Redbrick
7th - 13th February 2014
Est. 1936
Vol. 78. Issue 1443. www.redbrick.me
Sabrina Dougall
Five Suspended After National Protest
Defend Education accuse the Guild of Students of bowing down to University management News / Page 5
Marianne Lampon reviews Bombay Bicycle Club's brand new album
Alessandra Walker believes that 'Nek Nominate' has gone too far
Blaise Radley reviews acclaimed sci-fi romance 'Her'
George Bearman on Wikipedia's eternalisation of Stephen Fry
Music / Page 12
Comment / Page 8
Film / Page 17
Science&Tech / Page 25
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7th - 13th February 2014
News Tweet of the Week
Society Spotlight
Baking Society
The Baking Society is designed for all who love baking, are keen to learn, or for those who simply love to eat!Bakesoc is an officially recognised guild society and all University of Birmingham students are welcome!
LGBTQ Week @unibirmingham We're flying the rainbow flag for #LGBT History Month! Thanks to @davidefranklin for sharing this photograph
BakeSoc meets fortnightly Tuesdays, at 7.30pm in the Oasis Kitchen, which is downstairs in the St Francis Chaplaincy. (15th October, 29th October, 12th November, 26th November, 10th December during Semester One) To contact BakeSoc either post on the facebook group or email: baking@guild.bham.ac.uk
Online in Redbrick News
Defend Education's National Demo: a timeline Editor Josh Holder creates a snazzy visual collection of photographs, videos and tweets on last Wednesday's national demonstration See more at http://www.redbrick. me/2014/01/national-demonstration/
Yes 70% Photos of the Week: Stormy Campus Emily Hickey-Mason
David Franklin
Redbrick Editorial Team Editor Josh Holder editor@redbrick.me
Comment Editors Julia Bayer Charlie Moloney Jonathan Simpson
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Deputy Editors Charley Ross James Phillips deputy@redbrick.me
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Film Editors Becky McCarthy Tom Lofkin Ben Jackson film@redbrick.me
Music Editors Lily Blacksell Susie Dickey Sam Dix music@redbrick.me
Travel Editors Hannah Stevens Elizabeth Waind Tamara Silver travel@redbrick.me
Sci&Tech Editors Soumya Perinparajah Claire Harris George Bearman
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Senior Editorial Assistant Isabel Mason Editorial Assistants Molly Garfoot Bethany Tilston Ellie Jarvis Ella Parsons Toria Brook-Hill Michael Smith Lucy Moseley Emily Trivette
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Birmingham Gets Wireless
Brum's growing economy has attracted the originally London-based O2 Wireless festival
Comments: 'Wireless Festival Birmingham! Onit.' 'Kanye West, Drake and Bruno Mars to headline Wireless Festival 2014 in Birmingham.'
Lucy Moseley
News Reporter Following Birmingham’s improving economic performance, Wireless Festival is to be staged here in July. A report produced by Centre for Cities has named Birmingham as one of three major cities showing signs of economic recovery. The report ‘Cities outlook 2014’ is the economic index of the 64 largest cities and towns in the UK, and predicts how they are set to fare in the coming year. Beaten only by London and Edinburgh, Birmingham was placed third in the running for the most successful city in generating private-sector jobs over the previous year. The report raised growing concern over the widening economic gap between London and the rest of the UK. In response to these apprehensions, Sir Albert Bore, leader of Birmingham City Council states that ‘London is an overheated economy’ that ‘never went into recession’. Bore went on to stress the ‘need to rebalance the UK economy’ and it looks as though Birmingham will be the driving force behind this mission. On the same day the report was released,
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Pub Fundraising for Childrens Hospital Grows In Popularity Charlotte Wilson
Photography Editor @wilsonscribbles A new fundraising event has grown in popularity in many local Birmingham pubs. From Friday 28th February to Sunday 2nd March, pubs from the Sizzler group will be participating in BandAGE Live, a musical charity event with ambitions to raise a total of £12,000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital. The Vine, a pub on High Street, Harborne, is one of 14 pubs participating in the event. Like many other club promoters and pub landlords, the pub’s owner, Greg Mills Dunn is eager to get stuck in. Numerous community artists, covering genres such as acoustic, folk and beatboxing, are offering their services for the
events, including popular tribute band, Ultimate Madness, who have been booked to play on Saturday 9th February at The Vine. Dunn is aiming to accumulate over £1,000 from his event alone. ‘Myself and my team are really looking forward to our night of live music and are pleased to be a part of such an exciting music takeover for a very worthwhile cause,’ Dunn said. He continued with the ‘hope [that] more venues will get on board and join us in supporting our local children’s hospital.’ The Hospital has expressed great excitement over this ‘live music takeover across the Midlands’ and hope that it will not only raise funds, but general awareness also. Further information and venue locations can be found at www.bandagelive.org.uk.
details of the renowned festival ‘Wireless’, usually staged in Hyde Park, were revealed. The festival is to be held in Birmingham and London on the weekend of the 4th, with performers such as Kanye West and Drake commuting between the two locations. Professor David Bailey, of Aston University Business School, said the decision to stage a major festival in Birmingham was promising for the city’s future. ‘It’s a reflection that organisers have got confidence in Birmingham as a city to host the event; it has the facilities and will attract the crowds’ he explained. ‘They see it as commercially viable to stage the event here. Birmingham is now in the position where it can bid for and get these sorts of events.’ However, not everyone shares the enthusiasm that the festival will be beneficial to the city. Local café owner Nigel O’Grady said, ‘it makes very little difference to us. They have café facilities on site so people generally walk straight past us.’ However, he did say that ‘it’s good for the area generally’. Promoter Steve Homer said organisers at Live Nation were ‘thrilled’ to be bringing Wireless to Birmingham. It will be interesting to see whether the festival further aids the city’s economy and proves to be a triumph for Birmingham.
Consent Week to be Held at University This Month
Tara Dein
News Reporter Consent Week, the first to be hosted at the University of Birmingham, is scheduled to take place during the week of the 10th-14th February. Organised by Women’s Association, the week will focus on promoting cultural acceptance of consent culture rather than rape culture, and tackle some of the issues raised by abuse and assault both on campus and in society. It will also address the problematic culture and prevalence of harassment (from unwanted groping, to stalking, to rape) that too often go unacknowledged, unspoken or even accepted. A key aim of Consent Week is to explore and challenge the culture that allows harassment to happen in the first place. ‘Consent Week will work to educate on the culture
that accepts harassment, which means that at times, people can be unaware of the nature and implications of their actions, though that doesn’t excuse or legitimise it. ‘What we are trying to do is raise awareness and teach people about these behaviours and that they are simply not okay, despite being a part of many women's university experiences’ (Mae Rohani, Women’s Officer). The week will attempt to raise awareness of the persistence and ever-potent presence of the rape culture and objectification of women students, still prevalent in university life and explore alarming facts: for example, the fact that 1 in 7 students are seriously sexually assaulted during their time at university (with 1 in 4 women suffering domestic abuse nationally) and raising awareness of a recent NUS study, which has highlighted the fact that female students are at an increased risk of sexual harassment
and violence. Furthermore, it will focus on challenging perceptions people have, the rape culture which blames a victim for their assault rather than looking at the violence and power balance which make it so commonplace. ‘This isn't simply about women however, it's about patriarchy and the system of oppression which pressures men to seek dominance and control, which legitimises rape and assault through cultural elements such as clothing and drunkenness, which encourages people of all genders to stay quiet about their assault in case they are disbelieved or shamed, which teaches young people that abuse and violence in a relationship are acceptable, the list goes on ...’ (Mae Rohani, Women’s Officer). Throughout Consent Week, four different workshops will be held, on the topics of consent, abuse in relationships and harassment
and stalking, opening a forum for discussion. There will be a stall everyday, with various information about consent, Women’s Aid and the support available. During this time (and in the lead up to International Women’s Day) white ribbons, the symbol of the ‘Say no to violence against women’ campaign', will be sold. ‘We will also be having support groups over the next few weeks for people to come and talk about their own experiences in a room with others who understand and can legitimise their feelings and understanding of what happened to them - I think this is extremely important, especially as we don't currently have anything like this on campus’ (Mae Rohani, Women’s Officer). Sign up for the sessions via consentweek. eventbrite.co.uk, Facebook event for Consent Week and look out for the posters around Campus.
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News Education
Applications to UoB is Four Times National Average Duncan Kenyon
Education Correspondent
Applications to Higher Education in the UK have risen 4% nationally since last year, UCAS has reported. 580, 000 home and foreign students have applied for undergraduate courses across the UK. This equates to around 35% of all 18 year olds in Britain. Applications to the University of Birmingham are up by 16.39%, four times national average. UK applications are up by 14.17% with EU applications (excluding the UK) up by 32.83%. Overseas
applications are up by 27.55% at the university compared to last year. Last year applications to universities fell. However this year they have begun to rise again, in a similar fashion to before tuition fees were tripled for students who began after September 2012. There were fears that applications would fall again because of the increase in tuition fees, with people feeling like they could not go to university. There are multiple reasons provided as to why the university has had such a significant increase in applications. One explanation is that being ranked ‘University of the Year’ by The Times has helped the university gain prestige.
Another is that, with the rise of demand in computer science degrees (UCAS showed that there was a 12% increase in demand for the 2013 year intake) prospective students are looking to universities with top computer science programmes, such as Birmingham. According to UCAS, students from disadvantaged parts of the UK are twice as likely to apply as in 2004. Disadvantaged students from Scotland are 108% more likely to go to university now than a decade ago, the highest jump in disadvantaged students. Paul Clark, from Universities UK, has commented that ‘it is particularly significant that the 2012 fee rises do not appear to have put off
disadvantaged young people from applying to university’. Applications for mature students have also increased. Nevertheless, they have not gone back to the levels of 2010. However the second largest applicants have come from first time applicants at the age of 19. These are students who did not apply last year, but have applied at 19. The demand has increased by 9.3% in England, the highest demanding country in the UK. UCAS has provided details saying that had the 18 year old population of 2009 and 2014 been equal, proportionally there are 16,000 more applicants in 2014 than there were in 2009.
University sector now one of the largest in Birmingham Oliver Norgate
News Reporter The university sector in Birmingham is now employing over 10,000 people, making it one of the largest sectors in the city. Recent studies undertaken by the Higher Education Statistics Agency showed that the three leading institutions, University of Birmingham, Aston University and Birmingham City University, all significantly increased employment during the past year. The recent addition of Newman
University to the city's higher education institution list also contributed to the rise. The University of Birmingham is the largest university employer with 6,320 staff, whilst Aston and Birmingham City Universities have staff numbers of around 2440 and 1165 respectively. A University of Birmingham spokesman said: 'The University of Birmingham employs more than 6,000 people. This is 1.2 per cent of total employment in Birmingham and more than any other private sector employer in Birmingham. The increase in our staff
numbers is due to our ongoing investment in the student experience and ensuring we have the very best teaching and support staff in place for our students.' John Lamb, spokesman for Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Group, said: 'Collectively the universities are huge employers and very important to the fabric of the city. Many of these people also live and spend their money in the city, which is beneficial to the economy.’ 'As well as this contribution, our universities are educating the business people and
academics of tomorrow, and the chamber is working closely with the universities and colleges to tackle the skills gap in the city.' The news has come following recent concern over the future economic growth of Birmingham. A report compiled in 2013 predicted that around 47,000 jobs will be created between now and 2020, with continued university employment playing a large role in this. However, the report states that the stagnating service sector 'remains a concern' and that 'mainly office-based employment accounts for 26,000 of that increase'.
National decline of the BNP continues but a resurgence may yet occur Melissa Woollaston
News Reporter Matthew Collins, researcher for anti-racism and anti-fascism organisation ‘HOPE not Hate’ and author of ‘Hate: My Life in the British Far Right’, gave an intimate talk at the Guild of Students on Wednesday 29th February. Opening his talk, Collins declared that ‘the rise of the far right in this country is over’. As a teenager, Collins was a dedicated supporter of the far-right movement, distributing hateful National Front literature and becoming a valued employee of the British National Party (BNP). He defected from the far right in 1989 following his involvement in a brutally violent attack on an anti-BNP protest meeting, turning in many of his former colleagues to antifascist magazine Searchlight. Now, he
works with ‘HOPE not Hate’ in the resistance and participates in close scruitinisation of the far-right movement in which he once played such an active role. The focus of Collins’s talk was the recent past and predicted the fate of the BNP, currently the largest far-right party in Britain, most controversially known for its hard-line stance on immigration. Rather than economic decline, he claimed that the rise of the BNP to their 2009 peak was ‘symptomatic of cultural insecurity’ and fuelled by the ‘over-simplification of complex issues’, notably immigration and multiculturalism, to people who wished to ‘defend the idea of Britain’. However, in Collins’s words, the BNP ‘failed miserably’ in the 2010 general election, and were ‘not prepared for the eventuality of defeat’, failing to impart a coherent ideology onto their members. He
attributes this decline in part to the doorstep campaigning of ‘HOPE not Hate’, who countered the BNP’s message and ‘managed to convince people that their vote counted’ in preventing their electoral success. The BNP now have one Member of European Parliament (MEP), Chairman Nick Griffin. Despite having declared bankruptcy earlier this month, Griffin will be standing in the coming European parliamentary elections in May. Collins is convinced that Griffin stands no chance of retaining his seat. He noted that the party has seen a ‘terminal decline’ in its membership from their peak of 16,000 in 2009 to fewer than 5,000 members in 2012, of which a significant proportion, he claims, are defected life members. Nonetheless, Collins predicts that, in the future, the BNP will focus on expand-
ing its youth wing, followed by a more clearly defined political focus, targeting the north-west of England in particular. He also believes that new recruits will ‘know who to blame’ for the setbacks of the BNP, most notably the increasingly popular moderate-right party UKIP and a so-called ‘Zionist conspiracy’ against the BNP’s electoral success. However, Collins believes that the BNP no longer ‘see the road to power as electoral’, and will be more likely to ‘take to the streets’ in the future – but for what Collins believes to be the wrong reasons. He claims that the BNP would not hold street protests against library closures, but would protest against the opening of mosques. ‘Wherever they go, they leave a trail of destruction’, he warns. He believes that it is important to ‘get communities to work together’ to challenge the far right.
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Students Charged and Suspended After Protests
Charlotte Wilson
Defend Education to demonstrate every week until all five students are reinstated Tara Dein
News Reporter
Sabrina Dougall News Editor
@sabrina_dougall
Five students have been suspended in the aftermath of the national student protest which took place on Wednesday 29th January. The students have been informed that there will be ‘no right of appeal against the decision’, but that the students in question have been suspended ‘temporarily’. The national meeting, held by activist group Defend Education, saw the attendance of students from across the UK protesting against corporatisation of universities. The demonstration ended with the arrests of six students from the University of Birmingham after their brief occupation of the Great Hall and clashes with security staff. The West Midlands Police released a
Defend Education argued that, ‘The students were arrested simply for being in the Great Hall and not giving their details to the police. It is entirely unjust to punish people so severely without any need for a court or hearing to prove that they have done anything.’ Over 3,300 signatures have been collected by Defend Education in an online petition to reinstate the students suspended from their university courses. The group have stated, 'These suspensions are at odds with freedom of speech and the right to protest, setting a threatening precedent for how dissent is dealt with on campus and across the country.' A further protest was held on campus in support of the five suspended students at 1pm on 5th February. Publicising the event on social media, Defend Education described the protest as ‘the culmination of a large number of repressive measures adopted by the university’. The protest heard several speakers including David Graeber, Professor of
Guild Reaction
"The Guild is extremely disappointed with the action at [Wednesday's] demonstration. As previously stated, the Guild will only support lawful direct action and peaceful protest. We wish to reiterate that this was not a Guild organised protest nor is the Guild affiliated to the campaign group, Defend Education. Whilst we oppose cuts to higher education, we do not condone the action taken today. It is unacceptable that this has negatively impacted on our students."
Sabrina Dougall report on 31st January that three men had been charged with violent disorder. This followed thirteen total arrests made at the protest. Student Kelly Rogers, who was arrested and suspended (but not charged), posted the terms of her bail conditions online. The student said she is ‘banned from congregating in groups of more than 10 people, banned from entering any university premises in the country including my own university, banned from sleeping anywhere other than my house in Birmingham, and banned from associating with any of the other 13 arrestees.’ The names of the five suspended students have been published by Defend Education as: Emily Farmer, Pat Grady, Simon Furse, Deborah Hermanns and Kelly Rogers. The University declined to comment on the suspensions.
Anthropology at LSE. A statement was made on behalf of Deborah Hermanns, a suspended student: ‘The university has used me and others as a precedent to intimidate other students. They suspended the five of us to intimidate every one of you.’ Despite the Guild having distanced itself from the student protest group, elected VP Education, Hattie Craig, pictured, continued to show her support for the Defend Education campaign. She was present at the demonstration on Wednesday afternoon. Taking hold of the megaphone, she told activists, 'We're not going anywhere, the suspensions are not going to make us go anywhere.' Craig was censured by the Guild Council on 30th January due to unauthorised leave of absence back in October. This was due to her involvement in the Occupation of the Senate Chamber in the Aston Webb.
Occupation Ends Defend Education's occupation of Hornton Grange ended on Monday 3rd February after the University delivered an injunction to students. Hornton Grange, located to the read of 52 Pritchatts Road just off the main campus, is used by the University for weddings and civil ceremonies. Defend Education cited its ‘money-making’ use by the University as the reason for its occupation. This sit-in, which began on 23rd Jan and ran for twelve days, was four days longer than the group’s previous occupation of the Aston Webb building on the main campus.
Victoria Kettlewell
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Comment
Sochi: To Go Or Not To Go? Esme Myers Commentator
@EsmeMyers
With the Winter Olympics due to start on the 7th of February, you would expect that most discussions building up to this major sporting event would be about, well, sport. But no, because this year’s Winter Olympics is taking place in the Russian city of Sochi. The lead up to the games has understandably been rife with debates about the gay rights issues in Russia; the safety of any gay athletes and spectators and whether or not people should be boycotting the games entirely. It would be totally understandable if people wished to boycott the games as they are taking place in a city where the mayor, Anatoly Pakhomov, claims that “We do not have them [gay people] in our city." To any sane person, this statement is utterly ridiculous, but this is unfortunately the only bizarre comment to come from a Russian official in recent weeks. President Vladimir Putin attempted to reassure the public that there would not be arrests in an interview with Andrew Marr earlier this month, but could not resist reminding the gay community that “You can feel free in your relationships but leave children in peace" as "we have a ban on promoting homosexuality and paedophilia among minors." The simple fact that the Russian President feels it appropriate to talk about homosexuality and paedophilia in the same breath sums up the concerns of many gay rights campaigners (and I
would hope the rest of the public too). But let’s be realistic, Putin and Pakhomov would not be saddened if the gay community boycotted the upcoming games because they would fundamentally just be getting what they want. It cannot ever be acceptable for anyone, however powerful, to spread homophobic propaganda, and least of all get away with it. Why should athletes and sporting fans be threatened into having to give up on attending such a major sporting event? Sexual orientation does not affect sporting ability and should therefore not effect whether or not someone takes part in the Winter Olympics. Last year in an open letter Stephen Fry argued that ‘an absolute ban on the Russian Winter Olympics of 2014 is simply essential’ and I can’t help but agree with him. It is wrong that some athletes and spectators can go to Sochi while others are forced out due to something as irrelevant as sexual orientation. But an absolute ban on the Russian Olympics has not happened so people need to think of a Plan B. If some members of the gay community feel brave enough to stand their ground and attend the Winter Olympics then they should be supported alongside the competing athletes as they are willing to put themselves at risk in order to make it clear to Russia and the rest of the world that the country’s gay laws are archaic and unacceptable. A wonderful example of someone protesting against Russia’s laws by talking openly about their sexuality is Blake Skjellerup, a 28 year old speed skater from
New Zealand. Skjellerup is New Zealand’s only openly gay Olympian and has stated that he will not be hiding his sexuality during his time in Sochi "And at the moment that is illegal. My goal is to inspire, encourage and offer support to LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] people in Russia”. I can’t help but feel that this is the way to really stand up to the Russian authorities. Why boycott the games and give them what they want? Being gay is nothing to be
ashamed of and Russia should not force people to stay away from what is meant to be an inclusive sporting event. If people want to attend or take part in the games then their sexuality should not matter. They are prepared to make a stand and should be supported if they make the decision to go to Sochi and show the Russian authorities that they cannot discriminate against people in such a backward manner.
A Post-Sharon Israel, but only too late Jack Mason-Jebb Commentator
@mahonschleb
‘Let’s hope for the sake of the world that his legacy is fulfilled’ is the final sentence of the article regarding the former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in the January 24th edition of Redbrick. I have not been compelled to write for this publication before, however I feel it is important to explain how devastatingly misguided and unacceptable the language used in the article is. This is not an attack on the piece itself nor on the author. My chief concern is the normalisation of ‘war’ language which this article bases its judgement of Sharon’s leadership on. This normalisation refers to the supposed equity between the Israelis and the Palestinians regarding responsibility for the ‘conflict’, and attempts to neutralise an issue which is fundamentally not neutral. For example, the 2008/9 Israeli bombing of Gaza, where roughly 1,500 Palestinians were killed, is generally described via normalisation, i.e. the ‘Gaza War’ or ‘Operation Cast Lead’. It is as if we are suggesting that this was a battle fought between two forces of equal size and with equal just cause. The account of Sharon as a ‘truly polarising and divisive figure’ is this normalisation taking effect once again. The Sabra and Shatila massacre of 1982 was the slaughter of thousands of Lebanese and Palestinian refugees by a militant Christian militia. This atrocity was carried out within the refugee camps guarded and maintained by the Israeli Defence Force, and a UN investigation found the Israelis bore responsibility for the murders as the militiamen were allowed access into the camps by IDF, who at the
time were under the command of Ariel Sharon. Further, 26 years before this slaughter, Sharon was the Commander of an IDF platoon which oversaw the execution of 49 unarmed Egyptian prisoners of war in the Sinai desert, the same war crime which has seen countless men sentenced by the International Criminal Court, including Radovan Karadzic who orchestrated the Srebrenica massacre. Even before this massacre against these Egyptians had been carried out, and before his 26th birthday, Sharon had commanded an IDF platoon whilst it annihilated the inhabitants of a small village, Qibya; all 69 of those innocent casualties paid the price for refusing to leave their West Bank homes. Thus, labelling Sharon a ‘far sighted pragmatist’ is perhaps not the most appropriate way to describe a man with a decade's worth of blood on his hands. It was implied throughout the January 24 article that Sharon’s tenure as Prime Minister was one of peace and cooperation, yet again this was simply not the case. His decision to invade the West Bank in 2002 killed 240 people according to Israeli Human rights watch group B’Tselem, and throughout his five year spell as the Head of State, the number of illegal settlements within the West Bank and the Golan Heights increased by 73,000. Sharon’s premiership ‘heralded a new era of hope for Israel’ so says the January 24 article, but what does this even mean? What is the hope Israel desire? So, Ariel Sharon orchestrated the murder of hundreds, and the displacement of thousands, whilst overseeing the decline of the Palestinian state and people as a political entity. I hope for the sake of the world that a man of Sharon’s ilk never again enjoys such a position of power; the stroke came far too late for far too many.
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Peaceful Protest Must Remain Paramount Sarah Tryon
Commentator Defend Education again made student headlines in Birmingham for their demonstration that took place on UoB campus last week. I am a fundamental believer in freedom of expression. It is sewn into the fibre of our society, as it is in nearly all functioning democracies. Obviously there is always a fine line to tread between freedom of expression and straight-up offence (see the Westboro Baptist Church’s Snyder v. Phelps case) but ultimately within reason, everyone has a right to express their opinion. Regardless of whether your opinion is a minority or majority view, left or right, extremist, centrist you have an essential right to express it in an accordant manner. I fully respect Defend Education’s right to protest and express their views but I also believe the principle of peaceful protest must remain paramount. I think part of the problem is Defend Education’s assumption that they are representing the whole student body. My experience of the wider student body’s reaction to the demonstrations is mostly apathetic. Some strongly support the cause whilst an equal number strongly disagree with it, but on the whole out of the 28,000+ students
who attend UoB there is not a majority who are willing to actively speak out and get involved. With about 300 students involved in last week' s protest, and not all of them UoB students, it’s hard to say that they have majority support. I’m not saying that I disagree with Defend Education’s claims. Yes, our staff should be paid a living wage and yes, fees should not be an unattainable prospect but all of this has to be evaluated against a wider economic backdrop. We’re slowly creeping out of recession precisely because of the cuts that have been felt by every section of our society. Ultimately however, Defend Education are losing a lot of the respect they had gained from the student body after their last occupation which on the whole remained peaceful. They will increasingly lose student support the more disruption they cause to everyday learning because at the end of the day, when you’re paying £9,000 a year you don’t want your precious contact hours disrupted by someone else’s political agenda. As much as I respect their right to express their opinions, they’d be far better off putting down the smoke bombs and focusing on more peaceful strategies. If it was good enough for Gandhi, it’s good enough for me.
A Defence of the National Demonstration Rachel Brennan
Commentator The demands of Defend Education are supported by almost everyone. In December, when the Debating Society held a debate about the occupation, even the two Tories who were speaking against us had to admit that they agreed with the demands. They just didn’t agree with our ‘methods’. We are fighting for a democratic university, and if this was the case, we wouldn’t need to fight, our demands would simply be voted on by students and staff. It is the totalitarian power of management that forces a confrontation on anyone who wants to change how the university is run. If the University was run in a democratic way, then all of our demands would almost certainly be enacted. Students and staff would vote to pay the living wage rather than paying our vice chancellor the highest salary in the country. Services like halls and cafes would be run for the interests of the university community, rather than to extract as much money out of us as possible. The university would also be fully accountable and open about the way that it runs rather than trying to constantly deceive and manipulate prospective students and the public. However, the University is not democratic and if students want to change things from the personal dictates of David Eastwood, then are only recourse is organisation and action. From the point of view of students, this demonstration was not an escalation from what has taken place many times in the last few years. We marched and we occupied a space, in defiance of the university who try to shut us out of our own campus. The esca-
lation of violence came from the University and the Police, who attempted to violently prevent any occupation. David Eastwood and the rest of senior management have no right to the university, they exist by appropriating the work of staff and students. This power is used to give themselves massive pay rises - staff earning over £100,000 cost the university an estimated £16.5 million last year - and to attack our interests. Taking no action against the management means accepting this appropriation of our work, and leaving the running of the university in clearly unfit hands. Sitting back and taking no action is not an option and our only question should be what form of action is most effective. If you are one of the people thinking that Defend Education has the right aims but the wrong methods, then we would like to encourage you to get active and try to change the university using the methods that you think are most effective. If you think that we can change the way the university runs by using petitions, then get active and start making petitions. We would be ecstatic to see change happening this way, but be aware that it has been all tried before and always proven to be ineffective and sometimes even harmful because it allows the University to feign the existence of primitive democratic structures. A lot of the people saying that we address the right issues but have wrong tactics would unfortunately most likely not even be discussing these issues right now if it was not for our actions. If you genuinely agree with our demands, and believe that the university needs to change, then get organised and do something about it.
Charlotte Wilson
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Comment
Nek Nomination: A dangerous craze? Alessandra Walker Commentator
‘Neck and nominate’ is a social media trend involving the ‘downing’, or ‘chugging’, of a pint of alcohol, mainly spirits, whilst doing something extreme, and then the selection of two new nominees who will repeat this practice. This is recorded and posted publicly on Facebook. This game has recently got out of hand after the reported deaths of two men from Ireland. The first death was Ross Cummins, 22, a Dublin DJ who was discovered unconscious in his shared house on the morning of the 1st of February. This was shortly after he had posted his ‘Neknominate’ video online. He was taken to hospital but pronounced dead soon after his arrival. The second was Jonny Byrne, 19, also from Ireland. He was recovered from the River Barrow in Carlow on the morning of the 2nd of February. It is believed that he was dared to jump into the river as part of the drinking game. Patrick Byrne, his brother, said that he had “jumped into the river to try and save him...” but he had to be rescued himself by his girlfriend and a passerby. He also tweeted following his brother’s death, “This neck nomination s**t has to stop right now my young 19 year old brother Jonny Byrne from Carlow died tonight in the middle of his nomination”. It has been reported by the NHS Trust in Devon that a person was admitted into the accident and emergency department as a
result of participating in the craze. Since these two deaths the Northern Ireland ‘Neknomination’ page has been devoted to alcohol awareness in an attempt to stop this game continuing. The trend has hit Birmingham University hard, with over one hundred students posting their videos online over the past two weeks. One student, studying War Studies, completed his nomination in the middle of a lecture causing some disturbance. One of the biggest causes for worry is the pressure for people to go more and more extreme in order to gain the most likes online. The Facebook page ‘neknomination’ posted “can’t handle the pace, go hard or go home” and the page has 1,783 likes so far. Birmingham students have so far downed concoctions of vodka, beer, rum, wine, Jäger, brown sauce, nando’s sauce, vinegar, protein shake, milk and oil. When asked about the craze, students had mixed reactions. Paul Webb, a first year Ancient History student commented that “it’s just a very laddish game, which has started to get out of hand”. This sort of drinking could be extremely dangerous to your health. The medical director at Addaction, (a drugs and alcohol addiction support network), says that “this form of binge drinking in a very short space of time will cause the body serious irritation as it will treat it as a poison”, and according to Drinkaware, “alcohol is the biggest cause of accidents at home”. Hopefully all Birmingham University students will also realise that all public Facebook posts could be accessible to future employers.
If You're Alone This Valentine's Day... Charley Ross Deputy Editor
@charleyross92
Next week, an event that only comes around once a year will sweep the nation, occupying the minds of females and males alike, bringing the importance and magic of romantic love into the fore of our stressful, demanding lives. Or so Clinton's and Hallmark would like to have you believe. The cruel reality is, sadly, a different story. St Valentines Day's origins lay in the efforts to commemorate Valentinus, a Christian saint, and his selfless acts in the name of love, such as marrying soldiers who were forbidden to marry. Amazing and romantic acts such as these have ceased to exist due to the enormous amount of pressure put on both single and taken human beings to pull seemingly spontaneous whilst undoubtedly thoughtful acts of romance out of thin air. This odious and ridiculous notion is detrimental to the expectations, self-confidence and sanity of the majority of the human population. It doesn't stop at romantic expectations - any kind of media outlet you can seek out via Google or following a trip to your local newsagent will be advising you how to spend your time on this day. What to eat, what to drink, how to dress, what to buy for your significant other yada yada yada. Even more shockingly, general public discourse seems to assume that if you are single on the 14th February, you are bound to participate in drastically different behaviour than those who are not. An individual's lack of a romantic partner should not dictate their eating habits, leisure pursuits or how they spend their Friday night. A dear friend of mine opted out of a night out last Feburary because the aforementioned trip to Snobs incidentally co-incided with the night before Valentine's Day. She argued that it would look 'tragic' for a
single girl to begin her Valentine's Day in a night club. Now whilst an individual's decision to not participate in a social convention that involves copious amounts of tequila shots and some questionable flamboyant dancing is completely acceptable, the reasons for doing so should be based on personal preference, not fear of what others would think of such activity before, during or after.
"This odious and ridiculous notion is detrimental to the expectations, self-confidence and sanity of the majority of the population." A holiday that originated from the (completely valid) idea that we should celebrate the beauty in love conquering all other adversity and its massive impact on the perception of romance as an idea itself is sad, and mildly irritating. Some perspective on what is 'tragic' about Valentine's Day needs to be shed. People not being able to spend this day, or any other day for that matter, with loved ones is tragic. People making sacrifices of love for a wider cause is a tragedy. Sitting in alone, afraid to leave the house in case someone twigs that you are single on Valentine's Day and don't have plans at the local cinema or Nando's is pathetic and completely out of touch with the cause Valentinus was fighting for. So girls: dress sexy, buy jewellery, eat chocolate, burn candles, write poetry. But why not do it any time of year you feel like doing so, with or without someone else to appreciate it? Romance is not dead, by any stretch. But it has been compromised by the unrealistic notions that individuals hold of it.
7th - 13th February 2014
redbrick.me/comment
We asked UoB students what they thought about the drinking game.
Comment on Campus: Nek Nomination Unsafe
Dangerous
"I'm not sure how I feel about it to be honest, I have a feeling that I'm going to be nominated over the next few days, because a lot of my mates have, so I guess I'm next. On the one hand I've always detested the peerpressure which goes alongside being a male student to drink unsafe drinks, but then I feel like the banter that I'll get if I don't do it may be even worse to endure... perhaps I'll just succumb to social pressure and do it "
"I think Nek Nominations are stupid and dangerous. It's just social media and the culture that we find ourselves in today. I've only watched some, I tend not to watch the digusting ones"
Creative
Pointless
"I think people find it funny, I think people get quite creative with it. I've actually been nominated but I turned it down because people seem to see it in a bad light. I think it was funny to start with and then people started voicing the opinion that they didnt like it. People who take it too far are going to kill themselves. I had the idea of making beans on toast and then sticking it in a blender and downing that."
Stupid Katrin Busch "I think I drank about five or six units worth, I had a mix of different spirits and about a pint of lager. There was nothing nasty in it, I didn't do anything that was particularly disgusting. I would never do anything with a stupid amount of alcohol because I think it's got out of hand now- I mean two people have died from Nek Nominate. It started out as a bit of fun but it's got out of hand now with people being injured by it. It's all about peer pressure."
Network Rail
Excessive "I hate the whole concept and I did one anyway. I'm afraid that I was another victim of peer pressure. I think so long as people aren't excessive with it, it can't cause too much harm"
9
"I did a Nek Nominate just the other day. I regretted doing it the second I started. It was just disgusting. I drank week old chicken soup and some gherkins, pumpkin seeds and other grim ingredients. I couldn't even finish it. I don't really know why I tried to do that. I don't think it's dangerous, or that people are particularly suffering from peer pressure. I just think that it is a pretty stupid thing to do; there's just no point"
“I would advise against participating in this activity. Drinking large volumes of any liquid can lead to serious health consequences”
“Any death at the result of binge drinking is a strong warning, and one to be taken seriously” If anyone feels that they are being pressured into participating in this drinking game then they should consider contacting the Student Conduct office.
Funny "I actually think that it's completely hilarious. I love being able to watch my friends on Facebook with their contributions and I love the way in which people try and out-do one another. I think it's very male orientated and perhaps more girls should Nek-Nominate. But then I suppose by its very nature it feels like a guy thing."
Temporary "It's temporary. It's going to pass so quickly because once everybody has done one, which will take about two weeks, nobody will have anything left to do. I have a lot of respect for those people who stand up and refuse to do it, I think it takes courage to stand up to such a lot of peer pressure."
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7th - 13th February 2014
redbrick.me/comment
Comment
Student Column Siobhan Palmer Commentator
'Miss Me Yet?' The Strange Legacy of George W. Bush George Reeves
chose the refreshing and youthful Senator Obama in spite of his political inexperience.
It is now half a decade since George W Bush left the White House for the final time, having completed eight eventful years as President of the USA. So how do Americans, and indeed the rest of the world, judge a man who has the dubious honour of scoring both the highest and the lowest approval ratings in history during his turbulent presidency? Was Bush the man who presided over a warmongering and criminal regime, or was he in fact one of the great US presidents? Upon leaving office, you could be excused for thinking that Bush was doomed
"first and foremost, he was a patriot who loved his country, and who believed in the power of "Suddenly, he was a war the USA as a force for but it is also good on the world stage" president, important to remember Wisely, Bush has chosen to withdraw from that this was not a title US politics and has kept a low profile, moving back down to his ranch in Texas with his he sought"
Commentator
"You could be excused for thinking that Bush was doomed to be consiged to the dustbin of history" to be consigned to the dustbin of history; his final approval ratings averaged around 25%, and even the Republican Party was seen to be trying to distance itself from his legacy during the election that ultimately brought Barack Obama to power. The Republican candidate in that election, Senator John McCain, was an honourable man and a veteran of US politics, but ultimately the American people dreaded a third term of Bush-style conservative politics, and so
wife, Laura. Instead of making appearances in the press or campaigning for Republican candidates at state level, Bush has spent his retirement writing his memoirs and taking up a new hobby, painting. However, with Barack Obama now into his second and final term, people are starting to reconsider the Bush administration, with many now wondering whether Bush really was so bad after all. Undoubtedly, George W Bush would have been a very different president if the events of 9/11 had not occurred. In the 2000 election that brought him to power, he campaigned largely on domestic issues such as education, healthcare and the economy. With a background in business, he was the first president ever to hold an MBA, but yet all this changed when the World Trade Centre fell. Suddenly, he was a war president, but it is also important to remember that this was
not a title he sought; indeed he had spoken against foreign intervention during his election campaign. 9/11 changed everything, and this is something that the anti-war left fail to admit; it may be politically convenient to portray Bush as a warmongering imperialist, but in fact he was nothing of the sort.
So ultimately, what is George W Bush’s legacy? I believe that first and foremost, he was a patriot who loved his country, and who believed in the power of the USA as a force for good on the world stage. He unified the Western world in the wake of the worst atrocity to be committed on US soil, and it is worth remembering that his actions during this period won him the approval of over 90% of the US population. By 2008, his star had fallen and the people decided to elect Barack Obama, but five years later Bush’s approval ratings are now higher than Obama’s. George W Bush was a president who had to make tough decisions, and I believe that history will view his choices as being consistently right. He was, and remains, a man of integrity, honesty and courage.
Two weeks ago I went to my friend’s wedding. Five of us piled into a fiat punto and trundled up to a pub in Wolverhampton to watch Kaz, resplendent in floor length red leopard print, marry the metal-faced rocker of her dreams. They sat in a high-backed gothic armchair, and signed the documents to a glam metal soundtrack. Last weekend I sat round another friend’s living room table with five girls, a takeaway and some vodka, and listened to the slurred conversation drift to, and settle on, marriage. ‘Yeah, but the only reason you don’t want to get hitched’ Zoe explains to Tolani, ‘is cause you come from a married home.’ I smile at this shining advertisement of the age-old institution. At our age, I tipsily speculate to myself, marriage, in no longer just being the ‘done thing’, can be an expression of traditionalism or equally of non-conformity. It’s kind of radical. I then proceed to get out my phone and text various people telling them how much I love them, including the ones I’m sharing a table with. Weddings are becoming an increasingly hot topic in my life, as my Facebook feed becomes progressively more overrun with grown-up lady-milestones like engagements and pregnancies. Based on the content of an opinionated blog post that went viral recently, I don’t think I’m the only one. The post suggested 23 things a free young gal could do instead of tying the knot, such as ‘find your thing’ and –oddly- ‘cut your hair’. It of course invited a slew of rebuttals about the perks of marrying in your early twenties, and relationship status not precluding one’s ability to change hairstyle. The annoying thing about these posts was that they created ‘sides’ in a discussion which should really unite girls rather than tribalise them. Our grandparents did it young. Alan and Celia in Last Tango in Halifax did it in retirement. It’s just fashion, isn’t it? But such passion is to be expected: it’s a touchy subject. If you ask any girl how many conversations she has had about marriage, you might receive and answer to the effect of ‘what, in the last week?’ It’s not that we’re obsessed. Well, no, it is. But it’s more that society’s obsessed with us being obsessed. It’s a selffulfilling prophecy. We’re encouraged to think about getting married from the age of like, 2. No wonder a 23 year old traveler felt the need to write a needlessly defensive, binary and judgmental blog on the subject. While marriage trends have changed a lot in the last twenty years, the pervasive narrative about its centrality in a woman’s life (from Disney to the News) has not. Female attempts to fight stereotypes and inject some balance have somehow, rather than changing the narrative, turned into more judgment. Young newlyweds are either throwing their life away or peaking too soon. And yet being single, female and 30 is still the stuff of many girls’ nightmares. Especially girls in films. Why do we seesaw between such extremes? Given that (nearly) everyone marries somebody different, I don’t think the concept really lends itself to such universal definition and expectation. I know it’s weird, but I’m sure the age a woman gets married isn’t a moral or philosophical issue. Whether it’s still presenting TV at 65 or getting hitched at 22, I think it’d be really nice if female folk could do that without inviting judgment, especially from each other. I’ve been getting this sneaking suspicion as I get older, that there aren’t really age restrictions on anything. That’s why at 21, I listen to Radio 4 daily, and eat countless Farley’s Rusks.
Green Transition Month is a collaboration of projects led by the Guild of Students and University of Birmingham. The project includes student groups activity, local community projects, academic seminars, interactive workshops and action to make the transition to a democratic, low-carbon society. Green Transition Month aims to promote University of Birmingham’s People & Planet’s Go Green Week 2014, Students For Cooperation’s Founding Conference, Green Bike Project’s London to Birmingham RIDE and Oxfam’s Fairtrade Fortnight. What?
Where?
When?
Ethical & Environmental Committee
Mandela Room, Guild
10:30-12:00, Mon 10th Feb
Harvey Milk Room, Guild
17:00-18:00, Mon 10th Feb 8:00-9:00, Tue 11th Feb 12:00-14:00, Tue 11th Feb 18:00-19:30, Tue 11th Feb 18:00-19:30, Tue 11th Feb 13:00-14:00, Wed 12th Feb
-
14:00-15:00, Wed 12th Feb 14:00-16:00, Wed 12th Feb
-
15:00-16:00, Wed 12th Feb 17:30-18:30, Wed 12th Feb
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16:00-18:00, Thu 13th Feb 19:00-23:00, Thu 13th Feb
11:00-17:00, Fri 14th Feb 18:00-19:30, Fri 14th Feb Sun 16th Feb
9:00-15:00, Wed 26th Feb Fairtrade Football Tournament
18:00-20:00, Thu 27th Feb 18:00-21:00, Fri 28th Feb
Fairtrade Market 10:00-12:00, Thu 6th Mar
19:00-23:00, Sat 8th Mar
For more information, visit: guildofstudents.com/transitionmonth
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redbrick.me/music
7th - 13th February 2014
Music
Album Review: Bombay Bicycle Club - So Long, See You Tomorrow Marianne Lampon Life & Style Editor
@MarianneLampon
Having been tantalised by the singles ‘Carry Me’ and ‘Luna’, the shift in direction from heavily guitar-based tracks to a more electronic and percussion-based sound is heard throughout the album. These elements combine with the musical inspiration from frontman Jack Steadman’s travels through India, Turkey and Tokyo, to create a genuinely brilliant mix of sounds and textures. The record opens with ‘Overdone’, an infectious loop of strings and cor anglais. Building with the percussion, the stunning
"Fan favourites from the first album are given a reverb and volume boost to fill the room" vocals layer up, and a rocky guitar riff is also thrown into the mix. The heavier guitar calls to the latest album from Foals' Holy Fire – the weighty riffs fitting perfectly amongst the crafted layers. The track also uses a Bollywood sample – it may seem unusual, but it sounds great. It’s an exceptional and exciting opening which prepares the listener for the spectrum of new sounds heard on
the album, and it’s easy to imagine this song being a perfect opening to their upcoming live performances. The prominence of loops and layers are also heard in ‘It’s Alright Now’, with the bass guitar and swooping vocals being carried by a marching percussive rhythm. Steadman’s vocal range is heard in the track, reaching beautiful higher notes in the chorus as well as the bridge as he sings 'made a plan to be someone'. The slower paced tracks are equally brilliantly crafted. ‘Home by Now’ opens with a modern R&B feel - something rarely said about a BBC track! Its soulful texture in the piano hook chimes away and the soft tone in the lyrics 'If you want a ride, you can come out and see me, I could be home by now' give the track an effortlessly relaxed quality. There are female vocals too which perfectly complement Steadman’s tone, with the two combining in the chorus to create some delicious harmonies. Another favourite is ‘Eyes Off You’ which calls back to their album Flaws. The stripped back beauty of the piano and Steadman’s haunting, falsetto vocals fill the lyrics 'I can't take my eyes off you' with genuine emotion and once again shows off his incredible range as a vocalist. The track has moments of stillness and sometimes almost complete silence creating an intense feel. About three quarters of the way through, percussion and more layers build to a crescendo
before cutting back to Steadman and the piano once again and gradually fading out. ‘Feel’ brings the pace back up. Creating a sambalike, carnival vibe, the percussion and Bollywood sample really carry this track. The chorus is truly
"Fan favourites from the first album are given a reverb and volume boost to fill the room" infectious, and it’ll sound incredible live when the crowd sing 'just one feeling' over and over back to the band. The final track ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’ sounds almost like a computer game soundtrack during its opening, and this element returns towards the song’s close. The electronic sounds truly come into their own towards the end of the track as the
pace quickens to an energetic finish, the loops are continual and the female vocals sing 'keep going round and round and round' perhaps reflecting the theme of ‘continuity’ which the album is subtly based around. This theme is seen throughout the album both musically and also with regards to the record’s artwork which calls to the stop-motion photography of Eadweard Muybridge. With a selection of UK tours booked for the near future, it will be interesting to see how the ambitious range of sounds and textures will come across live, there is little doubt that it will sound incredible.
redbrick.me/music
7th - 13th February 2014
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Tweet of the Week: @alkapranos: Hey @pharrell - I love your tunes. If you want to borrow a riff, just ask...
Essential Albums: The Clash - Sandinista! Ludo Cinelli Music Editor
Single Review: The 1975 - Settle Down Sam Dix
Music Editor
@sjdix
What did you get for Christmas this year? Was it a Build-An-Indie-Band set? If so, why not make yourself a ’The 1975’. Standard issue unique haircut? Check. Angst ridden lyrics? Check. Chorus? Just about. Black and white video? Surely not? CHECK! There you have it, a Just-AddTeenage-Girls recipe for the ultimate indie band, and The 1975 have stuck to it as rigidly as their fans would to The Catcher In The Rye. Fairly pedestrian tempo, dull guitar riff, usual recycled sentiments of something that he probably can’t quite have but probably quite wants to have. Enough of the music, that’s boring, what’s much more fun is the written introduction to the video, which is essentially an angsty-ramble through Sunderland or Newcastle or one of those Northern places you see in gritty police dramas. Listen to this, describing the video: 'Metaphorically and physically I would visit these places frequently as a youngster and in turn have used them as the setting to a lot of the stories in The 1975’. It goes on: 'So upon meeting Nadia, who directed the video, I told her about my dream. We sat for hours looking through pictures and talking - it was decided in those moments. We were just to film my dream.’ Oh per-lease that’s the kind of sentence even Kanye would cringe at. He might as well have said: ‘It’s for people that have ears. And disposable income. And access to the internet. I just want to appeal to those with ears, money and internet access.’ KERCHING! Absolutely recycled ‘it’s-bleak-in-thenorth’ nonsense, but, a cynic would say, it's what sells tickets. And it’s hard not to come out of this with cynicism, given its reliance on textbook ersatz euphoria and pseudofeelings. And there is this niggling feeling that the entire concept for the band was built around the persistent haircut that screams: 'You can’t have this haircut because your teacher wouldn’t let you, but I can, so live your hairy dreams through me!' There’s nothing new, and that damned guitar riff just goes round and round and round, but it’s the kind of song one could imagine girls imagining boys imagining about them to. That’s exactly it, the type of song girls want boys to like so they’ll like them, but also boys want girls to like so they can say they like it and have sex with them.
Lead singer of The Clash Joe Strummer once claimed that Sandinista! was a result of friendly competition with Bruce Springsteen; after the massively successful and brilliant London Calling, critics speculated that the American artist’s upcoming double album The River would blow it out of the water, and it would be forgotten. Strummer reportedly said ‘Right Bruce. Suck on this!’ as the band announced a triple LP. Not to detract from the excellent The River, the fourth album by The Clash is in a league of its own. Clocking in at a huge 144 minutes over 36 tracks, Sandinista! is certainly the most ambitious record in punk, and perhaps the most underrated album of all time. It is often considered to be the band’s worst effort (after their last, Cut The Crap, we do not speak of Cut The Crap), but its coherence and scope signify that it is their best work. Make no mistake; Sandinista! does not pack the same punch as is predecessor London Calling or it successor Combat Rock. But that isn’t the point. This is a more mature and developed album and achieves everything The Clash have ever wanted to do; incorporate lesser-known musical genres into punk rock, make bold and strong political statements, and most importantly of all, write, as guitarist Mick Jones put it, a ‘good rockin’ song’. The album’s musical ingenuity is unparalleled for the smorgasbord of styles it meshes together. From the dub-filled final side of the record to the gospel tune of ‘The Sound of Sinners’, large chunks of the musical spectrum are covered. ‘Look Here’ and ‘If Music Could Talk’ are jazz tracks. ‘Let’s Go Crazy’ is a calypso. ‘Lose This Skin’ is folk rock. ‘The Magnificent Seven’ and ‘Lightning Strikes (Not Once But Twice)’ feature Strummer rapping over a proto-hiphop beat. Rapping. In 1980, when the earliest rappers like Grandmaster Flash and The Sugarhill Gang were still emerging onto the popular scene. This epitomises the level of
innovation that The Clash attain, confirming them as one of the most forward-thinking bands of all time. Each band member gets many moments to shine. Paul Simonon’s magnificent bass lines are scattered among the tracks, particularly strong when dealing in reggae or ska. ‘Rebel Waltz’ features a delightfully simple and beautiful guitar riff courtesy of Mick Jones. Drummer Topper Headon gets his sticks around tricky beats all around, perhaps doing his best on the bluesy-jazzy ‘Version City’. Joe Strummer’s finest moment might be ‘Washington Bullets’, where he shoots lyrics like ‘Castro is a colour / That will earn you a spray of lead’. Each band member lends vocals at some point, even Headon on the brilliantly weird disco Cold War jam ‘Ivan Meets G.I. Joe’. The four musicians stand together as a team of equally powerful superheroes of punk, recruiting the help of other musicians when necessary, but remaining the orchestrators, presenting some of rock’s greatest skill and musical awareness. The thematic scope of the record is just as expansive as its musical style. The title of the album refers to the Nicaraguan left-wing revolutionaries, but it is a mere example in the multitude of strong socio-political statements the album makes. Familiar left-wing ideals are balanced by songs directed against the policies of the USSR and China in relation to Afghanistan and Tibet respectively. Then there’s the spiritual succession to London Calling, where the band express their dissatisfaction with their native country like ‘Hitsville U.K’ and ‘Something About England’. Also following on from the previous album, ‘The Magnificent Seven’ is a perfect anti-capitalist anthem. Then, from the specific to the general, questions about crime and law litter the album, with Strummer wailing ‘What have I done?’ on ‘Police On My Back’, questioning ‘Indiscriminate use / of the power of arrest’. ‘Up In Heaven (Not Only Here)’ might have the line that best encapsulates the themes of the record, ‘How can anyone exist in such misery?’ The band’s tangible frustration with modern society is expressive and finely
crafted to address universal and individual issues of the human condition. It is difficult for an album this wideranging and experimental not to have flaws. ‘Mensforth Hill’ is ‘Something About England’ played backwards, and its cacophony does not fit with the rest of the album. Some of the dub versions of tracks on the record might also be unnecessary. But these are just drops in the ocean of the thematic and musical coherence – and this integrity is the point of the album. The Clash take the voices of the oppressed, the rap music of African-American New York City, the Nicaraguan calypsos, the Kingston reggaes, and publicise the plights of their sources with a seal of revolutionary approval. Their ability to unite the destitute and the exploited into a cataclysmic punk movement, looking at history to make sure it doesn’t repeat itself while still sounding ‘rockin’ has never been recreated in music.
"This is The Clash affirming themselves as the mature developers of a genre that was born with words written on walls and sprayed on flags" The punk paradox of a band becoming successful enough to turn to everything they once railed against is destroyed by this album. And the band are aware of it; ‘Kingston Advice’ features ‘In these days I don’t know what to sing / The more I know the less my tune can swing’. This is The Clash affirming themselves as mature developers of a genre that was born with words written on walls and sprayed on flags. Sandinista! gave punk structure without killing it, definitively replacing mindless rage with articulate, calculated anger towards those who deserve it, and giving hope to those who don’t.
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redbrick.me/arts
7th - 13th February 2014
Arts
How To Be Immortal @ mac Olivia Renshaw Critic
Mira Dovreni, artistic director of Penny Dreadful Productions, has produced a vibrant piece of writing exploring human identity, delving into both the biological and the more elusive ‘sense of self’. I was going to say that it’s the story of Henrietta Lacks, the woman who unknowingly provided the cells that produced the HeLa cell line. However what is presented of her personal life is mostly dramatic speculation; the fate of her cells, which went on to be the basis of much of the medical research we rely on today, is the thread of the narrative which draws upon a fascinating true story.
"It is ambitious to engage an arts audience in scientific content"
Scientists have used the resulting cells for research and have been doing so for decades, to the huge advantage of modern medicine. The total number of HeLa cells that have been propagated in cell culture is much greater than the number of cells that were in Henrietta Lacks's body in the first place. In this way, her DNA has been immortalised – but does that mean she herself is still in some way ‘present’? The woman herself may or may not be ‘with us’ through her preserved DNA, but her story is certainly alive and kicking in this passionate and emotive piece of work, which comments further upon the original tale by interweaving it with a parallel present-day story: that of Rosa, a young cellist writing a piece to commemorate her late partner Mick. Music is used as a vector to demonstrate the crossover between data patterns (such as the scientific reams of DNA coding that Rosa is presented with when she visits a
It is ambitious to engage an arts audience in scientific content, but with the sensitive direction of Kirsty Housley and the incredibly moving musical score that set the tempo of this dynamic piece, we were entirely sold, despite some long biological explanations punctuating the otherwise emotionally engaging story. What is a cell line? Due to a malign mutation, the cells which were taken from a tumour inside Henrietta’s body divide indefinitely and can be prompted to keep on dividing.
Betrayal @ The Old Joint Stock Olivia Renshaw Critic
It was the direction, rather than the acting, which let down this production of one of Pinter’s finest, tightest works. Each of the three players danced to the same off-key melody; I sensed that they had range and talent within them but director Rich Bunn failed to draw it out, so that any spice was positively suppressed in this extremely stuffy creation. ‘Betrayal’ involves a seven-year affair between a wife and her husband’s best man, but the play is more about selfdeception than adultery. One of Pinter’s highly regarded works, it explores in reverse chronological order the unravelling relationships between three unfaithfuls.
"this adaptation was played straight to the point of being boring" How should one perform Pinter? I’m not suggesting for a moment that the absurdist content should be overtly highlighted by the actors – indeed, ‘playing it straight’ seems to be the most truthful way of achieving the playwright’s intended effect. However this adaptation was played straight to the point of being boring. Cuckolded husband Robert is revealed in one of his own offhand two-liners to be physically abusive, a jarring and unbelievable premise with which to continue given his previously non threatening characteri-
"Mistakes were made on this occasion" sation. The cast positively swept through the dialogue, failing to observe any of Pinter’s famous pregnant pauses and whilst this could have been a stylistic choice, the audience were unfortunately not quite swept along with them. The adulterous relationship between Emma and her hus-
band’s close friend Jerry lacked passion. There was obvious graft behind this creation, but the failure to maintain (or in fact, to establish) atmospheric tension meant the ‘betrayal’ of the married partners failed to induce conflict. They didn’t seem to care about one another, and in turn the audience did not really care about them. Even the ‘betrayal of self’, the most enticing thread of the narrative, was buried under falsity. There is a danger when creating a deceptive character that you will go so far as to embody fakery, and therefore fail to ring true to an audience. This happened to all three of the players at different points during the performance. The Old Joint Stock theatre itself was the redeeming feature of the night. Located above a public house of the same name, the scents of gin and polished wood float upward and mingle in the lobby, creating a very traditional theatrical welcome amongst plush red walls. It is a wellestablished venue and I would recommend a visit to sample their offerings. Mistakes were made on this occasion, but the evident talent of the theatre company will bring me back to the Old Joint Stock to further explore their repertoire.
research program) and the raw grief she feels having lost Mick to cancer. Rosa models her composition on the flow of the recurring sequences she finds in Micks DNA, resulting in a piece she hopes captures ‘a part of him’.
"this gem needed no aesthetic plumping out" The set was ingenious. An unassuming wooden cabinet took up the back wall of the staged area, home to multiple pull-out-drawers from which the actors pulled entire roomsets for each scene - including a full sized bath! This worked well, allowing significant set changes which were worked into the visible presentation of the play. Mick and Rosa’s baby was represented by a musical squeezebox, solving a difficult theatrical problem with what served as both an apt metaphor and a pretty realistic baby, letting out (albeit tuneful) whines and wheezes as it was held before a captive audience. No noisy rearranging of tables and chairs in a poorly-masked set change under half-blackout for this company; How To Be Immortal was slick and seamless, without relying on large scale props and scenery for effect. And indeed, this gem needed no aesthetic plumping out –the talented cast packed enough of a punch. Clare Perkins was the highlight of this piece, delivering on every front in multiple roles. All three of the leads presented several different characters convincingly, and the wide range of accents required to portray this diverse array of personas were all notably accurate and impressive - a rare treat in a performance of any scale.
Closer look at:
Founded in 2006, The Old Joint Stock Theatre is part of a Grade II listed building situated opposite Birmingham's beautiful St Philip's Cathedral, and right in the heart of Birmingham’s city centre. This grand building is home to a 105 seat black box studio theatre and is perfect for intimate performances. The Old Joint Stock Theatre has a variety of productions all year round, with a mix of in-house productions, co-productions and visiting companies, as well as their own theatre company. Founded in 2012, The Old Joint Stock Theatre Company aims to produce three productions per year of new or neglected writing for potential touring. The theatre wants to challenge the constraints of a pub theatre space and to use the venue to their advantage, but most of all, they want to bring challenging, quality work to mainstream audiences.
redbrick.me/arts
7th - 13th February 2014
Pirates of Penzance UoB society present Gilbert & Sullivan classic
Bethany Barley
Critic The Pirates of Penzance, one of the most popular productions in Gilbert and Sullivan’s canon, is a comic opera about patriotic pirates, can-canning sergeants and silly girls who have an awful lot to say about the weather! The University’s Gilbert and Sullivan Society packed all of this into their performance the other night, leaving the audience smiling at the ridiculous lyrics and quirky storyline. Set in Georgian Britain, the operetta follows the journey of pirate apprentice Frederick as he leaves his gang and falls in love with Mabel, the youngest ward of Major General Stanley. Following their wedding day the couple get caught up in a series of dramatic events – everything from vengeful plots at the hands of Frederick’s childhood nurse, to battles between the police and the pirates at the play’s climax. Special credit should certainly be awarded to Joanna Goldspink and Simon Giles, whose performances as Mabel and Major General Stanley – particularly in the pieces ‘Poor Wand’ring One’ and the classic ‘I am the very model of a modern Major-General’ – were as impressive as any you might expect from a professional theatre. The rest of the cast – including Ruth, the jealous nurse, and the Pirate King with his everlasting pity for orphans – were all very talented and
it was clear how much work they had put into the performance. Talent was also evident within the orchestra who performed the songs very well, with particularly impressive oboe and flute solos. The powerful overture provided a brilliant start to the show, setting a standard which was maintained for the majority of the performance. On a more technical note, it was a pity that microphones weren’t provided for the actors during the performance, as sometimes the big sound of the orchestra drowned out certain important lines of the story. Despite this, most of the speech was perfectly audible and the brief moments that were missed didn’t affect the performance as much as they could have done. The only major criticism came at the beginning of this version, when attempts were made to project figures onto a backdrop to portray the scene. Whilst credit must be given for such creativity, the silhouetted figures didn’t always match what was going on, and thus it felt like an unnecessary distraction from the impressive acting on the stage. In the grand scheme of things however this hardly detracted from the show, and is certainly not a reflection on any of the actors or musicians themselves. Overall The Pirates of Penzance was funny, light and entertaining. It will be interesting to watch their production of Iolanthe in June to see what the Gilbert and Sullivan Society can deliver next.
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What's On: Penny for your thoughts: free tickets for reviews Join us Wednesday at 2pm in Student Development Selly Jokes Comedy @ Bristol Pear Sat 8th February 7:30pm 2 Free tickets Some Girl I used To Know Denise Van Outen @ New Alexandra Mon 10th February 7:30pm 2 Free tickets (or £16.90) Art of Rehabilitation Exhibition @ St Martin's Church 30th January - 26th February Free Event
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redbrick.me/film
7th - 13th February 2014
Film
Focus on: Political Biopics
Digital Editor Ashley Kirk argues that political biopics are one of the best genres out there - so long as you avoid the pitfalls
Review: I, Frankenstein
Details Release date: 29th January 2014 Director: Stuart Beattie Cast: Aaron Eckhard, Bill Nighy, Mirando Otto
´´´´´ Alice Williams Critic
I’ve had the gift of being able to watch a lot of films in my student life – mostly due to a degree with tragically low hours and the option to watch most films whilst linking them in some convoluted way to revision. I’ve become a huge fan of the political biopic in this time, due to their touching stories of personal struggle, courage and resilience. Riding on the success of Lincoln and The Iron Lady, 2013 was always set to be the year of the biopic. In presenting those held as heroes by some, and loathsome villains by others, the genre of the political biopic has great potential to touch audiences and relay the extraordinary lives of others. Telling us about the trials and tribulations involved in the personal tales of those who are forever in the media glare, political biopics allow us a small insight into the lives of world leaders.
"The political biopic has great potential to touch audiences and relay the extraordinary lives of others..." Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom hit the screens recently, bringing in the new year with the political biopic claiming one of the top hits. Timed, with a stroke of fate, to poetically chime with the icon’s death, Idris Elba’s Madiba is the latest on-screen tribute to depict the South African’s life. With his disconcerting accent and playful, self-deprecating mannerisms, Elba succeeds in capturing an idol. Of course, the biographical role comes with severe responsibility, which could be catastrophic. Playing a real person known, and loved, by millions worldwide is always going to be a massive gamble. This gamble
sometimes doesn’t pay off – take The Fifth Estate. Although The Fifth Estate is an incredibly opportune political biopic, tapping into a culture in which the whistleblower is simultaneously loathed and idolised, the execution of presenting such a figure of Assange did not work out. Benedict impersonates the whistleblower well, working the drawl and powt, but the script resonates with incompleteness. The plot fails to capture the issues of the real man’s odd childhood and the sexual abuse accusations surrounding him. The gamble did not pay off. Elba, however, handles his politician well - and so succeeds in creating a poignant masterpiece. Mandela is constantly developing as a character. From the young, confrontational lawyer who enjoyed boxing, partying and women in equal measure - to the older, matured figure who was revered almost to sainthood. Not only does the film succeed in portraying the human incredibly well, but it also plays an important role in educating us about a foreign leader Western audiences may not fully understand. W, The Queen and Lincoln are all great options showcasing the best of this genre. The political biopic is not designed to give a fully accurate, documentary-style description of world events; these films’ power is merely in lending one personal perspective to the politician’s story. We have a natural interest in imitation. Impersonations have often been a successful form of entertainment, and the biopic utilises this fascination on screen. Personalising world leaders and giving them a fictionalised persona we don’t often see is irresistible. If we look at another classic, The Last King of Scotland, we again see how the political biopic achieves its art. It only touches on the wider scene of genocide of chaos in Idi Amin’s Uganda, but it is enough. The inward journey of Idi Amin’s (Forest Whitaker) spectacularly played doctor,
Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), goes from jovial, to tense, to outright horrific mirroring Uganda’s own life whilst under this tyrant. It shows the story of how an ordinary, naïve person gets drawn into Uganda’s heart of darkness. Nicholas serves Amin’s purpose, and we - knowing the widescale, death-ridden ending already - can only shake our heads and watch on. In an age of political dissent and worldwide dissatisfaction with governments, the political biopic is thriving. Feeding off this opinion, an actor’s take on a politician is an attractive option to the cinema-goer.
"In an age of political dissent and worldwide dissatisfaction with governments the genre is thriving..." Fiction is always going to capture our imaginations, but biopics harbour that gritty reality that a made-up character can never quite grasp. To watch the everyday, human heroism of a well-known figure is all the more potent. Some viewers may even have seen the actual event; real people had to endure what is shown on screen. The biopic is fraught with dangers. These films can, if handled incorrectly, become the most rigid of genres where a director becomes confined by the real life of a notable figure. Political fans will always place these films under the most intense scrutiny. With the presentations of political heroes (and, perhaps, villains), directors also have given us some great insights into the lives of some extraordinary people. And, with new biopics on the horizon, their potential to educate, entertain and enlighten us will continue to reign at the cinema.
Based loosely on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, however focused primarily on a comic book adaptation, the film is the story of Adam (Aaron Eckhart), the monstrous (yet still impossibly handsome) creation of mad scientist Victor Frankenstein, who becomes embroiled in the age-old battle between two clans; the gargoyles led by Queen Leonore (Miranda Otto), and the demons ruled by Naberius (Bill Nighy). With a plot as ludicrous as this, one would expect that the writers and actors would be able to provide a little fun within the film, yet the only slight attempt at humour we’re provided with is Nighy’s appropriately over-the-top performance as the head of the demons. The seriousness with which every other actor approaches the bizarre storyline makes one wonder how on earth Aaron Eckhart managed to keep a straight face. There’s no doubt that Eckhart can act, but I think it’s fair to say that he wasn’t given much to work with; the writers seemed set on adapting the character into some kind of Underworld gaming hero, however as apt as comparisons to Underworld may seem, I, Frankenstein fails to even clear that fairly low bar. In all fairness, the special effects aren’t bad at all; the CGI in the battle scenes is generally impressive, however fatigue does begin to set in when you’re presented with scene after scene of CGI creations smashing into buildings and disintegrating into flames. With underdeveloped characters such as Yvonne Strahovski’s well-meaning scientist, who is seemingly just thrown in to act as a love interest for our scarred protagonist, it looks as though the writers were running out of ideas. It feels like Strahovski was added in to provide the directors with an excuse to show the monster hero without a shirt (though credit to him, Eckhart is physically impressive), and sexual attraction is thick in the air. However, by this point, it’s pretty much impossible to take this film's undercurrent love story seriously. By the end, the film begins to resemble a particularly excessive and violent episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The final affront is saved for the ending credits; ‘Special thanks to Mary Shelley’. I’m sure she will be turning in her grave.
7th - 13th February 2014
redbrick.me/film
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Film News Becky McCarthy Film Editor
Sunday 2nd February brought the devastating news that iconic actor, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, has passed away aged 46. After a rumoured drug-overdose, the actor who was famous for many memorable roles in films such as The Big Lebowski, The Master, and Capote (for which he was awarded an Academy Award) was found dead in his New York apartment.
More names have been added to the prospective Batman vs. Superman movie. After the uproar caused by Ben Affleck's casting, it looks like Warner Bros. has finally managed to get fans back on their side with the announcement that Jesse Eisenberg will fulfil the role of villain Lex Luther. Jeremy Irons has also been rumoured to play Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred.
Review: Her Joaquin Phoenix stars as a loner who falls for his operating system in Her, the latest film from the director of Being John Malcovich, Spike Jonze
Details Release date: 14th Febuary 2014 Director: Spike Jonze Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson Running time: 126 minutes IMDB rating: 8.4
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Blade Runner) in the shoes of one Theodore Twombly, stuck in a job where he composes love letters for people who can’t voice their affections themselves, an art he has perfected even though his own love life is somewhat dry. As an audience you’re dropped right in the middle of Jonze’s vision of the future, a place where the hipsters finally took over with nearly every character sporting high-waisted trousers, horn rimmed spectacles and a Burt Reynolds-esque moustache. If the satire seems heavy handed in writing, on screen it comes across wryly, provoking a few chuckles without trivialising the subject matter. This is the film where we finally see Jonze the auteur, and having found the narrative voice that was lacking in Where the Wild Things Are he continually fires on all cylinders, his direction and screenwriting barely missing a note. As a
Blaise Radley Critic
"...a suprisingly relatable story that really questions the concept of love."
In Her, Joaquin Phoenix plays an isolated man who falls in love with his new operating system, which isn’t a massive stretch of the imagination given that it’s voiced by the stunning Scarlett Johansson. The tale of a man finding love with a computer is one that has been tackled ever since the first inception of PCs, from John Hughes’ classic Weird Science, to Al Pacino’s not so classic role in S1m0ne. But this is a Spike Jonze film after all, so what follows is a remarkably human outlook on an issue that is only going to become more and more relevant, and though the concept may strike some as erring on pathetic, what unfolds is a surprisingly relatable story that really questions the concept of love. The film places us into a futuristic but recognisable world (don’t go in expecting
result, rather than coming across as lonely or desperate, Joaquin’s character is almost worryingly normal. He playfully disarms his colleagues, continually performs well at work and owns a large apartment with a stunning vista of LA; for all intents and purposes this is a man living the American dream. Yet though it is never explicitly stated, there is a hollowness in Joaquin’s gait that tells all, a slight sadness in his eyes that subtly shows his disconnect from those around him. Jonze really pinpoints the main problem of the internet age; that as we become more and more technologically connected, so too do we lose sight of our more personal relationships. Is it really that much of a push to imagine people dating artificial
intelligence in the years to come? Look around right now and see how many people have their eyes glued to their smartphones, then tell me that one day a relationship with a computer wouldn't be feasible. This isn't just satire, this is a realistic vision of our future that is both a little haunting and strangely reassuring. This isn't just a film about dating a computer, this is a film about the way in which our relationships with technology will adapt over time, relationships that are only going to evolve as A.I.s gets closer and closer to human levels of empathy; think Siri on steroids. The film’s more out there ideas are carried by the way in which Johansson embodies the role of the operating system; almost child-like in curiosity she adapts herself around Theodore’s way of life, suiting his every need, before developing into her own being. Phoenix’s descent into robosexuality rarely comes into question thanks to her performance and the surrounding cast’s acceptance of his unconventional relationship. At its most basic level this is a story about finding love regardless of adversity , touching moments and rarely feeling forced. Surprisingly, their relationship is remarkably organic, never truly resting in one place or being pigeonholed. This is not some Hollywood cheese-fest concerned with soul mates or true love, this is an honest insight into finding love in the most unlikely of places. In short, Her is an outstanding work of art but also somewhat paradoxical in nature, a film dealing with the near future that’s not overtly concerned with the construction of a futuristic landscape. Spike Jonze doing a fantastic job of not force feeding the audience every last titbit of information. Where Her succeeds is its two fantastic lead actors, and in focussing on its emotional core rather than the technology surrounding it, making it one of the most remarkably human films in recent years.
It has been announced that the 80s classic, Back to the Future, will be transformed into a stage musical. Reports state that director Robert Zemeckis and and co-writer Bob Gale have been working with Universal Stage Productions on the project which is set to be unveiled in London's West End next year. It is hoped that a stint on Broadway will follow.
Riding on the success of his latest film, American Hustle, David O. Russell has set his sights on a new project. It is rumoured that he is interested in a script which depicts the single mum, Joy Mangano, who invented the miracle mop. Jennifer Lawrence has expressed interest, which is not surprising since Russell brought her two Academy Awards nods with Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle.
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redbrick.me/travel
7th - 13th February 2014
Travel
Places you've never been: Macedonia
Home to beautiful scenery, amazing nightlife and enchanting archiecture; why has Macedonia not made it to the traveller's map? Esme Myers
Travel Writer "Where the hell is Macedonia? Is it even a country?" were the questions that I asked my friend when she suggested we take a trip there last summer. I knew absolutely nothing about this tiny country which is surrounded by Greece, Kosovo, Albania, Serbia and Bulgaria, but I’ve never been one to turn down a trip. It was a brilliant decision. We decided on Macedonia when we started researching the Balkans; we wanted to try somewhere new that wasn’t too far away, and most importantly, that wasn’t too expensive. We discovered, through reading about this unknown country, that Macedonia is home to beautiful scenery and fascinating history. We were set on our destination. We flew into Macedonia’s capital city Skopje in early September, and despite it being the end of the peak holiday season, the weather was still beautiful (Greek weather without the price tag). Skopje’s airport is extremely modern due to the government's successful attempts to encourage tourists to visit the country with flights coming in from all over Europe. It is actually surprisingly easy to travel there from the UK as Wizz Air has recently started offering cheap, direct flights from Luton Airport, and the flight only takes a few hours. Although it’s pretty impossible to travel around Macedonia by train (which explains why its missed out on by inter-railers), there are cheap buses to take you to and from the airport as well as from town to town. Skopje is definitely unlike any other European city I’ve ever visited; it’s got a wonderful mix of old and new cultures and cuisines. The small scale of the city makes it easy
to explore on foot, giving you the perfect opportunity to soak in the atmosphere. On one side of the city is the Old Bazaar which is the largest in the Balkans, outside of Istanbul. This is the perfect place to spend a few hours wandering along the winding lanes which are filled with an amazing assortment of jewellery shops and other Eastern treats. In the Bazaar Macedonian, Albanian and Turkish cultures all blend to create a truly unique experience. The Old Town is full of striking mosques that are definitely worth a visit. We chose to take a trip to the Mustafa Pasha Mosque which is renowned for being one of the most beautiful buildings in the country. Another must-see attraction on the Eastern side of the city is the Kale Fortress; located at the highest point of the city it offers a beautiful view over Skopje. Just over the Stone Bridge that separates the two parts of the city is Macedonia Square. Unlike the Old Town, this area consists of a slightly bizarre mix of extremely new architecture. There is a memorial to Mother Teresa, who was born close to Macedonia Square, the fountain of Alexander the Great in the centre, and Porta Macedonia, a building that looks surprisingly similar to Paris’ Arc de Triumphe. A fusion of different European cultures is reflected in the architecture of the square and the area has received a huge amount of investment in recent years. Macedonia has only been an independent country since 1991, and I was lucky enough to be in the city on Independence Day. This
meant we got to enjoy a night of fireworks, good food and live music. Skopje is home to an impressive nightlife scene, and drinking is ridiculously cheap (it’s easy to get a pint of Skopsko, the local beer, for just over £1). After a few days in Skopje we took a bus to the town of Ohrid where we spent the rest of our trip. The beautiful Ohrid and Lake Ohrid are both UNESCO World Heritage sites. We stayed in hostels for the whole trip and were amazed by the amount of backpackers who travel around Macedonia and the surrounding countries. During our time in Ohrid we hired a boat and spent the day swimming in the crystal clear waters of the lake, enjoying the mesmerizing scenery and some of the area’s best coffee. There’s also a lot to see in Ohrid; including the ancient Roman theatre and many beautiful churches that are hidden in the area’s natural wilderness. A particular favourite of mine was the Church of St John at Kaneo, which is nestled just over the lake providing stunning views. We also ventured out of the city to visit the Monastery of Saint Naum, which is so close to the Albanian border that we even managed to pop over for lunch! In Ohrid there are a range of restaurants offering food from all over the world as well as local cuisine and freshly caught fish from the lake. Macedonia is easy to overlook - most people know little about it. However, if you want an affordable European holiday it is worth considering. It is a country that could be taken in on a short break or as part of a longer trip around Europe and is definitely not to be ignored!
Brum students abroad This week Daisy Lindlar tells us about living out her dream on her year abroad in Paris... As a third year international relations with French student, I’m spending my year abroad studying in Paris. I fell in love with Paris on my first visit to the city aged 14, so for me, this really is a dream come true. Since being here, I’ve learnt that a lot of Parisian stereotypes exist for a reason; I live in a studio by the Sacré Cœur, I eat a pastry every day, and my social life revolves around wine and cheese. I am a massive fan
"I've learnt that a lot of Parisian stereotypes exist for a reason." of Parisians, and they really are chainsmoking coffee addicts with all-black wardrobes and unbeatable resting bitch faces.
I’ve even seen a few berets and baguettes sticking out of backpacks. But it’s not all cafés and 'verres du vin.' The differences in university life were a massive shock for me. French university is hard work. You thought 9am lectures were bad? Try 8am. Then try not finishing classes until 9:15pm. If you want the full experience, have two-hour long lectures, with no break in the middle. Worst of all, classes are all registered. If you don’t turn up, someone actually notices. As well as the academic side of things being another world, the social side of uni here is completely different. I hate to admit it, but I miss the societies, I miss Fab, and most of all I miss my beloved Selly Oak. Living in a city where I’m a 20-minute Metro ride from most of my friends, you
really start to appreciate how great it is to have your best friends just around the corner.
"I'd be lying if I said my year abroad has been easy."
I’d be lying if I said my year abroad has been easy. I’ve definitely had moments when I’ve felt like all I’m learning is how to be stressed and poor. But the wonderful thing about Paris is that when I’m having a down day, I can just walk up the Seine, taking in the most beautiful city in the world, and remember how lucky I am to live here, and how many people would love to be in my shoes.
7th - 13th February 2014
redbrick.me/travel
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Volunteering Vietnam Avid traveller Rebecca Maynard talks about her time volunteering in Vietnam...
Working in the tiny town of Kon Tum in the central highlands of Vietnam was one of the most surreal experiences of my time travelling around the world. I had always been very suspicious of ‘voluntourism.’ Young, under-qualified, privileged kids flocking from rich Western nations to spend three weeks kissing and hugging little Chilean orphans (and Instaspamming the whole thing) is actually, surprise surprise, not doing a whole load of good for anyone. But I had reached a saturation point, at least in terms of temples and alcohol (alcohol saturation might seem impossible if you’ve never backpacked South East Asia but it can happen, I assure you). A&E had seen a little too much of me and I needed a rest. I saw an advert on gapyear.com (top website) for a school in the middle of nowhere that needed native English speakers to volunteer doing conversation classes in a sort of ‘afterschool' school. I spent a lot of time googling and I spoke to the girl who organised it, who had set the program up after she visited the town a year previously and had stayed to help the local kids out. Unlike all the programs you’ll see if you google ‘volunteering abroad’ you get to see where every penny (of the tiny cost of the program) goes the hotel and a couple of dollars a day to the family who host you. So, it seemed legit. It wasn’t promising I would suddenly go from being under-qualified 19-year-old traveller bum to teacher-extraordinaire in three minutes. I’d help, not teach. And that might not seem quite so exciting, but at least I knew I wouldn’t risk screwing kids' education with my stupidity. So I arrived. Let’s not talk about the journey there. It was not the best day of my life. But it turned out to be worth it. Mr Hein is the truly wonderful headmaster of the school and your host. He is married to the also equally wonderful Mrs Hein, who I want to be my mum/ She doesn’t speak much English, but she makes up for that with hugs and amazing food. Mrs Hein will ask you what you want to eat, and sometimes she’ll rope in some students to help her rus-
tle up a BBQ. Sometimes she’ll provide duck embryos and chicken feet for the adventurous. If one day you mention that you really like yoghurt, or durian biscuits, or that weird purple soda, expect to see it waiting for you in the fridge every day. They truly are the kindest hosts you could imagine; it weirdly reminded me of going to my grandparents house when I was a kid. You live in a little local hotel (yay, supporting the local community) and have your own room. In the evenings after dinner or class, myself and the other girl who was there at the time would cycle home on bikes the Heins lent us, almost always via one of the thousands of coffee shops in Kon Tum. And this ain’t Starbucks. First of all, the coffee tastes like liquid heaven, second they’re all so fancy! All the shops have different themes and most look like miniature gardens of Eden, with plants and waterfalls and fish ponds. In one you can get frappuchino-esque creations and do a sort of ‘Art4Fun’, paint-your-own ceramic thing (even a PSY doll) while you sip. Oh and it really breaks the bank at about 80 cents. Sorry, rambling. I really miss the coffee. To fill all the time you’re not in class (if you’re not taking a very pleasant siesta or watching re-runs of 'Greys Anatomy') your students like nothing better than taking you out for more coffee, food or shopping. And you might as well give up your British sensibilities now because they’ll never let you pay. We dined at some phenomenal restaurants thanks to the generosity of our lovely students, who just want to chat and show their gratitude for you coming to their town. Fun fact; coffee is always on a nice wicker, cushioned armchair. Restaurants, fancy as you like, always a plastic kiddie stool. Don’t know why. Very cool. It’s all sounding pretty rosy up to now? Phenomenal hosts, great food, coffee to die for, lovely hotel. Well it’s time to talk class. It’s an amazing experience, don’t get me wrong for a second. But be prepared, I expected row after row of smily little faces ready to conjugate some verbs and work on some phonemes. Eh, no. The kids, not all that
rarely, were little shits. They never listened to anything I said, often didn’t want to be in school after school had finished and once, put a spider on me. You’re mostly teaching classes with very mixed abilities, and there will be some students who really want to be there, and some who arrived kicking and screaming. But, you learn to cope very quickly. And it’s fun. I definitely had my fair share of struggle lessons. The one where the small tarantula crawled into my top and I stripped mid-sentence was testing, but I cannot explain the feeling of pure elation when two weeks of teaching phonemes to your class and you write the words diaphanous, evanescent and licentious on the board and the kids use the knowledge you taught them to work out how the words are pronounced - and get it 100% right the very first time! Well, I’m still boasting about it, aren’t I? And when you make that connection, and the little ones are running up the board and pretending to be goats and high fiving you and there is so much energy going on and everyones so happy, it’s an indescribable feeling. It’s hard work to get to that point, so when you do it’s just insane. I had the best time in Kon Tum. When you look into it you might think, well what do you do with your whole day? You only have a few hours of class a day, and essentially all there is to do in that sleepy town is eat and drink coffee. But, with any luck you’ll be there with another volunteer, you can bike out into the highlands, chill and read a book in your room, hang out in karaoke bars with your students, or do a little casual jewellery making (that happened too). You can pop out shopping for sun dressed and ox tongue, or grab baked goods from the Mesa Bakery for an afternoon treat, go and hang out with Mrs Hein or even pen the next Harry Potter. It’s rest and relaxation time, take it easy, enjoy life, get immersed, get mad, get elated, drink coffee (did I mention that?), think, watch, chat. Anything you like. I promise you, you won’t regret it. For more information check out http://www.vietnamvolunteerteachers.com
The 5...
Hidden gems of Aquitaine Nicky Mount Travel Writer
A flight to Bergerac from London costs £20 one way, so here is a list of the 5 must-see hidden gems of France's Aquitaine...
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The hidden beach between Arcachon and Biscarosse
Les cascades sur la Dordgone
Trémolat’s pride rock
Famille Moutier
La foire aux vins de Sigoules
No sign post, just a sand track to the left of the main road heads right to the most amazing beach I have ever been to in France! The huge waves and its general emptiness makes it more than worth a visit!
A few miles away from the popular section of river named the Céou are the beautiful cascades. Small waterfalls falling into a natural swimming pool makes it the best place to be on a hot summer’s day.
Situated by the water ski center, you can climb or drive to the top to experience the gorgeous views of the French countryside as well as watching the water skiers perform their tricks below.
Found in the tiny village of Thénac, this is the most delicious place to eat in the world. The family run restaurant offers a fixed five course meal , and most importantly unlimited wine!
The small village of Sigoules hosts a 2 day long wine festival featuring all the local wines, foods and dancers!
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redbrick.me/lifestyle
7th - 13th February 2014
Life & Style
Sochi 2014: The Kits
The Winter Olympics are finally here, and Music Editor Sam Dix has something to say about the more interesting kit choices of the season. Yes, everyone’s second favourite Olympics is back and the time has arrived where we catch ourselves accidentally becoming quite attached to the heroics of a particular downhill skier (‘Oh, he’s not quite up to his season’s best yet’), cheer enthusiastically during the curling, as Venezuela cause an upset by edging out Taiwan in the quarter final, and tell
everyone how much we enjoy the one where they go down head first on a tea tray. However, as if recognizing that one day soon we will all wake up and realize that any sport that mainly takes place in snow/ice is a) going to have limited appeal b) be quite cold and c) going to be quite samey – in the sense that a kind of
‘over coming’ of the snow/ice is generally going to be at the heart of the challenge, the organisers of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, have all seemingly come together to produce the most amazing outfits you could ever imagine. Here’s a few of the ‘best’.
USA:
Norway:
Germany:
It would seem that Ralph Lauren had a lot of unsold Christmas jumpers piling up in the back of a store cupboard somewhere, as what we essentially have here is a collection of typical wooly knit cardigans with arbitrary references to the US of A splattered across them ad hoc. Still, there’s something strangely warming about America’s national pride, and if you’ve got hundreds (nearly) of stars and stripes on your flag you might as well use ‘em.
Trust Norway to come up with the strangest outfit ever. Norway, most famous for not being famous for literally Anything, they’re attempting to halt their anonymity for now with a fantastic blueand-white-on-red striped jacket and blazer combo for their curling team. Presumably the tactic here is simply to dazzle opponents with migraine inducing stripes as they glide down the icy pitch/alley/ lane/whatever the hell it is. Do they even know?
Germany. I do not even know where to begin. The yellow-intogreen-into-blue puffer jackets or the orange floral trousers that look a bit like Terry’s Chocolate Orange designed them? Neither, lets go for the hats. Orange beanies – an orangey theme developing here – with the German flag striping front to bad (go fast stripes?). I do quite like the scarves, even if they do just look a bit like cold air hostesses.
Canada:
Netherlands:
Czech Republic:
Canada’s mums kindly bought their kit this year, and have clearly gone for the ‘you’ll grow into it’ approach. And don’t they look happy about it.
The Netherlands have shocked the world by going for orange shirts (not to be out-oranged by the Germans) with blue shorts. That’s it. That’s literally it.
The Czech Republic outfits are largely dull so they’re only going to get two sentences. Essentially, white jackets with some nice gold trim and hearts. AND AMAZING FURRY HATS. 3 sentences.
Great Britain:
Volunteers:
Team GB, once again thanks for trying. Ah, but you didn’t. With an ‘outfit’ that makes them look like they’re reluctantly off out to a suburban night club, it's nice to see the defeatist mentality towards winning anything extends on to their clothing. At least they put their nice jeans and fancy high-tops on. Not only are their outfits boring, they even look fed up. Did they even choose play curling, or is this some government scheme?
At least we won’t be able to lose the volunteers, which is particularly helpful because this bloke (above) is definitely going to try and whisk Blondey away to somewhere quiet. The colourful ensemble apparently represents "the different regions of Russia" (and ironically bares a striking resemblence to the gay pride movements.) The only chance they’ll be able to camouflage though is if they’re sick on the ground first.
7th - 13th February 2014
redbrick.me/lifestyle
Valentines Day Gift Guide Life&Style writer Hebe Hatton helps us all out this Valentines Day with easy gifts that'll win you points with your beau this February 14th.
Girls
1.
Boys 3.
2.
1.
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Fierce Beyonce This week everyone's been talking about Beyoncé’s amazing bum, as she stepped out in her sheer white Michael Costello dress at the Grammys. She then showed off her fabulous figure once more in her raunchy Drunk in Love performance, wearing nearly as little as Miley at the VMA’s.
Shakira and Rhianna Two of the world’s sexiest popstars have come together and released their new video for the single Can’t Remember to Forget You. Wearing a series of skimpy outfits, the two didn’t leave fans disappointed, as after two days the video has already achieved over 25 million views.
Lucy Watson
3.
2.
The MIC star has reaffirmed her fiesty nature this week with her PETA anti fur campaign. Looking beautiful, she posed on a London bridge, revealing a nude picture of herself stating ‘I’d rather go naked than wear fur’.
Pastels The typical fashion colours of spring are back. Teamed with floral patterns, expect to see soft fondant fancy shades, as we look forward to better weather. 1. Underwear is always a bit of a taboo when it comes to present buying, how appropriate is it to buy your girlfriend something that you are clearly going to enjoy more!? However, this Topshop set is so exquisite that we are sure she will love it just as much as you! Topshop £30 2. Paperchase is filled with cute, small gifts that girls love and this tote bag will definitely be winning you brownie points. Paperchase £6 3. It may be slightly cheesy, but what’s wrong with that? Isn’t Valentine’s Day about being a little bit soppy? And besides this bracelet is a lot more subtle than a giant teddy bear. Urban Outfitters £14
1. Like Christmas and Birthdays, Valentine’s day is just another occasion that you can buy him something that you actually WANT him to wear. Zara £39.99 2. Incase he needs a little bit of an ego boost in his life, (or even if his ego is defintely large enough!) this cute novelty book should definetly go down well with the BF. Check out Urban Oufitters for lots of other fun novelty books. Urban Outfitters £7.99 3. These mugs are just a bit of fun, something not too serious that can brighten up his dull Selly Oak kitchen and remind him of you every morning! Notonthehighstreet.com £8.50
The Lady and The Vamp From velvety lips to textured smoky eyes, Life&Style writer Daisy Holden shows us how this season’s make-up trends are turning to the dark side. I am a self confessed make-up junkie but I do have to admit that some looks terrify me - such as this new spring Goth trend which has been dominating the catwalks. The makeup on the catwalks is too heavy for an everyday look; so my advice is to either focus on eyes or lips. Dark berry lips can easily create a bold statement without being too dramatic. Prepare your lips with a balm so that the lipstick will glide on and not flake off. Layer the lipstick over the balm as dark as you like. To stop your skin looking too pale, a warm bronzer or blusher needs to be applied. My inspiration for this look is Jessica Alba, as she pulls this look off effortlessly. She combines a berry lip with a bronzed contoured cheek, dark filled-in eyebrows, nude eyes and loose wavy hair. For this look Topshop lipsticks give a bold thick colour but for something more luxurious Chanel Rouge Coco is perfect. A textured smoky eye can be the perfect way to bring this classic look up-to-date. The standard black eye has been swapped for purples and browns, which makes this trend more feminine. This is easily achieved by applying a soft kohl pencil across your lash lines and smudging, and Revlon's Luxurious Eye Colour (£7.29) is perfect for this. Layer pigmented eye-shadow creams over the lid and blend out in a winged shape, glitter can be dabbed on for added texture. The Topshop eye brush is great for blending, as it has soft short bristles and is purse friendly at £5.00! Again, cheek contouring is needed to give some colour and shape to the face. So with options for all, are you going to go over to the dark side?
Celebrity Weight Scales Superdrug planned to launch a new trial where customers were able to compare their weight to celebrities including Cheryl Cole and Kate Middleton. Cheryl fought back quickly on twitter, stating how ‘shocked’ she was at the idea. Eventually the shop abandon the launch.
Nandos ‘cheap date’ When Melissa Mkenzie told newspapers the Man-U footballer Adnan Januzaj took her on a date to Nandos (despite earning £30,000 a week), the chain offered to pay for a second date, giving the footballer a fifty pound voucher!
Celebrity Big Brother Possibly the best series yet has just come to a close, with numerous revealing arguments and great entertainment. The final had more than 3 million viewers and now the celebrities are out they can tell us what the cameras missed.
Valentines Day It’s only just hit February but most of those who are single are already sick of hearing about it, and those who do have plans are instead stressing over how to treat their loved ones.
By Isabelle Fogg
Finished
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redbrick.me/food
7th - 13th February 2014
Food
Valentines Day Food and Fun Review: The Country Girl Rosie Twells Food Writer
In day to day living, I’m always one to advocate order and regularity. For example, I do, where possible, try to read the book before watching the film. Some things are just better when completed in a set structure, although when turned on their heads and flipped back to front they can provide some extremely intriguing and enjoyable results. One such event occurred last Thursday, and as a result, has led to a reassessment on my behalf with regards to the order I eat my food in the evening. With no introduction necessary, I give you: Desserts as Main Meals!
next choice of destination in order to review some sweet treats. With roaring fires lit and cosy furnishings, the pub provided the safe escape that we so desperately desired after battling the pouring rain and cold wind of Selly Oak. There's a wide selection of desserts on the menu to take your fancy; merging some old British classics with a few modern twists. They were all very reasonably priced, between £3.75 and £4.25, which is positive factor for any student! Whilst the
Milk and Cookies and the Millionaire Chocolate Brownie were tempting, we opted for the Banoffee Sundae and the Apple, Plum and Cherry Crumble. The Banoffee Sundae promised freshly sliced banana, cooked in butterscotch sauce, cooled and mixed with chunks of moist chocolate brownie, crushed meringue and whipped cream, topped with chocolate shavings, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. It was served in a large glass bowl and there was an equal distribution of each
ingredient, which when combined together created a delectable dessert. The chocolate brownie pieces were gooey in texture, whilst the butterscotch sauce did not overpower the taste of the fresh bananas. The Apple, Plum and Cherry Crumble had thick sliced pieces of fruit, topped with sweet crumble and served simply with hot custard. Again the dessert lived up to the high standards that had already been formed following the Banoffee Sundae. The portion size was rather large, so perhaps it was a good thing that we had missed out on the traditional main meal! A small criticism of the dish was that the dessert became slightly too sweet for our taster about halfway through eating. A tangier variety of apples would have given a sharper taste to the dessert.
Puddings are the best bit of a meal so why wait until the end?
"The pub provided the safe escape that we so desperately desired"
Both desserts looked extremely professional – the presentation was to a high standard which is always appealing. The Country Girl offered some fantastic food and a friendly atmosphere can be found inside this pub. So, if you are looking for a way to make your evening that little bit more interesting, why not go against the grain and try dessert for a main meal? As a treat every now and then of course!
It all began with innocent intentions. Myself and one of Redbrick’s finest food editors, Millie Walker, set off in pursuit of reviewing Sweet Things on Raddlebarn Road, Selly Oak. Arriving at 17:19 precisely we were surprised to find the blinds down and the lights off. Place closed it would appear. Determined to have our cake and eat it, quite literally, The Country Girl pub quickly became our
Valentine's Food when Single Sarah Dickinson Food Writer
Those of you out there not currently in a state of constant utter bliss or harbourimg affection for a significant other may like to know that February 14th is not only a day to celebrate being head over heels in love. ‘Single-awareness day’ has been introduced across the world (by those lonely hearts weary of the cutesy and cheesy traditions shared between lovers) as an alternative celebration to the ‘day of love’ itself.
Single Awareness Day... really? No need to feel saddened that cupid hasn’t been shooting his arrows of love your way this year, you may still receive a cutesy card illustrated with teddy bears and hearts containing messages of love. Even if the card isn’t from your partner or someone you really fancy, you can always trust in the unconditional love from mum and dad (and the dogs signed the card too). Despite this, you’re proud to call yourself a single girl. You don’t need a Mr Darcy to swoop in all arrogant and sexy declaring his undying love or Leonardo DiCaprio to put his arms around you in a loving embrace whilst Celine Dion belts out the tear-jerking lyrics of ‘My heart will go on’. Bridget Jones would truly be proud. When it comes to the evening, you fear the embarrassment of eating in alone whilst others go out to enjoy a romantic candlelit meal for two at a fancy restaurant (expect
violin playing to be included) but a casual night in with some yummy Mexican food followed by Ben and Jerry’s (no need to worry about gaining a little extra padding today) really is more fun and should throw those fears right out the window. Not only can you look as sloth-like as you wish, you don’t have to worry about the guy pointing out any stray Bolognese sauce or ice cream that managed to escape your mouth.
Why not bake some gooey chocolate brownies whilst watching Ryan Gosling? If you do fancy having a girl’s night in to escape the woes of being a single girl, why not bake up some indulgent gooey chocolate brownies or maybe a batch of pretty red velvet cupcakes to share whilst enjoying the hotness of Ryan Gosling on the TV. The fact that you actually like hearts, the colours red and pink and have a strong sweet tooth is a good enough reason to get baking on this day. If you do on the other hand fancy a meal out for a change why not try out the new Mooch Bar on Broad Street, which offers everything from your good old hamburger to your more classy sirloin steaks, or if you fancy something a bit more spicy on the taste palette try the Balti Triangle collection
of Asian food restaurants. Whether you opt for an evening in or decide to put on some fancier attire and dine out, you’re sure to have an enjoyable time and may still be able to share a delicious pudding without the candlelight and violins. Here is an easy recipe for some amazingly different yet indulgent chocolate creme egg brownies. Give them a go! The recipe makes enough for 16 brownies- perfect to share with housemates whilst watching a film. Ingredients: 185g dark chocolate, 185g unsalted butter, 85g plain flour, 40g cocoa powder, 3 eggs, 275g caster sugar, 6 Cadbury creme eggs (fridge cold) Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 180oc. Then melt the butter and chocolate together, either in the microwave in 30 second bursts
or by sitting the bowl on a saucepan of hot water. Once melted set to the side. 2. In a separate bowl, crack in the eggs and add the sugar and then whisk until the eggy sugar becomes mousse like, it will be pale and will have doubled in volume. Next, add the cooled melted butter/chocolate and combine. 3. Sift in the flour and cocoa powder and gently fold it in, before pouring the mixture into a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. 4. Once baked remove from the overn and cut the creme eggs in half, gently placing the halves onto the brownies – evenly spaced, then pop back into the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes to melt the creme eggs. 5. Finally, let the brownies completely cool in the tin before cutting into slices.
redbrick.me/food
7th - 13th February 2014
Valentine's Food When Not-So Single Gemma Bridge Food Editor
@glbridge1
Safiyyah Gareeboo Food Writer
@SafiGareeboo
As you stare dreamily into one another's eyes and try to stop yourself from drooling, you're completely oblivious to the tens of loved-up clones that fill the rest of the restaurant's tables. You booked your place weeks in advance to make this night 'a unique treat', even though at that point you were yet to find a partner, and everything has so far lived up to the dream. 'Romantic' red rose petals are sprinkled all over the table around twinkling tea lights that fill the air with soft floral scents and make it slightly smoky (with the added bonus of the low light clearing up everyone's complexions). The food is made for lovers; the 'Ladyand-the Tramp' style spaghetti is perfect for sharing and chocolate fondue with strawberries and marshmallows means you can feed each other and wayward chocolate can be seductively wiped away. There's no need for drinks, as you were drunk on each other's love before you even sat down, and like Beyoncé and Jay Z you fully intend to write controversial music about it to declare your undying love for
each other to the world. The whole two week's that you've been together has felt like a life time and you're sure to last at least one more, so every minute is precious, and to make sure all your friends know about it you 'artfully' take a few pictures to Instagram mid-meal. After finishing the last of the cheese board, you send a few Snaps to all your friends (especially the single ones) and walk out of the restaurant and into the moonlit night to live happily ever after. Sound like your ideal date? Head to Carluccio's at Brindley Place for the ultimate in romance, and stare dreamily into each other's eyes on the bridge over the canal. Or why not make a meal to share? Try the follwoing recipe for an easy and irresistable meal that you will both enjoy! Steak always goes down well and this very quick and easy to follow recipe is ideal so why not give it a whirl:
Nothing beats a juicy steak and you will both enjoy it! Ingredients: 1 tbsp sunflower oil, 2 rump steaks (about 200g/8oz each), 140g mushrooms, quartered, 2 thyme sprigs, leaves removed, 150ml red wine, 1 tbsp butter
Method: 1. Heat the oil in a pan. Season the steaks, then fry for 2-3 mins each side for medium rare, or cook more to your liking. Remove from the pan, then set aside to rest. 2. Add the mushrooms and thyme leaves to the pan, then cook for a couple of mins until softened and golden. 3. Pour in the wine and bubble until syrupy, then turn off the heat and stir in the butter. Season. 4. Serve the steaks with the mushroom sauce poured over, along with chips or creamy mash with some crunchy spring greens or runner beans.
Food Editor
@glbridge1
So it’s Valentine’s day. Planning a romantic meal for two? What better day to fill your menu with interesting foods and try out some foodie aphrodisiacs? These foods are thought to increase sexual desire- but can do so in a number of different ways. Some foods that act as aphrodisiacs are thought to have psychoactive properties, others are thought to arouse because they are psychologically suggestive, and others are thought to actually increase blood flow to the genitals. But what foods actually act as aphrodisiacs? Oysters: The first food I think of as being an aphrodisiac is an oyster and I would expect that most people are aware of their reputation for increasing sexual desire.
To suggest ingredient issues that you want solved, email: food@ redbrickonine.co.uk
Ingredient Ideas When you just don't know what to do with your last....
Strawberry
For pudding there is nothing more romantic than sharing a chocolatey treat. So why not try making a chocolate fomdue? Here is how: Ingredients: 400g dark chocolate, 85g unsalted butter, 284ml carton double cream, 300ml milk, for dipping: bag of marshmallows, fruit e.g. strawberries, apples, bananas, biscuits. Method: 1. Put the chocolate, butter, cream and milk into a saucepan, then heat gently, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and the sauce is smooth. 2. Chop up the dipping ingredients. 3. Dip into the fondue and eat straight away. Enjoy!
Aphrodisiacs: What are they and where can I find them? Gemma Bridge
23
It is thought that their high zinc content helps males to produce sperm and thus increases libido. Although oysters and a glass of champagne could make for a very romantic meal, personally I don’t think I could afford them on my student budget so I had a look for cheaper alternatives.
Asparagus: If you are looking for a savoury alternative or addition to chocolate why not try asparagus. These green spurs have been said to "stir up lust in man and woman." It is thought that it is due to their high levels of thiamine, potassium, vitamin B6, A and C, and folic acid that asparagus induces its effects.
Chocolate: So, pure chocolate is much cheaper than oysters, and is probably the king of natural aphrodisiacs. Not only is it absolutely delicious, but also it contains a range of compounds such as anandamide which is a ‘feel-good chemical’, and phenylethylamine which is a ‘love chemical’ which releases dopamine in the brain and induces pleasure, excitement and attraction. Chocolate also contains high levels of tryptophan which promotes relaxation. So making the above chocolate fondue would be ideal!
Honey: Surprisingly, sweet, sticky honey is an amazing aphrodisiac. Not only does it contain B vitamins needed to produce testosterone, but it has high levels of boron in it which is a mineral that helps the body to use and metabolize oestrogen (the female sex hormone). It has also been suggested that boron can enhance testosterone levels in the blood, which promotes sex drive in men and women.Try making honey cake or adding honey to tea. Honey on toast is also great. Go wild!
01. Chocolate Dipped Delights
A simple but perfect way to treat your strawberries. Melt a few cubes of chocolate, dark, milk, white...whatever takes your fancy and coat your strawberries in chocolatey goodness. Leave to cool for a decadent afer dinner treat or eat immediatly and make a moreish mess.
02. Strawberry Jam
Slice and cube your strawberries then add an equal measure of sugar (eg. 500g fruit to 500g sugar) to a saucepan andplace over a low heat until the sugar has melted. Bring to a rapid boil for 3-5 mins until the jam begins to set. Remove from heat,allow to cool and place in a sterilised jar. Store in the fridge.
03. Strawberry FaceMask
Starberries are rich in Vitamin C and alpha-hydroxy acids which are great for damaged/acne prone skin. Mash your strawberries (six or seven) and add 2 tablespoons of honey and two tablespoons of no-fat yoghurt. Mix well and apply to your face. Leave for around fifteen minutes before washing off with warm water. Follow up with your normal toner and moisturiser. Refrigerate any excess mask and use again later in the week!
04. Strawberry Shortbread Stars
Make some delicious strawberry stars to satisfy sugar cravings over Valentine's. For the full, simple recipe, see the Crazy About Cake article online this week.
Millie Walker Food Editor
@millicent_x
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redbrick.me/tech
7th - 13th February 2014
Science & Technology
No Big Deal: The Disposal of Nanomaterials
"Nanomaterials are used in sun cream as UV filters, as colourants in cosmetics and as an antibacterial agent in cleaning products" The uses of nanomaterials have also become extremely popular in the medical industry and as catalysts. However, it isn’t just in the
industrial world that the potential of nanomaterials is being exploited; it is becoming more and more common for consumer products to use this microscopic technology. Nanomaterials are used in sun cream as UV filters, as colourants in cosmetics and as an antibacterial agent in cleaning products. This is just the beginning! As with all new technology, it is important to assess the most environmentally friendly method of disposal. A group of scientists at Virginia Tech in the US have been tackling the issue of nanomaterial disposal and what effects it might have on the environment. The investigations are of interest as there are concerns that nanomaterials are toxic to some organisms when incinerated. So now it is important to understand what happens to nanoparticles during the incineration process. Despite being in the early stages of research, Eric Vejerano and his colleagues have already made some interesting discoveries. They have found that the majority of nanomaterials end up in the ash at
Rachel Taylor Writer
Beth Carney explores what's new in nano-waste Nanotechnology has been growing in popularity in the scientific community since its discovery in the 1980s. The commercial applications of this technology, which began in the early 2000s, have meant that the general public are well aware of this technology.
Medicine Made For You
the bottom of incinerators. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the presence of nanomaterials in the waste can affect the combustion efficiency of the incinerator, and have a consequent effect on the composition of emissions from incinerators. For example, the scientists reported that nanoparticles derived from metal oxides reduced the emission of toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and increased combustion efficiency. On the other hand, nanoparticles made from silver had the opposite effect. This new information may be of concern to countries where open burning is common, which releases pollutants, i.e. PAHs, into the environment. The report concludes that, although the results provide an insight into the behaviour of nanomaterials during incineration, a full-scale study is needed. Further investigations into what happens to the nanomaterials that end up in the incinerator ash are now being conducted by Vejerano and his colleagues.
A recent paper published in ‘Nature’ by Japanese scientists has found that, through research into stem cells, medicine can now be made that is designed specifically for the patient. It doesn’t even take very long at 30 minutes. By just placing the blood cells from mice into an acid bath, triggering them to differentiate (the process by which cells become more specific), they can then be engineered to become nerve cells, liver cells and even cells of the eye to cure blindness! This discovery is a major breakthrough in medical research and suggests that cells can now respond to stimuli from their individual environments, called stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency, or STAP for short. This means that the cells can be placed in the body and will then respond to an illness or a need to grow new cells to replace damaged ones. Personalised medicine, whilst sounding very futuristic, highlights the necessity for each person to have their own very different treatment plan, as our bodies respond to illness in different ways. A future where all medicine is personalised would mean that there would be minimal drug or transplant rejection by the body, which would make the recovery time from disease much faster.
Follow us online www.redbrick.me/tech @redbricktech
A Library Without Books Science and Tech Editor Soumya Perinparajah explores the benefits of e-libraries Since September 2013, Texas BiblioTech has been serving the 1.7 million residents of county Bexar in Texas, America. The innovative library is paperless, and is the first of its kind in the world. Instead of physical books, library users load material onto e-readers, which they can then sign out of the library. Additional facilities at the library include 600 e-readers, 48 computer stations, 10 laptops and 40 tablets, as well as 200 pre-loaded e-readers for use by children. Although a library without any books does seem unusual, it does mean that the time librarians would otherwise spend on shelving or organising books can be spent helping the visitors get up to speed with the technology. Compared to traditional libraries, e-libraries are actually more cost-effective to construct and maintain, as well as having fewer environmental implications due to the absence of books. The aim of the project is to equip residents to be citizens of the 21st century, whilst also promoting literacy, and recreational reading. Laura Cole, the special project co-ordinator of Texas BiblioTech said ‘Geography doesn’t matter if your library is in the cloud.
7th - 13th February 2014
redbrick.me/tech
25
WikiVIP: Who Said That? George Bearman
Online Science and Tech Editor
Have you ever heard or read about someone famous and wondered what they sounded like? The go to source on the internet, Wikipedia, may just be able to satisfy your curiosity. Andy Mabbett, a Wiki editor from Birmingham, is leading a project that asks celebrities to provide a short voice recording to accom-
"Steven Fry is the first celebrity to upload his sound clip." pany articles written about them. Incidentally, if you wonder what Andy Mabbett sounds like then you can now visit his Wiki page to find out. The Wikipedia Voice Introduction Project (WikiVIP) seeks to gain voice recordings from public figures with their own Wiki page; this can range from scientists, celebrities, athletes and more.
The clips typically contain a short summary, with the celebrity giving us their name, where they grew up and what they do. Stephen Fry is the first celebrity to upload his sound clip and it is hoped that others will follow. Needless to say, many people already know what Stephen Fry sounds like but, if everything goes to plan, his voice will be preserved on Wikipedia for years to come. WikiVIP is also being supported by the BBC who is currently working on a similar project that involves speaker voice recognition. On the 18th January the BBC hosted a Speakerthon event that allowed volunteers to access Radio 4’s permanent audio archive. In turn, volunteers were able to upload sound clips that can be used on Wikipedia. So far there is a broad sample of sound recordings, ranging from Sir Tim BernersLee, the founder of the World Wide Web, to the well-known Sir David Attenborough. In the future, the BBC plan to be able to use the Wikipedia voice recordings as a voice box 'fingerprint' which would enable them to identify speakers within whole archives of data. In the meantime, just the idea of being able to put a voice to the name, for now and generations to come, seems to be a worthwhile cause.
Claire Harris
Science and Tech Editor
Ever felt that twinge of pride when you find a really good song your friends have never heard of? Well you are in luck; music streaming service Spotify has released its new project, Forgotify! The site estimates around 4 million of its songs have never been listened to before. A beautiful idea in principle, the music loving creators wish to give neglected music a chance. It gives users a chance to cycle through all the never-before played tracks, hopefully to find something special. We all love an underdog, and the new page is out to disprove the age-old adage that some things are better left forgotten.
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redbrick.me/television
7th - 13th February 2014
Television Mini-Reviews
Roanna Burt tells you all you need to know, in tasty bite-sized portions
Outnumbered The chaotic family of Outnumbered are finally back this week, this time with the full force of puberty behind them. The final series of the partly-improvised comedy swaps tantrums for tearaways, as we catch up with the parents of the outspoken three as they tackle their adolescent years. Curly cutey Ramona Marquez is now unrecognisable, as a sleek young lady, with her older brothers, Tyger-Drew Honey and Daniel Roche, both a few feet higher and a few octaves deeper than we remembered them. The head of the rabble, comedian Hugh Dennis and actress Claire Skinner are seemingly accelerated through their own aging process, as they try to contain the disorder whilst holding down jobs and avoiding other parents. This new series brings more trouble as Karen struggles to make friends at secondary school, Ben is Spartacus in a new school musical and Jake gets a dodgy Persian tattoo. The much-loved family drama peaked interest in 2009, due to its hilarious unscripted scenes that attempted to unravel the logic of opinionated eleven year olds. Outnumbered was famed for its brutal realism and spontaneity, giving the show a definite sense of familiarity that mirrored our own crazy families. It’s not often that family dramas stand the test of time (whatever happened to My Family?), but the hype surrounding this new series of obstacles has got viewers excited. Despite the popular series drawing to a close, producers hope to reunite cast and audiences with Christmas special spin offs, leaving room for the kids of the show to work on their own projects. Marquez herself was the youngest winner of the 2009 British Comedy Awards for 'Best Female Comedy Newcomer’ whilst Roche played a young Stephen Fry in Sky’s Little Crackers and Drew-Honey has featured in various dramas as well as pursing his music career. These whippersnappers are certainly proving that, unlike their on-screen parents, they aren’t running out of steam.
Silent Witness The BBC’s gruesome crime thriller Silent Witness, aired its 17th series last week. Like CSI, it is a drama with a real scientific footing which leaves the brain scrambling to piece together murders and motives. First broadcast in 1996, it has clearly stood the test of time as a well-established favourite. After bulldozing through various leads and protagonists, the current main characters are self-important Dr Nikki Alexandra (Emilia Fox) and her wayward colleague Jack Hodgson (David Caves). The drama deals with often very current issues, ranging from footballers' sex tapes, soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder to corrupt detectives working with gangs. The series has proven it can age well; however the leads are not so malleable. Emilia Fox, a firm favourite on the show, often holds turbulent relationships with her colleagues and the amount of inevitable ‘will-they-won’t-they’ story lines fling her character from dates to heartbreaks. The desperate, repetitive plots and stiff dialogue in some scenes let the show down. Perhaps it’s Nikki’s new bob (for a diehard like me, this came as a shock) or yet another hunky side-kick, recycled from the BBC’s CV pile. Of course, a drama about cutting up dead people will not be full of laughs, but there is enough scope to develop some intricacy within the lives and relationships of the Lyell Centre scientists, without making it look forced. I hope Silent Witness can claw out of this spiralling descent into the predictable ‘detective drama land’. For a series as long-running as this, there’s got to be some winning formula that keeps drawing us back in. Bring back the charisma and the old writers.
TV Doesn't Get Worse Than This... Dads Racist, Sexist and Boring - It's hard to know what to hate most about this car crash of a sitcom Daisy Follett Tv Editor
Dads is an American sitcom new to ITV2, which revolves around Eli and Warner, business partners and owners of their own video games company, and the hilarious antics that occur when their dads come to live with them. But the biggest joke is this; it’s not funny! It’s not funny at all! In fact it’s not
"Places where you go and it's like: "Relaaax..." I went for three days with my mum and I was going totally insane by the end. A spa is nice for an hour." even vaguely entertaining; I found myself counting down the minutes to the end, despite it only being a 21 minute show. But the real defining feature of this show is the sexism and racism that is constantly popping-up, punctuated only by the aggressive laughter track. The representation of women is unbelievably old fashioned and offensive. First we have Warner's wife, who we meet wearing an apron and cleaning the kitchen; later she’s asked to pose as a secretary and also referred to as a maid. Ha-di-ha. Second we meet Eli’s girlfriend, half naked and asleep.
That’s her entire role. Finally we have Veronica , their assistant; when she asks if she’s been invited to an important business meeting because of her expertise in Asian culture, she’s told “No, it’s to dress as a slutty Asian schoolgirl!” This is greeted with deafening laughs on the laughter-track. What’s worse is that later in the episode she actually does dress up, and, after being hilariously perved-on by her boss, stands mutely at the side of the conference table while he makes the important pitch. The real high point is at the end of the episode where she single-handedly saves the deal with the Chinese investors. And how? Because one of the men “texted [her] a picture of his tiny penis, and [she] threatened to put it online unless he approved the deal”. Oh I see, nothing to do with any business ability then. Women only achieve things in the workplace via sexual harassment. The joke above also demonstrates another of the writers' favourite types of humour: racial stereotypes. After all, where would we be without Edna, the Mexican maid who gets huge laughs for her poor English? Who was it that made it compulsory for every awful American sitcom to have a confused Mexican maid? Did the writers of Dads really think they were the first to mine this sparse source of comedy? It’s just such lazy writing. And the writing is lazy throughout; I couldn’t find a single example of wit or genuine original material in the whole sorry episode. This is the kind of programme that gets laughs out of someone’s towel falling down when they get out of the shower (this
actually happens, by the way, within the first five minutes). And I’m not alone in my views; review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives it a rating of 0%, which is actually almost impressive. The strange thing is, executive producer of this flop is Seth McFarlane, and it’s created and produced by Alec Sulkin and Wesley
Wild, who also have links with Family Guy, The Cleveland Show etc. How did they end up with this rubbish? If you’re someone who thought Two Broke Girls was TV gold, or if you just want to test your faith in humanity, then you’ll be glad to hear there’re still 14 more episodes to come on ITV2. Everyone else, stay away.
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Britain's Great War Shannon Carey
you’ll have come across the First World War in a lot of detail. Being a fan of history myself, I was slightly worried that this series would simply be a regurgitation of information many of us already know. However, Britain’s Great War works hard to deliver new and unusual stories, from reports of soldiers saved by ‘angels’ to far-fetched news articles of nurses beheading patients. An example of this was the order that, if a household owned animals that were not useful to the military, they should be “rendered useless” to Germans. While this was all the detail given, in today’s animal loving society, stories like this showed how far the effects of war spread throughout civilian life, in ways that are no longer imaginable. Another highlight on the first hour was the showing of war-time propaganda, which varied from the inspirational to almost emotional blackmail (one poster featured children asked their father “What did you do in the great war?”). As a generation virtually untouched by war, at least to the extent of the World Wars, it was exciting to see how war affected all areas of life, including such advertising, and just how ruthless the government could be in drumming up a war effort. However, the stand-out point of this documentary was its portrayal of the legacy left behind by the war. Throughout the show we were given images of soldiers, just to be told the majority of them would go on to lose their lives, followed by black and white photographs of bodies lined up in war-ravaged fields. This isn’t news to us: we all know the grim reality of the First World War. But, just as we regularly commemorate, the loss of life in that global battle will be eternally regrettable and those who fought will be eternally admired. We can be quite sure that Britain’s Great War is the first of many shows to mark the anniversary of World War One (not to mention 2018, which will surely see similar shows to remember the war’s end) but we can’t reflect on this worldwide, historical event enough. And as the show continues, I’m sure we will find more and more reasons to be both proud and mournful of Britain’s role in the ‘great war’.
Tv Critic
It’s been almost 100 years since the First World War broke out on July 28th, 1914. Ever since, the history of this great fight has been taught throughout schools, and the stories of bravery have never been forgotten. Each year, on November 11th, the nation takes a moment of silence to remember the end of the war and the countless lives lost during the period of battle. Although a century has passed, it is clear the legacy of World War One still haunts us as one of the biggest keystones in Britain’s history, bringing both pain and patriotism to the nation. With this in mind, particularly as this important anniversary approaches, it seems fitting that the BBC have chosen to mark the occasion with a special, four-part feature, documenting much of the ‘great war’, from the causes, the battle tactics and the devastating effects on society. From the off, presenter Jeremy Paxman introduces a story that is sure to be dramatic and intense. The show begins with Paxman standing in front of Big Ben, showing the clear link between the war and British identity, and swiftly takes the audience back to one summer evening in 1914, an evening that would later become the burning point for the beginning of World War One. The British government had given Germany an ultimatum to ‘back down’ after their invasion of Belgium before midnight that evening. Paxman describes the ringing of the midnight bell that day as ‘the sound of the apocalypse’, showing just how significant that day was in sealing Britain’s fate in the World War One and the immensity of the battle to come (though I must admit, the moment may have been slightly ruined by Paxman’s unintentionally comical impression of a gong at this point). It is this suspenseful description of the war’s events that we are treated to throughout the show, drawing the audience far back into early 20th century Britain, into the time of the great upheaval of World War One, and allows us to follow the story with open ears. Now, for anyone that has remotely studied history in their life so far, it’s likely
CBB 2014: The Highlights Shannon Carey Tv Critic
This year’s series of Celebrity Big Brother has arguably been one of the best, filled with intense arguments, ridiculous tasks, romantic dalliances and (what we all really want to see) celebrities making a utter mockery of themselves for our viewing pleasure. After the final last week, which saw Jim Davidson crowned the victorious winner, let’s take a look at some of the incredible
moments throughout the show’s three weeks that both shocked and amused us. The Casey/Jasmine/Lee love triangle: If you’ve been avoiding Celebrity Big Brother like the plague since January, the chances are you still wouldn’t have been able to escape this dramatic trio. Casey and Lee began the series with nonstop cuddling in bed, but it wasn’t long until Lee changed his interests to loud American Jasmine, resulting in tears, arguments and perhaps some of the raunchiest scenes that Big Brother has ever seen. Lee himself cer-
tainly didn’t win any fans with his constant zigzagging between the two girls, no matter how many times he told Big Brother that he hadn’t led anyone on. If there’s a lesson to be learned here it’s that (if you’ll excuse the pun) One Love is definitely all you need. Liz in the bath: It may be dark humour, but arguably the most hilarious scene in the entirety of 2014’s Big Brother was Liz and Luisa’s downbeat conversation in the bathroom. As Luisa tried desperately to make Liz laugh as part of a secret mission, Liz, having been instructed to ensure Luisa failed her task, was solemn as ever, coming out with lines such as ‘I wonder how hard it is to drown’ and that her bottom was like ‘Vienetta’. While Liz may have been underestimated as ‘quiet’ and ‘odd’ by many of her housemates, this showed just how capable she was when it came to it, completely stopping Luisa in her tracks – and showed why, despite her controversial career, Liz managed to stay in for so long. Jim’s jokes: Say what you want about Jim Davison, whether that be ‘sexist’, ‘oldfashioned’ or ‘arrogant’, his unique sense of humour definitely brought the laughs this year. My personal favourites have been his blunt remark ‘I could die’ when asked what would improve his evening and his countless inappropriate, yet somehow still funny, remarks to Casey. And it was this sense of humour, plus his fatherly role in the house,
that turned Jim from a controversial figure into a man publicly loved, showing just how Big Brother can always turn our expectations. Sam and Ollie: Perhaps one of the more unexpected romances of this year’s series, and certainly the quietest when compared to the controversy of Lee’s love triangle. It was nothing short of endearing when Ollie revealed his ‘inappropriate’ crush on Sam, frequently calling her ‘beautiful’ and stating how much he enjoyed the time they spent together. Sam gave very little away, only stating on her leaving interview that she would happily go on a date with Ollie if asked. This is definitely a relationship the public will be watching even after the end of the series, and I think everyone has rooted for the pair to be together – could this be the start of a The Only Way is Chelsea merger? The tasks: If anyone can come up with a weird and wonderful task, it’s Big Brother. The best this year have featured an alien invasion, an Antartic expedition (complete with housemates being forced to eat dog food while dressed as huskys) and the ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ task, which saw time freeze and housemates forced to stand still as their loved ones came in (or their not so loved ones, if Jasmine’s appearance was anything to go by). If this was the standard this year, I can’t wait to see how creative the producers get next year.
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7th - 13th February 2014
Sport
Birmingham cruise to badminton success
Zhi Li
Birmingham 2nds
7
Oxford Brookes 1sts
1
Constantinos Akrivos Sports Reporter
Birmingham Womens 2nds enjoyed a pleasant afternoon in the Munrow Sports Hall defeating Oxford Brookes 1sts 7-1. The gulf in class was apparent throughout, with Birmingham cruising to an easy victory. They lost only one game in the entire match, the Doubles 2v1 in three sets with the score reading 21-13, 12-21, 12-21. The hosts did not face any problems in the opening rubber, which set the tone for
"The gulf in class was apparent throughout, with Birmingham cruising to an easy victory"
"However, after this lapse, normal service was resumed for the final four matches, all of which were easily dominated by the hosts" the rest of the game securing a strong 21-7, 21-3 victory. In the Singles 2v1 Brum were again comfortably victorious, conquering with a 21-15, 21-8 victory which doubled the hosts’ lead in the tie. In both of the opening games Birmingham’s players forced a lot of pressure on their opponents with net smashes proving particularly effective. Brookes, on the other hand, were very weak in their defence and were forced into frequent mistakes. Brum’s duo of Nicki and Angelica continued the home side’s excellent performance by storming to a quick victory over Brookes’ Emily Biknof and Emma Christmas winning 21-9, 21-5. Unfortunately the run stopped with Rebecca Chillisail and Emily
Rickey. After a putting up a strong fight Birmingham fell short in the third set. Despite making mistakes in the second and third sets, which ended up costing them the rubber, the hosts’ play in the opening set was superb and had they showed similar form in the second half of the tie they would no doubt have faced few problems against the Oxford Brookes pair. However, after this lapse, normal service was resumed for the final four matches, all of which were easily dominated by the hosts. In the singles 1v1 Rochet defeated her opponent 21-11, 21-9 while a 21-9, 21-14 victory in the 2v2 singles proved just as comfortable. There was more excellent play from the doubles pairs in a 21-8, 21-9 victory in
"This game proved once more why Birmingham sits top of the Midlands 2B table, with no other team being able to compete with them"
"There was more excellent play from the doubles pairs in a 21-8, 21-9 victory in which Brum showed their class" which Brum showed their class. The hosts repeatedly secured points from the frontline after clever shots. This was representative of Birmingham’s complete dominance over their visitors. The hosts rounded off an excellent day with a 21-9, 21-11 victory in the doubles 2v2 in a game in which the Birmingham pair proved too much for their opponents. Solid and accurate landings allowed the home side to get in front, a position they never relinquished, with their shots finding the far corners of the court. This game proved once more why Birmingham currently sits top of the Midlands 2B table, with no other team being able to compete with them. They will look to secure another victory next week when they host Nottingham University 2nds in the cup competition.
7th - 13th February 2014
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Sport View Cricket endangered by new proposal With the proposal for a 'Big Three' cricket governing body gathering pace, Aman Harees looks at why this may be the death of the international game Aman Harees Sports Reporter
Competitive test cricket has stood tall for well over a century, but the advent of the shorter formats have diminished its significance somewhat. There is prestige in the gruelling longer format but the financial rewards lay in the glamour and pizzazz of the Indian Premier League and other notable Twenty20 competitions. However, the latest challenge for the world game appears in form of the new proposals that seeks a radical overhaul in the global governance of the game. Historically, the game was dominated by the two oldest test powers – England and Australia - who ensured that the decision making process at the highest level was only dictated by themselves. More recently, India has grown in confidence on the world cricket stage. Nowadays, a touring Indian side will bring the host nation considerable revenue in ticket sales and television rights and cricket administrators know that touring away to India is also a money spinner. India’s financial might is also matched by their clout in governing the world game. Their cricketing interests are represented by the BCCI, an organisation well aware of its colonial past and of the paternal nature of the British Raj. Often, ‘colonial mentality’ – the inferiority complex that is derived in post-colonial cultures – saw cricket boards from the sub continent show deference to the traditional cricketing boards, the ECB (England) and CA (Australia). They have bucked this trend by playing a prominent part in the global governance of the game. Their position has been fortified by retaining exclusive rights to the highly lucrative Indian Premier League. The ECB and CA are well run organisations that generate a healthy profit which is in stark contrast to the cricket boards of the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh – all crippled by rampant corruption, financial mismanagement, political interference and nepotism. Nonetheless, even the two oldest powers rely on the Indian behemoth. They cannot stand alone anymore and uniting with India as part of a ‘Big Three’ is a reflection of their need to prolong their traditional influence on world cricket. As part of this united front, the three boards have presented a position paper to the International Cricket Council that seeks to install themselves as the collective leaders of the world game. The core principles of the paper being ‘participation based on meritocracy with no immunity for any country’,‘mutually agreed bilateral tour agreements’ which will replace the Future
"Truth be told, the proposed revenue sharing model that is geared towards greater shares for the BCCI is an inevitable fact"
Tours Programme (FTP), a new guardianship of the ICC under leading members but under the ‘central leadership’ of the BCCI, the establishment of an executive committee which overrides other ICC committees and A Test Cricket Fund to ‘encourage and support’ the test format. The Big Three argue that implementing these principles is imperative in remedying the ills that are ailing international cricket. And yet, it is these very principles that will kill the game. The concept of ‘participation based on meritocracy’ is perhaps a comment on the regression in Bangladesh’s cricket but surely the enormous fan base and the fact that it is a relatively young cricket nation of just 13 years, go far in explaining their struggles in the test arena? The aim is to introduce a two tiered system in the test arena with promotion and relegation; except of course, that the Big Three are immune from relegation. The hypocrisy in the notion of ‘no immunity’ is striking – this paper is merely trying to solidify the Big Three into stone, which is hardly fair governance. Geoff Boycott slammed the plans as ‘pure greed’ and argued that ‘a two tier system
"As part of this united front, the three boards have presented a position paper to the International Cricket Council that seeks to install themselves as the collective leaders of the world game" will be the death knell for anybody in the second division’. There is also much debate with regards to their plans for the FTP – a scheme that made it mandatory that all countries play each other in bilateral series in any one three year cycle. Undoubtedly, it was a flawed system but it did see regular test cricket being played in every continent. The new ‘mutually agreed tour agreement’ will most likely see cricket boards only agree on series that will generate the most profit. A Test Cricket Fund is a positive initiative in combating poor crowds and raising the level of test match cricket in places like Bangladesh, West Indies and Sri Lanka. However, in bringing the position paper into practice, a test cricket fund will not alleviate the yawning gap that will surely emerge between the Big Three and the rest of the world. It is no wonder then that the cricket fraternity is up in arms with regards to this power grab. In amongst the doom and gloom, it is the associate members of the ICC like Ireland, Afghanistan and the Netherlands that are most troubled. In reality, they have a lot to fear. The paper, presented by the ICC Finance & Commercial Affairs subcommittee, did not make leading associate members privy to any of the details of the radical overhaul. Ireland, with ambitions to be the next test nation, put forward the view that the proposals will widen the gulf further.
Despite these objections, the paper is gaining approval across most cricket boards. The West Indies and New Zealand are unequivocally in support. In the view of Martin Snedden, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) director, a Big Three leadership is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, he predicts an upturn for NZC if the proposals come to fruition. The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has made similar noises. A press release from the board claimed the proposal will increase revenue by at least 100%. Initially, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was opposed to the proposal but the BCCI have cajoled the BCB into altering their stance by promising to not revoke their test status. Despite the wide ranging support, there still remains a major impasse to the proposals in the shape of the steadfast alliance between Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Cricket South Africa (CSA) were the first to register their displeasure, referring to the plans as ‘fundamentally flawed’. The PCB suggested the proposals were not ‘in line with principle of equity nor in the interest of game of cricket’ while the Sri Lanka
Cricket (SLC) are similarly defiant. High ranking SLC officials have even likened their stance as similar to when the country pursued an aggressive military campaign to defeat the Tamil Tiger separatist movement. Despite the stiff resistance, the BCCI remain confident that the stumbling block can be overcome with more discussion planned for the near future. Truth be told, the proposed revenue sharing model that is geared towards greater shares for the BCCI is an inevitable fact. The BCCI have been the financial giant in the cricket world and some boards like NZC have argued that it is only fair that India receives a greater proportion of revenue in line with their contribution. Many will posit that the position paper will simply crystallise the ‘Big Three’ trend that has existed for more than a decade. The reality though is that the proposals are going to achieve far more than that. We could be witnessing a cricket revolution that would widen a preexisting chasm and produce an environment that is not conducive to competitive cricket. And that, simply put, is just not cricket.
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7th - 13th February 2014
Sport
Redbrick Exclusive Nation gripped by US sporting invasion With more coverage of basketball and American football on our screens than ever before, Christopher Findlay explores the growing English fascination with American sport.
There’s no escaping the changes going on around the University at the moment. Certainly, in recent months these have taken the form of rallying calls to protest chalked on every inch of free tarmac. Gunnies has gone and the new library and sports centre are planned and ready to go. However these are not the only sources of change. It appears that instead of openly conquering the British Isles, the US has decided to infiltrate our most popular source of entertainment: sport. Everywhere you venture you can see students wearing varsity jackets promoting the Lions, and xpLosION is undeniably one of the largest university events of the year. Add to that the annual Super Bowl parties and the, now three, NFL games held at Wembley and you can’t hide the fact that American Football is taking over. But you already knew that. What you may not have known is that in the 20122013 season, Ice Hockey was popular
"The university itself is undeniably enjoying a surge in popularity for these cross Atlantic sports" enough to get a third team together, which went on to win the league in their first season. Meanwhile 200 people bothered to get bussed over to the ice rink – and then Gatecrasher – for the A teams’ annual exhibition match; this year it's Icebull. Additionally, there are at least two social basketball sessions that happen every week, and that does not include the ladies teams or groups of friends hiring courts for one off sessions. Aldi’s court is rarely empty. The university itself is undeniably enjoying a surge in popularity for these cross Atlantic sports but it is not a phenomenon isolated to the university alone. Nor, in fact, is it isolated to students. It seems the whole country is starting to embrace them. In November, BT sports announced it had bought the live viewing rights to 200 NBA games this season whilst Sky are halfway through a three year deal for 60 NFL games a season. Want to play yourself? The Elite Ice Hockey League has been running since 2003 and the British Basketball League since 1987. Both of these are fully professional leagues that frequently attract stars of the NHL and NBA looking to wind down their careers with a back drop of Sunday roasts and rain; think of it like a trade for Becks, Defoe et al. But why is it that American sports are taking over our country more than any other nation's? Handball is a hugely well contested sport all over Europe but hardly gets a look in on this side of the Channel. American author Bill Bryson sums up our obsession with the States perfectly in his book ‘Notes from a Small Island’. ‘It’s crazy really. If there is a political crisis in Italy or a nuclear spill in Karlsruhe, it gets maybe eight inches
Jack Schofield
"American sports are big spectator events. There's a big tradition of getting the community and families together for the show." on an inside page. But if some woman in Shitkicker, West Virginia, cuts off her husband’s dick and flings it out the window in a fit of pique, it’s second lead on the Nine O’clock News and The Sunday Times is mobilizing its investigative unit.’ Although this doesn’t entirely explain the sporting influence America holds on this country it does shed some light on our interest in the former colony. America is still a young and exciting nation where people try and build the American dream. Its influence isn’t con-
fined to sport, with American taste affecting our music, fashion and politics, all from 3000 miles away. ‘Momentum can change so quickly and it becomes quite end to end; it’s the same with basketball.’ Birmingham Lions A Team top scorer, Tom Rolls, tries to shed some light on why Ice Hockey has a growing following in England. ‘It’s very fast paced and also extremely physical. I watched a few Ice Hockey films when I was a kid and then started staying up until 2am to watch Ice Hockey on Five – sadly no longer around. I then started playing inline hockey because it was more accessible and finally university gave me the opportunity to play on ice.’ Rolls reckons it’s also about the way Americans present the matches. ‘There’s all the stuff that comes with going to a match or watching it on TV. There’s the half time show and the cheerleaders. The atmosphere at games is great, even in England. I think some of it’s definitely because it’s inside.’ Its influences are becoming more obvious
Jack Schofield on sports such as Twenty20 cricket and rugby sevens. Who would have thought ten years ago that you would be able to watch a game of cricket in India and there would be fireworks and cheerleaders every time a six was hit or a wicket taken? 2nds basketball captain Anthony Davies agrees. ‘American sports are big spectator events. There’s a big tradition of getting the community and families together for the show.’ He also thinks the lack of draws is a positive thing. ‘With American sports you can only win or lose. You can play cricket for five days and still only draw! Basketball, Ice Hockey, American Football; they all have these big plays that can change the game in an instant.’ ‘It’s almost not a sport, it’s a show’ concludes Rolls. So, whether it’s because of a national obsession, the fact that American sports are more than just a match or that they are simply good sports, they are here to stay and as long as football is football and not soccer, I doubt many people will mind.
redbrick.me/sport
7th - 13th February 2014
Things to look out for this weekend
Performance of the week
Tweet of the week
1. The race for the final Champions League place hots up this weekend as Liverpool host Arsenal, and Everton travel to Tottenham. Which side will be the happier after the weekend's action?
@MichaelVaughan 'Sad way to end a mavericks England career. @KP24 will be missed...Would love to know what he does that is unmanageable!!??'
2. England will look to bounce back from their opening game defeat versus France in the Six Nations, as they take on Scotland on Saturday. A win is imperative if they are to have any hope of securing this year's crown.
After their excellent away win at Manchester City on Monday night, Chelsea are deserving of this week's honour. Many expected the Blues to either park the bus in search of a bore draw, or find themselves on the receiving end of a City thrashing, but they were wrong. Jose Mourinho's team were the better side throughout, and were unlucky to only find the net once in a convincing 1-0 win.
3. The Winter Olympics get underway this week. Will Team GB be able to improve on their medals total from 2010 of one?
The lighter side of sport
Weekend wager
1. The transfer window is often an exciting time for players and their new clubs, not so for Bologna and their new Brazilian Ibson. The Serie A outfit forgot to pick up their new signing from the airport, leaving him having to pay for a taxi to his new home. 2. Saracens are offering fans free beer this weekend. After the team's game against London Irish, they will be showing England's visit to Scotland. Should a Sarries player score a try in the game, fans will be able to bag themselves a free pint.
Online this week
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10/1 This weekend sees Merseyside rivals Everton and Liverpool taking on North London's Tottenham and Arsenal respectively. With little between each of the two ties, back draws in both at 10/1.
Photo of the week
Sport quiz 1. How many consecutive home league games did Manchester City score in before Chelsea ended their run? 2. How many times has Peyton Manning been on the losing side in the Super Bowl? 3. How many test match runs has Kevin Pietersen scored for England? 4. How many gold medals did Team GB win at the Vancouver Winter Olympics?
Top 5: Ahead of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, Felix Keith picks his top 5 Winter events.
Six Nations review: Ellie Jones reviews the first round of games in this year's Six Nations.
5. How many caps has Brian O'Driscoll won for Ireland? 1.61 2.Two 3.8,181 4.One 5.129
Chelsea join the title race: David Morris looks at Chelsea's entry into the Premier League title race, after an excellent win at Manchester City.
The Redbrick Crossword
If you finish this week's crossword; well done you. There is no prize, merely the sense of superiority one feels upon scrawling that last letter in the final box on the grid. Crossword by Matt Robinson
Please complete this form before you hand in your completed crossword to the Redbrick office. Name: Email Address: Phone Number:
Across
1. Singer, inspired 'Inside LLewyn Davis' (4,3,4) 6. Intergovernmental military alliance (4) 7. Decorative sticker (5) 8. Japanese alcoholic beverage (4) 9. Hindu discipline (4) 11. Personal website (4) 14. Dried leaves in boiling water (3) 15. King of Asgard (4) 17. To dance, usually in a pit (4) 19. Thriteenth century Persian poet (4) 20. Birmingham night club (5) 21. Built up area (4) 22. Quality of being dishonourable (11)
Down 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 10. 12. 13. 16. 17. 18.
Vain man; children's comic book (5) Virus, can course severe disease (5) Greek philosopher (8) _______ Nash; poet (5) Area of New York; Greenwich ____ (7) Secular vocal music composition (8) Toy, now also a movie (4) American stand up comic (5,1,1) Fire related crime (5) Meat from a mature sheep (5) Tom _______; actor (5)
1``2`3``4``~5 `~~`~`~~`~~~` 6```~`~~7```` `~~`~8```~~~` 9```~`~~`~~~` ~~`~~`~0~-=`` q~`~~w``~~`~` e```~`~`~~`~~ `~~~r~~`~t``y `~~~u```~`~~` i````~~`~o``` `~~~`~~`~`~~` `~p``````````
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7th - 13th February 2014
Sport
P 30 - Christopher Findlay investigates why there has been an increase in the popularity of American sport in England over the last couple of years.
Champagne on ice as Brum narrowly fall to Loughborough
Zhi Li
"This set the tone for a fiercely contested afterLoughborough 1sts 10 noon of table tennis, with Birmingham regularly in the lead, largely thanks to four Jake Crocker Table tennis captain flawless performances Birmingham men's table tennis 1sts slumped from Lindsay." Birmingham 1sts
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to a 10-7 defeat against Loughborough 1sts in a game that could have all but secured first place in the league and promotion to the Premier division for the hosts. Despite missing three first team players, Birmingham were still full of confidence going into this first vs second place league
"This confidence was palpable as Kenny Lindsay and Jake Crocker won their first games putting Birmingham into an early lead."
fixture. This confidence was palpable as Kenny Lindsay and Jake Crocker won their first games putting Birmingham into an early lead. However, they were soon pegged back by a plucky Loughborough team as Rushan Silva and Stanley Chan were defeated by Loughborough’s two star players, Buchanan and Hampson. This set the tone for a fiercely contested afternoon of table tennis, with Birmingham regularly in the lead, largely thanks to four flawless performances from Lindsay. A nerve wracking five set game between Silva of Birmingham, and Shardlow of Loughborough, ended in a defeat for Silva in what was the standout game of the after-
noon, and perhaps the turning point for Loughborough as from this point onwards, they were almost unstoppable. With three singles games remaining, Birmingham were 7-6 up. Unfortunately, three four-set thrillers ensued but all ended in wins for Loughborough who celebrated triumphantly as Buchanan overcame a spirited performance from Birmingham’s captain, Crocker. Chan and Crocker were then powerless against a well organised Loughborough doubles pairing. This left the final result at 10-7 and the league as close as possible, heading into the last fixtures of the season. Birmingham must beat third placed Nottingham on the 5th of March by a greater amount of games than Loughborough against Warwick after today’s result postponed any promotion celebrations. However, Crocker remained confident that Birmingham would prevail and get promotion to into the Premier division, a division which the team hasn’t competed in for seven years. In other club news, Birmingham have been represented by a women’s team for the first time ever this season. They have man-
"The table tennis team will now eagerly await 5th March, when they hope to achieve their promotion dream." aged to secure 3rd place out of seven teams which represents a fantastic start and things can only continue to get better from here. The number of social tournaments has increased this year and allows for non squad members to play in a competitive environment and receive trophies for their success. Aside from the league and the cup competitions, the BUCS individual tournament on 22nd/23rd February is the next major event for the men’s and women’s squad. All of the top players around the country will be at the event, meaning it will be a great opportunity to compete against players of all standards. The table tennis team will now eagerly await 5th March, when they hope to achieve their promotion dream.