented with such nuggets as ‘Caught up in fashion, Karcrashian panache/And a bag of bash for passion’.

It says a lot about this record that ‘Please Be Naked’ is only the second worst title on the album. However, the song opens with an immensely pleasing keyboard and drone accompaniment which sounds like it was lifted directly from the fingers of Chris Martin on a good day.

When the song finishes and you realise it was a largely instrumental piece, it really makes you wonder what at all possessed the band to give it its title and you hope it wasn’t something illegal.

First single ‘Love Me’ had a much stronger impact when it was released by David Bowie in 1975 under the title

‘Fame’. As an attack on the music industry, as suggested by the song’s video, it pretty much falls flat, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless, if highly inauthentic. ‘The Sound’ is potentially the catchiest song the band have written, and not in the annoying way that ‘Chocolate’ was. The 1975 are often a band who sound as though they are taking themselves

too seriously, but on ‘The Sound’ they just sound as though they are having fun. It’s upbeat, it’s memorable, it’s everything a great pop song should be. It’s also incredibly polarising, but that makes it all the more fun.

Healy and co should’ve gone with a much shorter title and just labelled the album Pastiche. You can say what you want about the band’s first album but at least it had a relatively distinctive style.

On this album however, even the songs in the band’s traditional style sound like thinly veiled pastiches of their earlier work.

The songs are good in the way that your mate Dan’s cover of Wonderwall at the open mic is good; enjoyable to listen to, but derivative with a capital D. ILIWYSFYASBYSUOI (it’s even annoying as an acronym) is not a terrible album. It’s not even a bad album. It has a few standout tracks, which are pretty much the singles plus a few honourable mentions.

However, there’s nothing new to be found here. If you like The 1975, go and listen to their first album for more interesting ideas. If you like ‘Love Me’, go and listen to INXS. If you like originality and detest derivativeness, maybe give this one a miss. Matt Healy has stated in a recent interview that the world needs to hear this album. In fact it doesn’t, because it’s heard it all before.

20

TELEVISION

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbricktv

Review: Churchill's Secret Zoe Screti

TV Critic @zoescretimusic

Popularly remembered as one of Britain’s greatest men, any feature length drama about Sir Winston Churchill would need to be equally monumental – and ITV’s Churchill’s Secret was certainly that.

For many, Churchill is a steadfast, voice of calm and reason amidst the turmoil of war. Yet this great man had, like most, a devastating decline in later life. These final years have seldom been focused on, as the media and popular culture has opted to remember his strengths rather than his aged fragility. Yet perhaps the reason for this little known chapter of Churchill’s life was his family’s dogged attempt to keep his fragile last few years quiet. The drama makes it clear that the family were all painfully aware of the greatness of Churchill's reputation, and they were willing to do anything to ensure him his place in history, even if that meant hiding his humanity.

The feature drama begins in 1953, when Churchill is in his late 70s, yet shows no signs of slowing down politically. However, his ailing health seems to no longer be able to withstand the rigours and pressures of the Cold War. Within minutes of the drama beginning, Churchill is seen to have his first stroke, which was masterfully concealed by his family and close acquaintances from the dinner party which surrounded him, eagle-eyed and hungry for more than just their dinner. In order to allow Churchill to recuperate, Clementine Churchill (his wife) and Jock Colville (his servant and close acquaintance) con-

struct a plan to move the Prime Minister to his family home of Chartwell, away from the public scrutiny and pressures of Downing Street. En route, however, Churchill suffers another stroke, leading to him practically being dragged from his car and into the confines of the house in a deeply emotional scene. Here he is nursed

by Millie Appleyard, a fictional young northern nurse from a working class background which could not be more different to his own. This no-nonsense nurse and equally determined man strike a friendship which proves crucial in his recovery – for it is the hope she gives him which drives Churchill to strive for better and more. At the same time, the drama not only tracks the demise of a great man but the intimate struggles of his family who try to conceal the emotional intensity with plastered-on smiles. Yet these cannot quite cover the cracks from which outbursts of pent-up pain burst forth unpredictably.

The drama portrayed is, in many ways, the best of the British.

With a strong cast including Michael Gambon, Lindsay Duncan, Bill Paterson, Matthew Macfaden, Tara Fitzgerald and Rachel Stirling, and a blend of iconic and idyllic locations, the very components of the drama reflect the iconic status of Churchill himself.

The drama is, in many ways, the best of the British Michael Gambon, who portrays Churchill, gives a strong, convincing and powerfully emotive performance which captures the might and brilliance of

Churchill whilst also revealing his insecurities and fears as his seemingly immortal life appears to be slipping away from him. The charisma and wit carried through Gambon’s performance accredits the showmanship of Churchill perfectly and it is this strength through the hardest times which embodied the Blighty spirit.

Lindsay Duncan’s performance is also particularly noteworthy. In her perceptive portrayal of Clementine Churchill, she aptly embodies the phrase 'behind every great man is a great woman'.

Played with grace and decorum, even in the most emotive and heart wrenching of scenes, Duncan gives due credit to the woman who sacrificed so much for her husband and country and yet is

considered so little.

The setting of Chartwell is cleverly used as its dark, dusty interior enhanced the sense of secretive seclusion that the Churchill's were drawn into. It seemed particularly poignant to place Churchill in a small bed in the middle of a large room, in which the book-lined walls decorated with antiquarian pictures and family mementos seemed to only minimalize the great man further. Someone so great was made to seem so small in his frailty, unable to fill the room with the charm he had so successfully employed in health.

Ultimately, this drama restores humanity to a monumentalised man. It revealed not only a deeply intimate moment of Churchill’s

life, but the family struggles that were occurring behind the scenes of the great stage of politics on which he was such a prolific actor.

His troubled children who had breakdowns and, in the case of Randolph, turned to the bottle, are beautifully portrayed, revealing the true pressure placed on the children of iconic figures. Whilst it may not have been absolutely accurate, this drama was a fitting tribute to one of Britain’s greatest: a stark reminder that even the mightiest can fall, and that a smile can hide a thousand woes. But, as Winston was keen to extol, we should just KBO* through any hardship. (*Keep Buggering On) You can catch Churchill's Secret on the ITV Hub.

Is BBC's New Top Gear in Crisis?

James Tyson TV Critic @jamestyson06

After the events of May last year involving Jeremy Clarkson punching the show’s producer, Oisin Tymon, which resulted in a previously proposed threeyear renewal being withdrawn, it was announced that Top Gear would be revamped. More recently, Chris Evans, Matt LeBlanc, Sabine Schmitz, Christ Harris, Eddie Jordon and Rory Reid have been announced as presenters for the new show but since this announcement, the show has been hit by a streak of seemingly bad luck.

Lisa Clark, the new show’s executive producer has quit due to Chris Evans being a ‘control freak’ with ‘dictatorial behaviour’. This has thrown the show into a ‘certain amount of disarray’ which has pushed back the launch date by two weeks. The revamped series was originally scheduled to air on May 8 but will now launch on May 22 of this year.It was also planned that

the show’s first series would consist of eight episodes but this has now been cut to just six. Evans was described by his fellow BBC employees as being a ‘control freak who thinks he can trample over everyone’. Clark's departure comes shortly after other employees have left the show, including script editor, Tom Ford, and BBC2 controller, Kim Shillinglaw.

Another issue reported between Evans and Clark was Clark's decision to hire Matt LeBlanc as a cohost. A source within the BBC claimed: ‘It was Lisa who suggested Matt, but Evans' reply was, reportedly, 'He's an old hat, what do we want him for?’ This revelation should make for interesting viewing to see how this pair’s relationship works, having big shoes to fill from the previous hosts.

Another scandal surrounding Top Gear is that beloved host of Saturday Kitchen, James Martin, chose to leave the latter show after he was passed over for a role on the new Top Gear. Martin, who has had Chris Evans as a guest on Saturday Kitchen on multiple occasions, was keen to join the

line-up, but was left put out after BBC bosses blocked his joining.

With Top Gear filming at weekends, it would have clashed with his Saturday Kitchen role if he had transferred to the programme. A source explained: ‘Although James played down joining the show there was no doubt he fancied it. But BBC executives blocked the move. They felt he was best suited to Saturday Kitchen. Also, filming commitments for Top Gear are often over weekends which would clash with the show.’ Viewers were so upset with this decision - many even phoned in to the live show to express their sadness at the news.

Although not necessarily bad news for Top Gear itself, it is just just yet another piece of bad publicity for the show.

Only time will tell if, despite these concerning stories, the quality of the show, which is the most watched factual television show in the world, will continue in this new phase.

What are your opinions on the new Top gear? Tell us them @ redbricktv

TELEVISION

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbricktv

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Review: The Shannara Chronicles

Harry Turner TV Editor @acynicalsloth

As someone who had never heard of, let alone read, the books the series is based on, when I first heard about Shannara Chronicles, I brushed it off as, at best, the sort of standard, high epic fantasy that wouldn’t interest me. Certainly its name, and how generic it sounds, didn’t help. It was only the adverts I caught for the show that saw me change my stance. It looked like the kind of high fantasy that I expected it would be, to be sure, but there was a certain style to it – a certain exoticism, an alien nature to its fantasy world – and not to mention the impressive cinematography - that caught my attention. So, I decided to give the show

a shot.

Was it all that I hoped for?

Well, it’s a mixed bag. Mild spoilers for the premiere ahead.

Certainly the cinematography is as impressive as the adverts made it out to be. Whilst Shannara may not quite be Lord of the Rings (indeed, the show is shot in New Zealand too), it’s still impressive.

The camera pulls back from the action repeatedly in the premiere to take in the vast and expansive fantasy landscape – the greens of the trees atop looming mountains; grand white cities towering over them – and all rendered in a bright, colourful style. The show looks striking – or certainly the Elven Kingdom does, the locale which enjoys most of these shots in the premiere – and it all sets up the world well aesthetically, an essential for any fantasy show that wants

to stand out from the crowd.

On a similar note, the show’s setting too, is more interesting than I first thought it would be – there are a few features that make it interesting, or at least distinctive.

Easily the most interesting of these is the role of humanity in this fictional world – in particular the revelation that comes at around the half-hour mark of the premiere: a downed, overgrown helicopter amongst the wilderness. Again, as someone who had never heard of the books, this revelation truly came as a surprise – and as a great one at that. The notion that this world may be ours, that all these fantastical elements don’t suggest the past but rather the far future, is very intriguing.

Yet, for all this, Shannara is still very much as its stands run-ofthe-mill high fantasy. There’s a

main character who’s an heir, or in this case an heiress, to a throne, another protagonist connected to a heroic and far-spanning legacy that he was never aware of, and the whole world is under threat from a massive, inherently evil force that hasn’t been seen for some time. Of course, a fantasybuff may be right at home here.

At the same time though, the premiere also suffers from some clunky dialogue, which to an extent is to be expected in a premiere – least of all the premiere for a fantasy show that needs to introduce a whole new world – but some of the lines were noticeably overbearing in their exposition. Likewise, none of the characters stand out as of yet – indeed, the rather rash decisions of one particular character left me rather confused – but then, this can also

Review: The Night Manager Roshni Patel TV Critic @Roshofalltrades

Based on John LeCarre’s 1993 novel of the same name comes the BBC’s latest big budget miniseries, The Night Manager.

Starring Tom Hiddleson in the titular role of the night manager, the premiere starts off well, with a slick, well-designed opening credits sequence, set to equally haunting music. The episode begins by introducing us to Richard Roper

(Hugh Laurie), before switching to Cairo in the midst of Egypt’s revolution in 2011, where Johnathan Pine (Hiddleson) calmly weaves through a rioting crowd to get to work. The show always has some sort of tense undertone, whether it be Roper’s talks of poverty just being a business opportunity, or Pine’s skilful customer service through one of Egypt’s key political reforms.

To add to the tension is Hugh Laurie, best known for Blackadder and House, who acts brilliantly as a chilling villain – a truly menac-

ing character who makes us want to step back and commend Pine for his bravery and continued curiosity. There's also Olivia Coleman, of Broadchurch fame, as Agent Angela Burr, a character (who was actually male in the book) who is a no-nonsense officer of the law, and who would like nothing more than to see Roper behind bars for his dodge dealings and crimes. In supporting roles are Russel Tovey (Being Human), Tom Hollander (Pride and Predjudice) and Elizabeth Debecki (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.). Even

be put down to it still being early days.

In the end, The Shannara Chronicles enjoys a good, if not great premiere. There’s a lot to like here – anyone remotely interested in the fantasy genre will probably find the plot enjoyable, and its world broadly interesting. It’s distinctly generic high fantasy – from tree-loving elves to a returning ancient evil to the hammy, cliché trailer-lines – but it's all rendered entertainingly nonetheless. Whilst there’s little to really hook you in for the long haul, it may pay to give this show a few more episodes to see if the series can take off once it’s laid the necessary foundations. For that reason alone – if only for there being room for doubt – Shannara may be worth a try for anyone interested in the genre. in these supporting roles, their talent hasn't been wasted, from Hollander’s sharp tongued role as Roper’s fixer, to Debecki’s mildmanner as Roper’s girl.

Commended by LeCarre himself, The Night Manager has shaped up to be everything it was hoped it would be. The entire episode is tense, leaving the viewer unable to turn away until the screen turns black on a cliff hanger, and with only six episodes, each episode is sure to be more gripping than the last.

The Night Manager airs on BBC1 on Sunday nights at 9pm, catch up on the first two episodes online, on the BBC IPlayer.

Ant and Dec: 27 Years and Back at it Again Tamsin Hackett TV Critic @TamsinAilishh

Ant and Dec started their career on TV programme Byker Grove in 1989, and became know as their character names PJ and Duncan.

Since then they have gone on to present countless shows including SMTV Live, Friends Like These, Pop Idol, PokerFace, Push the Button, Red or Black?, Text Santa and of course I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and Britain’s Got Talent. So British audiences are well accustomed to the loveable

pair – that’s 27 years the two have been on our screens. They were back at it again last week with not just one but two shows: Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and as the hosts of The Brits 2016. This was the third time the duo have been asked to present The Brits and it once again went off with a bang, but the pair made it clear they wouldn’t be returning for a fourth year, suggesting tthat hey wanted to end their streak with a good

reputation.

Ant and Dec are no strangers to the music world either; the two have had fourteen top 20 hits such as Lets Get Ready to Rumble, as well as three multiplatinum albums. Yet the pair seem at their best when they are hosting the prestigious awards.

Ant and Dec joked around about winning an award themselves, while Ant also dressed as a woman and went to the toilet whilst presenting an

award. There was also a ‘lost’ dancer who interrupted them but the twosome passed it off as a somewhat awkward joke.

Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway has also come back to our screens. This show is perfect for the weekend with its comedy segments, games and competitions. The show features the perfect combination of both live comedy as well as pre-recorded sketches and pranks. The two were back at it

again this series as they pranked British Comedian James Corden where he works on The Late Late Show in LA, and the first episode also featured an audience member’s proposal.

Last week alone proves just how much we love the Geordie pair. They are all over our screens all year and we never seem to get tired of it! Hopefully Ant and Dec will be on our screens for another 27 years – even if it won’t be on The Brits again.

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FILM

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbrickfilm

Review: Triple 9

Film critic Roshni Patel reviews the highly anticipated, star-studded gritty police thriller Roshni Patel Film Critic @Roshofalltrades

Triple 9: the American police code for an officer down, a call to action for every cop in the area to aid in the apprehension of the killer. The film, is best described as a tense action thriller, which revolves around cops and robbers, who play on both side of the law.

Viewers are immediately introduced to the main characters, removing any element of mystery, but certainly not any of the surprise; as the film holds you on the edge of your seat to see how the events will unfold.

Starring many well-known actors, from Kate Winslet, who plays a ruthless villain who will stop at nothing to get what she wants, to 12 Years a Slave’s Chiwetel Ejiofor as a heist ringleader with all the skills and tactics to ensure success. Also starring Clifton Collins Jr. and Anthony Mackie as crooked cops, Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul and The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus; whose show was given a nod through a hacked road sign which read ‘Zombies Ahead’. On the side of good is an uncle and nephew team, formed by Woody Harrelson and Casey Affleck, whose relationship is exploited for the execution of the Triple 9.

Director John Hillcoat (Lawless and The Preposition) has clearly tried to continue cap-

turing the darker side of the law, money and corruption. As a result the film contained very well executed heists, which were timed to perfection and contained the right amount of chaos, fear and calm calculation. These scenes should have been the first scenes we saw, but instead we’re made to wait through a forgettable first sequence and the titles before this burst of action captures our attention.

Although the film was packed with a stellar cast...it was all too clear that the actors weren't really used to their potentials Although the film was packed with a stellar cast and some truly exciting and enthralling scenes, it was all too clear that the actors weren’t really used to their potentials and were largely underdeveloped. While protagonist Ejiofor was able to somewhat tell his story, many other characters were given little background or chance to explain their motives, which frequently changed with no indication of why. From Winslets under explored villain to the depths of Mackie’s and Collins’

corruption. Harrelson adds some much needed humour through one liners and a bubbly personality, spouting lines such as “Be careful what you insta google tweet face”.

Conversely, both Aaron Paul and Gal Gadot were wasted, though Paul was used to add to the narrative as Reedus’ unhinged brother, Gadot was used for nothing more than eye candy.

The progression of the film is probably best described as out of control, as no one character drives the story, instead all the characters provide parallel views of the narrative, which collide together into a reasonably coherent film.

However the film could have done with some brutal editing, or more time, as it all felt very rushed in its 115 minute run time.

Release date 19th February Director John Hillcoat Cast Casey Affleck, Kate Winslet, Chiwetel Ejiofor Running time: 115 minutes

««««« Gabriella Marcucci Film Critic

Review: How to Be Single

How to Be Single looked set to be just another romcom about relationships and finding love or - in this case not finding love.

Instead this film took the very sentiment of a romantic comedy and just threw it straight out of the window. It is everything a 21st century movie about romance, dating and life should be – it’s honest and realistic (at times) and does not sugar coat it for you.

It is completely empowering for women, as it focuses on four main female characters.

However, it is also a film for the men as it features a few single guys also trying to navigate the New York dating scene, but it is still the woman who dominate the storyline. Nevertheless, this isn’t another generic film which plays off men and women against each other, showing how relationships work and how men normally always come out on top. In fact, it shows how the women date, how the women want to date and most importantly how the women in this film can be single.

Featuring a fantastic cast of newly established actors and some firm favourites with the likes of Rebel Wilson, Dakota Johnson, Lesley Mann, and Alison Brie representing the females. But not forgetting the guys; Anders Holm, Nicholas

Braun, Jake Lacy and Damon Wayans Jr. Although, arguably the most important casting would have to be Rebel Wilson playing the character of Robin, as without her I’m not convinced that many of the daringly, hilarious one-liners would have featured and this is definitely a big positive of the film.

Wilson absolutely runs this film, sometimes outshining the main character of Alice, played

by Johnson, who the film mainly focuses on. It tells the story of Alice who has just come out of a long term relationship and who is trying to find herself in the hussle and bussle of New York – a perfect choice as its notorious for its casual dating scene and also the setting for many romantic, clichéd movies which this film subtly makes a joke out of.

This film also highlights different issues many modern women go through with life and relationships; like being career driven and not having time for a baby, or not having ever been single and finally experiencing it or loving being single so much you don’t want to settle down, there is something in this film that anyone and everyone can relate to and that’s what makes it so great. Another aspect that makes this film such a welcoming breath of fresh air into the romcom market is how it does not give all the characters a happy ending. It doesn’t follow

its predecessors of this genre by tying up the loose ends with marrying all the women off with a suitable partner, it stays true to its title and showcases exactly that.

How to Be Single, is not just a film about being single, or dating people, it’s a film about family and most importantly the family that is your friends. It highlights how in this modern era of online dating, complicated relationships and numerous one night stands, that the key to being truly single is to have fun with a great bunch of friends by your side, it’s not about finding love, it’s about finding yourself.

An honest, hilarious and relatable film that I would recommend to anyone.

Release date 19th February Director Christian Ditter Cast Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Alison Brie Running time: 110 minutes

«««««

FILM

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbrickfilm

Highlights: Oscars 2016 Film editor Jess Ennis rounds up the biggest night on the awards season calendar: The Academy Awards

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Film News Gurnesha Bola Film Critic @gurnesha

One of the most speculated-about superhero films of the year continues to unveil new information in the run-up to its imminent release. The most recent announcement being that an R-rated Director’s cut of Batman v Superman will be available on its Blu-Ray release. Potentially hoping to capitalise on the immense success of Deadpool, it marks the beginning of studios’ increased interest in raising their age certificates.

Ava DuVernay (director of Selma) is adding another string to her bow by venturing into the sci-fi genre as she has signed on to direct A Wrinkle in Time for Disney. The novel adaptation (adapted by Jennifer Lee, writer and co-director of Frozen) follows children travelling through dimensions and time in order to find their missing scientist father.

The 88th Academy Awards, in all its traditional splendour, was an opulent night filled with designer gowns, golden trophies, and a wealth of the industry’s finest actors. It was also, however, a night which drew stark and pointed detail to the politics that have thus far surrounded the white-washed academy race.

Following the opening montage that celebrated the year’s films, host Chris Rock was quick to open his monologue with a humorous but no less resounding, “Look, there was like fifteen black people up there!” Not only was it a dig at the lack of diverse representation that currently exists within the film industry in general, but it was a reminder that not a single one of them would hear their name called out tonight. Why? Because they weren’t nominated.

Rock went on. “I’m here at the Academy Awards – otherwise known as the White People’s Choice Awards.” It might have been a risky move for the Academy to employ such an outspoken comic to christen the event, but in light of all the controversy – not just around the Oscars, but around America in general – he struck the right balance between easy laughs and some far more serious comments about the political state of the country.

“In the ‘In Memoriam’ package, it’s just going to be black people that were shot by the cops on the way to the movies.” Rock had a lot to say, and he made sure that he said it.

Many of the main awards played out in the way the public had predicted; cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki won his third consecutive Oscar – deservedly – for his work on The Revenant, for which Alejandro Iñárritu won his second Best Director award.

Best Supporting Actor went to Mark Rylance for Bridge of Spies, for which he had already won the BAFTA. Best Supporting Actress went, to the dismay of

Carol fans, to the wonderful Alicia Vikander for The Danish Girl; for myself, however, it’s really an award for Ex Machina, which was horrifically overlooked this season. Brie Larson won Best Actress for her astonishing performance in Room, during which she thanked her ‘partner in crime’ Jacob Tremblay – many believe the nine-year-old was overlooked for an awards nod this year, but it became apparent as Larson spoke that the film was as much a collaboration between the two as anything else.

Best Picture went to Spotlight, predicted by many because of its important political message regarding the Catholic Church, and its key central performances

by Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo and Michael Keaton.

But perhaps the most important award of the night was Best Actor. After countless consolation faces and powerful performances, Leonardo DiCaprio was finally awarded the Oscar for his turn as Hugh Glass in The Revenant. For many, it’s a relief – his recent works have too often been given the undeserving title of ‘Oscar bait’, with many throwing around ‘What is Leo prepared to do to win?’ rather than considering his nuanced performances. He received a standing ovation from his peers, and used his time onstage to make a powerful statement regarding climate change and its effects on indigenous communities: “Let us not take this planet for granted. I do not take this night for granted.”

It’s beginning to become a trend for Oscar winners to use their wins to stoke political fires; Patricia Arquette last year made a powerful speech on women in film, and Iñárritu’s speech on Sunday addressed racial prejudice. Hollywood hard-hitters are taking the platform given to them to speak out on important issues – and more power to them as they do it.

The official Class of 2016

Best Film: Spotlight Best Director: Alejandro Iñárritu Best Leading Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio Best Leading Actress: Brie Larson Best Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance

Awards season has begun its home stretch and while many incredible films will be lauded and praised, the Razzie Awards are here to make sure we don’t forget the year’s flops and failures. The top ‘winner’ on the night was Fifty Shades of Grey taking home five awards including Worst Actor and Actress for its leads Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, as well as sharing Worst Picture with this years Fantastic Four reboot.

Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander

After countless consolation faces and powerful performances, Leonardo DiCaprio was finally awarded the Oscar

Honourable Mentions...

Chris Rock.

This was Alejandro Iñárritu's 2nd consecutive win for Best Director Mad Max: Fury Road took home the most awards on the night, with a final haul of 6 (including Best Costume Design) This was DiCaprio's 6th Oscar nomination This years ceremony clocked in at an impressive 3 hours and 30 minutes Morgan Freeman proved he was one of us when he finished his presenting duties, grabbed a cookie and left!

On the other end of the awards spectrum, the ‘pre-drinks’ of the Oscars, the Independent Spirit Awards, announced their big winners of the year and it was Spotlight that left triumphant, taking home Best Feature, as well as Best Director for Tom McCarthy. The awards also made history for honouring actress Mya Taylor, the first transgender actress to win at the awards.

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LIFE & STYLE

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbricklife

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Struggling to find the perfect gift for a fussy mum? Here is our ultimate guide to the top gift picks for Mother's Day 2016 Nia Lewis

Picture Perfect

Life&Style writer

If your idea of a successful Mother’s Day present is pulling on the heart strings and getting a tear or two out of her (in a good way!), photos are a safe bet. Grab the dusty boxes of childhood photos from the attic and create your own card, collage or album. Accompanied with a few words of love and appreciation for your mum, she’ll realise how much she means to you and your photos will make for an emotive gift. Remind her of an exciting family holiday, or collate a few selfies to make for a humorous, yet personal gesture. And if you are feeling particularly creative, why not try recreating treasured photos for a hilarious but touching gift!

Flower Power The classic way forward, flowers, they bring a smile to anyone’s face and immediately brighten a room. Websites such as Moonpig and Funky Pigeon offer delivery when ordered online – a perfect option if you live away from home but still want your mum to know you appreciate her. For the next week she’ll admire her flowers every day, reminding her of how great you think she is, setting her up for a happy day.

Make it Personal Perhaps a better option for those that want to give a timeless Mother’s Day present, notonthehighstreet.com offers everything you would normally buy for your mum – but with a personalised twist. Wall hangings, jewellery and random but cute keepsakes make for a gift that will last longer than a week. These gifts can make permanent additions to her household or jewellery box or handbag, ones she will likely treasure for years to come.

Ticket To Ride Living away from home will mean that perhaps the best gift you can give your mum this Mother's Day is a suprise visit. So get booking those train tickets and head back to see your mum in person. Or, if looming deadlines and lack of money are an issue, why not opt for a Skype or FaceTime session instead!

And Breathe...

Supermarket Sweep

For a mum that loves to be pampered, perfume can be a great choice. Head to boots and find a scent that reminds you of her, a gift that is truly specific to her personality. Busy mums love to wind down, so checking out The Body Shop or Lush will send you in the right direction to help her relax after a busy week. Fruity bath bombs, shower jellies and perfumed body scrubs will all contribute to a seriously calm evening for a mum that deserves a break.

If you really haven’t had time to think through a present, all is not lost. It may lack thought, but nipping to your local supermarket is better than giving her nothing! More often than not they dedicate a whole aisle to Mother’s Day – pick up a card and a box of chocolates and you’re good to go. If you’re a last minute person it is guaranteed your mum will have learnt this about you years ago – she’ll love you even if you can only offer her a bunch of daisies with the Tesco label still on.

Do you have a great gift idea for your mum this Mother's Day? Share it with us at: @redbrickpaper

Mother's Day 2016: Why Our Mums Are The Best!

Some of the Life&Style Team come together to reveal why they love their mums in this special Mother's Day appreciation post.

strongest "My mum is one of the w. She and loving people I kno family and does so much for myects ing noth her friends, yet exp her sense of in return. Althoughquestionable, humour may be me smile she always makes point. when I’m at my loweesttimes a Only seeing her thre made ly real year is hard but it’sand the time me appreciate her e."- Giulia we have together mor Bardelli

n that is too "There is no situatiomy to little or too big for havmum ing one be ld sort out. I cou tic melt of my ridiculously fran dissertadowns in full blowa,n,and she’d tion-fuelled hysteri put things know what to say to sort me into perspective andof anyone out. I can’t think h as her."who I idolise as muc Sophie Cunningham

throws at "No matter what life take s it in my mum she always most couher stride; she is the l, loving rageous, inspirationaknow that woman I know! I my mum is whatever happens, the person there for me- she is on come I can always count feel so rain or come shine. I's daughproud to be my mum my bigter, she is my rock and Scr eti gest inspiration."- Zoe

ays be "My mum will alw me, whatsupremely proud ofays has my ever I do. She alw rt and there best interests at hea es me feel is nothing that maka long time more at home after a hug from away at uni than ous my mum!"- Anonym ays there "My mother is alwwha t. She for me no matter nally and loves me unconditio anything e's I don't think ther a mothbetter or stronger than fina er-daughter-bond."- Del Rainoldi

on so "Now I'm older we get ilar. From well and we are so sim days to shopping trips to spa a real inspiafternoon tea! She'sso hard and ration and works t to be as motivates me to wanis in the she successful as future!"- Ayshea Baker me feel "My mum has madeabs olutely like I can talk about for that I and anything with her goes above am so thankful. Shee sure everyand beyond to mak py. I love one around her is hap y are wonyou Mum, you trultt derful!"- Carys Allo

LIFE & STYLE

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbricklife

FIERCE

Diversity: in Fashion

Kamila Geremek highlights the lack of diversity on our catwalks.

With London Fashion Week coming to a end, it’s safe to say that the issue of diversity in fashion has yet to be addressed by major fashion designers.

This year’s catwalks showcased models that were 7.67% black, 9.75% Asian and 2.12% Latina, with the rest being white.

Stories of industry racism are not unheard of, with high profile models such as Jordan Dunn and Joan Smalls speaking out about times when they have been rejected from clients due to the colour of their skin, regardless of their modelling talent. The scale of racism has caused models such as Ajak Deng to completely leave the industry due to the difficulty of being a woman of colour in the fashion world.

Designers have been highly criticised for appropriating black culture by using their beauty characteristics and placing it on white models, while at the same time rejecting black models for their distinct features. One example of this, took place at the Ashish Gupta show where models wore colourful afro wigs and the public had varied reactions. Designers are increasingly using aspects of different cultures and incoporating it into their work, blurring the boundaries between appropriation and appreciation.

Unsurprisingly it has led to wider claims that black beauty trends are only good on white women. After all, Kylie Jenner is praised for her lips which have undergone several injections due to her insecurities, but

example, it is easy to see how makeup brands will happily cater for lighter skin tones but fail to do the same for women of colour.

Some makeup artists have refused to work with black models as they don’t feel comfortable to do their makeup and when they do, it’s not suited to their skin tones, as exemplified in Leomie Anderson’s Twitter rant.

At the heart of the problem lies the question of why diversity still isn't present on the catwalk? Why are designers reluctant to cater for all of their customers?

Asian models have become more prominent with the rise of the Asian market for luxury goods. Which points to the fact that the fashion industry simply doesn't envisage it's goods being bought by black customers. Therefore, the problem is not the fact that black women are not considered beautiful, the problem lies deep in society’s perception of different cultures. This could potentially explain why Marc Jacobs did not feel the need to expand its shade range, because it did not believe that black women would have the money to buy the product. Even people like Oprah Winfrey have been affected, when she was refused service at a Hermes store because the staff believed she could not afford the item.

Before tackling the problem of diversity on the catwalk, the issue of racial prejudices must first be resolved.

31.9%

when Mac posted a picture of of Aamito Lagum’s lips, the comment section exploded with hateful Instagram ranging from “Black women will never be as beautiful as white women” to “Keep projecting your jealousy on white women though.”

Makeup, has also failed to cater for all skin tones, leading to women of colour resorting to buying higher end products that match their skin tone, which is ironic considering how many brands use black models in their campaigns but lack the

product to cater for their customers. Neutrogena and Maybelline have only just begun to expand their foundation ranges, but that does not necessarily mean that they will be stocked in all stores, as exemplified by Sephora in Singapore which only stocks the lighter shades of the Makeup For Ever foundation.

Recent controversy began when Marc Jacobs revealed their line of foundation which had a questionable shade range.

Whilst this is quite an extreme

Unlikely Fashion Icon: North West Life&Styler writer Jade Woodouse explains why Kim and Kanye's little protégé is heading in all the right directions when it comes to fashion...

Whether you love them or hate them, it cannot be disputed that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West produce insanely cute, and more importantly stylish, children. Since birth North West has been gifted personalised designer gear from brands such as Givenchy and Kenzo, with Kim ensuring her baby looked stylish even in the cot.

She regularly brushes shoulders with Anna Wintour on the front row at Fashion Week and most recently attended her dad, Kanye West’s Yeezy Season Three Show at Madison Square Gardens sporting a Yeezy x Balmain coat, paired with Vans From Balmain ballet tutus to Palace tees, North West remains one of the most stylish toddlers around as she jets around the world with her superstar parents, with a wardrobe leaving most young girls drooling with jealousy. With parents like Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, it’s hard to imagine North’s wardrobe as anything but the best. But this is no ordinary child, and definitely no ordinary life and North’s fashion reflects her unique lifestyle and innocence as a two year old just looking to have fun within a whirl of constant media attention.

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Vegitarianism/Veganism For a while now we have been seeing vegetarianism and veganism becoming more accepted in society. A range of vegetarian/vegan options have now been added to restaurant menus and many vegan restaurants are no longer seen as taboo places to non-vegans. A lot of this shift of perspective has been thanks to celebrities, Instagrammers and YouTubers promoting this healthy and environmentally friendly lifestyle.

Glitter Having always been glitter fans, it is great to see it come into the limelight as something so cool, funky and fun. Designers are using it on their catwalk make-up and girls are using it on their nights out to add a bit of groovyness to their look through trends such as glitter tears and glitter freckles.

Gucci's Fur-Lined Slippers These shoes are amazing, stylish and go with anything you wish to wear.

They are a combination of textures (which is also a key trend at the moment) and are a gorgeous alternative option to boots and trainers.

Flared/Bootcut Trousers I don’t know who thought it would be a good idea to bring flared or bootcut trousers back into the fashion world. For two years now we have seen flares and bootcut trousers make a comeback at festivals and on catwalks; but please stop! They should be banned.

Kanye West I am pretty sure Kanye West is either going through a midlife crisis or is simply on some sort of illegal class A drug that is making him crazy. His egotistical, rude, condescending nature on social media is turning him, very quickly, into the most unliked celeb.

Your music may be good Kanye but your attitude certainly isn’t.

The EU Referendum Before the whole debate has properly even begun I am already tired of hearing people speak of it. I cannot wait for it to all be over, and hopefully we will stay within the EU. Delfina Rainoldi Life&Style writer

FINISHED

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TRAVEL

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbricktravel

Travel: Cappadocia

Travel Writer Sophie Braybrook talks about the wonders of fascinating Cappadocia Sophie Braybrook Travel Writer @SophieBraybrook

As one of the less common places to visit in Turkey, giving way to Istanbul which is known for its fascinating history and beautiful beach destinations such as Bodrum, many have unfortunately missed the charming region of Cappadocia.

Located in the centre of Turkey, Cappadocia is eminent for its sandstone structures which locals have carved into for hundreds of years and inhabited using them for their homes, churches and temples. These picturesque structures were formed over three million years ago from a blanket of volcanic ash left behind after an eruption. The wind thereafter slowly ate away this layer of ash and formed these stunning land formations. Today, some caves remain authentic and lived in by the locals while others have been transformed into hotels and museums for tourists to explore.

Within the vast region of Cappadocia, a few towns in particular are hotspots for tourists. A city in Cappadocia – Nevsehir - is easily accessible from Istanbul, being only just over an hour’s flight away. From Nevsehir many coaches, minibuses and private taxis ferry between smaller towns

where tourism thrives as the main business of the area.

One and perhaps the most popular town – Göreme – is home to an array of hotels, restaurants, shops and tourist attractions, ideal for a couple of days spent exploring the magnificent scenery. The Göreme national park, as part of the UNESCO world heritage list, is a significant cultural value and definitely worth a visit.

'Cappadocia is eminent for its sandstone structures and stunning setting' stunning setting' Finding a place to stay that’s affordable enough for students, yet meets the desire for an authentic residence can prove a difficult task. A highly recommendable hotel, situated in an ideal location is Saksagan Cave Hotel. Rated highly on Trip Advisor and strongly recommended by Lonely Planet, one of the best double rooms here will only cost you around £35 per night during peak season. Not only do you get to sleep in a cave and truly experience Cappadocia, this hotel has other shining qualities. The welcoming host, Numan, is often

available and more than happy to help you plan your trips around the town or transport to your next port of call. To top it off, enjoying the delicious free buffet breakfast including traditional Turkish foods in the beautifully kept courtyard makes this hotel pretty much unbeatable.

The primary reason to come to Cappadocia is for its scenery and caves and all the ways it is possible to see it. Göreme is best known for its sunrise hot air balloon rides across its stunning setting - an unforgettable experience. The spectacular views are not only of the landscape when you are climbing the skies with up to 100 other balloons at one time. With Cappadocia holding the world title for the greatest number of balloons to fly each day, such an experience cannot be recreated elsewhere. Even for those afraid of heights, this morning view is an unmissable treat as the fully licenced piolet and co-pilot gently take up to 16 passengers at a time in a stable and sturdy basket.

While highly recommended, if ballooning is not for you, Göreme has plenty more to offer. A marvellous view can be obtained via a steep walk (or taxi) to the wall dividing the city from untouched fairy chimneys and other sandstone formations. Visit at sunset for an even more spectacular view.

To learn a little about the history of the area, the open air museum, a short walk from the town opens

Cinque Terre

its doors to previously practising churches and the stories behind their painted insides.

Beautiful canyons and valleys sweep the area and are available to visit with extensive underground cities - created by the Turkish to protect themselves during combatant years – via many reliable tour companies. With transport on a private minibus, an enthusiastic and knowledgeable English-speaking tour guide and entrance to the sights, this fascinating experience is not easy to say no to.

Not only is Göreme incredible for its sights, the food is pretty sensational too! Meze, borek, pide, baklava and other delicious and traditional dishes are available from various food venders throughout Göreme town. Follow the locals to Nazar Borek and Café, the perfect place to reside for lunch.

'Göreme is best known for its sunrise hot air balloon rides' This restaurant has an affordable selection of pastries and offers outdoor seating if you are lucky enough to grab some!

Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a home comfort in an unfamiliar place, Cappadocia Pide House

and Restaurant specialises in the pide, the Turkish equivalent of the Italian pizza. Furthermore, most, if not all restaurants in the area offer the selection of dips that make up the meze plate to start your dining experience, as well as some sweet treats and apple tea to finish your meal in true Turkish style.

Plenty of souvenirs to remind you of your fantastic experience are also available throughout Göreme town. Find patterned ponchos, intricately designed rugs, evil eyes and other colourful, traditional and handmade goods from a great selection of boutique stores within the town.

An extremely interesting family store with 17 different rooms, some of which are open air, claims the title of the largest standalone shop in the Asian side in Turkey.

Whether true or not, weaving through this beautifully decorated series of rooms is an experience in itself.

The relaxed nature of Göreme national park offers an unfamiliar and exciting accommodation, food and shopping experience, beautiful views with plenty of exploration opportunities, as well as a fascinating history. A destination perfect for a couple of days visit within a wider trip to the incredible country, Cappadocia is ideal for all ages and interests.

Travel Writer Giulia Bardelli updates us on Cinque Terre's tourist 'ticket' system.

Giulia Bardelli Travel Writer @Giulia_Bardelli

Recently, it has been announced that Italy will be imposing a limit on visitors with a tourist ‘ticket’ system from April through to October.

This news doesn’t come to a surprise for those who have already been to Cinque Terre.

What used to be a hidden gem in the world has undeniably become a buzzing tourist hotspot. With people from all over the world coming together to visit the small seaside villages, the narrow streets that were once quiet are now swamped with English speaking tourists, making it almost impossible to distinguish the Italian language. This swarm of tourists has become so evident

to the locals that even signs for the trains and trails have been translated into English.

Last year, around 2.5 million tourists planned their trip to Cinque Terre causing the ticket system to be implemented from this year on to reduce the number of visitors. This massive incline in tourists is partly due to cruise companies adding more Italian ports to their hop off destinations such as those near Cinque Terre, following the militant attacks in Tunisia. The head of the Cinque Terre Park has stated that no more than 1.5 million people will be allowed access from April to October of this year.

Although many may criticise the choice being made, locals have pledged to maintain the Italian heritage and preserve the national park. Tickets will be sold ahead of time online and possibly

through an app created for tourists, to show which of the villages are least busy.

As touristy as it may be, the small villages making up Cinque Terre are without a doubt a glorious sight to see. The colour block homes along the Italian coast are breathtaking and with the villages being situated right in the heart of a national park, it makes Cinque Terre all the more appealing to visit.

It’s upsetting when such small corners of the world are losing their local heritage and are feeling the need to reduce the number of visitors or make things easier for tourists by learning English.

Perhaps generating this new ticket system is really the only way for Italy to preserve the last of this hidden gem.

TRAVEL

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbricktravel

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Travel: Spring Getaways.

Travel Writer Hope Brotherton shares her most idealistic weekend breaks for this Spring.

Hope Brotherton Travel Writer @Hope_Brotherton

You could say that Spring has sprung. With only six Mondays to go until the Easter break is upon us, and with some serious minus temperatures reinforcing the Winter blues, your mind has probably started wandering to sunnier shores. Spring Getaways don’t have to be monotonous; Amsterdam, Venice, Barcelona and Berlin are the most obvious choices. Why not buck the trend?

Here at Redbrick Travel, we’ve found some hidden tourist hotspots that definitely deserve both your attention and a weekend of your Easter break.

1. Monaco Monaco - think Grace Kelly, Mediterranean Sea and Monte Carlo. Located on the French Rivera, the Coastal destination offers endless things to fall in love

with. It’s a definite must see for those of you on a French river cruise, however I believe it to be a must visit, cruise or not. Monaco is one of the smallest and most densely packed countries in the world. If you adore the busy hustle and bustle of London, then Monaco is definitely a place for you.

Many of us, similarly to the likes of Blair Waldorf, have dreamed of becoming a princess.

We have imagined ourselves in the plot of the Princess Diaries. Grace Kelly herself did just that in Monaco, marrying Prince Rainier III in the infamous Monaco Cathedral. She herself then became a Princess. If you want to relive a Princesses’ footsteps, then head down to the Cathedral and soak in the magnificent views. The Cathedral itself is an impressive building, which took 28 years to build from 1875 to 1903. This positions it as a fairly modern Cathedral by Europe’s standards.

However, the Grimaldis have ruled Monaco since the 13th Century, so it houses an impressive legacy

nonetheless. It’s not just the idea of being a Princess or the country’s history that will attract you to Monaco, but the vivid nightlife.

Monaco’s capital, Monte Carlo, is Europe’s answer to Las Vegas.

Monaco has the allure of Amsterdam's red light district, with a sandy beach to top it all off.

2. Dubrovnik Dubrovnik is one of the filming locations of hit TV series Game of Thrones, which has pushed it as an increasingly popular tourist destination this Spring.

Lord Byron dubbed Dubrovnik ‘the pearl of the Adriatic,’ and it’s easy to see why. In it’s hay day, Dubrovnik was the independent republic vying for influence with Venice. The walled city is an impressive site to behold. Head up and wander around the 1.3 mile panoramic walls to admire the many terracotta roofs. Bullet marks adorn the city’s walls from recent wars. Take the cable car up to the historical museum, where the country’s recent wars are commemorated. If museums aren’t your thing, then take a wander around the Old Town.

The Cathedral and Rector’s Palace also posing as main cultural attractions. If you’re staying close to a bus stop, then it’s recommended to pick up a Dubrovnik Card. There is a one day, three day or seven day card to choose from, and it includes 20 bus rides, as well as entry to the majority of museums, and discounts in many shops and restaurants.

Dubrovnik’s coast is decorated with more than 1,000 islands. The most popular is called Lokrum, which is a favourite of both tourists and locals alike. If you have the time, take a quick 15 minute ferry from Dubrovnik, and then spend the day wandering around Lokrums gardens and frolicking in the islands waters. Locals come out in full swing with their lunches, parasols and deck chairs. If you’re looking to save money,

then you yourself could take a picnic and do the same. Lokrum only offers a small selection of restaurants to eat in, but there is a small amount of choice if you’re unsure.

Dubrovnik also has great travel links to Bosnia and Montenegro, but it is advisable to pay a little extra for the journey. By paying a mere 20 Kuna’s more (just over £2), you will get a much more intimate experience, with a highly knowledgeable tour guide. From Dubrovnik, Montenegro can be done in a day. Be sure to make the most of the proximity to another lesser known destination whilst you’re there.

'If you adore the busy hustle of London, then Monaco is definitely the place for you.'

Bosnia is also equally appealing. Excursions are available to some of the other islands, with a three island tour being rather popular. Activities like Kayaking can also be done along the way, if that’s’ your kind of thing. Just remember to take a choice of currency if you do. Dubrovnik’s official currency is the Kuna, whilst countries like Montenegro and Bosnia use the Euro. Taking a selection of both would be wise, however, the Euro is accepted in most places, so do not worry if you can’t.

3. Andorra Despite being the sixth smallest Nation in Europe, Andorra packs a punch in terms of exotic cultural attractions. It’s situated between France and Spain in the Pyrenees Mountains. Even this early in the year, you will be blessed with gorgeous hillside

A Postcard From... Lake Bled

views of lush greenery stretching as far as the eye can see. In the earlier winter months, Andorra is home to some of the best ski slopes in Europe. So, if you’re one for more of an active holiday, then Andorra has you covered all year round. The country’s capital and only town is that of Andorra La Vella. This is the highest capital in Europe. A small historical quarter still remains, as does Casa del Vall, Andorra’s historical parliamentary seat. Another point of interest is Sant Esteve Church, which is one of the oldest historical buildings in Andorra. Andorra is a small principality, but from here there are reliable travel links into France and Spain if you want to add a mainstream destination onto your list.

4. San Marino The final getaway in this guide is claimed to be the oldest surviving sovereign state and constitutional republic in the world. That’s right – our final Spring Getaway destination is San Marino. Located in the Italian Peninsula and surrounded by Italy on all its borders, it offers a truly unique traveller’s destination by anyone’s standard.

Whilst the countries capital is that of San Marino, the largest city in San Marino is Dogana, so a stay in either location would ensure both a cultural and historical experience.

When you’re in San Marino city, Guaita is a must see. One of three peaks that overlooks the city, it stands as the cities main symbol.

A drive up on local transport can take up to 75 minutes, so make sure to plan your day effectively to make the most of it. San Marino, like that of all the other Spring Getaways on this list, offers great travel links to other popular destinations in Italy such as Rimmini, Ravenna and Bologna. Wherever you end up, be ready to wear that passport out and make the most of your time abroad. Spring is most definitely the time to pack your bags, and jet off to new, exciting places.

Travel Writer Hattie Jordan shares experience of the untainted natural beauty of Lake Bled.

Hattie Jordan Travel Writer @HattieJords

I was exhausted from travelling, but all of my worries were quickly forgotten arriving to the beauty of Lake Bled. Peaking through the trees was picturesque greenery sheltered by the Julian Alps, like a painting with the richest blues and greens. Lake Bled and the surrounding natural features are truly a spectacular vision of untainted natural beauty.

If you love the outdoors, you need to visit Bled. The most popular tourist attraction is rowing on the lake. You can ride a traditional boat for €13, or hire your own for €10 an hour. This saves you money and offers you the fun of

successfully navigating your boat towards the island.

The quaint island has many stairs, and a beautiful baroque Church with a bell tower. If you ring the bell three times, then your wishes are supposed to come true!

You must visit Vintgar Gorge, 4km to the North East of Bled village. Interweaving through the gorge is a wooden walkway that guides you over rapids, waterfalls, and pools before reaching the waterfall. The sounds and sights on this walk are a far cry from Birmingham’s Selly Oak, with only the sound running water. accompaniying you. Overhead you can see the snowy alps and underneath your feet flows crystal clear waters. The experience makes you feel truly at one with

nature.

To return from the gorge, you can walk 834m Eastwards over Hom. This takes about three hours in total. Brace yourselves - it's hard but worth it. Taking this route means you get to see even more picture-perfect landscape.

If all the physical activity makes you hungry, Bled’s ‘Kremna Rezina’ is just the thing to supress your appetite. The traditional cream cake is made with layers of puff pastry and a hearty filling of cream, and is best shared between two!

Bled is a one of a kind, and so untouched by the outside world that it appears as if frozen in time.

If you’re into admiring the wonders of the natural world, then Bled is an unusual and yet perfect holiday destination for you.

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SCI & TECH

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbricktech

High Pollution in New Street

Ian Rogers interviews Professor John Thornes investigating high air pollution levels.

Research conducted by University of Birmingham Professor John Thornes found Platform 1 at Birmingham New Street to be seven times over the EU limit for particulate matter.

Platforms 2, 10a, 10b, 11a and 11b were all at least four times above the recommended concentration ceiling.

The research conducted in September 2015, which found high levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), has prompted Network Rail to come forward and commission a future study with the University of Birmingham.

High concentrations of particulate matter and NO2 are linked to a plethora of respiratory health problems.

"You can actually smell and taste the pollution at New Street' There are fears extra exposure to users of the station will damage the health of passengers and particularly those who are employed at the station.

The recently renovated Birmingham station receives more than 1000 trains a day and is the only station outside of London that ranks in the UK’s top 10 busiest stations.

In an appearance on Channel 4’s Dispatches the Professor claimed: ‘You can ask anyone in Birmingham and they will all say that you can actually physically smell and taste the pollution at Birmingham New Street.’

When interviewed, the former lecturer agreed the government were not currently doing enough to abide by EU and WHO regulations on air pollution. Last

year the EU handed the UK government a court order to ‘immediately legislate’ in order to bring down concentrations of NO2.

Asked whether the UK had sufficient air pollutant monitoring in heavily populated urban areas, Thornes said: ‘We need more to protect public health’.

Some studies attribute the presence of particulate matter in the lower atmosphere to around 6 million deaths worldwide.

Particulate matter (PM) less than 2.5 micrometres collects in the alveoli of human lungs when inhaled. Exposure to pollutants can have an enhanced impact on

those who already have respiratory problems such as asthma or chronic obstructive lung disease.

According to Thornes, local residents who are worried about high pollutant levels on their way to and from work should: ‘Avoid the tunnel areas of the platforms – wait in the open air.’

A study investigating London Paddington train station last year, which has similar enclosed design features to Birmingham New Street, also found PM and NO2 to have breached the EU air pollutant limits.

When talking in more detail about the science the professor said: ‘We breathe around 15 to 20 cubic metres of air per day depending on our activity level – obviously we would like to breath clean air!’

Professor John Thornes spent 30 years at the University of Birmingham on his main interest in ‘how society interacts with the atmosphere’, before retiring in 2011. He was mainly involved the Masters course in Applied Meteorology and now acts as an emeritus professor.

Kids Medicine Now Tastes Nice!

Could horrid-tasting children’s medicines have found a new remedy? Redbrick investigates latest UoB research Natasha Davies Sci & Tech Writer

Do you ever remember medicines as a child? Sweet, sugary, strawberry tasting Calpol that left you longing for the tooth fairy, so that it could magic away the irresistible taste along with the pain of your half-attached tooth. Or perhaps you were unfortunate enough to experience the cold, vile-tasting, mint and pineapple flavoured antibiotics, which made you want to glug that glass of water your parents had previously prepared for you?

'It was great to get the children dressed up as mini scientists' The tears, the tantrums and the discomfort of being ill, we all know that medicines can prove a difficult time for children. Approximately 40% of children’s medicines are left never to be taken. Sadly, this leaves both an ill child’s pathway to recovery longer as well as an estimated £500 million hole in the NHS budget each year.

Trying to find a tasteful solu-

tion, several eager young scientists equipped their taste buds at Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum during their half term holiday. A new medicine formulation of tiny tasteless drug particles developed by the University of Birmingham Pharmacy department were tasted by children, who then answered questions based upon taste and texture with the aim of discovering if they would be

willing to take it daily if it were needed. The formulation tested was a placebo containing no actual drug particles.

Punam Mistry, lead researcher for the ACCEPT Multi Particulates study said that ‘It was great to get the children dressed up as mini scientists to find out what they thought of the mouthfeel of these tiny particles. Their enthusiasm was great and we have collected some very

valuable data based on their opinions’.

Research carried out by the university will allow children’s opinions as to the new formulation to be identified early. If the product is accepted by the children it could mean that more medicines in the future are in a formulation they will take. That emergency glass of pre-prepared water could be no longer needed.

Creature Feature Yeti Crab Ellen Daugherty

Science and Tech Writer

Only discovered in 2005, this “freaky looking sea mutant” highlighted that there was still so much we don't know about what is living in our oceans. 2000m underwater in a remote part of the Pacific, lives the Yeti Crab, named for its similar appearance to the mythical monster.

On the other hand its scientific name comes from the Polynesian god of shellfish, Kiwa. Its unusual morphology, in combination with its unique genetic make up means that Kiwa hirsuta, has been was classified into a whole new family of crustaceans (Kiwaidae).

Although it seems furry, the crab’s ‘fur’ is actually stiff bristles on the surface of its shell, called setae. These bristles allow the creature to effectively grow its own food, as bacteria colonise on it’s arms. This means that this monster can conserve energy that would normally go towards hunting for prey.

This scary crab lives in volcanic areas along the Pacific-Antarctic ridge, just south of Easter Island. The setae doubly benefit this creature as filamentous bacteria abide there to detoxify poisons released from the hydrothermal vents. This allows the crab to colonise in an area that is usually barren, so it can thrive in its own niche, with little fear of any predators.

By living so close to the ground in a volcanic area, its environment is boiling and sulphurous, making it even more amazing that this crab can survive these conditions!

Wikipedia

SCI & TECH

Friday 4th March 2016

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@redbricktech

UoB Cancer Immunotherapy

T-cell specific immunotherapy shows promise in the battle against cancer using latest Birmingham technology Rachel Kahn Sci & Tech Writer @rachellk96

University of Birmingham has announced a new cancer immunotherapy study involving T-cells from patients that will be genetically modified to specifically target their tumour.

The announcement of this exciting new study comes at a time where cancer immunotherapy is at the forefront of the news. The study carried out in Seattle involved removing T-cells from patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and genetically engineering them to target the cancer.

So far this study is unpublished and therefore its accuracy and results are questionable, for example it has

currently only shown promise in cancers involving blood cells.

Birmingham are taking the dawn of cancer immunotherapies one step further, aiming to target ‘solid tumours’ as is the case for a huge numbers of cancers.

T-cells are part of the normal functioning of our immune system and are crucial in a number of ways such as in fighting infection. The development of cancer immunotherapies will utilise this process and apply it to tumours.

Often tumour cells switch off the activity of T-cells so some therapies act to reverse this process. Many other cancer immunotherapies directly modify a patient's own T-cells by taking them from a patient, engineering them, before transplanting them back into the patient, utilising T-cells recruitment of inflamma-

tory response to target a molecule specific only to the tumour. Tumours express specific molecules that are not found in normal tissues which is useful for creating a specific response. The hope is that this spe-

'Specificity will reduce side effects in treatment' cificity will mean that side effects are significantly reduced compared to other therapies.

The study is a partnership with Cancer Research Technology. Their director of business development, Dr Phil L’Huillier explained, ‘Immunotherapy is an exciting area in cancer treatment and this technol-

Facebook Reactions

Sci&Tech explores the latest Facebook innovation Have you seen the new Facebook update?

Ok, well how useful is this new feature?

Being a student, and a more or less constant Facebook user, it is not hard to spot the new updates to Facebook. Underneath each post on Facebook you can now, not just “like” the post, but react by adding a “love”, “haha”, “wow”, “sad”, or “angry” emoji to the post. These new reactions to posts may begin a new common occurrence of expressions, such as “how many haha’s did you get?” or “I am going to give it a wow”.

Remembering back to when Facebook first came out, “liking” something, at first, was taken rather literal. It seemed odd to “like” a post about the death of beloved pet or sad break up status. Following this, “liking” something seemed to become more of an act of support rather than actually liking something. Perhaps with these new reactions, you can simply select “sad” when someone posts about their misfortune, or “haha” if you find their status particularly funny. This may provide more clarity to the type of support you are giving someone.

What do the reactions really mean?

If someone posts about an anger filled misfortune and you react with an “angry” reaction face, are you being angry on their behalf or you being angry at them for such petty problems? I can only imagine that over time these sorts of unknown meanings will iron out into social norms that everyone understands, as did the use of “liking” something in support.

ogy could provide a powerful route to harness the power of the immune system to block the development of blood vessels, and stop tumours growing.’Currently cancer immunotherapies are hugely expensive and are only used in clinical trials as a ‘last resort’ for patients where all other treatments have failed.

The new research that will be carried out by the University of Birmingham could provide a very beneficial future treatment for a variety of tumours where angiogenesis is altered. It opens up new insights into personalised medicine and could create highly beneficial future treatments where cancer patients require less treatment with far fewer side effects.

The University of Birmingham are very proud to be involved in such exciting and cutting-edge research.

Charlotte Ward Sci & Tech Writer @charlieward135

Follow us: redbrick.me/tech @redbricktech OR f Redbrick Sci&Tech

So it’s just to make life a bit more exciting then?

At the end of the day, this new feature is another way you can procrastinate on the web and it has succeeded in getting us talking about the new Facebook update. Perhaps we will have to wait and see if the new jargon causes new common phrases to be born.

Have we seen something like this before?

Many social media platforms at the moment are all hopping on board with the ability to “like” or “heart” something. Twitter encourages “likes” (formally favourites), as does Tumblr. Instagram uses heart symbols, and even YouTube goes for thumbs up. However, the idea of different reactions is something I have only seen while completing quizzes like “How many of these EU countries do you know?”, “Can you match the Disney song lyric to the film?” or “Would you make a suitable wife for Michael Gove?” on Buzzfeed. They already have a feature at the bottom of their quizzes and articles where you can select reactions like “Heart”, “LOL”, “Amazing”, “Blimey” and “Oh dear”.

Spider Venom Painkiller Ellen Daughtery Sci and Tech Writer

Flickr

Drugs reportedly stronger and more effective than morphine have been discovered by scientists at the University of Queensland. 7 new compounds that could potentially open up a new pathway in the pharmaceutical industry have been found as effective painkillers. They block the nerve pathways that usually send pain signals to the brain, therefore disabling the feeling.

The proteins come from tarantula venom, and are said to have fewer side effects than more potent painkillers that are used commonly today. Professor King, who led the study, has opened up an area of pharmaceutical science that is based around insect venoms, which has huge potential in the future, as it is a relatively unexplored region of science. He has found that a surprisingly high number of venom peptides are useful as painkillers, specifically molecules that block the Nav1.7 voltage-gated sodium channels. This channel is responsible for the sensation of pain, and by blocking it the signal cannot be produced.

The number of useful peptides is likely to increase, especially when you take into consideration how many species of spider are currently unclassified.

In this study 206 species were screened, and their venom was analysed for the specific molecules. When studying the peptides it was found the compound was unusually stable, so the drug is likely to be more efficient and with less side effects, which would be particularly important when administering new medicine to patients. Drugs used today have strict dosage limits and are not always efficient, but these new discoveries could lead to a safer era of painkillers.

The venom containing these compounds originally evolved to immobilise and kill prey, but fortunately this is unlikely to happen to humans, as several rodent tests have already been done and confirmed the isolated peptides only relieve pain in larger mammals.Despite the paper being published nearly a year ago now, preliminary tests are still underway so it is likely the painkillers won't surface commercially for a good few years. The research has started to explore the huge potential of insects in the pharmaceutical industry.

30

FOOD

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbrickfood

Brexit: A Fair Deal for Farmers?

Jennifer Cook Food Writer @jennifer3cook

Farmers have been left in the dark with regards to the implications of the UK’s upcoming decision on its relationship with the EU. The National Farmers' Union has called upon David Cameron for a ‘clear and accurate’ response concerning the consequences of an ‘out’ vote and further reassurance of a more promising future if the UK is to remain within the EU. NFU President Meurig Raymond said: ‘If Britain is to stay in the EU then David Cameron

must be clear. How will the UK’s position within the EU’s single market be made stronger? Will this week’s European Council lead to a commitment to create a globally competitive market with less red tape and compliance costs and better regulation for the benefit of British agriculture?’

Far from waiting idly for a response from the Prime Minister, the NFU are currently working on an agricultural report in association with Dutch research institute LEI Wageningen which will draw up the potential implications of a Brexit from three different trading scenarios.

In her speech last month at the OFC, the secretary for the

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Liz Truss, declared her support for the ‘in’ campaign. She stated that, in order for the UK farming industry to thrive in the future, ‘it is vital that Brussels becomes more flexible, more competitive and cuts the red tape’.

The DEFRA, however, remain divided, with DEFRA minister George Eustice vocalising his support for Britain to leave the EU. Despite labelling himself as an ‘advocate for renegotiation’ Eustice stated that ‘if this country has the courage to act decisively and take control, then in five years’ time the only question people will ask is why we didn’t do it

Captions go in the corner of pictures and shouldn't be hyphenated

sooner’. Former DEFRA minister, Owen Paterson, also called for the UK to leave the EU, stating ‘agriculture and food production is hampered by our membership of the Common Agricultural Policy.

CAP negotiations between 28 countries inevitably mean that we have to accept compromises, these are at best deeply unsatisfactory and at worst actively damaging to UK farmers.’

'The NFU have called upon David Cameron for a 'clear and accurate response'' Currently, money received through CAP support payments from the EU to British farmers accounts for 55pc of the total income from farming. Recent delays in the transfer of this subsidy have however seen farmers being left severely out of pocket, with £120m in overdrafts being drawn down from Lloyds bank in the four months leading up to January of this year.

Farmers are feeling the pressure financially, with the wholsesale prices of many products continuing to fall and the cost of labour and rent increasing by 1.9pc and 1.5pc. This squeeze is perhaps felt most acutely within the dairy industry. At the end of last year, the average farm gate price of milk was in decline with a 0.5pc drop between November and December and an annual decrease of 14pc from figures recorded in 2014.

Last month, retailer Tesco sensationally announced that it was switching its main dairy supplier from farmer-owned co-operative Arla to Müller, with milk now destined for Arla’s processing factory in Westbury at farm gate price of as low as 16ppl. Arla is the latest milk buyer to drop their price with a decrease in 0.75ppl having imposed at the start of Febuary.

NFU dairy board Chairman, Rob Harrison, said of these unstable times: ‘Dairy farmers are rightly questioning why this is happening. We know that global factors have impacted demand and milk volumes in the UK and across Europe continue to increase with no sign of slow down. Milk contract terms and pricing schedules are being changed with no negotiation, flouting the voluntary code, and farmers are being put on notice.

'It is a bloodbath and those suffering the most are our hard working dairy farmers.’ Figures from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) show that 75pc of dairy farms on a non-aligned contract are currently operating at a loss, with The Royal Association of Dairy Farmers revealing that as many as 5 farms a week are closing as a result of this unstable climate.

A sense of frustration with the current EU system will undoubtedly remain with many British farmers when they visit the polling station on June 23 and, until clear answers are given to address the future of the farming industry in the event of a Brexit, uncertainty will continue to plague an industry that is in dire need of some positive news.

Asda Launch Their 'Wonky Veg' Boxes Asda have become the first UK supermarket to sell imperfect vegetables Felicity George Food Writer

Jamie Oliver’s latest plan to reinvent Britain’s food-culture hit the supermarket chain, Asda, last month. It comes in the shape (however misshapen that may be) of ‘Wonky Veg Boxes’ filled with fruits and vegetables deemed too ugly to make it onto the shelves.

This is part of the nationwide plan to cut the UK’s food waste.

The value of food waste in the retail sector here in the UK is £0.3 billion, which comes as no surprise seeing as the EU wastes 89 million tonnes of food every year, with Britain being the biggest offender. This is a staggering amount considering that, worldwide, about one-third of all food produced – equivalent to 1.3 billion tonnes – gets lost or wasted in the food production and consumption system, according to data released by the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations.

Asda’s ‘Wonky Veg Box’ scheme has developed out of the unnecessary wastage of fresh produce by supermarket chains in search of ‘the perfect product’.

Food retailers' constant churning out of perfectly shaped, ideally sized and blemish free groceries has led to a consumer demand for visually pleasing produce when in reality it has no effect on the taste.

Supermarkets can reject fresh fruit and vegetables for a variety of reasons, almost all of which are purely aesthetic. Currently, 15% of potatoes do not meet specifications because they’re too big, too small or blemished. 15% of parsnips also don’t make the shelf because they’re oddly shaped or have superficial defects.

To stop this needless waste, Asda have put together a box containing 5kg of fresh and, it’s fair to say ugly, fruit and vegetables. This is enough to feed a family of four for one working week. The contents of the box vary depending on the seasons but the items will range from carrots, peppers, cucumber, cabbage, potatoes,

parsnips, leeks and onions and, at the price of £3.50 a box, it won’t break the bank. This initiative will result in at least 500 tonnes of ‘waste’ fruit and vegetables being taken from farmers and sold in the supermarket by the end of 2016.

As the consumer, we too can do our bit to minimise food waste.

Almost 50% of the total amount of food thrown away in the UK comes from households. We throw away 7 million tonnes of food and drink from our homes every year in the UK, and more than half of this we could have eaten. On top of this, 19% of avoidable food waste comes from fresh vegetables and salads.

The vision of a crushed mouldy tomato or the decomposed remnants of what-you-think-was-acarrot at the back of the fridge is an all too familiar sight for families and students alike but Asda’s scheme allows us to bulk buy any fresh vegetable produce and use it up accordingly over the week to prevent forgotten-about vegetables filling our bins. So why not take a stand for the dodgy fruits and unsightly veggies among us and

join the war against food waste?

A number of boxes will be available in Chelmsley Wood, Coventry, Cannock and Asda

stores near Birmingham from 12th February as part of a trial to see if the box is a hit with customers.

FOOD

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbrickfood

Top Five Afternoon Teas for Mother's Day Ella Talbot Food Writer @EllaTalbot33

Mother's Day is on Sunday 6th March, so if you've left your plans a little last minute, check out our top five afternoon tea destinations in Birmingham.

Malmaison The Mailbox

glass of their famous bubbly to the afternoon. Included in the price is fresh tea or coffee, a selection of seasonal sandwiches, an assortment of mini cakes, and a classic British scone, complete with clotted cream and sticky jam. Served daily from 3pm, it’s best to book a table online in order to avoid disappointment on the day. searcys.co.uk/venues/balconybrasserie-selfridges

feel like royalty. The offer includes 4 finger sandwiches, a sweet scone with clotted cream and Fairtrade jam, and a selection of cakes/ sweets for each person, accompanied by a cup of M&S’s finest tea or coffee. Always keen to help, M&S café also try to cater to customer needs. So if you’re a vegetarian, they’ll make sure the sandwiches meet your needs. Even better, if they no longer have something you can eat in stock,

www.cafeopus.co.uk

Situated at the entrance of The Mailbox, Malmaison is the perfect place for making your pennies stretch that little bit further on Mother’s Day. Served daily between 12pm- 5pm in their luxurious Brasserie, Malmaison’s Afternoon Tea includes a selection of finger sandwiches, a range of sweets, a mini sausage roll, a ham, onion and cheddar quiche, a scone and a choice of speciality teas and coffees. This offer starts from £15 per person, which is more than worth it for the high-class surroundings and relaxed atmosphere.

And if you can’t spoil your mum on Mother’s Day, then when can you?

Winterbourne House Edgbaston Park Road

www.malmaison.com/food-drink/ afternoon-tea/

The Balcony Selfridges, Bullring After a long afternoon of shopping, why not treat your mum to a spot of Afternoon Tea at Selfridges’ very own Champagne Bar? Situated on the fourth floor of Selfridges, The Balcony looks out over The Bullring, and is the perfect place for some people watching. Seareys Afternoon Tea Picnic starts from £35 for two, and goes up to £55 if you want to add a

acclaimed Ikon gallery, then impress your mother further by taking her to café Opus for a spot of tea. With seating available outside as well as inside, you have the chance to take in some vitamin D for free (weather permitting) as Opus hosts a relaxed outdoor terrace to enjoy! For £10 per person, you’re able to enjoy a selection of finger sandwiches, fancy cakes, a scone and some tea between midday and 5pm.

Marks & Spencer Café New Street Want to treat your mum but are a little too far into your overdraft?

Not only is it the perfect place to purchase comfy and practical shoes, but M&S is also the answer to your Mother’s Day problems.

With afternoon tea for two costing only £12.95, M&S café caters for those of us on a lower budget but still wishing to make our mums

they’ll pop down to M&S Simply Food and pick up something that you can have. If that isn’t great value for money, then we don’t know what is!

If your mum loves Downton Abbey or just period houses in general, Winterbourne’s Tea Room is definitely the place to go. While not strictly serving afternoon tea, Winterbourne House serves a selection of sandwiches and cakes along with different types of tea and coffee while overlooking stunning greenery. What’s more, after your tea you can wonder around the house, originally owned by the Nettlefold family, and learn a little more about the history right on the doorstep of the University. The Botanic Gardens surrounding the house are also worth taking a walk round, and offer 7 acres of Edwardian gardens to explore.

With entry free to UoB students with their student card, and entry to the public only costing £5, this is the perfect place to take your mum for a break this Mother’s Day.

Café Opus Ikon Gallery

www.winterbourne.org.uk

If you’re a bit of a culture vulture and have spent the morning exploring Birmingham’s internationally

Got a favourite spot? Let us know! @RedbrickFood

Victoria Sponge Cake Sophie Milligan

sugar until you get soft peaks.

Spread the jam and then the vanilla cream over one of the cakes and scatter your chosen fruit.

Place the second cake on top, dust with icing sugar. Feel free to decorate with any left over raspberries or strawberries.

Food Editor @s_ophiemilligan

No time to take Mum out for Afternoon Tea this Mothering Sunday? Try this simple cake recipe instead that will be sure to earn you some brownie points! This recipe can also easily be transformed into a chocolate sponge.

Serve with a pot of tea for an indulgent at-home afternoon tea.

You will need: For the sponge: 250g softened unsalted butter 250g self-raising flour 250g golden caster sugar 4 large eggs Icing sugar (for dusting) For the filling: 150 ml double cream 1 – 2 tsp vanilla essence 2 teaspoons caster sugar Raspberry or strawberry jam 150g raspberries or strawberries

Method: Preheat your oven to 190°C/gas 5.

Grease two 20cm sandwich tins with some butter and line the bases with greaseproof paper.

Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. If you want to make a chocolate sponge, add 4 tbsp of cocoa powder at this point.

Add the eggs one at a time then fold in the flour.

Divide the cake mix between the prepared tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown, risen and a skewer comes out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool completely on a cooling rack.

To make the filling, whip the cream with the vanilla and caster

For a chocolate topping: Melt 70g of 70% cocoa chocolate with 100g butter. Stir in 100g of icing suger and spread onto the sponges.

Head to our website for more variations of this recipe: redbrick.me/food

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Bitesize Review:

Pho Grand Central Sophie Neal Food Editor @sophie_etc_

Pho (pronounced ‘fuh’) is the national dish of Vietnam.

It is essentially a bowl of steaming hot rice noodle soup served with a side dish of herbs. You can personalise your dish to your tastes: just add chillies, garlic, fish sauce, fresh beansprouts or coriander to make your pho your own.

The Vietnamese street food restaurant opened in September in Grand Central and it certainly stands out from the others with it's unique cuisine.

The menu serves everything from noodle soups, sides and curries but it would be rude not to give the pho a go. To start, I ordered chicken Goi cuon which were fresh rice paper summer rolls with herbs, vermicelli & pickle, served with a chilli dip. These were so easy to eat and tasted incredibly fresh. They had a whole mint leaf inside which really woke up the taste buds. The Muc chiên giòn was a personal favourite: tender fried baby squid with a salt, pepper & lime dip.

This was glorious; the squid was well cooked and tender.

The lime juice added a fresh kick to the spicy dip and helped the salt and pepper mix stik to the crispy squid.

I tried the Pho tái, which was a classic broth with thinly sliced steak. These are big portions, so if you are a light eater, you may want to share one with a selection of sides! The soup was hot and warmed you from the inside out – it’s no wonder these broths are considered healing in their native country. It tastes quite plain until you add the herbs! Don’t underestimate the power of the fresh chillies – I added all of them and ended up scooping them all out! The steak was tender and the bowl was brimming with fresh flavours and interesting textures. Adding the bean sprouts from your herb plate will some extra fresh crunch to the dish.

The food is not badly priced at all, with a bowl of Pho around £8. This is totally do-able on a student budget and perfect for a weekend treat. They even do a takeaway menu which is ideal if you're in a bit of a hurry. If you plan on eating there, do get there a little earlier than you want to eat it's a very popular venue!

If you’re on the hunt for something a little different, Pho is definitely the place to go. @PhoRestaurant www.phocafe.co.uk

32

GAMING

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbrickgames

Review: Firewatch James Marvin explores the forests of Wyoming James Marvin Gaming Editor @js_marvin

"What’s wrong with you?"

Those are some of the first words spoken in Firewatch, a question asked to our protagonist Henry.

This is a man whose backstory I’ve just crafted in the first ten minutes of the game through a choose-your-own-adventure style book, making different decisions such as what I said to my future wife at the bar and what I would call my dog, and I don’t think I’ve ever been more emotionally torn over some of the decisions in a game than I was in those first ten minutes. This is how I first began to connect with Henry, and his bizarre choice to one day pack up and become a lookout in the Wyoming Forest, leaving all his troubles behind.

When we first saw Firewatch back in 2014, we thought that the focus would be on the story and the environment itself, and whilst that is true for the most part in terms of the story, the environment of the Wyoming Forest is just a backdrop. It is an absolutely stunning backdrop at that, but the focus here is a personal mystery surrounding the characters that inhabit Wyoming, with primary focus being on Henry and his boss Delilah, whom you never meet physically.

Firewatch isn’t about the overall story arc that you follow in a relatively linear fashion, which is good as it draws attention away from its relatively underwhelming yet simultaneously heart rending conclusion, but rather is about the story of Henry and him as a person. The question is: have Campo Santo nailed this aspect in their first outing? Yes, yes they bloody well have.

The writing in Firewatch is among the best I’ve ever experienced in the medium and that is no doubt down to the immense talent that is Sean Vanaman, who was the lead writer of Telltale’s The Walking Dead. Every word that is uttered by Henry, voiced by Rich Sommer (Mad Men) and Delilah, voiced by Cissy Jones

(TellTale’s The Walking Dead) is so natural and real that it doesn’t feel ‘scripted’, for want of a better word. It didn’t feel like I was playing a videogame, but interacting in a Pixar movie. No matter how you choose to role-play Henry - sad, sarcastic, aggressive, or a mix of the three - it never feels stilted. The same goes for Delilah, who comes across as either a snarky woman, or a kind and endearing companion depending on what dialogue choices you choose to respond with. This dialogue system is Firewatch’s unique selling point; whilst the choices you have to make in key parts of the narrative don’t necessarily have a drastic impact on the outcome or direction of the story, it helps you to find out more (or less if you prefer) about Henry and Delilah’s characters.

For instance, when Delilah asks you if you have anyone special back home, you can choose to avoid the question, tell her straight that you’re married or, if you want, completely ignore her and don’t respond. In such an instance, depending on which one you choose gives you more or less exposition. If you choose to be a more open Henry, Delilah may respond as being equally open about her life, but should you choose to be reclusive and secretive she may come across as more frustrated at your lack of conversation and be more blunt. At one point in the story I came across as more aggressive and accusative in my dialogue choice, which prompted Delilah to respond in a very pissed off manner, which then led me being unable to talk to her for a period of time. Because of the impressive writing and stellar performances, I genuinely felt like an awful person for being so rude, and when Delilah came back I couldn’t have felt more relieved; she is literally the only human link you have for the entirety of the journey. You will find yourself

"The writing in Firewatch is among the best I've experienced"

bonding with, and becoming invested in, a virtual character over a radio.

The dialogue, coupled with the soundtrack composed by Chris Remo (Gone Home), makes for one of the most enjoyable narratives I’ve had the pleasure to experience in video gaming.

The music that is so melodic as you w a n d e r Wyoming, that also swells with tension as the mystery unfolds, is utterly captivating with every step. The same can be said for the artwork and design headed up

by Olly Moss and Jane Ng, which is frankly astounding. The world of the Wyoming Forest that Campo Santo have crafted is certainly not the biggest environment out there, but it is a top contender for one of the most beautiful game worlds to date. Whether you’re strolling the shores of Jonesy Lake. or looking over the horizon from your desk at the Two Forks Lookout, the bright yellows, vivid oranges, and deep blues make it look like a wonderful cartoon watercolour and will at times make your jaw drop to the floor.

But there is one inescapable downside to this whole experience, and that is the gameplay, or lack thereof. Firewatch is what you may call a ‘walking simulator’, a term I myself despise, seeing it more as a narrative adventure, but it is a label that it will struggle to shake with a lot of people. Aside from the aforementioned dialogue choice system, the gameplay is pretty much comprised of ‘Go to X Location’ and you pushing the stick forward to get there.

Occasionally you might find yourself checking your map and compass for directions, and pushing R2 to interact with rappel points down steep hills, jumping over broken bridges, and picking up items to examine them, but that is pretty much it. Luckily the navi-

"It didn't feel like I was playing a videogame but interacting in a Pixar movie"

gation of the Wyoming Forest isn’t overly cumbersome, even when you have to travel what looks like a vast distance. As I’ve mentioned, the game world isn’t overly huge as it just doesn’t need to be, and the way the map and compass work in tandem with each other shouldn’t leave you struggling trying to get from Point A to Point B. You’ll also start to recognise certain landmarks and areas which further eases the navigation portion of the game.

There are also Lookout Caches dotted around the map, but they add nothing much, as all of them open with the same 1-2-3-4 code and are mostly filled with unusable items and notes that flesh out the story only slightly.

With all this in mind you have to limit your expectations.

Firewatch is not the mystery adventure game you may have thought it was from the trailers, but a very point-to-point, narrative-driven game that focuses on its characters. What it sets out to do it does with near perfection but the lack of actual interaction can certainly be a massive off-putting factor for a lot of people, which is totally understandable considering its very low runtime. The whole game took me around three and a half hours to complete on my first run which is something a lot of people may want to consider for a game with such little gameplay focus and for its price point of £15. For me it wasn’t a massive issue, as I for one felt what Firewatch offered was worth the price, and I love a good story in a game over tight mechanics and solid gameplay. However, I won’t deny that there were times where I wish I could’ve had more input as to what was going on.

This possibly could’ve been solved by having your dialogue choices massively impact the game, but Campo Santo clearly had a vision for the story that they wanted to tell, and you can’t fault their execution of that.

Firewatch is a landmark game for the ‘walking simulator’ genre, and shows how it’s meant to be done (we’re looking at you Dear Esther). If you love a solid narrative with great characters and outstanding writing, then I cannot recommend Firewatch enough to you, but beware: the gameplay experience and length of Campo Santo’s first title may leave you rather underwhelmed, so just know what you’re letting yourself in for before purchasing. For me, Firewatch lived up to being one of most anticipated titles of the year and I can see myself revisiting it every now and again. Campo Santo have outdone themselves in the quality of their first title, and it is one that I believe is a mustown.

"But there is one inescapable downside to this whole experience and that is the gameplay or lack thereof"

Do you have opinions on this article? Tell them to us: @redbrickgames

GAMING

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbrickgames

33

5 Things That Will Make Blood and Wine Great Jacob Smith, the bringer of lists, tells us his thoughts, hopes and fears about the Witcher's new upcoming expansion Jacob Smith Writer @PhoenixJacobS

Although originally given a tentative release for the first quarter of 2016, like all good ambiguously dated things Witcher 3’s second and more sizable expansion, Blood and Wine, has been pushed back to the first half of 2016. Which does technically still include the first quarter, but come on. They wouldn’t be giving themselves those extra three months of leeway if they didn’t think they needed it.

So while we may have to wait a bit longer for our next and seemingly final foray in to the life of Geralt of Rivia, we’ve still got enough nuggets of information to dive in, Scrooge McDuck style, and swim on the oceans of speculation until CD Projekt Red lock down dates, deadlines, and details for us all. To that end, and knowing what we know, here are five things that could be done in Blood and Wine that would make it great.

5. A Narrative Driven by Politics and Intrigue Between Wild Hunt and Hearts of Stone we’ve had a nice variety in our styles of story from the Witcher 3. Wild Hunt gave us the sprawling epic with bloody twists and brutal moments we’ve all come to expect from modern fantasy, while Hearts of Stone delved eye-deep in to the dark, macabre, and downright weird side of the genre that suited the smaller expansion. To keep our pallets fresh, Blood and Wine should focus itself on politics, intrigue and espionage.

Shows like Game of Thrones have made this type of fantasy narrative very popular in recent years, but there’s a rich history of it in Witcher lore too; Sapkowski’s novels often give great focus to the politics of the realm and Witcher 2:

Assassin of Kings was lauded for it’s complex and mature politically driven narrative. It seems highly likely that this is what we’ll be getting as the title of the expansion oozes with the kind of backstabbing courtly drama we can hope for, and the developers have even stated that our new location, the realm of Toussaint, is “a land untainted by war, where an atmosphere of carefree indulgence and knightly ritual masks an ancient, bloody secret.”

If we get anything less than a cult of demon worshipping nobles engaging in human sacrifice, I will be very surprised.

4. Returning Characters from the Games and Novels For a lot of people, Shani’s involvement in Hearts of Stone was executed perfectly. Those familiar with the character from her role in prior games and the novels got all the nods to her and Geralt’s torrid past they need, but these same nods were done well enough that those unfamiliar were not left out to sea, and her character was built by her presence in that game, and given her own agency and issues. This precedent leaves a lot of room for series favourites that didn’t make the Wild Hunt cut, or were underutilised in the game itself, to make a return.

With the game set in Toussaint, a duchy within Nilfgaard, Fringilla Vigo could easily pop in to the courtly narrative and her romantic history with Geralt could even be brought up, certainly enough to make up for her fleeting and inconsequential presence in Wild Hunt.

Another character a lot of people would be happy to see is Iorveth, a Scoia’tael commander created exclusively for the Witcher 2 who was only seen in the Witcher 3 through Gwent cards. A well-known hater of humans, he could provide a volatile presence in Toussaint to ramp up the action. Personally, I’m

hoping for the first video game appearance of Borkh Three Jackdaws, who also calls himself Villentretenmerth. He’s not the best at names.

3. Fresh and Innovative Gameplay Features This one’s something of a stretch, or at the very least a point so wide open it may have been put forward at the House of Commons (haha, political satire). The main force behind this is that we don’t want the crisp and unblemished gameplay of the Witcher 3 to be brought down by the risk of repetition and grinding. Runewrighting was a relatively nothing addition to the game to the majority of its audience, and was expensive to get working in the first place even for those who wanted to, quite literally, get invested in it.

Since we’re getting a nice big location shift, the opportunity is there to freshen up and expand on features we already have. New transport options to traverse Toussaint could be introduced, and we could even see the option to purchase better horses since not everyone may have got Roach 2.0 during Wild Hunt (or may just fancy a different looking steed).

How about herb gardens to streamline alchemy, or even a permanent set of lodgings for all manner of storing, feasting and bedding? If deposit boxes can be introduced as part of a free update, the developers at CD Projekt Red have a lot of room to do some truly game-shifting things with their largest paid expansion.

2. Big Gwent Expansion This one is more an indulgence on my part, but any one who has played the Witcher 3 will agree that Gwent is one of the most addictive and well constructed mini-games we have been blessed enough to encounter. Hearts of Stone was good enough to throw in a scintil-

lating slew of additional cards that had small but profound effects on players’ decks. Blood and Wine, with it’s calmer and more refined setting, gives Gwent a good chance to step up in to the limelight a bit more. Some more tournaments and high-stakes games like what we found at times in the main game could happily crop up and give us more focused and rewarding chances to play everyone’s new favourite collectable card game.

Another option is for CD Projekt Red to throw in a whole new deck to the existing four and flip the game on its head. In-game lore states that Gwent was only recently brought over to the Skellige Isles and characters from that Nordic setting are left out of the current card set. Giving them, or even the new realm of Toussaint, a whole deck alongside a couple of fresh pickings for the other four could give this stellar side attraction a fun final burst for the final chapter.

1. A Killer Collector's Edition Hearts of Stone caught the gaming world’s attention long before release when a Collector’s

Major Changes Coming to Hearthstone James Lentschner Gaming Editor @JLentschner

Blizzard have answered the prayers of many Hearthstone players, but not in the way that they may have expected. Many players of Blizzard's popular card game will be ecstatic to learn that the company has decided to completly do away with the current game format with the introduction of two completly new online game types.

These are Standard format, in which players will have to play against each other using only cards from the basic and standard card pools, as well as the expansions from the current and previous calander years, and Wild format, where players can create there decks using any cards own, and leading to a much crazier if less competitive experience. The reason many fans will be so happy to learn of these changes is that with Standard format set to become the new competitive format, players will finally be able to play Heathstone competively without some the presence of certain staple cards.

With the expansions Curse of Naxxramas and Golbins vs Gnomes dissapearing from competitive play, stable cards such as Piloted Shredder and Sludge Belcher will be forceably replaced by new options and therefore bring a whole new level of variety to the competitive format. This will also mean the inclusion of a game mode where there is absolutely zero chance of seeing your opponent play Dr. Boom, truely a answer to the prayers of many Hearthstone players.

Both Standard and Wild format will have ranked play, with rewards given at the end based on the highest rank achieved in both formats, however Standard will be the format used on the Hearthstone Championship Tour and thus will be considered the true compeitive format. The introduction of these new formats also brings in one of the largest balanced reviews by the developers in the game's history, with them promising to review some long considered adjustments to all manner of cards including class specfic cards. This could mean that the likes of the Druid, Force of Nature into Savage

Roar combo could also be changed and see a dramatic change to the meta of the entire game.

With the inclusion of the new formats, the Curse of Naxxramas solo adventure and the Goblins vs Gnomes packs will also be completly removed from the in-game store. But to those wishing to pick up the cards in these expansions to use in Wild format there is nothing to fear, as all the cards in both expansions will still be able to craft using dust and those who have previously purchased a wing of the solo adventure will still be able to complete it. Though this is not ideal for all players, some of whom will no doubt have to open a great number of packs to get the dust needed to craft all the desired cards, this decision is certainly preferable to all the cards being removed from purchase entirely.

Those of you who like me, like to create loads of decks will also be happy to hear that the new formats will mean the actions of 9 extra decks slots, designed to allow 9 decks for each format.

This also means that when the newest epansion drops in later in the Spring, there will 18 possible

decks slots in which players can create decks using these cards for use in both formats.

The first year of the new Heartstone formats will be taking its name from one of Azeroth's constellations being named 'The Year of the Kraken' with all future years set to be named after other figures in the lore's zodiac. The new expansion has also been heavily suggested and rumored to include the addition of one or mul-

Edition was announced. It is not the first time additional digital content has popped up with a physical presence in shops, but doing so at release equipped with some goodies for salivating fans is a fresh idea.

It stands to reason that CD Projekt Red might try it again with their larger second expansion and the floor is open as to what we could get.

The Gwent themed accessories of the first expansion are a solid and desirable option. The Northern Realms and Nilfgaard decks have only been available in the Xbox One collector’s edition up to now and this is a prime time to make them available to the world, adding in all the new cards Hearts of Stone introduced. Any other cards Blood and Wine brings with it (including my previously suggested Skellige deck) could also be added to the offer. Alternatively or even additionally some more run of the mill loot could be thrown in, such as a Witcher wolf pendant, character posters or sticker sheets. Blood and Wine itself may even throw up some trophy and trinket so alluring that we’ll be happy to splash out and buy it before we play it. But really, we all want Gwent. A lot more Gwent. Forever.

tiple new hero types to the game ,bringing new cards and playstyles with them, however nothing in the way of solid evidence of these rumorts is yet to be released. But one thing is for certain, between the new formats and the introduction of the new expansion coming soon, the year of the kraken is certainlyset to be an exciting year for the entire Hearthstone community.

34

CULTURE

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbrickculture

Review: City Of Angels Ruth Horsburgh and Holly Reaney Culture Critics

Despite the initial sexist debate surrounding the posters of the GMTG’s (Guild Musical Theatre Group) City of Angels, this was a tasteful, glamourous, and witty production.

Depicting the struggles of Stein, a writer losing control over his creations in a screenplay to his fastidious producer, Buddy Fiddler, with the story of the script itself also playing out, and an enigmatic private eye, Stone, on a missing persons case. This complex intertwining of plots could have easily become difficult to follow, especially with most castmembers doubling up roles, but the talent and conviction of the cast made this an enjoyable and impressive show. The fast-paced and intelligent script was handled with ease and there were laughs a plenty.

The ingenious use of the stage was especially unique, being split into three segments: the two stages depicting the real-life Hollywood saga flanking the fictional movie plot. This distinction was further emphasised by the excellent lighting and costume.

The detective plot was displayed in black-and-white, whilst the real life 1940s Hollywood scenes were shown in vibrant colour. The special effects of billowing smoke and a dramatic lightening sequence

during the climax of the detective story contributed to the dark atmospheric nature of the show.

This mysterious ambiance combined with the jazzy musical score, which was played brilliantly by the band under the supervision of musical director Geddy Stringer, to conjure up a world of seduction and style. Varying from sleek dresses and suits to lacy lingerie, the costumes all oozed the glamour of the 1940s world that was being evoked, without needlessly revealing too much.

With several love triangles and affairs going on, it was perhaps unsurprising that characters were

'This complex intertwining of plots could have easily become difficult to follow, especially with most doubling up roles, but the talent and conviction of the cast made this an enjoyable and impressive show'

caught and remained with their trousers down.

The characters were well-realised on stage. Cam Wilson gave a commendable performance as the conflicted Stein, with nerdy and awkward undertones expressing the character’s discomfort at his place within the Hollywood world.

Jimmy Van Hear’s Stone was effortlessly cool and assured as the brooding romantic lead.

Charlie Harris’s energetic performance of the ingratiating Buddy Fiddler was skilful, especially in maintaining the character’s accent and fawning tendencies. The vengeful Lieutenant Munoz was excellently and entertainingly portrayed by Tom Ling.

Despite the story seemingly exploring a male dominated world, this musical contained several strong female roles which were superbly executed. Jessie James brought the sophistication and an alluring quality as both Alaura Kingsley/Carla Haywood.

Emily Anderson combined sensitivity and ambitious in her terrific portrayal of Gabby/Bobbi. The overlooked Oolie/Donna came to life through Millie Harris’s feisty and confident performance.

The main characters were ably supported by the rest of the company, with everyone making a crucial contribution in making this musical come to life. The production had great momentum and drive which without the commitment and energy of the entire company could have languished.

The demanding vocal and dance numbers were excellently performed, seamlessly combining dialogue and song. The duets were particularly noteworthy, including ‘What You Don’t Know About Women’, which were especially strong and consisted of intricate harmonies. The performance of ‘The Tennis Song’ was an enjoyable flirtatious and playful interlude to the heavier ongoing detective mystery. And as you should when leaving a musical, we left

the theatre humming the tune of stand-out number, ‘You're Nothing Without Me’.

We couldn't keep our eyes off this charismatic and enthralling musical, with it surpassing our expectations of a student production. The director, Rebecca Maynard, and the rest of the backstage staff along with the cast should be extremely proud of this production and the future shows by this theatre group are definitely worth looking out for.

Star Wars & Beyond - A Space Spectacular Imogen Tink Culture Editor

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

‘A Space Spectacular’ at the Birmingham Symphony Hall, a concert crowded with young and old ready to get involved in some serious musical fun. Quite possibly one of the most entertaining concerts I have ever been to, and certainly spectacular. Surrounded

by Sci-fi fans and Star Wars lovers of all ages, we were taken on a musical journey through space and time...

Conducted by Anthony Inglis, the London Concert Orchestra were phenomenal. We were treated to all manner of music by John Williams, including the themes to Star Wars, ET, Superman and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Other pieces included the music from Star Trek and Thunderbirds; the enthusiastic response from the audience made it clear that many happy childhood memories were being relived. It was utterly exhilarating for everybody to be in such close contact with such wonderful and rousing music . Listening to the film score without the film accompanying it was a reminder of the sheer talent and skill of the composer, musicians and conductor in producing such high quality performances.

The inclusion of classical

music was refreshing. ‘Jupiter’ from Holst’s ‘The Planets’ Suite and Strauss’s ‘The Blue Danube’, which was featured in Stanley Kubrick’s film ‘2001’, were welcome additions to the programme.

Mixing film scores and more traditional pieces that were so beautifully performed was a clever way of introducing the beauty of classical music to members of the audience who may not always have been so inclined towards it.

Anthony Inglis, a self-confessed ‘Trekkie’ complete with a very impressive ‘Live Long and Prosper’ hand gesture, was a bril-

liant host, as well as a gifted conductor. Immediately engaging with the audience – including shaking hands with a late comer and ‘assisting’ people to their seats – he guided us through the evening with comedy and fact in equal measure. He was also a big fan of audience participation and allowed the audience to complete what must have been to many a childhood dream: counting in the introduction to Thunderbirds. I imagine innocent bystanders in Centenary Square and Brindley Place may have been slightly alarmed to hear a resounding

‘5...4...3...2..1...

THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!’ booming from the Symphony Hall at 9.30 on a Friday night...

You’d think we’d had it all.

All the music. All the sci-fi banter in the universe. But no, there was still more to come, as the performances were enhanced no end by impressive pyrotechnic special effects, including lighting, lasers and fireworks. At one point Inglis left the stage and reappeared amongst the audience dressed as a Jedi, complete with a green lightsaber. I kid you not, he then proceeded to conduct the final

Star Wars suite still dressed as a Jedi. It was clear to all – the force was strong with this one. But not strong enough to stop four Storm Troopers entering the concert hall and patrolling amongst the audience! Or to stop Darth Vader from appearing on the stage behind the orchestra, much to the delight of several small children and several not so small adults... (Sadly no sign of Han Solo - or is the pain still too raw?!) During the last performance of the night, John Williams’s theme to ‘Superman’, Inglis actually ripped open his shirt to reveal a Superman suit beneath it and continued conducting, which left many members of the audience collapsing into giggles.

The London Concert Orchestra, Anthony Inglis and the Symphony Hall had well and truly gone to the utmost effort to make the evening as entertaining and as much fun for everyone as possible. It was also a celebration of some fantastic film music and very talented musicians, who are often overshadowed by the spectacle of the film itself. ‘A Space Spectacular’ was an absolute tonic to bleak and miserable February, plainly evident in the way in which the audience left the concert humming and toe tapping, and pretending to be Darth Vader.

P.S. May the Force be with you... Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

CULTURE

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbrickculture

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Review: New Art West Midlands Exhibition Critic Alice Kiff explores the diverse mediums and content displayed at 2016's New Art West Midlands exhibition.

Alice Kiff

Culture Critic

The New Art West Midlands 2016 exhibition is a multi-media art showcase exhibiting the work of artists who have graduated from one of five regional art schools across the West Midlands. The fact that the art is produced by young graduates is evident in both the general vivacity and colour, and the social awareness and millennialstyle thinking which shone through the 16 artists’ work on show.

The exhibition demonstrates the versatility of modern art study, ranging across photography, acrylic and oils on canvas, sculpture, film, animation, and even performance art in the instance of Frederick Hubble’s “Harvesting dew to make a cup of coffee in order to better understand the morning". The art varies in subject matter as much as it does in medium. From the sexual politics of Hannah Honeywell’s “Muscles of the left hand (lesbian)”, which makes a provocative comment on society’s view on penetrative sex, to the serene yet macabre video of Arctic ice caps of Jakki Carey’s “Is”, to Jack Marder’s sickly-sweet comment on the extents of Western greed in “E90210”, it is clear that art graduates are using their skill to make a statement about issues of a global scale.

But no piece in the exhibition combines voice, tremendous skill and a thought provoking message

like the 3 minute 36 second video “Switching on Invader Network”

by Kiriaki Hajiloizis. Projected on a wall in a dark, curtained room near the back of the Waterhall Gallery, the film is a collage of harrowing television of the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, chopped and juxtaposed with British cartoons.

Though on the surface the piece can be read as a contrast between innocence and war, between creation and destruction; the fuzzy and erratic cuts between revolutionaries, attacks and protests, and effervescent children’s cartoons is in fact the mental process of a now-adult Cypriot refugee trying to piece together her memories of seeing newscasts of destruction and war in her home country, and her switching over to the cartoons, to drown out the noise. The piece has tremendous power and to me is an exemplary instance of the power that young artists, particularly those who are members of minorities, can do with their experiences and voices.

Some messages in the art works are simpler, and closer to home, but no less significant. Ally Standing comments on architect John Madin’s Brutalist architecture of Birmingham in her photography of smaller details of a changed city in “Pierrot (after Madin)”.

I don’t say it lightly when I say that there really is something for everybody in this exhibition.

Visitors to New Art Midlands 2016 will find themselves stretched, inspired and challenged by the life

which these 21st century artists breathe into their work. It must be said that though there is a trend of social message, the exhibition is certainly not gloomy or pessimistic.

Many artworks are sensitive, charming and aesthetic, and may even make you chuckle at their ingenuity and genuineness, such as in the case of Hubble’s “Harvesting dew to make a cup of coffee to better understand the morning.” Hubble presents the apparatus he used to literally harvest morning dew off of a plastic sheet in his garden in order to make coffee from it, accompanied with a video of him carrying out the process, alongside the genuine recorded sound of morning birds chirping.

It’s a perfect piece for the exhibition; gentle, philosophical, and a reminder that with all the noise and chaos in this world, small pleasures exist all around us, and are probably simpler and easier to find than we think.

Upcoming Shows: Thriller Live - A celebration of the music of Michael Jackson.

Running from the 7th-12th March at New Alexandra Theatre Mary Poppins - This musical about the magical nanny flies into the Birmingham Hippodrome. Catch it between 9th March - 23rd April.

Culture critic Matt Bates previews for Redbrick Culture online.

Review: Sandi Toksvig Live!

Olivia Boyce Culture Editor @liv_boyce

Even before Sandi Toksvig bounds on stage to the familiar tones of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, it is clear that this will be no ordinary comedy live show. A slideshow warns of potential political incorrectness, the posters talk of the Women’s Equality Party, and there appears to be a ping-pong table on stage, with a net made out of what seem to be – books? It is all very strange, but there is method to the madness – humourous, witty, and political method.

Toksvig is here with a purpose. For years the broadcaster, novelist and comedian has campaigned for gender equality, declaring in 2012 that ‘I don't think there's a party that represents anything I believe in.’ Years later, it appears that the only way to solve this conundrum is to set one up yourself – last year Toksvig helped to co-found the UK’s fastest growing political party, the Women’s Equality Party, and is now on a fundraising tour in their benefit. As Toksvig remarks, politics is an expensive business.

Toksvig’s show is a mixture of witticisms, social commentary

and personal experience, and not once do her jokes fail to produce a laugh, nor do the statistics she reveals fail to shock. From FTSE100 companies to famous politicians, outdated adverts and rather dodgy book titles, she deftly interweaves each fact with often acerbic humour. It is hard not to laugh when she reveals that more FTSE100 companies are run by men called Dave than are run by women, yet even then the underlying message is clearsomething needs to change. It is this duality that makes her show as entertaining and thought-provoking as it is.

It also quickly becomes clear exactly why Toksvig will be succeeding Stephen Fry as the host of the BBC’s quiz show QI this year – she has a fascination with weird and wonderful facts, all related to the slideshow of humourous pictures she displays. Very little is off-limits, and there are jokes about famous politicians, odd genitalia and some rather curious scientific discoveries. I’m not sure what I will do with the information that there is a Testicle Festival in Montana, or that I now am somewhat intrigued as to what the medical journals say about ‘Chimney Sweep’s Scrotum’, but I am thoroughly entertained nonetheless.

Toksvig was also quick to assert that she would perhaps not be the most effective politician, and in the second half introduced a suitable alternative. Sophie Walker, leader of the WEP and a candidate for the London Mayoral position, passionately spoke about the party’s aims, and it is clear she is both confident and at ease in the world of politics. She effortlessly tied up the various threads Toksvig had weaved all evening into an emphatic call for action, and her segment, interspersed with references to the party’s rather extraordinary inception, was very inspiring. In short, Walker is someone to watch out for in the future.

Toksvig closes the show in a brilliantly unique way – by getting the entire audience joyfully joining her in the most unskilled display of orchestral conducting ever to have graced Town Hall. As I wave my arms around frantically, the soaring noise of Ode to Joy once more filling the auditorium, I am left to ponder some important questions. Why does public discourse often ignore that, at the current rate, it will take 118 years for gender equality in the workplace? Why on earth do we not still refer to table-tennis as the rather brilliant sounding ‘WhiffWhaff’? And last but not least, does God ever speak through

cats? Whatever the answers, there are no doubts that Toksvig is one of the great comedic talents of our age, and a wonderful activist to boot. It just goes to show – a sense of humour, a worthwhile cause and a speaker like Toksvig make for a perfect combination.

Toksvig continues to tour until March 14th 2016

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Sport

Friday 4th March

@redbricksport

Are Football Ticket Prices Too Expensive?

Paper Editor, Harry Wilkinson, undertook a survey about football ticket prices being expensive - here are the conclusions.

Harry Wilkinson

the average most expensive being a whopping £56.63 (a rise of 12% in five years).

It seems our respondents' estimate was about right, with a number between £36 and £45 likely to be the overall average for a single match-day ticket in the English top-tier. But is it possible for this price to get closer to the desired price range of £16-25? Well, the figures also released season ticket prices, with the average CHEAPEST season ticket being £513.95, divide this number by When we asked if tickets in the nineteen (number of Premier League are too expensive, league home games) and you get about £27. Still 90% said Yes and 10% said No not very convincing.

Without fans, football is nothThe three clubs who ing. Since the early twentieth offer the cheapest season century sport has been a pas- tickets are Stoke (offering a time for spectators as well as cheapest season ticket of participants, with the earliest £294), Manchester City form of commercialisation (£299) and Aston Villa (£335). being in the form of tickets Divide these numbers by and gate receipts. But today, nineteen and you will seem to commercialisation in sport get a pretty decent deal. has grown massively; form- However, this only applies ing a symbiotic relationship for season ticket holders, and with sport's abundant globali- of course, supporters of clubs sation. who offer cheaper options Football, the world's most such as these. played sport (with an estimate It is worth highlighting the of 3.5 billion fans world- point that clubs in the Premier wide), has perhaps been influ- League do not need spectator enced the most by the phe- revunue and could easily nomenon of turning the work- operate having lower ticket ing-class game into a large prices with little impact on source of fuel for the socio- their profits. economic machine. Of course, Speaking of season ticket we fans expect to pay to watch holders, in the survey we our team play, to give some asked the respondent which tangible, financial support as category would most accuwell as the intangible passion rately apply to them: displayed in the terraces. But there comes a point where it gets too much. Recently we created an online survey asking people their opinions on the matter of ticket pricing in football, giving us an insight into what people are thinking.

We asked the respondents, providing they supported a team in the Premier League (of which 62% did), to estimate the average price they must pay to watch a single game. The most popular range of prices estimated was between £36-45; with £46-55 being the second most abunAs you can see by the figdant. We then asked which range reflects the price that ure above, there are a relaSHOULD be charged for one tively small amount of people game. Most of the respond- who have season tickets, ents replied with a lower which is fair enough as it is quite a commitment (espeamount of: £16-25.

In a study by the BBC in cially if you're a student).

October last year, ticket price Therefore, I do not think the figures were collected in proposal of simply buying a order to give everyone the season ticket is the fairest opportunity to compare prices solution here. between each club and league.

In the Premier League the The Football League average CHEAPEST ticket is There has been a lot of £30.68 (a figure that has risen by 20% in five years), with attention on ticket prices Print Editor

recently, but the vast majority seems to be focused on the Premier League. It is important to note that fans of clubs in the Football league have also had similar problems involving overpriced tickets.

We asked, 'What would you guess is the average ticket price in The Football League (combining Championship, League One and League Two)?'. The results were quite interesting: £11-14: 13%; £15-18: 16%; £19-22: 34%; £23-26: 29%; £27-30: 3%; £31-34: 3%.

It will surprise a lot of people (given that only 13% chose this option) that The Football League released a figure of just £14 for the average match-day ticket price (£15.65 for the Championship; £11.72 for League One; and £11.58 for League Two).

However, I think it would be unwise not to be sceptical about this number, which was taken from a sum which involves the season ticket prices and dividing that number by the amount of home games (as well as single match day tickets). This, as I demonstrated before, produces a much kinder price that is not necessarily a fair reflection of the true amount most fans have to pay to watch their team.

However, according to the BBC study, the average cheapest adult match-day ticket in the Championship is £20.90 (the average cheapest away is £22.96).

It is a similar story with League One; the average cheapest adult match-day ticket being £20.27 (£20.65 away), compared with the £11.72 figure claimed by The Football League. League Two is the same with the cheapest average adult match-day ticket being £18.50 (a 20% rise in five years).

A brief look at some European Clubs In La Liga, you can buy a season ticket for as cheap as £103 at Barcelona (although presumably with a poor view of the game) and £175 at Real Madrid. We must remember that these two clubs are, without much dispute, the two biggest in the world, and are home to the most talented players the game has to offer.

To get similar prices in England you would have to go as far down as the Conference. Make of it what you will, but I think most people will find it pretty laughable. However, I am persistent on making the point that the attraction in going to

football matches is not just about seeing the most talented players, or the highest quality of football, it's about supportthe team you love.

The situation in Germany is much the same as in La Liga.

Bayern Munich season tickets We also asked readers who they think are available for as little as £110 will win the Premier League (£133 at Bayer of dynamic pricing (as airLeverkusen). In Portugal, Champions League lines do whereby prices are regulars Benfica and Porto managed on a daily basis, charge around £70 and £78 increasing or decreasing according to context). Clubs for certain season tickets.

To put these prices into need spectators for atmosperspective, Arsenal's cheap- phere rather than revenue so est season ticket for this sea- prices could be varied as they son costs £1,014. Use that wish without serious harm to number to make any funny their margins. comparison you want: you could buy nearly ten season Conclusion tickets at Barca; you could buy fourteen season tickets at From the perspective of a Benfica; or you could buy German football fan, or some 4,056 Freddo bars for the Spanish fans, the ticket prices same price as Arsenal's cheap- in England are ludicrous. est season ticket. Take your From the perspective of pick.

English fans, ticket prices in Germany or Spain are either What can be done? ridiculously cheap, or how they should be. I made the In our survey we asked point earlier about how watch'What means do you feel ing football is not all about would be most helpful in seeing the flair and skill of decreasing the ticket prices in talented players, but more the Premier League?'. about supporting your team through the good and bad.

This, among other reasons, makes ticket prices an extremely rare (to put it in business terms) product; with demand for the product not being affected by the price - there are many stadiums that would be filled whether the ticket price was £150 or £15. But that is the problem. Fans are treated like customers in too many clubs and football should not be like that. We go to football matches to experience a rare and beautiful feeling raw emotion that encapsulates our inner sense of purpose. We go to support our Many believe that prob- club, yes, but also to fulfil a lems involving ticket prices vital aspect of our innateness should not be affecting the and humanity. For me, the actual match; that the sport true beauty in football lies in should be kept separate from seeing passion and desire such quarrels. However, oth- combine - in feeling these ers believe that to actively two components collide and demonstrate your bemuse- combust into one of those rare ment, doing so during the euphoric moments of madmatch itself is a more pro- ness and joy: a goal. The goal found and noticeable method is the same - whether it's at in regards to portraying ones Madrid or Macclesfield - it's ill-feelings. Of course, there the same. That is why we love are other options, such as football and that is why most petitions, that allow annoy- of us would pay huge sums of ance to be expressed in a money to see the game unfold manner separate from the before our very eyes. I just sport, but are they as formi- don't think we should have dable? to.

One way that could work in making ticket prices more appealing is to use a system

Sport

Friday 4th March

@redbricksport

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Why Scrapping FA Cup Replays is Nonsensical Sports writer, Alex Davis, argues why the scrapping of FA Cup replays would be immoral, irrational and futile.

Alex Davis Sports Writer

Please leave the greatest cup competition in the world alone.

Reports in the past week have suggested that the Football Association is considering scrapping F.A Cup replays in order to reduce fixture congestion for the top clubs and in a bid to make the national team more competitive. The objec-

'The FA Cup on the other hand welcome 736 teams from non-league up to the heady heights of the Premier League' tive of the move is to ease the burden of games on Premier League clubs who also have European games to contend with.

This is all well and good but I feel like the F.A might

have forgotten something. The Premier League consists of 20 teams. Of these 20, between four and six regularly qualify for either the Champions League or the Europa League.

The F.A Cup on the other hand welcomes 736 teams from nonleague up to the heady heights of the Premier League. Are we truly considering altering this competition for the benefit of 4-6 clubs and in the loose hope that playing a couple of games a season less might somehow spark our national side into motion? If this isn’t barmy enough, let us not forget that the top teams in the Premier League are hardly awash with sparkling English talent anyway.

Moving away from the effect this change would have on the top clubs, most important are the effects on the smaller clubs in the competition. Cambridge United entertained Manchester United in last season’s fourth round. The original game was televised and after an impressive 0-0 draw, U’s fans descended on Old Trafford for the replay.

This game was also televised and despite succumbing to defeat, Cambridge earned £1.3m from the two games; an

enormous amount of money for a fourth division side.

The Premier League has been on a mission since its inception in 1992 to make life hard for the smaller clubs in The Football League. Before

'What these replays offer is the chance for lower league clubs to stay afloat' 1992, 50% of TV money went to clubs outside of the top division; now it’s just 3%. With the sums at the top increasing year upon year, the gap between the richest and the poorest is wider than ever. Money from FA Cup replays isn’t even a drop in this vast greedy ocean; it’s certainly not going to close the gap with any significance. No, what these replays offer is the chance for lower league clubs to stay afloat, and perhaps embark on a fancy new project such as Cambridge’s new changing rooms. That’s the reality of clubs lower down the spectrum; they don’t have a

pot to p*** in. While Manchester City, amongst others, contemplate which new star they are going to fork out tens of millions of pounds on, clubs like Northampton Town face a battle just to stay solvent. The F.A Cup is one of the only remaining aspects of English football which actually eases the burden on such clubs, and replays offer another opportunity.

In this year’s fourth round, there were just two replays.

Two. One can’t begin to imagine the negative manner in which this will affect England’s hopes of reaching the latter stages of this summer ’s European Championships.

However one can begin to imagine how much the televised replay between Peterborough United and West Bromwich Albion might aid Posh in their quest to provide a football team for their town in the future.

The F.A Cup is the cup of the people. It always has been , and it should remain so for the future. Giving smaller clubs their opportunity of relative glory and prosperity is one of the major beauties of this grand old competition. Disposing of replays is just another nail in

the coffin of financially weaker clubs and would be indicative of the direction in which English football has taken in its recent past.

What do you think?

Tweet us at @redbricksport

FA Cup 6th Round Fixtures Fri 11th March: Reading vs Crystal Palace (19.55) Sat 12th March: Arsenal/Hull vs Watford (15:00) Everton vs Chelsea (17:30) Sun 13th March: Manchester United vs West Ham United (16:00)

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Sport

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbricksport

Lockdown Report Continued from page 40 The Birmingham Pussycats made a dazzling half-time performance to match the great on-court performance of the team. Aston spent a fair amount of time at the free throw line in the third quarter and the crowd pressure did little to throw off their form. Rochelle recorded some big buckets to maintain the Lionesses’ lead, selling defenders with pump fakes.

Lois converted after a good offensive rebound to snap a temporary cold streak and a half-court touchdown pass from Fay Solkhon finished by Ellie Macleod took the wind out of Aston’s sails. A good steal from Fay at the death of the quarter kept the lead above 20 points.

The fourth started with some sloppy interior defence and poor defensive rebound work from the home team but Aston’s late push was kept at bay by some good mid-range shooting from Rochelle and Jenny Foster. Good Lioness hustle and ball movement was a theme late in the game; despite a dry end to the quarter it was no contest and in the end the final score was 54-37.

The Lions won the tip-off in their game and Lewis Davis put points on the board straight off the bat after some good ball movement. Andy Salmon sunk a mid range jump shot but Aston hit back with some strong drives which forced an early Lions timeout – the

coach’s chair making an early appearance. Crowd pressure affected the Aston men more than the women and they missed four consecutive free throws.

The lead changed hands multiple times with Davis converting twice in traffic but both teams were wasteful in offence with lots of travel violations called.

A full-court pass from Davis set up Salmon for a buzzer beater layup to end the quarter with a 24-13 lead.

'Andy Salmon's transition offence was fervent and he capitalised on some great hustle late in the quarter from the Lions to spark a hot scoring streak' Between the quarters a basketball prodigy crowd member drained a downtown shot from the stands which sent the supporters wild and gave the players a tough act to follow.

Luckily Reuben Estrada sunk a three to start the quarter and the intensity picked up straight away. Peter Onubogu made an instant impact off the bench as a big offensive presence with rebounds and put-backs. Salmon and Nick Kitchen ran a fast passing offence and the Lions, like their female counterparts, experienced success with the

2-3-zone defence. Davis lifted the crowd with some huge drives to the basket and Salmon continued his fast break scoring.

The UoB Hip-Hop Society kept the crowd energized at half time before the basketball resumed and Estrada was fouled for three free throws. Matt Porter and Salmon combined twice early on in the quarter with good hustle and quick offence and a bounce pass from Salmon through the legs of an Aston defender set Porter up for a sumptuous mid-ranger jumper.

Intense defence from the Lions forced several turnovers and Estrada's euro step layup in transition showed the gulf in class between the teams.

The fourth quarter was an exhibition in all areas of the game from the Lions. Salmon drained jump shot after jump shot from the wing to bring his game total to 30 points and Illo Gonzalez forced multiple steals as the Munrow crowd cheered for project 100 points. As Davis sunk a three and the crowd erupted it seemed like Aston had given up hope and the Lions’ defence did not concede a single point in the quarter; ending the game with a monstrous 91-34 win.

It was an amazing night for all involved. All the UoB players deserve unending praise for their performances and putting on two dazzling basketball games for the adoring Munrow crowd to enjoy.

Alice Brennan Sports reporter

The ‘#CrackTheHat2k16’ campaign is a safety campaign launched by a group of 3rd year students at the Royal Agricultural University. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of wearing a riding hat with the appropriate safety standings, while raising money for the Injured Jockeys Fund.

The Injured Jockeys Fund helps fund rehabilitation for injured riders as well as research into improved riding protection equipment. Grace Pugh, who co-founded the campaign, said “IJF have really inspired us with the work they have done with injured riders, and how their research is being implemented into manufacturing standards. It is great to be able to do something to help spread awareness.”

After our A Team, who are on top form, won their home competition (India Wishart 1st, Georgie Day 3rd and Amy Halstead 4th) they took part in the campaign. In a similar nature to the ice bucket challenge, the girls smashed eggs

“Hats are now becoming very stylish so there's no excuse not to wear them every day!” end up with a horrific injury.”

Congratulations, also, to the entire equestrian squad who have won almost all of their competitions this year, and are looking very promising for regionals!

The video of the squad taking the challenge can be found on the UoB Equestrian Club Facebook page.

Don’t forget, crack the egg

Badminton Men 1st 5-3 Durham 1st - Championship SF (W) Men 2nd 10-8 Loughborough 2nd - Trophy SF (W) Men 3rd 1-7 Worcester 1st - Conference Cup SF (L)

Basketball Men 2nd 57-23 Wolverhampton 2nd - Midlands 4A (W)

Golf 1st 1.5-7.5 St Andrews 1st - Championship QF (L) 3rd 6.5-2.5 Surrey 1st - Trophy QF (W) 4th 5-1 UEA 1st - Conference Cup SF (W)

Hockey Men 1st 1-2 Exeter 1st - Championship SF (L) Men 2nd 4-0 Exeter 1st - Trophy SF (W) Men 4th 0-5 Loughborough 4th - Conference Cup SF (L) Women 1st 3-1 Loughborough 1st - Championship SF (W)

Lacrosse Men 1st 7-9 Queen’s College - Trophy SF (L) Women 1st 14-13 Cambridge 1st (W) Women 2nd 6-10 Leicester 1st (L) Women 4th 13-0 Derby 1st (W)

Netball 2nd 60-33 Loughborough 4th - Midlands 2A (W)

Rugby Men 1st 29-24 Loughborough 2nd - Premier North B (W) Men 2nd 18-10 Harper Adams 2nd - Conference Cup SF (W) Women 1st 22-10 Bristol 1st - Trophy SF (W)

Squash

UoB Take Part in #CrackTheHat2k16 Campaign over their heads, donated by texting HATZ50, and then passed on the nomination to their family and the development side of the squad.

As a club, we can appreciate the danger of the sport and support the need to wear the correct safety equipment.

Georgie Day, team captain, said “I think it is crucial to wear a riding hat in all disciplines of riding, it only takes one silly move by either the horse or rider and you could

Campus Sport In Brief

Men 1st 1-4 Nottingham 1st - Championship SF (L) Men 2nd 5-0 Southampton 1st - Trophy QF (W) Men 4th 1-4 Warwick 2nd Conference Cup SF (L) Women 1st 4-0 Manchester 1st - Championship SF (W) Women 2nd 4-0 Bath 1st - Trophy QF (W)

Table Tennis

not your head! To donate £2 to the IJF, text “HATZ50” with the amount you wish to donate to 70070.

Men 1st 10-7 Men 2nd - Conference Cup SF (W) Women 1st 7-10 Nottingham 3rd - Conference SF (L)

What do you think? Tweet us @redbricksport.

Women 2nd 12-0 Coventry 2nd - Midlands 2A (W)

Tennis

SPORT

Friday 4th March 2016

@redbricksport

39

From the Editor’s Desk: Following Brum at the #BUCSNationals Weekend Nicola Kenton Online Editor

At the end of reading week was the weekend many students who compete in BUCS look forward to. Over 6,000 athletes descended on the city of Sheffield to compete at the BUCS Nationals weekend, where 10 sports compete at seven different venues. Before the weekend started, it was announced that BUCS had signed a new deal to keep the BUCS National Weekend in the city of Sheffield for a further three years and that world class sporting facilities would continue to hold the BUCS competition. Ponds Forge hosted the swimming, boxing and karate, the English Institute of Sport was home to the indoor athletics and the badminton.

Fencing took place at the Graves Tennis Centre, trampolining at the ICE ice hockey arena, judo at the All Saints Sports College, climbing at the Climbing Works, and the short range rifle championships at Staveley shooting ground.

The University of Birmingham was represented across many of the sports in multiple events, with athletics and swimming having the most participants. Many of the sports took place across the whole weekend with Friday and Saturday used as the rounds for the championships and Sunday billed as ‘Finals Day’.

Athletics It was a busy weekend for Birmingham at the athletics but there were medals picked up throughout the weekend. On Friday, Imran Rahman was looking to retain his 60m crown and did so in style, with PBs in the semi-final and final. Saturday saw lots of qualification for many of the finals taking place on Sunday,

' It was a busy weekend for Birmingham at the athletics but there were medals picked up throughout the weekend' including Mark Williams and Chris McAllister in the 400m.

Birmingham won three gold medals on Sunday - taking their tally to four - as Sarah McDonald in the 1500m, Andrew Heyes in the 3000m and the 4x200m men’s relay squad crossed the line in first position. An amazing achievement by all.

Badminton UoB had multiple entrants in each event and Andrew Wainwright was one of the stars reaching the semi-finals in both the men’s singles and the mixed doubles.

Unfortunately, Wainwright did not make it any further in the competi-

tion but for Birmingham to have both him and Jonathan McDonald as semi-finalists in the singles is an achievement in itself.

Climbing Birmingham’s men finished 6th in the team Championship with 587 points, after Jack Popplewell finished 17th, Alexander Dexter 29th and Ben Talks 46th. In the women’s competition, Madeleine Willcocks-Thomson and Rebecca Hammersley finished 82nd and 91st, respectively.

Fencing In the sport of fencing, Birmingham had athletes taking part in the Women’s Épée on Sunday. The overall ranking saw Gabby Kettle finish in 15th, with Rachel Silvey in 44th and Pak Ling Cheung in 51st.

Judo The Birmingham team took part on Saturday competing in the ‘Dan’ events; this was the advanced category which combines the first grade of Kyu (brown belts) and the Dan grades (black belts). Each athlete competed in a pool and if enough matches were won, they went through to the knockout rounds. Unfortunately, Phoebe Fryer did not make it out of her pool and Maximilien Gatin lost in round 2 of the knockout stages.

Laure Savary made it out of her pool and through the rounds of the knockout, until she lost in the semi-final and from there also lost the bronze medal match.

-80kg category, Darin Mitev won gold with Ben Jefferies also claiming first place in the +80kg category. Moreover, Poppy Balmer won bronze in the Women’s Senior Kumite -50kg category, as Ben Slater also took bronze in the -84kg category. Finally, David Thomas won gold for UoB in the Men’s Senior Kumite +84kg category with Birmingham finishing third in the overall team points classification.

Swimming Over three days of competition, Birmingham did not win any medals at the BUCS Long Course championships but the team made lots of finals and finished in 7th place overall. Some notable performances were Abby Smith with seventh in the 800m and eleventh in the 200m Freestyle; Alannah Fillingham was ninth in the 400m Individual Medley; Zoe BozzardHill came fifth in the 50m Freestyle with a PB; Ellen Stone got a PB in the 100m Breaststroke and a club

record in the 200m. Steve Wilson produced club record performances in the 100m and 200m Freestyle, as did Charlotte Taylor in the 100m Fly and Joe Marsh touched fourth in the 50m Fly final equalling his PB. Trampolining At the ICE arena, trampolining was taking place and Saturday saw the competitors trying to qualify for the finals on Sunday. The categories ranged from BUCS 1 Elite to BUCS 6 and Birmingham had athletes competing in BUCS 1 down to the BUCS 6 category, with 8 out of 18 making it through to the finals on Sunday. A successful day for UoB occurred with Ellie Joseph finishing 4th, Alice Day 8th and Jess Cliff 11th in BUCS 1; in BUCS 2 Tom Senter came 2nd and Imogen Pickup 11th; BUCS 4 saw George Killick finish 12th and Megan James was 14th and Beth Harvey, 15th in BUCS 6.

Karate In the Men’s Novice Kumite

The Redbrick Crossword

Lucie Turner Crossword Editor

In celebration of Leonardo Dicaprio’s TREMENDOUS Oscar win (well done, we knew you could do it bae) this week’s crossword is Oscar themed.

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Across

3. For which film was Cate Blanchett nominated for Best Actress this year?

6. The Oscar statues used to be made out of painted what during World War 2?

10. Which based-on-a-truestory film won Best Picture at this year’s Oscars?

11. What was the name of the first Bond tune to win Best Song?

Down

1. Which Berry made their acceptance speech last a whopping 4 and 1/2 minutes for their 2002 Best Actress win?

2. The name of the flame-throwing guitarist in Mad Max: Fury Road was ____ Warrior.

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9. An Oscar trophy weighs 3.8 ____grams.

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Lions Claim Their Territory At Lockdown 4.3.2016 Harry Wilkinson analyses the debate on football ticket prices

Page 36 Alice Brennan reveals the latest Equestrian safety campaign

Page 38 Nicola Kenton reports on the BUCS Nationals Weekend in Sheffield

Page 39 Dan Steeden

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Paper Editor

The annual phenomenon of Lockdown returned to the Munrow Sports Centre this weekend and brought with it the fiercest of local rivalries – the University of Birmingham Lions and Lionesses against the Aston Eagles. The home crowd’s zealous passion made for an electric atmosphere even before the first tip-off and with mascot Rory the Lion in good form (though not in good dunking form) the stage

was set for a fantastic evening of basketball.

The Lionesses were in action first and the opening quarter was a low scoring affair with the pressure of the occasion meaning nobody wanted to make a mistake. A combination of good 2-3-zone defence from the home side and poor Aston shooting meant the Lionesses opened up an 8-2 lead at the end of the quarter following some good drives and offensive rebound work from Lois Nunn.

The game opened up in the second quarter and Aston should

have capitalised on some sloppy transition passing from the home team while the Lionesses couldn’t make the most of numerous offensive rebounds. Fresher point guard Rochelle Mackenzie-Spooner was lightning fast in transition with some big drives and pinpoint passing. With zonal defence restricting Aston to outside shooting and good hustle leading to fast break scores, the Lionesses surged ahead to a 25-10 half time lead..

Continued on page 38.