18th January 2013 - Redbrick by Redbrick

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18th - 24th January 2013 Vol. 77. Issue 1422. www.redbrick.me

Fab n Farewell Gunnies? Guild misleads paying students over Gun Barrels pub closure See page 5

Gunnies on Wednesday night

Charlotte Goodwin and Russell Webb interview Louis Smith TV// PAGE 14

Freddie Herzog

@fredherz

Comment p8 Minority victory a majority headline

Food p24 Are your cooking skills up to scratch?

Arts A night at Glee Club and a quartet of comedians

Meg Tapp This week, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in favour of Nadia Eweida, who had taken her case there after British Airways had told her in 2006 not to wear her cross visibly when at work...

Charlotte Wilson Events such as the BBC Good Food Show are never short of famous faces. At the end of last year, you may have had the pleasure of glimpsing anyone from baking champions Mary Berry and...

Harriet Henderson The compĂ¨re for the evening, Matt Price, opened the show with highly skilled improvisation, involving various unlucky targets in the audience. His Cornish accent and razor sharp wit made for a surprisingly...

2 | 18th - 24th January 2013

@RedbrickNews SPORT

EDUCATION

Carlos Tevez given sixmonth ban from driving

University application numbers 'not recovering'

The Manchester City striker was given the ban for not responding to police letters following two occasions of speeding, which he denies. He was also ordered to pay fines and costs of £1,540. He has also been convicted of speeding on previous occasions.

BUSINESS

HMV and Blockbuster enter administration INTERNATIONAL

CRIME

Obama unveils new gun control measures

Man charged in murders of Big Issue vendors John Ward, 23, has appeared before Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday after being charged with the murders of two Big Issue vendors. The town centre stabbings are believed to have been witnessed by hundreds of people.

STORY OF THE WEEK

Two dead in London helicopter crash Twelve people were also injured when a helicopter crashed into a crane on Wednesday morning. Firefighters were called to the scene when fire from the helicopter spread to two nearby buildings and a part of the crane was left suspended from a rooftop.

ENTERTAINMENT

EUROPE

Record breaking opening for Les Miserables

Court refuses to defer Pussy Riot jail term

As well as topping the UK Box Office, Tom Hooper's movie adaptation of the musical hit took the crown for the most open weekend takings by a movie musical. The movie made a total £8.13 million over the three days, adding to the £200 million made globally.

Maria Alyokhina, a member of the band Pussy Riot, has been denied a plea to defer a jail term until her 5-year-old son is older. She is one of those arrested and tried for interrupting a service at a Moscow Cathedral with a protest song against President Vladimir Putin.

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POLITICS

David Cameron to deliver speech on EU future

Redbrick Guild of Students Edgbaston Park Road Birmingham B15 2TT 0121 251 2462 editor@redbrick.me Redbrick is printed through www.mortonsprint.com 01507 523 456 Advertising Contact Linda Langley in Guild Marketing on 0121 251 2524 Designed and typeset by Redbrick Copyright (C) Redbrick 2012 The views expressed in Redbrick do not necessarily reflect those of the editors, the Guild or the publishers. If you find an error of fact in our pages, please write to the Editor. Our policy is to correct mistakes promptly in print and to apologise where appropriate. We reserve the right to edit any article, letter or email submitted for publication.

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Sabbatical Ofﬁ cer mid-term review Manifesto 2

Manifesto 1

Manifesto 3

President - David Franklin BETTER Entertainment BETTER Value We've got comedians lined up to perform and aLive is launching soon - friday night live performances

We've done work on food variety in the Guild. Joe's+ is launching on Bristol Road this month.

VPAD - Ollie Cosentino Refresh Guild Launch societies fest

volunteering

Societies Fest should be getting off the ground this coming September, with a lot of work happening in the next few months.

Volunteering is being re-branded and re-launched in Term 2, alongside Student Volunteering Week, which is currently shaping up well.

VPDR - Leander Jones

Set up a Democracy and Direct dialogue Engagement Permanent between students and university Working Group management Lol, how am I supposed Lol, how am I supposed to answer this in 140 to answer this in 140 characters? Have made characters? Have made good progress. good progress.

VPE - Simon Furse Keep the cost of living and studying at the University of Birmingham down

Prevent unnecessary course closures, cuts and reductions to contact hours

I think that I have made good progress on what are undoubtedly challenging objectives. A full report on this can be found on my blog.

VPHC - James Robertson Lowering crime

and Supporting residents living in Halls of Resi- making Selly Oak Safer dence through the RA through re-launching ‘I Love Selly Oak’ Scheme Continued working with the RA, organised an all-hall Winter Ball before Christmas which was attended by 1200 residents.

I Love SO is now used by all partners for information delivery and a new website has been launched. December burglary was down 54%.

VPS - James Hughes

BETTER Library UoB is moving to being a 'Cashless campus'. Consultation for the new library will include questions on loan allowances and fines.

140 characters isn't long enough to answer this. Do people prefer me to Mark? Who knows. I just do my job, to get the best deal for students.

I've tried to take a different approach, one of building political consensus and trying to steer away from infighting, which benefits no one.

Fight unnecessary cuts at Sabb-Uni negotiation the University panel, Education for Sustainable Development, WRC COP, Lol, how am I supposed to RA+Sabb liberation answer this in 140 char- training. Too much to acters? Have made good say, not enough space. progress.

Ha! Clever question. I I understand what can’t say no, because democracy means... then I’ll appear incompetent. I can’t say yes, because then I’ll appear arrogant.

I want to continue the pressure on the University over course closures and cuts to quality. They need to know I think that I have made that they cannot get good progress on what are away with attacking undoubtedly challenging students’ courses. objectives. A full report on this can be found on my blog.

The state of higher education is getting worse and worse each year under the coalition; but I think the Guild’s capacity to campaign on education issues is increasing.

The differences between my year and the year of my predecessor make this impossible to answer.

Looking into a Landlord / Letting Agent Survey for Selly Oak to allow students more information on who the best people to let from are.

Students seem less concerned about finding a house – according to local agents and attendance to housing fair, and the introduction of wheeled bins to the area is something we have wanted for many years – so better!

Hope he forgives me for saying this – I’m more organised! Zuki – I’m still waiting for that handover file. And my crime figures are significantly lower!

I want to continue to work with the University on giving students an informed choice about their diet, work with the new Sports RAs to increase sporting participation and support UBSport teams in their fixtures as we get closer to the end of the BUCS/non-BUCS season.

Sport at the University of Birmingham is in a better state now than this time last year, as I’m sure it will be this time next year too with the work of my successor.

No two Vice-President (Sport) terms are the same, as every year officers have different priorities and issues that come up. I feel that good progress has been made this year, as was made last year as well.

To remove the fit to sit procedure and bring in a fairer extenuating circumstances/mitigations procedure that is appropriate and reasonable.

Well that depends on I think our office might what you mean by wel- be marginally tidier... fare. The great fact about my job, and the often frustrating fact about it, is that welfare permeates everything; every decision has a welfare implication. The effects are rarely measureable, but I would like to say yes.

Put students at the heart of every decision that is made by the Guild or the University

Cleaning up Selly Oak through increasing awareness of collection days and the importance of recycling Community Wardens continue to raise awareness of collection days. Birmingham’s first wheeled bins to be delivered to SO at the end of January.

I have been working with societies that are ‘sporting’ in the transition process over to UBSport as well as working with student groups such to put on inspiring sporting related student events.

We had regular meetings with venues and food outlet managers in the Guild over the summer and have ensured more healthy food options in Joe's, Halaal food in Subway and SPA has made a commitment to use lower fat mayonnaise where possible.

I plan to have a trial book fair and comedy night. Other issues will pop up - particularly making sure decisions of the AGM are implemented.

I’d like to think better! In the end, we’ve got more people involved in our extracurricular activities here than ever which is really exciting!!

Significantly more students have been attending Cannon Hill parkun on Saturday mornings, ‘Try Social’ now has a social evening and a successful Second Sports Fair.

More good value, SHAG week healthy food on campus

How have you improved on your predecessor?

FUNding

Improve the relationship between Sport Guild Societies, the Guild of Students and UoB Sport

VPW - Katherine East

Is your remit in a better state at the moment than you found it?

for To continue working hard for students and finally putting those I’m in negotiations about manifesto points into new fundraising methods action which will be for groups, taking a lot of very satisfying! I’m it online, starting with a also going to try and trail of a ‘justgiving’ style get to as many group page that can bring funds events and performances as possible which is in. a perk of the job. Better groups

Reduce gym fees, intro- Increase participation duce a flexible pass for levels within sport at weekly, fortnightly and our university monthly use The gym offered nine month membership up until October of this academic year, allowing students to pay for the academic year, as opposed to the calendar year.

What are your aims for term 2?

A reappraisal of the extenuating circumstances and fit to sit process to make it This was around world fairer to students Aids day, we reached every hall with booklets This is currently underway providing sexual health with a commitment from and contraceptive ad- the Pro-Vice-Chancellor vice, as well as testing that it will be reviewed nearly 100 students for and I am currently creatchlamydia and giving ing reports of evidence out hundreds of con- to evidence my views of doms. how and why the systems should be changed.

Again, I’d like to think so. Fliss did an amazing job last year, constantly standing up for the interests of students, something I’ve tried to carry into my time in office.

4 | 18th - 24th January 2013

Environment. University reduces carbon emissions

Guild Ofﬁcer Team. Ethnic Minorities Ofﬁcer Resigns

University of Birmingham @unibirmingham

Sven Richardson

Patrick McGhee News Editor

@patricksmcg

The Guild of Student's Ethnic Minorities Officer (EMO) Sacha Hassan has resigned, a statement on the Guild website has announced. She was

elected with 1,364 votes during the Officer Elections for 2012/13.

Tara Benham Reporter

@Tarara18

Figures released concerning the University of Birmingham’s CO2 output have shown a considerable drop. In the academic year beginning 2011, the University had a CO2 output of 50,132 tonnes, a reduction of 19.7% from the 62,423 tonnes in 2005. This means that the University is comfortably on target to meet its goal of cutting emissions by 20% in 2020, a commitment outlined in their Carbon Management Implementation Plan. These projections have been managed through the University’s series of eco ventures. The Student Switch Off scheme is a project which encourages students living in University accommodation to

Hassan sent a letter to Guild President David Franklin in which she said, 'With regret, I would like to announce my resignation as Ethnic Minorities officer. The reasons behind this decision are personal. I would like to thank everyone in BEMA for their support and their wonderful work last year.’ Franklin refused to comment on the reasons for Hassan’s resignation. The Guild website statement went on to state, 'The Guild of Students would like to thank Sacha for her time and effort in her role and wish her all the very best for the future.’ Hassan is the second EMO in as many years to resign her post. Last year’s officer, Carl Gayle, resigned from his position following a censure by Guild Council after he posted a Bible passage on his Facebook page that included homophobic remarks. He resigned amid calls for a vote of no confidence against him, but the Guild gave no reasons for his resignation at the time.

get into energy saving habits by offering prizes to the most energy efficient halls. A similar project exists for staff in the form of the Green Impact scheme. A steam pipe enclosed in the metal bridge which runs across the railway station is also delivering large CO2 savings for the Medical School. A representative for the University has commented, 'The reduction in our carbon footprint since 2005/06 is an outstanding success and places Birmingham amongst the best performers in the sector. However, with the increases expected due to the further expansion of research activities, including those related to increasing the efficiency of energy use and the continued expansion of student residential accommodation on Campus, we must not be complacent.'

Birmingham Council 'fail to understand' students Aoife O'Connor Reporter

@Aoife2705

Isabel Hicks Reporter

@izihicks

Birmingham City Council, following their Bournebrook On-Street Parking Review, are looking into the possibility of starting parking permits throughout the Selly Oak area, with a suggested resident permit beginning at £15. This has arisen after students living in Selly Oak were asked to fill in a questionnaire regarding parking issues in the area. These surveys were posted through all students' doors. As these questionnaires were distributed in early December, and term ended on the 7th, students argued they were not given sufficient time to consider the proposals and respond. Furthermore, not all student houses received the questionnaire. The questionnaire addressed parking on certain roads, i.e Tiverton Road due to Tiverton Primary School as well as Heeley Road due to Selly Oak station. It also asked whether students would be willing to pay for a permit, should the restrictions change. A resident of Dartmouth Road stated, ‘the cost of living shouldn’t be rising, I pay enough for my bills and rent for at least one free permit per house to be included.' In contrast, a resident of Tiverton Road commented that, ‘there are hardly any spaces for parking, and these restric-

tions will mean some students will leave their cars at home, creating more spaces for those who really need their cars’. Guild policy states that, ‘The Guild of Students actively opposes the implementation any sort of parking restriction scheme in student areas if they (a) increase the cost of living for students in that area, (b) will restrict the number of cars that can belong to student households, or (c) will operate in such a way that will prejudice or disadvantage students in some way that an ordinary household would be less likely to experience.' Following these concerns, James Robertson, Vice-President for Housing and Community emailed Birmingham City Council expressing again his worry regarding the length of time sudents were given to fill the questinaire, and asking when the results will be made public. Their response stated that, 'we received only your comment regarding the timing of the consultation and this was in your capacity as Guild VP rather than as a resident', rejecting his position as representing the student body. Robertson told Redbrick, ' There were many issues with the recent consultation that the Guild is currently communicating to the council and working with local councillors to resolve. The scheme itself seems very ill-thought out and I hope that if a decision is made to propose a scheme for the area that the Council work with the Guild to ensure that a scheme is implemented to the benefit of both permanent, and student, residents.'

Freddie Herzog @fredherz

'Birmingham City Council, in one line of an email, has fundamentally failed to understand how the students of their city, operate and are represented.' James Robertson, VPHC

www.redbrick.me/news | 5 Katrin Busch @kabulein

University. Students misled over Gunnies fate Ashley Kirk Reporter

@AshleyKirk92

The Guild of Students has come under criticism for marketing the ‘Fab n’ Farewell Gunnies’ event at the end of last term as ‘your last chance to celebrate an end to the era’. Many students, on arriving back to Selly Oak after the festive break, were surprised by the Gun Barrels’ open doors despite a farewell event run by the Guild on the last night of term. The event was priced at £5, more than the standard £4 entry into a normal ‘Fab n’ Fresh’ night, including the ‘Fab n’ Friday’ event the night before. Many students now feel disappointed and conned by the event, as they paid extra money for an event that was misleadingly advertised.

The Guild has claimed the event was planned in the anticipation that the pub would close soon. Given that the exact date of the pub’s closure is still unknown, the event, that misled many students, was initially supposed to be designed as a general farewell and not the last ever time students could drink in the pub. David Franklin, President of the Guild, stated that ‘Fab and Farewell Gunnies’ was an event that the Guild and the Gun Barrels were keen to hold, as many of us know that the pub is closing imminently and will be missed by many UoB students and alumni. 'We don’t know the exact date when Gunnies will finally shut its doors and so, keen not to be too late to organise it, we hosted the event before the Christmas break, which was attended by over 300 students.’

City. Students plan opposition to Council cuts Rhiannon Doyle - Maw News Editor

@Rhi_DoyleMaw

Students from the University of Birmingham have attended an emergency meeting to oppose the proposed saving cuts to Birmingham City Council. The Facebook group named ‘Emergency Organising Meeting’, headed by fourteen people among whom are University of Birmingham ex-VPE Edward Bauer, current VPDR Leander Jones and VPE Simon Furse, proposes gathering those who are ‘ready to work organising an opposition’ to join together to form a strategy to form a cross city movement to ‘defend the city from the plans of all three major parties; the Tories, the Lib Dems & Labour’. With 194 people ‘attending’ on the Facebook group, the creators of the group wish for everyone to contribute ideas towards the opposition, using all methods available to protest and form ‘direct action’ in order to present a ‘substantial challenge’ to the next Council Elections in 2014.

With the City Council voting on the budget for the next financial year at the end of February, concerns have been raised with regards to the effects the new budget and the consequential cuts it will cause. The Facebook group claims that Birmingham is required to make £600 million worth of savings over the coming years, with £111 million over the next year alone. Allegedly, the average reduction in Government funding for councils as a whole is £74 per person. However, Birmingham’s reduction has been quoted at double the national average at £149 per person. Encouraging people to join the meeting for planning the protest, the group draws attention to job losses, the negative effect on council services and the detrimental effect it could have on the local economy. Stating that the measures will ‘certainly throw Birmingham into a long term decline’, the meeting hopes to gather those who are joined in opposition to the cuts and who are ready to take action.

The Gun Barrels has reported a substantial loss of trade, as many students think that the pub is now closed. Members of staff at the Gun Barrels expressed to Redbrick disappointment with the Guild and said that they had found that many students now thought they were closed due to the event. Redbrick has learnt that the event was originally planned as a ‘Last Christmas at Gunnies’ event, but this was later changed. Leander Jones, Vice President for Democracy and Resources, commented, ‘to my knowledge it was a successful night and people had a good time.’ However, students have complained that this wasn’t the point. Jack Bishop, a third year Physics student, said, ‘Not only was it a gross misadvertisement but the drink offers were different from

those advertised. Overall it was a poorly organised event.’ Ed Gilbert, a third year History student added, ‘I spoke to one of the bar staff at Gunnies on the night and was shocked when they told me that it wasn’t shutting down for ages. It was misleading; I think the Guild should have done their research before advertising the event.’ The Holding Manager told Redbrick the Gun Barrels may be scheduled to close at some point during 2013 because of University redevelopments. However, it will remain open for the foreseeable future. He said, ‘The Gun Barrels has always been a great student pub, known for innovative student based nights and loyal clientele. With this extension, the team and I have a number of exciting projects, events and nights planned at the pub.’

www.redbrick.me/news

6 | 18th - 24th January 2013

This is Birmingham New Street. Station redevelopment plans unveiled Patrick McGhee News Editor

@patricksmcg

Further details have been unveiled by Network Rail about the redevelopment of Birmingham New Street train station. The first half of the redevelopment is due to be complete in April 2013. Elements of the new station are due to be opened for use, while the existing concourse and entrances will be closed. The new station atrium will not be accessible until 2015, but Network Rail has stated that, 'the first half of the station we open this year will have all the facili-

ties you expect, plus new lifts and esclators to platforms to improve access.' Network Rail also says that platform 8 will re-open while platform 9 will close for refurbishment in February this year. Refurbishment of the current concourse will take place between April 2013 and 2015. By 2014, existing Pallasades shopping centre will also be refurbished as Grand Central Birmingham and a new John Lewis department store will be constructed. Network Rail has also stated that 'we've committed to keeping the station open for passengers until we finish in 2015.'

Concepts

New Year Honours for Birmingham Ashley Kirk Reporter

@ AshleyKirk92

The University of Birmingham celebrated and congratulated four of its Alumni selected for awards in the 2013 New Year Honours Lists

1 Station entrance. 2 Atrium

Dr. Hossein Yassaie

3 Retail floor

Artwork courtesy of Network Rail

Alumni Dr. Hossein Yassaie was awarded a knighthood for services to technology. He is CEO of Imagination Technologies, a company that plays a major role in producing many consumer electronics products, such as the iPhone5. Yassaie is celebrated for his technological and economic prowess.

Dr. Christine Braddock

1967 1854 Summer 2011 Current station Construction of new concourse, New Street Station opened. opened. atrium and entrances begins.

1964 Original station demolished.

April 2010 Work started on new site.

April 2013 Half time switchover.

Spring 2012 Construction of John Lewis store and Pallasades refurbishment begins.

2015 Project completed.

Autumn 2014 Grand Central Birmingham and John Lewis open.

Selly Oak crime rates reduced Annabelle Collins Reporter

@annierose20

Figures released recently show a reduction in house burglaries of 51% over the past year and 54% compared to December 2011. The figures have been in correlation to increased police presence. Following a dramatic increase in crime in the past years, most notably in house burglaries, including a reported 300% increase in October 2011, Selly Oak students called for more to be done to make them feel safer in their community. Regular patrols in the area have formed

part of an on-going campaign to raise awareness of safety risks the area. Commenting on the recently released figures, James RobertsonVice President Housing and Community said: 'The recent crime figures for the area are very pleasing for the

51% The amount house bulgaries have reduced

Guild of Students, thanks to the great work of our local police teams. The relationship that the Guild and West Midlands Police have in helping to better understand the issues that affect students is showing to be really effective in keeping crime rates down.' Advice specifically tailored to the student community on their Safer Students website and the utilisation of the Selly Oak police twitter account have arguably helped to engage with the student community. Updates advertising police workshop evenings and informing residents about their patrols, have emphasised the continuous Police presence in Selly Oak.

Doctor Christine Braddock, another Alumni of Birmingham, received a damehood for her services to education. She is the chief executive and Principal of Birmingham Metropolitan College, and receives the Honour in recognition of her work in the education sector. She was made CBE five years ago.

Dr. Jackson C. KirkmanBrown Also congratulated is Dr. Jackson C. Kirkman-Brown. He was appointed an MBE for services to reproductive medical science. Dr. Kirkman-Brown works with men who are faced with fertility-threateni n g injuries. Earlier this this year he also received a Commander of Joint Medical Command’s Commendation.

Dr. Terry Bramall Alumni Doctor Terry Bramall was also appointed a CBE for philanthropy. In a list that was dominated by sporting stars, Dr. Terry Bramall was acknowledged for establishing a charitable trust that has donated £96m. The former student and Doncaster Rovers coowner has also financed the Bramall Music hall which is why it bears his name. A student at the University described Bramall as a ‘top bloke and very philanthropic.’

GENERAL MEETING A General Meeting (GM) of the members of the Guild will be held at: Avon Room, University Campus, on Monday 28th January at 6pm. All members of the Guild are invited to attend. At the meeting you’ll be asked to vote on six proposed special resolutions:

INCLUSION OF A REQUIREMENT TO HOLD GENERAL MEETING ONCE A YEAR

A CHANGE TO THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS REQUIRED TO CALL A GENERAL MEETING

CHANGES TO THE COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

REMOVAL OF THE POSITION OF UNIVERSITY TRUSTEE

CHANGE TO THE PROCEDURE FOR ELECTING STUDENT TRUSTEES

ADMINISTRATIVE AMENDMENTS TO GOVERNING DOCUMENTS

please see guildofstudents.com/gm2013 Unable to attend? Nominate a proxy voter by downloading the form online and returning to the Guild no later than 6pm on Saturday 26th January. Full instructions of how to complete the form and return it can be found online. Enquiries: gm@guild.bham.ac.uk

8 | 18th - 24th January 2013 @RedbrickComment

Minority Victory a Majority Headline Religious correspondent Meg Tapp explores how this recent story has graced myriad headlines. @MLTapp This week, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in favour of Nadia Eweida, who had taken her case there after British Airways had told her in 2006 not to wear her cross visibly when at work. BA’s regulations regarding this matter changed in 2007, and since then she, and other BA employees, have been wearing religious symbols within company policy. Three other cases, from Shirley Chaplin, Gary McFarlane and Lillian Ladele, were lost. These are the facts of the matter. On paper, the success rate of their campaign does not seem great, since only one of the four cases was won. However, if one were to simply judge this by the headlines of the day, one would easily be led to thinking that Christianity had triumphed over a sea of disgraceful conduct by evil employees. ‘BA discriminated against Christian’, the BBC reported. ‘Christian woman wins landmark discrimination case’ was how the Independent reported it. Neither of these news-sources spring

to mind as being particularly partisan, and yet both chose to essentially ignore the much bigger half of the story. One case out of four may have been won, yes, but many news reports – not just from these two sources – seem to think that the only part worthy of mention. In a very tabloid-esque fashion, the case is being described in the most emotive of terms, with what one might consider fairly neutral news-sources jumping on the ‘Christianity is being discriminated against’ bandwagon. As Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of the British Humanist Association, said in a BBC interview, the ECHR was right to rule in favour of Miss Eweida’s case, since she was not causing any potential physical or emotional harm to anyone, and as of 2007 she was not acting outside of BA’s company policy. Where the other cases are concerned, there was certainly the potential for harm. Miss Chaplain, a nurse, refused to stop wearing her cross on a necklace,

having been offered the option of wearing it on a pin, going against health and safety regulations. Mr McFarlane, a relationship counsellor, objected to giving counselling to gay couples, and Miss Ladele, a registrar, refused to conduct same-sex civil partnerships. These all go against company policies, and the latter two could be seen as flying in the face of loving thy neighbour. I heard one man on the radio compare the case of Miss Ladele to conscientious objectors. The difference is, conscientious objectors generally don’t join the army; if they did, they would have to conform to its rules and regulations, as Miss Ladele should now do. Mr McFarlane, too, should perhaps have considered the possibilities of encountering gay couples before he took up a career in relationship counselling. The ECHR, I believe, were justified in these rulings, and yet these three have been largely forgotten in most news reports, despite the fact that they are,

arguably, far more important issues to consider than a woman who was, ultimately, acting within company policy. Her case was dealt with within BA, and so it was a foregone conclusion that the ECHR would support her. Almost every news report has been headlined with cries of her ‘success’, which seems to be a deliberate focus on a case that was never going to be lost. It is disappointing that there has been such partisan coverage of this story. Religious discrimination is immoral, and should be prevented where possible. I do not believe the cases which were lost were examples of religious discrimination against Miss Chaplain, Mr McFarlane, or Miss Ladele; indeed, one could argue that some of these individuals used their religion to discriminate against others. The more neutral way to report the case would have been to present the facts: three cases were lost, and one was won. It is a shame that this was not how the story was told.

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Protests: Ineffectual action James Phillips The right to protest is a fundamental and respected right of the United Kingdomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s democracy and over the past couple of years we have seen many protests of varied causes take place in cities and towns across the Isles. Carefully and tactically planned, the aims of these protests are clearly to try and create change by winning over those around them with their cause, gathering more supporters and influencing the public opinion as a whole. However, the opposite effect can often be the result; rather than join the cause, the public criticise the protestors for 'disrupting the working day'. The anti-cuts and anti-tax-evasion pressure group, Anonymous, protested in the city centre of Birmingham on Saturday 5th January. Demonstrating outside major high-street retailers and banks such as HSBC, Vodafone and BHS, the group rallied outside the Bullring Shopping Centre, causing the entire building to be locked down with shoppers stuck inside and outside waiting for them to disperse. Among those waiting outside was a shop-owner who complained to those protesting that they were interrupting his working day and causing him to lose money. Inside the shops, staff members barricaded the doors to stop those protesting from getting inside as customers were moved towards safety at the back of the shop. Commercial behaviour in Birmingham was brought to a standstill. Compassion can be felt all-round. There is some agreement with the cause that the cuts are hard and detrimental and that taxevasion by major corporations is unjust and immoral and there is agreement that a protest should be held to demonstrate this anger as an effective way of raising awareness and rallying support. But there is disagreement over the method and tactics used by these pressure groups in order to do the former. The question raised is whether it is effective and fair to demonstrate

@MisterJames_ outside the individual high street stores. It is arguable that it is neither and this is an opinion that many observers in the streets raise. An apparent lack of consideration appears to prevail in the organisation of a protest outside a high-street. The fact that the employees of these companies have little or no say into the governance of the corporation as whole appears forgotten in the minds of protestors. Hence, the method of attacking individual shop stores is ineffective and often ignored by the decision-makers. In essence, the protestors are simply instilling fear in the hearts of the employees and customers of these shops as well as increasing a negative perception of themselves and their cause, creating the opposite of the desired effect. However, the alternative (to protest outside the headquarters of the major corporations to the decision-makers themselves) is difficult. Usually these businesses are placed in locations far from the major public eye, reducing awarenessraising and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no way of knowing when the senior bosses are actually present at the headquarters to take note of the protestors concerns. Even if they are, it is not necessarily going to make any difference. Upon observation of previous examples (i.e. most protests outside the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street or Millbank), it is uncommon that we can see any direct effect on impending legislation. The right to protest is one that should remain, but the ability and effectiveness of protests is minimal. Hence, the organisation of a protest must be more thoroughly considered before it is carried out, or the risk of making no effect but a diminishing level of support is highly likely. The protests witnessed in Birmingham and the comments during and after them simply show the disastrous effects of an ill-thought-out demonstration.

Photos by James Phillips

10 | 18th - 24th January 2013

Newtown: what's next? By Benjamin Cheung Needless to say, the world was shocked and saddened by the death of over 20 elementary school kids between the age of five and ten in Newtown, Connecticut by gunfire. Naturally, after events as such, many different responses followed and some seem more intriguing than the others. President Obama voiced his determination to change the situation and appointed Vice President Biden to use whatever powers in his office to lead to better gun control laws and policy. For the President, some criticized him for not addressing gun control laws after the Aurora shootings during his first term of office. Expectations are mixed on the possibility of anything being achieved during his second term. For the Vice President, indeed he was one of the key players in the drafting and passing of the assault weapons ban in 1994, but with a somewhat uncooperative House of Representatives - especially when the fiscal cliff negotiations are stagnant right now - can the Vice President perform as brilliantly as he did in getting bipartisan support for a piece of legislation on such a sensitive topic once more? (Note: The Assault weapons ban was drafted by the Democrat, passed by a Republican Congress and signed by a Republican President). For the National Rifle Association, the initial response was along the lines of ‘our hearts and prayers are there with the families and victims’ and they also pledged to help in meaningful contributions so that events like this will not repeat itself. Regrettably, what followed was a press conference advocating to repeal the Gun Free School Zones Act of 1995 so that teachers and staff members can be armed to protect school children. "The only guy that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," said Mr Wayne Lapierre - chief of the NRA - at the press conference. Interestingly, Mr. Lapierre is not alone on this issue. When looking at the gun-related statistics, many have been arguing that the access to guns might not be the determining factor to violence and deaths in the country. In Switzerland, there is an estimated number of 46 firearms per 100 civilians in the country (compared to 89 in USA), but the number of gun-related homicides by firearm is drastically lower than that in the USA (40 versus nearly 10,000). So back to the question - what is going to happen after Newtown? Right now, no one can be sure. Critics do have grounds to be skeptical of any hint of concrete reform. Yet, one promising sign is that currently over 74% of NRA members in the country are in favour of tighter gun control in the form of background checks before selling firearms. On a side note, it is interesting the see that there is an e-petition calling to ‘deport British Citizen Piers Morgan for Attacking 2nd Amendment’ with over 30,000 signatures. Perhaps this might be the only thing that will happen in relation to this issue in the year of 2013.

@BC_viola

News News

Views

Daniel Baird. Programmes such as What Happens In Kavos and Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents are becoming an increasing part of the broadcasting schedule. If you've watched any of these shows you'll know that they follow groups of youngsters as they head of on their first trip away from mummy and daddy. They are thrown into the hedonistic deep end and often struggle to keep their heads in this shiny new world of alcohol, sex and pot noodles. In all honesty its an interesting watch its almost like watching a wildlife documentary where you get to observe the strange practices and mating rituals of a species that seems completely alien but also similar to your own.

TELEVISION

MEDIA Giles Longley-Cook. Now that the British media has again gained a taste for molester meat the latest figure to be pulled from their grave, albeit for only a brief moment, is legendary German actor Klaus Kinski. Having died over twenty years ago, Kinski is accused by his daughter, in prelude to her autobiography being published, of raping her as a child. Confession: my reaction is tempered by being a huge Kinski fan, and for the first time I understand the conflict felt by fans of Michael Jackson, Jimmy Savile and so on. Although never believing Kinski was particularly innocent it can be difficult to accept facts about someone you wrongly thought you knew.

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The Looming Fall By Charley Ross @charleyross92

Despite the Democrat victory in November and Obama securing himself another four years in the White House, the importance of bipartisan politics in Congress, regardless of what party the President is a member of, is highlighted in the issue of the fiscal cliff that has just passed. Although Obama’s brief return to DC to pull a compromising tooth of wisdom out of a crabby Congress, this is evidently only a temporary fix for an issue that is so deeply grounded in a division of political views. Congress has divided, and henceforth stunted progress in driving the economy away from the fiscal cliff once and for all. An estimated $100 billion’s worth of spending cuts to the federal budget has been postponed for a significantly rainier day in March, when the Republican majority in the House of Representatives will again prove their weight in rendering making decisions on spending cuts for the sake of the economy impossible. Obama and his policies are what the majority of the US want; they wouldn’t have voted him in if that hadn’t been so. But, the policies that coloured his campaign and his subsequent success are barely visible due to the uncompromising conflict between the reds and blues. Without a coherent and decisive outcome from this, the victory of Obama and the celebrations that ensued seem rather, well, pointless. The weight of the world and it’s economy are literally sitting on the President’s shoulders, and any possibility of even discussing the secondterm agenda that voters expected to already be at the forefront of Congressional debate is very low. Difficulty seems to be met when US politicians are met with the challenge of putting aside their specific political views on how the economy should be handled, and what areas of society should face cuts, in order to make an objective decision that will benefit the global economy. Obama says himself that “We can settle this debate, or at the very least, not allow it to be so all-consuming.” The difficulty of getting a coherent strategy to attack such a pressing issue puts the efficiency of the US democratic system into question slightly. But, Obama has made his bed, now he must sleep in it. No pressure or anything. Ella Robinson. The debate between Piers Morgan and Alex Jones, televised on CNN (07/01/2013) appears timely after the devastating effects of the Connecticut shooting. Alex Jones, the pioneer behind the petition to deport Morgan is recognised as an infamous conspiracist fighting the New World Order and was argumentative, uncooperative and aggressive in his responses to Morgan. The right to bear arms is integral to the American culture due to its prominent place in the Bill of Rights however Alex Jones takes the debate to another level with his obtuse and irrelevant justification for the existence of guns and therefore, for the loss of over 11,000 lives to gun crime this year alone.

USA

"Letters to the Editor" Dear Humanity, It is with a heavy heart that we, the NUOT (National Union of Ogres and Trolls) must write to you. We have largely been content to live beneath you. We have largely accepted your demands and the way you behave as if you are technologically, scientifically and socially superior. This is predominantly because you are, as our society largely exists by licking the moss off rocks. But this time we must speak out against a hateful practice that must be redubbed. You may be wondering why we selected your paper as the place in which to air these views. Aside from the fact that the natural headquarters for us subterranean sewer dwellers was beneath the dark and twisted leviathan you know as Birmingham and hence we have easy access to monitor you, the simple fact of the matter is that such a populous area is home to a great mass of the action in question. We refer, of course, to what you would term as ‘trolling’. Your word began as meaning “to pretend to lead people on”, a use of irony, something about which we have no concept or interest. Our cave-dwelling hand-to-mouth existence has no call for humour. Or irony. However things have become worse, with it now meaning to hurl anonymous abuse at one another, usually via the modicum of the internet. We do not mind if you do such things should they be to your taste. But we have never done such things and we are hurt that you would imply as much. That incident with the bridge was just a misunderstanding Of all the mythical creatures you could have selected as a suitable moniker for this hateful practice, why we were ostracised so. Dragons breath fire, and are regularly found capturing hoards of gold and burning villages for no readily apparent reason. Tyrannical unicorns are renowned for their skewering of those they dislike. Even pixies, those supposely cheerful little creatures, are renowned for their pirate DVD ring to fund their lust for the aforementioned sherbet-y dust, and yet we are the race you have chosen as the label for your horrible practice. We’ve never shouted at anyone over the internet. As your cruel fairy stories (another issue we take offence to, but perhaps one for another time) make all too plain, we live in fetid squalor beneath bridges, where the Wi-Fi signal is notoriously terrible. Only Virgin Media even supply to us, which is as good as nothing anyway. In recent years, there have been a number of entirely right and proper efforts by minority groups to reclaim terminology that have been dysphemism and used in a way detrimental to the described. We believe this is just as significant. Haven’t we suffered enough? We are an oppressed minority, beneath all of, you forced to crawl in your fetid sewers and swamps just to exist. Don’t believe the Pixar Propaganda that says we like it; that big eared ignoramus only enjoys life because he is conditioned into believing that that is all there is. We have no prospects, no future and no acceptance in this ‘big society’ too small to accept those a little bigger, a little greener and a little more pustulous than the norm. You all make us sick. And not in a good way. Of which there are many. We await your response. The NUOT

By James Dolton

ARTS Lexie Wilson. On Monday night, Sharon Olds became the first female American poet to be awarded the prestigious T. S. Eliot prize for poetry. In this year's distinctly uninspired shortlist, one with little acknowledgement to up and coming artists, Olds' collection Stag's Leap was described by the judges as 'graceful' and 'gallant'. Inspired by the disintegration of her marriage, Olds' work depicts the painful reality of the processes of divorce, and the slow piecing back together of her life in its wake. It is both raw and beautiful, but most importantly, Olds' has created something tangibly relevant and real, and in doing so is establishing the direction of contemporary poetry.

@Jamesadolton

Charley Ross. Aldi, Iceland, Lidl and Tesco have been found to be taking their mission to provide the nation with a ‘stable diet’ way too far this week. 9 out of 10 samples of frozen beefburgers sold in stores in the UK and Ireland have been found to have horse DNA within them. The delight of saving yourself the time and effort of cooking with frozen goods has been tainted. All bets are off now. What next, kitten meat found in Big Macs? Who knows. The Food Safety Authority have blamed mixing of different meats during processing in meat plants. Either way kids, best stick to the fruit and vegetables for a while.

HEALTH

12| 18th - 24th January 2013

@RedbrickFilm

"I do not like the cone of shame."

Dug Up (2009)

TopThree

JONATHAN FAGG Critic

Jazz hands at the ready for Jessica Green's top stage-to-screen musical movies

Chicago

Chicago takes the top spot, having definitely earned its six Academy Awards. The film has all the sexiness, flare and character needed to tell the story of two fame-hunting murderesses in the 1920s. With dazzling choreography and a colourful cast that includes the impressive Catherine ZetaJones as Velma, this adaptation presents a refreshing and well-rounded take on a a much loved musical.

Newsreel

Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd is another musical adaptation that deserved its Academy Award for its portrayal of a dark, gothic setting to the bloody story of the demon barber. Tim Burton successfully presents a sinister and gripping version of the musical with notable performances from the suitably quirky ensemble cast led by Johnny Depp as Todd and Helena Bonham Carter.

FilmReviews OutNow

#3 Hairspray

Brace yourselves: the Oscar nominations have been released! While you’ve probably seen them all by now, it is interesting to note that Beasts of the Southern Wild’s Quvenzhané Wallis and Amour’s Emmanuelle Riva are the youngest and oldest candidates to have ever been nominated for Best Actress.

Hairspray shouldn’t be overlooked, as it is possibly one of the most fun, vibrant and memorable stage-to-screen films made to date. The cast are incredibly cool and the comedic performances from the likes of John Travolta and Michelle Pfeiffer, alongside the enjoyably charming soundtrack, will make even the manliest of men tap their feet and shimmy to the beat of this feel-good movie.

Gangster Squad

Jack Reacher

DAISY EDWARDS Critic Release Date: 26th December 2012 Director: Christopher McQuarrie Cast: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, David Oyelowo The film opens with five innocent people being shot by a sniper, but when the assailant is caught, he simply asks for Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise). Cruise plays his part well and his feels like the only developed character. The supporting cast are what you expect from WELEMINSKY-SMITH an action film, and there are moments of comedy with Reacher. ALICE Critic The plot itself feels underdeveloped, as do the 'bad guys' and their ring leader The Zec (Werner Herzog.) Neither hold enough threat Release Date: 11th January 2013 and, when they are discovered, the explanation is put rather blunt- Director: Ruben Fleischer ly. There are moments that are entertaining, in particular the real- Cast: Josh Brolin, Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling istic car chases (at one point Cruise can’t start his car) and fight It’s the late 1940s, and bit by bit, downtown L.A. is crumbling sequences, making this a basic but gripping action film. under the reign of gangster Micky Cohen, while the corrupt government let his mob’s crimes go unnoticed. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin), a cop who has come straight out of the war with a ‘shoot first’ attitude, is asked by the mayor to form an unofficial police squad to take down Micky’s empire and save L.A. JOE ALLEN The format of 'we’re a misfit bunch of police who are far too Critic heroic and feisty to play by the rules' does feel slightly overdone Release Date: 7th November 2012 and the plot is pretty predictable, but the generally excellent cast Director: Dustin Hoffman and brilliant cinematography lifts this film to a level above that of Cast: Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Billy Connolly your common gangster movie. The only real let down is the film’s protagonist (Brolin), whose Four retired opera singers must reunite to save Beecham House, a character arc is too weak to carry the story and whose mood seems retirement home for musicians. Tom Courtenay and Maggie Smith to be stuck on angry-and-misunderstood, which does get a little are on predictably brilliant form as the film's central couple, and wearing. Luckily the film has an excellent supporting cast; Ryan Billy Connolly struts his comedic stuff with a welcome irreverent Gosling stands out particularly as O’Mara’s loyal and loveable streak that helps to break up the sugary sweetness of the proceed- sidekick Jerry, and Giovani Ribisi brings some real heart into the ings. The script, too, crackles and sparkles with a defiant life that film as the intelligent cop Keeler, who leaves behind a young fambelies the average age of its messengers. Dustin Hoffman's direc- ily to embark on the dangerous mission. tion is minimal and refined; he often simply allows his ensemble With such a star-studded cast that also includes Emma Stone to act, refraining from any whiz-kid tricks or flashy cinematogra- and Sean Penn, the film could have perhaps broken out of the phy. Quartet is a refined, aged and gentle pleasure; more easy lis- gangster stereotype a bit more than it did, but if inventive cinematening than virtuoso masterpiece, but there's nothing wrong with tography and impressive action scenes are what you’re looking that at all. for, then Gangster Squad will most certainly provide.

The U.S. government has responded with a resounding no to a petition calling for the construction of a Death Star. In a letter to the petitioners, White House official Paul Shawcross asked 'Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship?'

The Quartet

Excited to find out Photographs have what Christopher been released ofdoing Tom Nolan will be Hanks in the upcomafter his award-wining biographical drama ning Dark Knight trilfilm Saving Mr. Banks, ogy? He plans direct in which he to will be portraying cartoon tyInterstellar, a sci-fi coon Walt to Disney. In rumoured contain the film, Hanks sports both travel and a finetime moustache and alternate dimensions, will be chronicling the which the struggleswill of see bringing famous director colthe classic Mary Poplaborating pins to life. with his film-writer brother, Jonathan.

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'13: Not so unlucky for cinema

While the superstitious out there may be worried about what 2013 will bring, critic Andrew Pollard argues that whatever else happens, the films will be good No matter how you phrase it, Twenty Thirteen just doesn’t have the same ring to it as Twenty Twelve, and let's not forget the bad luck associated with the number thirteen. So as the New Year dawns, along with dissertations, exams, and the plain old bite of winter's freeze, take comfort in this: 2013 is going to be one hell of a year for cinema. Nor does it hang about. With awards season upon us, January sees the arrival of plenty of Oscar bait, including Django Unchained, Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty to name but a few. 2013 is also the year of the geek. There’s more top quality sci-fi coming your way than a Klingon could shake a Bat’leth at. Speaking of which, J.J.Abrams's gargantuan follow up to the Enterprise's maiden voyage arrives this year in the form of Star Trek: Into Darkness. If you can’t wait until May for epic sci-fi, it doesn’t get more intricate than the Wachowski’s Cloud Atlas, a narrative containing several overlapping stories, spanning several centuries and a number of civilisations. If that all sounds a bit heavy, then maybe Guillmero del’Toro’s Pacific Rim will whet your appetite. It’s huge mack-off robots fighting sky-scraper sized aliens from another dimension. Enough said, right? There are more dystopian delights coming in the form of Elysium, starring Matt Damon, and Oblivion, with Tom Cruise. Expect encounters of an

extra terrestrial kind in the suburban horror Dark Skies, children trained by Harrison Ford to fight aliens in anti-gravity in Enders Game, and stranded astronauts surviving their Last Days on Mars. For those looking for lower concept fare, there’s plenty of comedy, action and adventure on the horizon as well. February sees the release of ensemble comedy Movie 43, containing the most extensive and eclectic group of A-list actors you’ve ever seen. In

December the saviour of San Diego returns in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (it’s kind of a big deal). The original action man McClane is back in A Good Day to Die Hard, exciting if only for its tagline “Yipee Ki Yay Mother Russia”. Disney have plenty to offer too, with Wreck-It Ralph, in which an arcade game villain leaves his thankless console in search for greener pixelated pastures, and Pixar release Monsters University. Their live action releases also include The Lone Ranger, starring Johnny

Depp and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Yes, it’s going to be a big year for the superhero. Robert Downey Jr. is back with Black (as director) in Iron Man 3, Thor returns in Thor 2: The Dark World to battle dark elves looking suspiciously like Christopher Eccleston, and Fox are joining in with their Marvel property The Wolverine. There's also Kick-Ass 2, Sin City 2 and 300: Rise of an Empire to come, and that's without mentioning the big one. Superman, the Man of Steel himself, returns in, well, Man of Steel. A stylish and thoughtful-looking new take, brought to you by Zack Snyder and produced by the godfather of the comic-book-film himself, Christopher Nolan. Finally, there are chills and thrills aplenty coming in the form of family horror Mama, and hope for the horror remake is kindled with the release of Evil Dead and Carrie. We’ve also got psychological mind-fucks with Danny Boyle’s next project Trance, an American remake of Oldboy, and the original Korean director’s English-speaking debut Stoker. Last but not least comes the ‘spiritual follow-up’ to Drive, Only God Forgives, and topping it all off, the greatly anticipated, much delayed Gatsby. With the threat of apocalypse averted, it's time to look forward to a bright 2013 in cinema, so throw away your horseshoes and start getting excited.

14 | 18th - 24th January 2013 @Redbrick @RedbrickTV

Olympian and Strictly Come Dancing winner Louis Smith talks to Redbrick. Louis Smith, 23, won bronze and silver in gymnastics at the London 2012 Olympic games. After his success at the games he took part in the BBC 's Strictly Come Dancing, taking the winner's crown with dance partner Flavia Cacace. He is now set to take part in this year's Strictly Come Dancing tour. Why did you decide to do the tour? There were lots of different reasons. Coming from the Olympic Games, I knew there would be lots of opportunities to do fun stuff and as soon as I was offered Strictly, I knew straight away that was the one I wanted to do. For an Olympian, it's the perfect show because you're not doing anything that makes you look silly. It's just a show that's fresh, about learning, fitness and being a good role model. And with the tour, I love the idea of extending that experience, travelling around and just being able to say I've been "on tour" like a rock star! Do you think it will be different from the show? The stress of doing it on live TV, and people getting eliminated, will be taken away. This will be just about performing without the stress so I'm really looking forward to it. Presumably as a gymnast, you are used to performing in front of that many people?

Yes, although there will be a different vibe because when you compete as a gymnast, the arena or hall is hushed and everybody is silent so that you can really concentrate. So it will be interesting to go out in front of everybody and hear a big roar and lots of cheering! Have you surprised yourself by how much you've embraced the dancing, considering you admitted you were a bit lazy at the beginning with your training? Yeah, definitely. The further we got in the competition, the more it surprised me how much I wanted to do it. You start to really push yourself as the weeks go by. You want to do more difficult, technical moves and perfect them. And you realise how much work it takes to really perfect those moves. What starts as a bit of fun soon turns into something much bigger and allconsuming. What have been your highlights? Performing at Wembley, definitely. That was so cool, even though my per-

formance wasn't the best. And the first time I did the Charleston, in week nine, was brilliant. I loved doing the Waltz, as well. I love both latin and ballroom, but I think ballroom suits me better. Have you got any new celebrity fans? Yes, I met the guys from The Only Way Is Essex the other day and they were saying they loved watching me, which was great. And before that, Samuel L. Jackson tweeted that he was watching me at the Olympics, which was absolutely amazing! It's been an amazing year for you. How does dancing compare to competing in the Olympics? They're pretty different, really. Strictly is not as nerve-wracking as the Olympics, but you're still putting a really high level of demand on your body. In fact, I'd say this is harder to train for than the Olympics. I'd been doing gymnastics for 19 years by the time it came to competing in 2012, so my body knew what it was doing and

it was using muscle memory to a large extent. But with Strictly, it was completely different techniques and using completely different muscles, so it took a lot of getting used to, to make my body do what Flavia [Cacace] wanted it to do! Are there any celebrities you'd love to see doing Strictly next year? Megan Fox or Michelle Keegan. For the obvious reasons! Are you still single and looking for love? Yes, I've not met anyone yet, as I've been too busy training and rehearsing for Strictly! I haven't really been out much. But if I met someone now, I guess I could show them my ballroom and see if that did the trick...!

Top TV News. Coronation Street favourite Hayley Cropper, played by actress Julie Hesmondhalgh, is set to leave after 15 years of being in the soap

Take That singer Jason Orange is to make a guest appearance in Channel 4's Shameless

www.redbrick.me/tv | 15

16 Kids and Counting Charlotte Phillips TV Critic

Meet the Radfords, the stars of Channel 4’s 16 Kids and Counting. Sue and Noel are the busy parents of 15 children and their brood is about to get even bigger, with them becoming not only parents to their 16th child, but first time grandparents. Though Sue is about to be a grandma at 37 and has to make room for two newborns in an already full house, she seems more excited than nervous about what the next year will bring. Daily life in the Radford family is definitely busy! 100 items of clothing need to be ironed daily, the school run has to be done in a mini bus and there’s a long wait for the bathroom in the morning. But, when the family decide to go on holiday to France this standard level of stress is multiplied by 15. There are problems with the passports, the packing, the price and whoever made the choice to take a 21 hour minibus ride with 15 children must have been travelling separately. Though the holiday looks like fun and the reaction of the lifeguard is particularly amusing, the parents certainly needed another holiday when they got back.

The close-knit family have a system for everything and function like anyone else. Noel owns a bakery and works full time and Sue has her work

cut out caring for the children. The two just seem to adapt to the chaos that’s thrown at them and on reaching double figures, the kids say

Sue simply ‘picked up the pace a bit’. Every child seems happy and takes it in their stride when Noel has to check their birthdays on a piece of paper, or they’re accidently called the wrong name. There are arguments and tears (just like in any family), but Channel 4 has not made the Radfords seem dysfunctional. Contrary to what might be expected, 16 Kids and Counting isn’t a criticism of the government benefits the Radfords receive, but a fair and detailed portrayal of life in a large, loving family. Ultimately, this endearing documentary is perfectly summed up with the birth of the children’s niece Daisy, and later, their brother Casper. Though happy to welcome more children into the family, the risk Sue is taking with each child is made clear, and we are left nervous at her wanting more. Nevertheless, the funny cutaways of the children discussing how many more their Mum will have leaves the show on a light note, and though they all agree there will be more babies, I’d be impressed if she found the time.

First Time Farmers Rosie Pooley TV Critic

@rosiethimgs

Made by the same people who created fan favourite Made in Chelsea, this time we’re leaving the bright lights of London and heading to the countryside. First Time Farmers is a new series that follows the lives of the next generation of farmers; they work hard, but they play harder. Documenting their lives over a six month period, we are getting down and dirty with various farming counties across the UK. Artfully directed, it feels like you could be watching a Made in Chelsea spin-off where Spencer, Millie and the gang have upped sticks to the country. They even try to make a row of flayed pigs look glamorous in an abattoir. Although, unlike the Chelsea show that often favours style over substance, there is a lot more to be said about First Time Farmers and its analogy for young people finding work; there

Ellie Simmonds and Jo Brand are some of the celebrities set to take part in the Great British Bake Off Comic Relief Special

is a lot of hard work and unfortunately a lot of shit to put up with...literally. In this episode we meet Robbie, a pig farmer who is attempting to turn

50th Anniversary of Doctor Who will be celebrated by a short story written by Eoin Colfer as part of the Anniversary compilation

his mother’s failing business around; Ed, who has left his job and girlfriend in London to move back home; and cynical farmer Nick, who wants to

leave farming and regain his job as an auctioneer. Along the way, older generation farmers pass on their wisdom for the young lads as they get to grips with their roles and ultimately decide whether farming is the right place for them. Nevertheless, it seems like First Time Farmers is a bit of a missed opportunity in terms of explaining the benefits of the farming industry for a younger generation. Sure, they like to party, as the kids hold a Glastonbury-themed festival every summer. But other than that we are left to believe that you have to deal with a lot of dead animals. First Time Farmers is not for the faint-hearted - you have to cover your eyes whenever another dead sheep is on screen. But if you peer through your fingers for long enough, the cows, pigs and the farmers make for some compelling viewing.

BBC shows Sherlock and Doctor Who, both written by Stephen Moffatt, are against each other for best drama at the NTAs this month

16| 18th - 24th January 2013 @RedbrickMusic

The Soul Train to B-Town

Lily Blacksell explores the more soulful side of the B-Town movement Lily Blacksell Music Editor

@LilyBlacksell

You won’t find ‘B-Town’ on Urban Dictionary, or on a map, but rest assured it is alive and well and growing, and it’s sounding really good. Whilst the scene is bursting at the seams with some of the best indie rock and worst haircuts in the country, things have just got a whole lot more debonair thanks to the soulful sophistication of Laura Mvula and Jacob Banks. In a short amount of time, they have both earned an impressive number of accolades, and with effortlessness that is enviable, they are whipping the music industry, not least the BBC, into a frenzy. I shall turn first to Laura, with whom I am in love. The King’s Heath singer was shortlisted for the Brit’s Critics Choice Award, and was one of only three acts to also appear in the poll for the BBC Sound of 2013, where she came fourth. She has a strikingly beautiful sound that has been described, quite imaginatively, as ‘gospeldelia’. It is a product of her roots in jazz, and the classical music she was immersed in whilst studying composition at the Birmingham Conservatoire, then working for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Whilst Laura promises further orchestral instrumentation in her upcoming album Sing to the Moon (due for release on 4th March), something tells me there’ll be a bit more to it than that. Her voice, clear and strong, bears resemblance to Erykha Badu and Billie Holiday. Her song writing is at once uplifting, empowering and devastating. Having listened to ‘She’ a lot recently, it seems it can leave you smiling from ear to ear or crying into your speakers.

My discovery of a song called 'YOLO' did not fill me with confidence.

‘Green Garden’ is brilliant, and the kind of song Imogen Heap might have come up with if she had a firmer grasp of rhythm and blues. Other songs on the She EP include ‘Can’t Live With the World’, ‘Jump Right Out’ and ‘Like the Morning Dew’, all of which remain true to Laura’s glorious style (the ‘Mvula factor’ as one iTunes customer puts it) that is to be basked in, not defined. Talking of definitions, Jacob Banks explained to Trevor Nelson this week that he is singing ‘old school soul in a new school way.’ The 21 year old appeared in the BBC Radio 1Xtra live lounge following his placing on the station’s ‘Hot Ten for 2013’ list, and surprised everyone with his impeccable manners and distinctly un-musical upbringing. Jacob listed the likes of Sisqo and Westlife as his influences, and bucked the trend of owing his love for music to his family with the claim that there was never any music in his childhood home.

Mvula's style is to be basked in, not defined This information, partnered with my discovery of a song of his called ‘YOLO’, did not fill me with confidence. However, a minute or two into his live lounge performance, and after a few more visits to his Soundcloud page, my concerns proved unfounded. Whilst Laura Mvula is picking up comparisons to Nina Simone and Jill Scott, Jacob Banks has been likened to Ray Charles and Marvin Gaye. For someone who only began singing in 2011 (following the death of a best friend who had always encouraged him to go into music), labels of ‘breathtaking’ and ‘an instant classic’ may be coming on a bit strong. However, Banks’ likeable and level-headed personality suggests he’s ready to be very successful, and his voice leaves little room for doubt on the matter.

This year, listen out for... (from top left to bottom right) Haim, Atoms for Peace, Johnny Marr, CHVRCHES, Laura Mvula, Angel Haze, Aluna George, Tom Odell, Theme Park, Rival Sons.

www.redbrick.me/music 17

Listen Up 2013.

Redbrick's insight into the most antcipated albums and artists of the year

Thanks to their crowning as the BBC's Sound of 2013, Haim is the name on everyone's lips, though few know exactly how to pronounce it. The Californian trio of sisters are tipped for big things with the impending realease of their debut album, but they're not the ony ones. Our writers give their predictions for the soundscape of 2013. Atoms for Peace - Matt Hewson Purveyors of weird electro – rejoice, for Thom Yorke is making music again. ‘Atoms for Peace’ was originally the name of a track on the Radiohead’s first solo album, The Eraser. Since then, it has become Yorke’s full time sideproject, spawning collaborations with the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea and creating the sort of melodic, industrial tracks that have defined his solo work. Information on the LP has been scarce; surprising, given that it’s been in the works for almost four years, but a release was cemented last September with the throbbing bass and moody samples of first single ‘Default’. Since then, more tracks have escaped into the ether, with last week’s ‘Judge, Jury and Executioner’ sounding like ‘The King of Limbs’ if that giant tree had choked on fumes from a power station. Amok will be released on the 25th of February, and fans of a man who hasn’t made a bad album since 1993 should be very, very excited. Johnny Marr - Josh Holder 25 years after The Smiths’ demise, Johnny Marr is finally releasing his debut solo album. Why the delay? Until recently, Johnny has desperately been trying to shake the ‘jangly indie-pop’ label that’s stuck with him since his legendary time in The Smiths. Attempting to prove himself to be anything but a one-trick pony, Johnny has since dabbled in electronic-synths with New Order’s Bernard Sumner, featured on numerous Oasis tracks, performed on Hans Zimmer’s Inception soundtrack, and joined numerous bands, including Modest Mouse and The Cribs. But now, Johnny has grown tired of always being in someone else’s band, and is ready to go it alone. The result is Johnny’s best, most melodic guitar work since his youth. Title track ‘The Messenger’ has given us an incredible teaser of what’s to come, and with its undeniable energy and superb riffs, it’s clear that Johnny is finally embracing the sound of his youth, and the resulting album is sure to be his finest work since The Smiths. CHVRCHES - Katy Spencer Joining the long line-up of great bands hailing from Glasgow, CHVRCHES announce their arrival with thunder clap beats and an electro-pop sound which is very current, while not ashamed of its 80s influences (as demonstrated by their cover of Prince’s ‘I Would Die for You’). Lead singer Laura Mayberry’s forceful-yet-fragile vocals cut through a euphoric background of shimmering synths and stomach churning bass, which is as mesmerising live as on their debut single ‘The Mother We Share’. I

first heard CHVRCHES when they supported Passion Pit in the autumn, and it was their music, not the main act’s (no loyalties, I know...) which could soon be heard blasting from our speakers on repeat. It’s clear why they were shortlisted for the BBC Sound of 2013, and I cannot wait to see them hopefully headlining some of their own gigs this year, and releasing a debut album! Angel Haze - Paige Padden Over the past 12 months we have watched rappers, such as Nicki Minaj and Azealia Banks, pave the way for a new generation of females within the heavily male-dominated genre. So maybe it is to them that we owe our thanks for enabling hugely gifted artist Raykeea Wilson, better known as Angel Haze, to receive the recognition she deserves. Angel delivers her feisty and, at times, deeply personal lyrics with an assured flow and a wisdom beyond her 21 years. It is hard to fault either of her mixtapes - Reservation and Classick as they prove, to both fans and critics alike, that she is a passionate and poignant lyricist.

Our writers give their predictions for the soundscape of 2013 She has already made an impact on the club scene with her tracks 'New York' and 'Werkin’ Girls' and has recently started hitting showbiz headlines due to a Twitter row with fellow artist Azealia Banks.Having just been named one of the most exciting emerging artists of this year by the BBC, 2013 is definitely looking promising for this Michigan born rapper. AlunaGeorge - Jonathon Milnes Sonically, AlunaGeorge straddle many a genre, from hip-hop to electro pop, with influences from Flying Lotus to Mariah Carey. The result is both experimental and catchy which when combined with their urban image is a tour de force of cool. The BBC placed the electronic music duo second in their Sound of 2013 poll, being pipped to the post by Haim. With their single 'Your Drums, Your Love' making waves across radio stations nationwide, their highly anticipated album Body Music will surely be a big hitter come June. For a musical pairing that started over the Internet, their live act is both epic and slick, yet still retains the intimacy of a budding talent set to far-exceed the success of other girl-boy duos of the past decade. Tom Odell - Beth Coveney The first I heard of this young singer-

songwriter was his performance on Later... With Jools Holland at the end of November, and I knew instantly he was one to watch. His soulful voice bears striking resemblance to Jeff Buckley, while his skills as a pianist are impressive to say the least. He’s recently been announced the winner of the prestigious Brits Critics’ Choice award, joining previous winners including Adele, Florence & The Machine and Emeli Sandé who have all gone on to have massively successful careers. He also appeared on the BBC Sound of 2013 longlist, followed by tons of coverage on BBC Radio. This sudden wave of exposure is exactly what Tom deserves, whose stunning EP Songs From Another Love has obviously been born out of an incredible amount of hard work and raw talent. This year Tom’s going to be touring the UK and further afield, as well as releasing his eagerly anticipated debut album – I for one can’t wait to see what the year will bring him, and I’m sure he’ll be all over it. Theme Park - Josh Carvell One of the years hotly tipped bands comes in the form of up and coming Londoners Theme Park, a band that play upbeat indie anthems filled with summery nostalgia. Earning comparison to the likes of Friendly Fires and David Bryne, Theme Park combine groovy guitars with falsetto vocals and smooth harmonies in what are instantly infectious songs. There has been a great deal of buzz surrounding Theme Park, attracting attention from the likes of big hitters such as NME and Radio One’s Zane Lowe, and has seen the band touring with the likes of Bloc Party and Bombay Bicycle Club. With their self-titled debut out on the 25th February, Theme Park are set to transfer their hype into mainstream success and take their place amongst Peace and Palma Violets in Indie’s class of 2013. Rival Sons - Shannon Greaney Rival Sons are a four piece rock band from America and although they are no strangers to the music scene, they are only just breaking through to UK charts. They have toured extensively over the past two years, supporting bands such as Black Stone Cherry and appearing at festivals such as Sonisphere. Their sound can only be described as being reminiscent of rock music of the 70s, the influence of the greats such as Led Zeppelin being ever present throughout songs such as ‘Keep On Swinging.’ I predict massive success for this band as they stand to rejuvenate the charts by bringing the blues back to life; it’s impossible not to be uplifted by the crazy guitar riffs and the rugged vocals. I highly anticipate that their music will create an indulgent ‘feel good’ vibe throughout 2013 as people begin to discover the 2012 album, Head Down which truly is insatiable.

18| 18th - 24th January 2013 @RedbrickLifeStyle

Controversy Returns with 'Miss Undergraduate 2013' Elizabeth East Life&Style Writer

It feels like only five minutes since the controversy surrounding the Miss Undergraduate 2012 contest divided students and Birmingham public alike but, despite the previously mixed reaction, Miss Undergraduate Birmingham is returning again this year, with preliminary heats starting next week. Last year the Guild of Students condemned the event, labelling it an 'obstacle to equality', and a feminist protest took place outside the Chameleon during the competition's finale. Students from the University of Birmingham, Aston, Birmingham City and University College Birmingham can take part, with individual prizes being awarded to one student from each institution. The overall 'Miss Undergraduate' will win a trip for two to Ibiza, a year’s gym

membership and a portfolio model shoot - pretty amazing prizes. Girls are judged on a combination of their poise, make-up, hair style and their responses in the question round. Interestingly, there is no swimsuit round this year with event organisers emphasising that contestants will not be judged on their physical form, in an attempt to discourage any sexual objectification. I first heard about the event last year and initially didn’t think much of it; a bit of harmless fun but certainly something I would never have the guts or interest to take part in. However, on further reflection, I struggle to understand fully the point of it. While I respect the Miss Undergraduate contestants do not have a problem with the contest and see it as a chance to

be glamorous and have a laugh, there are those who take it far more seriously. In many cases, an attempt to validate themselves based on their appearance only points to an underlying issue of a severe lack of self-esteem, one which will just be bruised even more if the outcome isn’t a victorious one. No matter how many times judges may say Miss Undergraduate is not solely based on appearance, the principle that it is essentially a beauty contest contradicts this. There is no doubt that physical appearance plays a large part in it and, as the Guild publicly stated last year, this can be 'hugely damaging to the physical, emotional and mental health of young women'. This notion is only reinforced by the fact that Miss Undergraduate is for girls

and not a contest for male participation. Surely this alone places more pressure on young students, where the desire to look like celebrities seen in the media and magazines is at its height. I love dressing up and making the best of myself ready for a night out, but what ever happened to just doing it for fun? Why must events such as this feel the need to make judgments on how a female physically presents herself? I’m sure I’m not the only girl who will say that I don’t need a panel of strangers judging me for the way I am. There’s an inevitable chance of contestants feeling intimidated by one another, something we experience enough in everyday life, without having an event such as this to endorse it even more.

Never be Tagged in the Same Look Twice... Olivia Wilson

Winter Evening

A Night Out

Casual Campus

Life&Style Writer

Boyfriend jeans: Miss Selfridge, £40. Top: H&M, £9.99. Converse: Office, £42.99.

Boyfriend jeans: Miss Selfridge, £40. Top: Topshop, £36. Bangles: River Island, £13.99

Boyfriend jeans: Miss Selfridge, £40. Jumper: Dorothy Perkins, £19.99. Beanie: ASOS, £13.

www.redbrick.me/lifestyle |19

Does a New Year mean a New Me? Along with the inevitable deadlines and dreadful weather, January also brings the pressure of a New Year where many are forced to abide by their (most usually drunkenly-made) unrealistic New Year's resolutions... The pressure to be healthy, skinny and happy is never more prominent than during January, so Life&Style has found some simple - but effective - ways not to let the New Year, New Me pressure get you down!

Exercising Rebekah McDermott Alisha Casement

Skin Care &

Dieting

Kristyna Konirova

Rebekah McDermott

Life&Style Writer

Arts Editor

Arts Editor & Life&Style Writer

There is a common misconception that spending endless hours on the treadmill will help you create that ideal body you have been visualising about after all those stodgy Christmas meals. Although the treadmill workout will be beneficial for the cardiovascular system it won’t make you strong. It will also still be a struggle to get rid of those problem areas as instead of toning you’ll burn a relatively small amount of calories in comparison to the hours you’ll be putting in. Five hours on the treadmill is roughly the same as three hours with weights. You can tone and apply your cardiovascular system at the same time through swimming or cross training. Through supporting your whole body weight when swimming, you use all your muscles and with cross training you can change the resistance of the machine. Most people put off exercising at the gym because they think a gym membership is too expensive. Even though exercising is beneficial, it is not something you should spend hundreds on and there are other home-alternatives. Squats and lunges are effective because, again, you are simply using your body weight. Filling four pint milk bottles up with water is a cheap and easy way of making your own weights. If exercise is your New Year’s resolution try these three top tips; - Switch from treadmill to cross trainer to try something new. - Running will give you a bum but squatting will give you a bootie. - Girls, don’t be afraid to lift. It won’t make you into the hulk; it will define your curves.

The beginning of the New Year is a perfect time to start a new skin care regime that you will actually stick to. The good news is that you only need to spend about three minutes every day looking after your skin to keep it looking beautiful. The golden rule: simplicity and regularity. First of all, you need to find out what skin type you are and buy the skin care products accordingly. There exist five main skin types: normal, dry, oily, combination and sensitive. Dry skin tends to feel tight normally will small lines around your eyes, making it look like you are tired even when you’re not. If you have large pores and your forehead, nose and chin tend to get shiny, then you are probably an oily skin type. If your skin is partly oily and partly dry, this means you have a combination skin. Now that you know what skin type you are, you need to follow this regime every night before going to bed: cleanse, tone and moisturize (yes, even if you get home at 3am). For removing make-up and dirt, use whatever is the most suitable for you skin type – lotion, foam or gel and this should always be followed by a toner. In the morning, I wash my face with lukewarm water to gently clean it and refresh it. However if you want a more thorough clean, you can repeat the evening routine. Make sure to always apply moisturizer (ideally with SPF) that will not only hydrate your skin but also protect it.

When you’re young you should be able to eat what you want, drink what you want and wake up in the morning savouring the idea that, although you feel like you’ve beaten up your own body, you’ve had a brilliant time doing it. However, typical student lifestyle doesn’t exactly equal healthy living with the endless bowls of coco pops and heating up ready meals in the microwave. Dieting at this age has a massive, and occasionally unfair stigma attached to it. The saddest thing is that drinking liquid shakes and popping diet pills doesn’t make you healthy, it just makes you extremely thin or overly buff. What’s worse is that you can’t live off them forever and so at some point, you have to be prepared to pile the pounds back on after you’ve lost the weight. The New Year shouldn’t have you going extreme with low calorie fads such the Zen or Pasta and Chocolate diet. If you’re going to lose weight and keep it off choose a diet that your body will be able to adjust to. The Dukan diet promotes a life-long change that becomes part of your lifestyle rather than just part of your New Year resolution. It could be that you simply need to change your eating habits. Stop snacking, swap fizzy drinks for water, chocolate for grapes and maybe stop checking in at Rooster’s on the way home. 'Only one McDonalds a month' seems to be effective. Cliché as it sounds; it shouldn't be about the quick fixes.

Fierce Katarina Bickley Life&Style Writer Tom Fletcher’s Wedding Speech: Officially the most famous and cutest wedding speech we’ve ever seen. The standard has been set- men take note. Les Misérables: Finally the wait is over; we’ll be booking our tickets ASAP. The Pop Comeback: Destiny’s Child reuniting and a return for JT - say whaaaat! Award Nominations: Both the Oscars and the Brits released their nominations this week. Where was Skyfall though? David Attenborough: Africa is seriously incredible. And we could listen to David’s voice all day. Gym Memberships: It’s a new year, which means the entire population is joining the gym to try and lose those Christmas pounds.

Harry Styles and Taylor Swift: After an 'almighty row' whilst on holiday together, this little pop romance is over. Harry seemed to get over it pretty quickly, though, and was pictured the next day in a hot tub with a model. Hmmm. 'New Year, New Me': You said the same last year. And in 2011, 2010, 2009... Essay Deadlines: Leaving work until the last minute doesn’t seem such a good idea now, does it? Christmas Sales: Let’s be honest, there’s nothing much good left now. Cue the spring collections. Winter Blues: Now that Christmas and New Year's are over, we really just want it to be summer. Gossip Girl: No more Wednesday evenings dreaming that Nate, Chuck and Dan are our boyfriends, or wishing we were Serena and Blair. So sad. xoxo Celebrity Big Brother: Surely the fact that it’s on Channel 5 and the 'famous' housemates have to wear name labels says something.

Finished

20| 18th - 24th January 2013

@RedbrickArts @RedbrickArts

Reviews

Birmingham International Concert Season 2013 begins Britten's A Boy was Born @ Town Hall

Rebekah McDermott Arts Editor

To celebrate Birmingham International Concert Season 2012/2013, a week-long Britten Centenary focus is being performed at THSH. Benjamin Britten was one of the most successful and talented composers of the twentieth century. He composed everything from opera to film scores, and was the first composer to be given a life peerage. On the 12th January at Town Hall, the Ex Cathedra & Academy of Vocal Music performed several of Britten’s compositions including ‘A Boy Was Born’. Following a pre-concert talk with Jeffrey Skidmore and

Graeme Kay, it became clear that Britten was a confident master of words, yet did not want people to necessarily analyse his choral or orchestral music. Britten, at the age of sixteen, was immensely well -read. He focused on and was influenced by many other art forms, which meant that his own choral variations were a product of both his love of music and love of art. Britten never wrote unplayable music, as he was a skilled musician himself and understood that music was to be enjoyed rather than shown off. This became clear when during ‘Rejoice in the Lamb’, soloists Amy Wood, Martha McLorinan and Ashley Turnell gave not

just skilled but also theatrical performances which supported the composition as a whole. The choral singers were of all age ranges, from young children to older singers. This primarily shows how universal Britten’s work is, as it is achievable for all abilities. The order of works was skilfully arranged, as ‘Rejoice in the Lamb’ is considerably darker and more dissonant than ‘Jubilate Deo in C’. The audience is dramatically lulled into a false sense of relaxation before being wakened by the twentieth century musical dissension. It is clear that Britten composed not only for his own pleasure but also to entertain and divert audiences.

CBSO Birmingham Beethoven Cycle: Symphonies 4 & 5 @ Symphony Hall Emily Rushgrove Critic

I’m no expert when it comes to classical music. All my knowledge could be written on the back of a postage stamp with space to spare. So, it was with a degree of uncertainty that I arrived at Symphony Hall for an evening of Beethoven. The concert kicked off with the spectacular City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra playing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 conducted by Andris Nelsons. As with most of Beethoven’s works, the piece toyed with contrasts between light and dark. Quiet moments

Angela Hewitt & Britten Sinfonia @ Town Hall

prepared us for the build to the powerful highs, with a spectacular peak in the second movement. The view that the composition of Symphony No. 4 was a rest for Beethoven from composing No.3 and No.5 seems hard to believe, given its power to transport the audience. After this, came Beethoven’s concert Aria 'Ah, Perfido!'. Beethoven wrote this piece whilst he was still in his twenties, a feat of such talent certainly seems incredible to me and I would imagine most other twenty-somethings. It was performed by Carolyn Sampson, an alumni of the

James Kinsey Arts Editor

Birmingham’s Town Hall welcomed Angela Hewitt and Britten Sinfonia in an evening that featured sumptuous performances from the oeuvres of Benjamin Britten, Beethoven and Sergei Prokofiev. In celebration of Britten’s centenary year, Britten Sinfonia opened proceedings with a rendition of his Simple Symphony. The piece is famed to be entirely based on material written before his teenage years, a fact amusingly reflected in the movement’s titles: `Boisterous bourree`, `Playful Pizzicato`, `Sentimental Saraband` and the titillating `Frolicsome finale`. Britten’s youthful charm sprightly dashed from a lyrical opening to a fast paced scherzo, to a bold, thrusting and mature finale, which was masterfully portrayed and held together by the orchestra. After the heady heights of Britten’s symphony, a rather

University of Birmingham who studied Music. She is a big name in opera, having starred on stages around the globe, and certainly looked at home on one of the city’s biggest stages. Her voice is unquestionably flexible and powerful, and this transferred to the performance. She received a rapturous reception from the audience and the applause kept rolling. I must, however, admit it wasn’t for me. After the interval, came Symphony No.5. This was the part of the evening I was most looking forward to, as even I was familiar with the spectacular da-da-da-DA opening. It did

not disappoint. From the moment that opening filled the room, a smile spread to the faces of all in the audience. Like Symphony No. 4, the opening is dark and moves through to light as the piece progresses. The symphony became more playful as it moved on, keeping you on your toes. The final part of this symphony was definitely my favourite. The moments of real quiet built up expectantly, tantalisingly, thrillingly to a truly triumphant climax. The music was transporting. I left symphony hall with the music rolling in my ears. It was a really enjoyable evening.

disappointing interpretation of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.2 followed, played by Angela Hewitt alongside Britten Sinfonia. The first Concerto composed by Beethoven is Mozartian in feel and generally a joy to listen to, yet many of the audience agreed that the Concerto should have achieved a certain tranquillity in the second movement or playful tones in the third, but instead it was rendered drab and lacklustre. As lifeless as the end of the first half may have been, thankfully the second half roused the audience with another Britten score: Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge. Written as a tribute to his mentor Frank Bridge, the work follows ten variations, each an illustration of Bridge’s complex personality. Britten Sinfonia gracefully meandered through complex mood changes, from the `Adagio’s` inspiring call-to-arms through the pulsating and throbbing `Aria Italiana`, to a stirring conclusion in the `Fugue and Finale.`

The addition of Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No 1Classical to the evening felt more of an after thought than a subtle segue to the performances. Nevertheless, it was played with gusto, with a particularly memorable undulating `Larghetto`. The performances of Britten’s compositions eclipsed Hewitt’s interpretation of Beethoven and Britten Sinfonia’s Prokofiev symphony. In an evening to celebrate Britten’s legacy, it was most appropriate. Birmingham International Concert Season at THSH will continue throughout 2013. Highlights include Handel's Radamisto in February and Benjamin Grosvenor's Bright Futures in March. Check out http://www.thsh.co.uk/tourdates/birmingham-international-concert-season-2012-13 for more details.

www.redbrick.me/arts | 21

Feature Writers' Bloc Feature Piece

Arts Online Editor Jenna Clake interviews aspiring performance poet, actor and writer Ben Norris on the winning piece of this term's Writers' Bloc Journal.

Congratulations, Ben. What inspired the poem?

The Politician's Christmas Dinner 'I cannot comment at this stage.' Her husband only asked her if she’d picked up lemon stuffing yet.

A Creative Writing lecture in humour and satire, and a rediscovery of form and how it can be appropriated to add meaning to contemporary discussions. I used to think that form was the ultimate evil because it initially came with an inhibition of meaning, but when you use the form as a rhetorical part of the poem - here it’s speech in a rondeau - it works really well. I wanted to expose the absurdity of repetitious platitudes that politicians have a fondness for by putting it in a domestic situation.

You're Literary Events Officer of Writers’ Bloc, and organise the openmic nights. Firstly, tell us what to expect from Grizzly Pear.

She hadn’t had the time, she said 'I can’t confirm nor deny that.'

'This happened last year too,' he said, the de-ja-vu disarming him. 'Why silence and false charm, again?'

What struck me when I entered the Creative Writing scene in the university was the enthusiasm and raucousness of the whole thing. The first night at the Pear was really exciting, because all of a sudden writing and performing what you wrote was cool. Unfortunately, over the year the atmosphere from that event faded due to the irregularity and sporadic organisation of them. People are just discovering what the appetite for open-mic is. It’s not a criticism of the former committee, I just wanted to take the good work they’d done and run with it. Grizzly Pear is once a term. The most significant change is the professional headliner. I want to give writers and performers that are starting out the opportunity to experience what professional spoken word artists are doing, so that they can have something to aspire to. What you can expect is a bawdy evening of top quality performance poetry and storytelling.

'I cannot comment.'

You also organise Scribble Kicks. How is this different to Grizzly Pear? 'Let’s call off Christmas, do a "you" – turn on our heels and run, my love. You lock our bedside-table drawers in case I find reports.' He paused.

The old cliché about writers being introverts is sometimes true, and this is by no means a bad thing. I wanted to give writers that are interested in what’s on the page - more than how it’s performed - a chance to showcase their work in a less intimidating ‘pub gig’ environment. This was our first project at MAC and it worked well for everyone involved, so I’m working hard to organise another for the near future. Ultimately, I’d like Scribble Kicks to be a showcase of the city’s best page poets and prose writers, so I am teaming up with Poets’ Place, Apples & Snakes and Central Library to try to bring the event to a wider audience.

'Is new year too soon to divorce?'

What does Writers’ Bloc have planned for the future?

'I cannot comment.'

For more about Ben Norris check out; @BenNorris7 www.bennorrispoet.wordpress.com/ @UOBWritersBloc http://www.facebook.com/groups/uobwritersbloc/

I’m really excited to announce that we’re having a multi-team poetry slam on 7th March at the Bristol Pear. UOB will be taking on teams from Pembroke College (Cambridge), Cardiff University and UEA. Auditions will be held a few weeks before the event.

Paul Tonkinson, Matt Price, Tobias Persson & Sol Bernstein @ Glee Club Harriet Henderson Critic

The compère for the evening, Matt Price, opened the show with highly skilled improvisation, involving various unlucky targets in the audience. His Cornish accent and razor sharp wit made for a surprisingly terrifying combination, and you could see the fear in the eyes of the people on the front row as they wondered who would be his next victim. In all fairness to Price, he did an excellent job of holding the show together, and the crowd never tired of him. The first act of the evening was Tobias Persson, a Swedish comedian who tried hard, but couldn’t really offer much more than rather tired Abba jokes.

His sweet personality, rather than the hilarity of his jokes, was what got the audience on his side and managed to keep him on the safe side of cringe. Following Persson was Sol Bernstein, a man who was introduced as ‘the oldest Jewish comedian on the circuit’. To quote Sammy David Jr on Burnstein: ‘The man is what SHOW-BIZ is all about.' He wasn’t wrong. The jokes were exactly what you’d expect; Jewish, American and with a hint of dirty old man. Delivered with a New Yorker accent that would shame Bugsy Malone, it made for a winning combination and he had the crowd in the palm of his hand from the word go. The main event was self-titled Fancy Man Paul Tonkinson.

As a Northern girl myself, his brash Yorkshire sense of humour was right up my street, and all his observations about England’s North-South divide were hilariously true. When he wasn’t mocking Britain’s social divide, he relied on toilet humour, and spent a disconcerting amount of time comparing male and female orgasm noises. Still, everything he said was delivered with gusto and judging on the noises from the floor, the crowd loved him. I’ll be honest, I was nervous at the prospect of stand-up, but I had nothing to fear. The Glee Club is an excellent venue and was full to bursting with a great crowd. At £18.50 it’s not a cheap night out, but it’s something different and thoroughly enjoyable.

22 | 18th - 24th January 2013 @RedbrickTravel

Underground Etiquette The Dos and Don'ts of travel on the London tube.

London Underground's

150th Anniversary

Zara Sekhavati Travel Editor

@ZaraSekhavati

As a northerner, I’m no regular on the London Underground, but I can still appreciate the 150th year anniversary of the tube last week. Yes, the all almighty railway system has reached the big one fifty and Redbrick Travel and I wish it a very happy birthday indeed. The anniversary was celebrated with the return to the Underground of a traditional steam engine from the 19th century, which carried passengers when the tube first opened. Those lucky enough to acquire a ticket were taken in coaches pulled by an 1898-built steam train known as the Met Locomotive No 1 along part of the original Metropolitan line now part of the Hammersmith & City line. We all know the iconic circle and bar sign, and we may all have some tourist merchandise of the tube, ahem, moi, but after talking to a few southern friends they’ve told me the-etiquette-that-youmust-follow-to-travel-on-the-tube-orelse so I’ve compiled this short list for all you tube goers and travellers. First, get an Oyster card. Students need discounts, so get an Oyster card. I’ve been told by many a wise source that the Central and Piccadilly lines are the most reliable. With the Selly Oak trains to New Street being delayed more often than not, reliable is what we’re looking for. Make a note people. Beyoncé said to the left to the left, and indeed keep to the left to the left if you’re walking on the escalator. We say to the right to the right if you’re standing. I’m sure we’ve all been in a situation on an escalator where that one person in front decides to hover in the middle of the step and you’ve got a train to catch in 2 minutes. Keep out of the way and avoid somebody singing Ludacris behind you, telling you to get out of the way. I’d say this for any train but give up your seat if somebody else needs it more. We need to look after each other, have a heart for the elderly! The other rule for all trains applies here too, let the people off the train first and then get on it. Yes, the people getting off will come as a swarm and herd onto the platform, but you trying to shove your way through is going to make it worse and much more difficult to get on. Get on the train when it’s clear. We’ve seen the T Shirts, we impersonate the voice, but please do Mind the Gap. The space between the train and the platform edge can be quite wide sometimes, so be careful and take a leap if needs be. Why oh why would you block a doorway, especially to a door on the tube? Please move. It’s just always that awkward moment when the person blocking the doorway is listening to terrible music

that is so loud that they cannot hear your cries and cannot see your hand gestures, asking you, or in the end, informing you to move their sweet behind. Move inside the carriages, it makes life a whole lot easier on the underground. Hammersmith & City or Circle lines invite delays and disruptions. Avoid. That is all. We all know the rule. When it’s summer, don’t wear the colour grey. Yes, I’m going there and talking about the pits. You may wonder how this is linked to the tube. The low tunnels of the underground mean that there’s no space to install air-con on most of the lines. If there’s sunshine in the capital, that is

ever, do not wear grey. You may thank me later on for that cherished tip. I’ve been told that you’re not allowed to talk to people you don’t know on the tube. With a tube delay, one must tut, sigh, and shake one’s head. Never strike up a chatty conversation to the person stood next to you that you do not know. So there’s my quick list of tube etiquette and must dos and don'ts whilst cruising the London Underground. As a relative stranger to the tube, I’ve learned well from my fellow southern pals. Thank you very much, you know who you are. And I guess another point to remember is not to wear your Mind the Gap T Shirt on the tube.

Calling All Budding Photographers... As you may have noticed, the Redbrick paper has featured in all of our photos this week. If you consider yourself handy with a camera and are heading anywhere either exotic or local and have a Redbrick paper with you, then stick it in a photo and email it to us for a chance to get published at: travel@redbrickonline.co.uk

www.redbrick.me/travel |23

48 Hours in Dublin What did I do wrong? Travel Editor wonders whether Dublin is really worth the hype.

Chloe Osborne Travel Editor

@Chloeosborne88

There are few countries in the world that can hold claim to as many national stereotypes as that of Ireland. The very name will conjure images of four leafed clovers, leprechauns, shamrocks and Celtic crosses, if their national publicity machines and Lucky Charms cereal boxes have anything to do with it. Beyond these symbols of national identity, there is the pervasive stereotype of the typical Irishman; the friendly, chatty, Colin Farrell look alike, who’ll buy you a pint of Guinness and woo you with his fiddle (by which I of course mean his musical instrument). The land of green fields, charming people, beautiful medieval cities, with just a light sprinkling of turbulent religious warfare and there you have it; my imagined Dublin. The realities of it were somewhat different. Granted, 48 hours is never enough time to get to know a city, despite what every broadsheet newspaper weekend travel supplement will have you believe, even a city as small as Dublin. Yet in 48 hours, I reckon that I covered a fair quantity of it, and I have to admit that I have come home confused. Did I love Temple Bar, the infamous drinking quarter, home to some of the weirdest, most postapocalyptic and un-Irish clubs, pubs, and bizarre bars I think I’ve ever seen? Was I charmed by the architecture, with its random and burnt out abandoned flats, cosied up next to beautifully ornate Harrods-style edifices? Did I feel at home walking along the embankments of the canal, dirty and dusty as they were, yet filled with one of the largest assortments of odd-job and eccentrics I think I’ve ever seen concentrated in one place, other than of course on Broadstreet at any time after about three in the afternoon. I honestly don’t know. Perhaps I’m still shell shocked, but days after returning from Dublin I’m still waiting for the effect of it to sink in. Let’s review the positives: Firstly, it is surprisingly multicultural and has an enormous array of European, American and Asian themed restaurants, bars, pubs, whatever you’re in the mood for. Equally, there is no denying the density of famous Irish pubs, apparently close to 1000 within the central city. Secondly, the people were pretty damn lovely. Not quite as hunky as I had been led to believe by chick

trash such as “P.S I Love You”, but most were very friendly and helpful. Thirdly, the size of the city is great; everything is accessible and most things are in walking distance. However, I have to say that despite these pluses, there really were a whole lot of negatives to Dublin, the most major of which has got to be price. Considering the fact that Guinness, the nation’s fuel, and arguably the most famous icon of Ireland is brewed, canned and distributed from the centre of the city, a pint for under five Euros was nowhere to be found. That’s not to say we didn’t search high and pretty low to try to find a cheaper pint, but not even downloading the free “Cheapest Pint of Guinness in Dublin” iPhone app could bring us any luck. Transport was also extortionate; the half hour bus journey that it took us to reach the city limits (not even the centre people) was near twenty Euros for a return ticket, and the Dart into the centre was five. Taxis, as taxis tend to be in capital cities, were equally expensive, which I realised after an unsatisfying night in all the wrong bars in Temple, when giving up we realised we’d missed the last train to the hotel and I reluctantly parted with the dregs of my overdraft for a taxi to take us the 15 minute journey. Unfortunate, but I should have planned better. The city itself is a sort of Soviety Manchester come Lima; the main square looks distinctly like something out of Eastern Europe during the Cold War and the outskirts resemble an overgrown council estate. The effects of Dublin’s comparatively recent political turbulence is evident, as are the effects of the recession, even in the most affluent areas, where Louis Vuitton and Chanel sit opposite deserted office blocks and closed emporiums. Yet despite all this, I’m still not sure that I just didn’t “get” Dublin. There must be untapped deserts of it that are vibrant, cheap, studenty, and filled with more than just tourists, overpriced booze and an incredible amount of cat litter. Maybe I just needed more time there and a couple more good experiences to make the trip there great. I know tons of people that rave about the city, and could probably show me another side to it completely. Perhaps in a couple of days of essays and mind numbingly dull lectures I will look back on my time there with immense fondness and nostalgia... Or maybe I’m just one of those people that don’t like Dublin. I just can’t tell yet.

24| 18th - 24th January 2013

@RedbrickFood

Wandering the stalls at the

BBC Good Food Show Jemima Lovatt Food Editor

As I approached the BBC Good Food Show, honestly, I couldn’t wait for the tasters and I was not disappointed! Extra hot lime and chilli Heinz sauce, triple layered chocolate mini soufflé, king prawn curry, wild berry cider...It was a good day. As we wondered the stalls, had our photo taken in Mrs Crimble’s car and were sold an Eco Egg (excellent but nothing to do with food – google it though) Iz and I agreed that there was nothing that particularly grabbed us. There were plenty of condiments but they tended to be the same “radical” flavours – mango and mixed spice for instance. Pasta sauces fell short; one stall was trying to sell a pot of tomato and basil mixture as though it was a ground breaking discovery. The least interesting has to be the puddings, chocolate galore no doubt, but disgusting combinations of croissant cut up with melted chocolate poured all over it. The day was fun, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a place to find the fashions and faux pas of the food world, not something new that breaks the mould.

Are your cooking skills up to scratch and

Sorted? Charlotte Wilson Food Writer

Events such as the BBC Good Food Show are never short of famous faces. At the end of last year, you may have had the pleasure of glimpsing anyone from baking champions Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, dynamic Masterchef duo Gregg Wallace and John Torode and the much loved Hairy Bikers to name but few. But amongst the infamous flitted the newcomers and amid these budding chefs and emerging culinary artists were my personal favourites, the Sorted Food crew. Situated in the heart of the N.E.C arena on the Kenwood Stage, the boys whisked their audience through a three course meal garnished with a festive twist that was, to my delight, ready to taste within half an hour. The curried parsnip soup had an earthy, heart-warming flavour, their cranberry and sage crusted chicken with shredded sprouts not only supplied all the craved tastes of Christmas for less than half the price, but also successfully converted adamant sprout-haters into enthusiasts and the festive sponge with Baileys cream provided a rich and irresistible finale. They even stuck around afterwards to have a chat. Turns out they’re just as delightful in person as they are on camera. Their ethos, developed not so long ago in the comforts of a local pub, is simple; to help eager food geeks in their pursuit of good food with quick and easy video recipes that they post, almost daily, on YouTube. Ben, Jamie, Barry, Mike and their behind-the-scenes team regularly mix delicious food with playful humour and wit into a flawless concoction that guarantees to entertain whilst keeping those hunger pangs at bay. Although they never fail to make my mouth water or chuckle at my computer, their most admirable trait is easily their public accessibility. Unlike the chefs we only see through a screen or the pages of their latest cookbook, separated from us by their fame and prestige, the Sorted Food crew regularly interact with their followers. They’ll answer your Facebook queries, retweet you and share your Instagram photos of your attempts at their recipes at the drop of a hat. They come across more like friends than celebrities which makes a delightful change to watching a big-name chef from afar whilst holding in a hundred different questions – How do I fillet a fish? How do I julienne carrots? And just how do I make that perfect jacket potato? Sure, seeing Paul Hollywood making his plaited loaf that stumped Great British Bake Off contestants with envious ease was spectacular and the amount of free cheese, assorted condiments and sweet treats available was enough to constitute a whole meal, but, for me, it was the Sorted Food lads and their flavoursome talents that stole the show. Now I just need to get myself one of their suave aprons.

Charlotte Wilson

@wilsonscribbles

www.redbrick.me/food | 25

In the supertheatre with the stars of

Masterchef Freddie Herzog Food Writer

The BBC Good Food Show provides a smorgasbord of culinary delights, enough to satisfy even the pickiest of foodies. As well as the vast array of samples and stalls, the show also includes the ‘Supertheatre’ where the crowds can see their favourite TV food personalities cooking a live demonstration. First up was a MasterChef cook-off that pitted England rugby star, Phil Vickery, against actress, Emma Kennedy. MasterChef would not be complete without John Wallace and Greg Torode who were on hand with their usual cutting jibes and critical comments as hosts. The celebrities were given just half an hour to produce their dishes. Emma cooked up Turbot with samphire, fennel and a clam broth – an amazing feat for just 30 minutes. Not being a fan of clams, it initially didn’t sound like it would be up my street, but as the smell of the broth wafted over the crowds I began to change my mind. Phil went all out with his venison steak with celeriac remoulade, red onion jam and chorizo sauce – big, meaty flavours that seemed to go together beautifully. Again it seemed impossible that he could make the recipe in just half an hour but he managed it with time to knock back a glass of red wine in the meantime. Since the Great British Bake Off broke onto our screens, Britain seems to have gone baking crazy. It was with great excitement therefore that our next show was to see Paul Hollywood do his magic. Of course a live demonstration is highly unrealistic, especially for baking as things take time to prove and rise. It is therefore clear that a lot of preparation work goes into the shows so the chefs can use the magic line ‘here’s one I prepared earlier’. This was certainly true with Paul Hollywood’s recipes for iced fingers and eight-plaited loaf. The iced fingers looked to die for but the star of the show was the eight-plaited loaf. Assuming everyone is a master baker, Paul deftly turned what looked like a dough octopus into a beautiful plait in seconds. The instructions say 8 under 7 and over 1, then take 8 over 5, take 2 under 3 and over 8, take 1 over 4 and then take 7 under 6 and over 1. This is completely unfathomable and even after several attempts I have still not succeeded in making this look at all presentable. Paul’s rather smug expression after having completed it doesn’t help either. Despite their briefness, the shows in the ‘Supertheatre’ provide a chance to see best loved personalities while also seeing live how the experts cook their food.

From the Show... Venison steak with celeriac remoulade, red onion jam & chorizo sauce Ingredients For the red onion jam: Method: 1 tbsp olive oil 1 For the red onion jam, heat the oil in a pan, add the onions and cardamom pod and cook 1 red onion, finely sliced over a low heat for 5 mins, until soft but not coloured. Add the the garlic and cook over a 1 black cardamompod low heat until soft, but not coloured. Add the sugar and cook until caramelised. Add the 1 tbsp caster sugar red wine, increase the heat and cook until reduced to a sticky jam consistency. Keep warm. 150 ml red wine 50g fresh mayonnaise 2 For the celeriac remoulade, mix the mayonnaise, oil, coriander or parsley together in a 2 tbsp olive oil bowl and season with cracked black pepper. Top, tail and peel the celeriac. Cut into thin 1 tbsp fresh coriander or parsley, slices, then into fine strips. Add to the mayonnaise and mix together. Set aside. chopped 1 small celeriac 3 For the chorizo sauce, heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook For the choizo for 2 mins until it gives out a red oil. Add the honey, balsamic vinegar and red wine. sauce Increase the heat and cook until reduced to a sticky drizzly sauce. 100g 4 For the venison, heat the butter in a pan until it just starts to turn golden. Add the garlic and cook over a low heat until soft, but not coloured. Add the thyme and venison steaks. (Do not move the venison steaks in the pan.This will preserve not only the taste, but also the nutritional qualities in the meat. Baste regularly during cooking). Once golden, turn the meat and repeat on the other side. Cook for 2 mins on each side for rare, 3 mins on each side for medium and 4 mins on each side for well done. Venison is best served slightly pink in the middle. 5 To serve, spoon the celeriac into the centre of the serving plates. Top with sliced venison and spoon the red onions, neatly on top. Drizzle the chorizo sauce around the edge of the plate and garnish with a sprig of watercress.

Charlotte Wilson @wilsonscribbles

26 |18th - 24th January 2013

@RedbrickSci&Tech

CES 2013

Smart ovens and fridges were on display at CES. Dacor is introducing its Android oven with a 7-inch screen and a 1GHz processor. The app that accompanies it will provide cooking guides and recipes and then communicate with the oven to track what is being cooked and inform the user on how best to prepare their food. It will be possible to wirelessly program the oven to start cooking. Notifications will inform the user when the meal is ready, both on the oven screen and also potentially as a text message. Unfortunately, the price of a single oven unit may put many off, a similar problem for many of the smart fridges on display too. At $4,499 consumers may look elsewhere for ovens until it truly becomes worth purchasing a smart kitchen appliance.

Andrew Spencer Science & Technology Editor

@AndrewSpencer93

The yearly Consumer Electronics Show is a chance for industry professionals to meet in Las Vegas and demonstrate the latest and most exciting consumer technologies to the rest of the world. This year saw an incredible display of smart watches, tablets, bendable screens, waterproof phones, massaging robots, a mind-controlled toy helicopter and plenty of health gadgets. Here are some of the most interesting features of CES:

The Central Standard Time watch on show at CES this year is claimed to be the world’s thinnest. Using the same display that is used in the Amazon Kindle, this quite futuristic looking watch is highly flexible, very light and is power efficient. It is expected that one would be able to recharge it 10,000 times, once a month or so, meaning it will last over 15 years. The theme of smarter watches seems to be growing. The Pebble E-Watch, the most successfully crowdfunded project on Kickstarter to date, was also on display. This watch links to an Android or iOS smartphone so that the display of the watch can be customised and updated through an app store on your phone. The watch can display notifications of incoming calls, emails and texts and is waterproof too. The watch battery will last for a week,; however, the watch is expected to have quite a large drain on the actual phone battery through Bluetooth.

DreamBots have shown off a device known as WheeMe, the robot that gives a massage. It uses sensors to stay on your body and detect edges. Gripping on, the wheels turn and provide a relaxing massage for you as the robot rolls around your back. Using their research and knowledge of the most pleasurable speeds and massaging techniques for the brain, DreamBots have created this robot to mimic a real massage experience. Once done, by sitting up the WheeMe will move up to a position where it can be picked up off the shoulder and the massage will end. Whether it will be quite as good as a human massage remains to be tested, but this is certainly an unusual gadget to keep an eye on.

A mind-controlled toy helicopter was also on display. Using a special headset that implements a technique known as electroencephalography, the helicopter feeds off brain activity to become airborne. Remaining relaxed means the helicopter will stay on the ground but by solving simple maths problems the device will start to hover in the air. This has been another successfully funded project on Kickstarter recently and is ready to really take off in the market.

HAPIfork is an interesting take on a health gadget. It is an electric fork used to monitor eating habits. Vibrating and flashing indicator lights when eating too fast or taking too large a serving will help improve eating behaviour. This behaviour can also be tracked and recorded online. Certain things are tracked like the speed of eating the meal and the intervals between moving the fork between the plate and your mouth. It is expected to have a positive impact on digestion and weight loss among other health issues. This is quite different from the rest of the health gadgets on display which tend to focus on monitoring exercise and therefore this gadget has managed to create a buzz at the show.

2013: The year ahead in games Tom Halliday and Sam Atkins share their top 5 most anticipated games of 2013.

Tom's

Top Five

Clockwork Empires is set to be a fantastical city-building game, seeking to marry the insanity of Dwarf Fortress to the empire building of Sim City.Developed by Gaslamp Games, it's exactly the sort of game 2013 needs. PC

Grand Theft Auto 5 is sure to be one of 2013’s best games. With Rockstar taking the series back to the sun-drenched scenery of Los Santos, last seen in PS2 classic San Andreas, fans will be in for a treat when the game is released this summer.

Top Five

Sam's

GRID 2 is sequel to 4 the one of the best racing games of the last five years and promises to improve on all aspects of the original. From Codemasters, the minds behind the DiRT series, this already looks fantastic.

PS3/360

PS3/360/PC

We loved what we played of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance at last year’s Eurogamer, so anticipation is high for the full game. With Raiden forced to go up against other cybernetic enemies, this could be one of the best action games of the year.

PS3/360

www.redbrick.me/tech | 27

New Year, New Science 2013 begins with some revolutionary discoveries

Claire Harris Writer

2013 came in with a bang this week, as scientists accidentally discovered the largest galaxy, which is thought to be five times the size of our Milky Way. It is believed that the galaxy, named NCG 6872, was made so colossal as a result of a collision with the nearby galaxy IC 4970. Scientists were analysing data of a nearby region from the satellite Galex, when they came upon the discovery. Also announced was the news that the asteroid Apophis will make a close pass by Earth in 2036. The current predicted fly-by distance of 14 million km will give scientists an opportunity to study the asteroid further. However, Apophis could still be a threat, with a one-in-200,000 chance that it will strike Earth on the 13th April 2036. Scientists have stressed that this is only thought to be a possibility if the Asteroid flies through a specific keyhole region in space in 2029. In contrast, we move to the world of molecular biology where scientists in Manchester have developed a minute molecular machine. It is just a few millionths of a millimetre long and functions to build proteins in a similar way to the mechanism in the human body. This research is particularly exciting because the team is not restricted to starting on the same building blocks as in the body, enabling them to produce a variety of products. It is hoped that this marvellous machine will manufacture new drug molecules or types of plastic in the future. Finally, ever wondered why your fingers wrinkle up when you are in the bath for too long? We now have the answer, and it seems it does have a use after all. Experiments on the subject have proved that wrinkled fingers provide us with better grip on wet or submerged objects. Previously, it was thought a result of water swelling up the outer layer of skin. However, this offered no explanation as to why the wrinkles are absent in those with nerve damage in the fingers, leading to the conclusion that the response is involuntary. The evolutionary reaction channels water away much like the tread on a car wheel. However, the wrinkles have no apparent disadvantage to grip on dry objects either, so it is still unclear as to why we do not have them permanently.

Probably most 3 the impressive video at E3 last year, Watch Dogs is Ubisoft's big new IP. If it lives up to the early promise of this trailer, it could be incredible. Unfortunately, a 2013 release date has yet to be confirmed. TBA

S e e i n g Bioshock Infinite be delayed from 2012 into 2013 was heartbreaking for fans looking forward to Ken Levine’s latest creation. Hopefully that extra time in development could push this from a great game into classic territory. PS3/360/PC

Cloud Computing: What it means for you George Brighton Writer

Every now and again, something new comes along that promises to revolutionise the way we use technology. Cloud computing has been exactly this in the last few years and is rather useful if used in the right way. Cloud computing works on many levels. In its simplest form, cloud computing is the movement of computing resources from your devices to a data centre. Cloud services receive huge levels of traffic every day – Dropbox and Google Apps are two of many examples. Dropbox is a cloud service that utilises servers, instead of storing your files on your own hardware, you put them on a globally shared ‘computer’ (and as a result get access to that data from many more devices). Likewise, Google Apps is similar to Microsoft Office but used entirely through a web browser. It lets its users store and modify their work online from anywhere. We’ve come a long way from the days when people had to click a button to download waiting emails to their computer before they could be read. Both of these are relatively simple examples of cloud computing - however, some companies have set the bar a little higher. In 2011, wizards at Google introduced the Chromebook. It was unique in that it was never designed to run offline applications in the way we are used to. Instead, as much as possible is achieved using just the web browser, with all data stored in the cloud. As a result, the computer starts up, updates itself and is ready to use within 8 seconds. Because nothing is stored on the device

The first true sequel 2 to one of the best strategy games ever, Company of Heroes 2 seeks to refine and improve on the original in order to make a perfect RTS rather than redefine the genre. PC

Persona 4 2 Golden may be a handheld re-release of a 4 year old PS2 JRPG, but what an amazing JRPG it is. The reception over in the States has been outstanding, and Europe finally gets to join in on the action in 2013. PS Vita

itself, one can lose a Chromebook, buy a new one and pick up straight from where they left off. So where does this capacity come from? Google, unsurprisingly, own their own ‘cloud’ and use it for many things, of which Chromebooks and Google Apps are a small minority. However, most companies don’t have the financial means to do this, and so cloud providers have emerged, who make capacity available for rent. It will probably be news to most that Amazon, the same company everyone used to buy only books from, is one of the largest. Amazon’s Elastic Compute 2 (EC2) service lets anyone borrow computing capacity to use as they wish. If you suddenly require more, you only have to pay a bit extra. In fact, it has become so advanced that applications running in a cloud have the ability to scale themselves, controlling how much capacity they have access to so their owners never pay more than necessary. Before cloud computing, a company paid for its servers whether used or not. Now, if an individual has a need for a lot of computational power, they can go to Amazon and not have to worry about the initial investment in buying servers, or the effort required to get rid of them afterwards. Amazon’s infrastructure for instance is so vast that it can support entire companies – in fact, both Dropbox and Instagram, the image host, rely entirely on Amazon Web Services. This is particularly useful when Justin Bieber posts a photo of his breakfast and

only clever software engineering saves the service from crashing under the weight of teenage girls downloading it. Instagram has less than ten engineers and no production servers, yet can bat along with the giants thanks to cloud computing. The model is not without drawbacks however. Privacy issues do exist – most people are not comfortable putting all of their data in someone else’s hands. Likewise, businesses may be concerned about the security of their trade secrets located on a server they do not own. There is also the physical problem of storing many services in the same location. EC2 has a history of reliability issues, and dropouts have resulted in sites like the aforementioned Instagram and Dropbox, as well as Foursquare and Reddit, becoming completely inaccessible. Despite these downsides, the potential of cloud computing is hard to ignore. It is hoped that one day the technology will mean devices that people buy need only consist of a screen and internet connection. With software in the cloud, customers will never need to do another update. As all the numbercrunching is done remotely, battery life of portable devices should increase dramatically too. Without a doubt, the cloud has brought some very interesting possibilities and changed the direction of technology. As people come to own more devices, the need to share data between them will only increase uptake of cloud services, making the cloud even more essential in our day to day lives.

Total War: 2 1 Rome looks to be bigger, better and more visually impressive than any Total War game before it. The Creative Assembly have gradually been improving their games, and this should be the culmination of the last 10 years of effort. PC

The Last Of will be 1 Us brilliant. It’s hard to watch the gameplay footage released so far and not be excited for the new game from the developers of the Uncharted series. The emphasis on survival and narrative makes it the obvious choice for most anticipated game of 2013. PS3

28 | 18th - 24th January 2013

How do you fol

@RedbrickSport

After a year defined by British sporting success, Redbrick Sport looks forward to what is happening in the world of sport in the coming 12 months.

Football - Josh Reynolds Given that it has been preceded by arguably the greatest year in British sporting history and will be followed by a summer which will see England win the World Cup in Brazil (I can dream, right?), 2013 certainly has a lot to live up to. Football will undoubtedly play its part in ensuring that this year doesn’t disappoint and there is no shortage of exciting occasions to look forward to, none more imminent than the Africa Cup of Nations, which gets underway this weekend. Interest in this tournament has been on the rise in Britain in recent years due to a growing representation of African players in the Premier

League and the fact that this year’s instalment could mark former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba’s last chance to lift the trophy for the Ivory Coast will only serve to further this trend. Aside from the usual business of the Premier League and World Cup qualifiers, there is also the small matter of the Champions League final, which is set to take place at Wembley for an unprecedented second time in three years. 'It’s about time UEFA got something right, I hear you cry. Lastly, the European Under-21 Championships in Israel will be well worth watching, as Stuart Pearce’s very promising young side seek to announce themselves on the international stage.

Rugby Union - Ellie Jones British Lions coach Warren Gatland has a list of some 70 names pencilled in for this summer’s tour to Australia. So he'll be closely following the upcoming Six Nations games over the next few weeks instead of coaching Wales – which is more bad news for the men in red, who have already drawn both Australia and England in the 2015 World Cup. After losing all their autumn tests, even to Samoa, Welsh Six Nations chances do not look good and with injury after injury in the 1st XV, can the new faces hack the pressure? Last year's wooden spoon holders Scotland suffered a dreadful defeat to Tonga in November which resulted in a change of coach - and their clubs have also been disappointing in Europe. They must address the structural prob-

lems in their game to try and remain competititve on the international stage. With Munster not being the powerhouse in Europe they used to be, Ireland’s year maybe doesn't look as peachy as before, though Ulster and Leinster are still doing well in the Heineken Cup. This, all in the backdrop of an upcoming boycott by French and English sides could lead to some uncomfortable conversations amongst those running the game. Surprisingly, England look the best out of the home nations, with narrow losses to Australia and South Africa in the autumn more than outweighed by an amazing win against New Zealand. Could this year’s Six Nations see Stuart Lancaster's team go one better than 2012?

Tennis - Ashley Hirschberger 2013 could well be the most exciting and competitive year that tennis has ever seen, with the eagerly anticipated return of Rafael Nadal adding to the battle between Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer for world number one spot, this is the closest in ability the fearsome four have been. However, I predict that there could be a shock in one of this year’s grand slams and we could have a surprise winner. The most likely to break the top four’s dominance is Juan Martin Del Potro. He reached three grand slam quarter finals in 2012 and beat Djokovic to win the bronze medal at the Olympics and now finally appears to be over his injury worries. On the women’s front grand slam

winners have been very hard to predict over the last few years with eight different winners in the last 12 grand slams. However, in 2013 expect the dominance of the current top three, Victoria Azarenka, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. Also look out for the resurgent Anna Ivanovic in 2013 who improved her ranking and form in 2012 after a turbulent last few years. It also looks like being a fruitful year for the British contingent, with three players into the Australian Open second round at the time of writing. I expect Murray to add another title to his impressive CV and Laura Robson and Heather Watson should progress through a few rounds in the grand slams and maybe reach a Quarter Final.

www.redbrick.me/sports | 29

llow that, 2013? F1 - Felix Keith 2013 brings change in drivers to the F1 world, but promises to be as close as ever, with the rules unchanged. The major movement concerns Lewis Hamilton, who has made the move from McLaren to Mercedes, with Sergio Perez filling his shoes. Michael Schumacher has called time on his brief comeback at Mercedes to allow for Hamilton’s arrival. Red Bull remain the team to beat with the three-time world champion Sebastian Vettel leading the way, ably backed up by Mark Webber. But Fernando Alonso made it clear last season that he will challenge him all the way, despite an inferior car. Can Ferrari provide a car capable of winning the championship for the first time since 2007? Lotus have stuck with Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean and will be looking to improve on a solid season. Could this be the season that one of the smaller teams makes an impression? Sauber clearly had a competitive car last year, but struggled to collect points. Force India have acquired Paul di Resta and will be hopeful of improvement. A season with serious competition from the smaller teams would definitely add to the spectacle of F1.2013 promises much and if it’s anywhere near as thrilling as 2012 we’re in for treat. Golf - Tim Pearson Well follow that 2013! In 2012 we saw one of the greatest Ryder Cup’s ever, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy duelling against each other for the first time and the much talked of anchored putter ban slated for 2016. The question is where does the game go from here? Will this finally be the year that one of Donald, Westwood, Poulter and Rose finally lift a major trophy? Whisper it quietly but it could happen, especially given that the US Open is being played at Merion, a tough but compact course. Donald’s lack of length should not penalise him too much and Westwood’s ball striking can see him challenge at any golf course as long as he putts to a B standard. And how much confidence must Rose and Poulter have taken from their roles at Medinah? I may be misguided but I truly believe that England will have its first major champion since Faldo by the end of the year. Yet while golf professionally is in rude health, at the amateur level it is struggling. Dwindling numbers of participants, partly due to people being priced out of the game should be a major concern for those charged with growing the game. Reversing this decline should be the governing bodies priority this year. Luckily golf may be saved in the Far East by the success of women on the LPGA. The likes of Yani Tseng and Na Yeon Choi, the world No. 1 and 2 respectively are fuelling a rapid growth in the sport which can only help widen its appeal worldwide.

What no one can predict is the drama which golf brings every week. No one could have predicted Adam Scott’s collapse at Royal Birkdale or Ian Poulter’s five birdies in a row on Saturday in the Ryder Cup. In the hardest sport to predict, I predict the unpredictable. Cricket - Joel Lamy 2013 is a great year for English cricket fans. There is the small matter of backto-back Ashes series against an Australian side which has shown some excellent form in the past 12 months. This is the undoubted highlight of the cricketing calendar. Apart from the Aussies, this summer will see England hosting the final ever ICC Champions Trophy. They will hope to go one better than when they hosted it nine years ago where they were dramatically defeated by the West Indies in the final. England will also come up against a weak New Zealand side in back-toback series whilst in February and March every Test playing nation will be involved in a series. The highlight for this will be Australia’s tour of India. Aside from international cricket once again there is the domestic season to look forward to with Warwickshire and Hampshire looking to defend their trophies; the former will have to make do without Director of Cricket Ashley Giles, who has taken over management of limited overs cricket for England. Surrey’s signing of South African Test captain Graeme Smith will be one to watch as will 2011 county champions Lancashire who now reside in Division Two. Cycling - Thomas Dodd Mays’ Giro d’Italia will see Bradley Wiggins seeking to add to his Grand Tour collection and win the Pink Jersey for the first time. The route looks perfectly suited to Wiggins’s style, featuring two long individual time trials. Wiggo will face stiff competition though as 2012 winner Ryder Hesjedal will be keen to defend his title and the Italian contingent of Basso, Nibali and Pellizotti will desperately want a win on home soil. The centenary Tour de France will be more like a tour of history, as the race will climb to all of the most famous peaks before finishing in Paris in front of the setting sun for the first time. Alberto Contador will undoubtedly be in the mix again in what will be his first Tour since returning from a drugs ban, and I can see him being too strong for the likes of Andy Schleck and Chris Froome- who looks set to lead the Team Sky charge. Look out for the youngsters of Pierre Rolland, Thibaut Pinot and Tejay van Garderen who will push the three favourites close. 2013 could also be the year that cycling is re-born. The sport finally has a chance to start fresh and build an honest reputation as one of the most competitive and exciting sports on the planet. With Lance Armstrong well and truly stricken for the record, there’s never been a better time.

30 | 18th - 24th January 2013

Brum left out in the cold after quick start Womens Football

Birmingham 1sts

Loughborough 1sts

Thomas Dodd

@TomAlexDodd

Sports Correspondent

Birmingham Women’s 1sts left Loughborough understandably deflated after going down 3-1 in bitterly cold temperatures to suffer their first away defeat of the season, and their first since losing to the same opponents at home four games ago. It had all started so well. A mere 70 seconds had elapsed when Fran Boggi pounced to slot home after Lauren Davey in the Loughborough goal failed to hold on to an Emma Follis effort. But that was, unfortunately, as good as it got for Brum, who were then subjected to wave after wave of Loughborough attacks for the majority of the rest of the first half. Within minutes Avilla Bergin was given time to pick her spot and

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from a tight angle saw her shot come back off the woodwork with Amy Edwards beaten. The visiting keeper then had to stand up strong to an effort from Amber Hughes to preserve the slender one goal advantage. The deserved equaliser came just after the half hour mark when Lauren Struszczak curled an unstoppable strike beyond the helpless Edwards from 25 yards. Loughborough continued to press but Birmingham saw out the opening forty-five, Captain Lindsay Whitton and Nicole Nymoen standing firm at the back. The second half started more evenly, Loughborough keeping possession with Birmingham finally starting to look more threatening thanks, as ever, to skill and movement of Follis down the right. But the game soon turned again, as Loughborough started to recreate the form they showed in the first half; the difference being this time that the goal arrived much sooner. Bergin and Hughes exchanged passes on the edge of the area before the latter fired past Edwards from 15 yards to put the hosts in front for the first time. With Birmingham still reeling and trying to re-group, Loughborough put the result beyond doubt when

Bergin outpaced Whitton to a long ball and delicately chipped the ball over the onrushing Edwards into the bottom corner of the net. Clearly dejected, Birmingham could so easily have thrown in the towel and allowed Loughborough to increase the lead even further, though 4-1 would have been harsh on Jenny Sugarman’s ever hard-working team. As it was, credit must be given for the way the visitors’ continued to play football and fashion chances as their slim hopes of becoming league champions slipped away. The closest the away side came to setting up a grandstand finish was when Nymoen saw her dipping effort from 18 yards brilliantly tipped onto the post with five minutes left to play. ‘There’s not one girl in that eleven that has let us down today’, remarked Coach Cameron McVittie after the final whistle ‘it just wasn’t our day.’ Brums league campaign ends at home against Nottingham in two weeks and should confirm the teams highest ever league finish. Further evidence, that despite this result its been quite a season. And there’s still the prospect of a cup run to look forward to.

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Page 31 Sports Shorts

Tweet of the Week

Online this week @VincentKompany

Heroes... John Brooks The linesman at the Emirates gained widespread support in the media after telling Man City players to see their fans after their 2-0 win over Arsenal. The fans had paid a ridiculous £62 to watch their team. He has since been dropped his next fixture by the FA, due to the media attention on him.

Russell Henley The Rookie on the PGA picked up a win in his first ever event after winning his tour card in the winter. With a score of -24, many in golf are asking if he is the next big thing in US golf.

'Ultimately I'm a defender: Appeal may work or not. I will never pull out of a challenge, as much as I will never intend to injure a player.' Weekend Wager

6/1 There has been much speculation surrounding the career of Frank Lampard. Reports say that Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich is looking to move him on, despite his good form and legendary status. LA Galaxy is one possible destination.

Redbrick Sport Quiz

Chelsea transfer policy

Men's Football 3rds 1-0 Nottingham 2nds Ross Highfield takes a look at Chelsea's transfer policy. Are the old guard of Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole really on their way out of Stamford Bridge? Gaelic Football

5. Who managed England at the 1990 World Cup?

1.Allyson Felix 2.Polo 3. Sunil Gavaskar 4. Basketball 5. Bobby Robson

The Redbrick Crossword

Owen Dunne takes an indepth look at the Gaelic football club and its rise in popularity over the last few seasons.

Golf in 2013

Netball 3rds 37-35 UEA 1sts Men's Squash 3rds 3-2 Loughborough 2nds

...and Villains Jay Rodriguez The Saints striker not only dived to win a penalty at freefalling Aston Villa on Saturday, but also denied foul play. The penalty proved crucial as the away team won 1-0 to leave Villa in the relegation zone.

Women's Tennis 1sts 10-2 Coventry 1sts

Tom Daley

Men's Football 1sts 2-0 Warwick 1sts

Tom Daley has made a 'splash' into light entertainment with his diving reality TV show. It's a shame that there is nothing entertaining about it. We hope he returns to actual diving quickly and leaves the world of z list celebrities behind.

Fixtures - 23rd January Men's Fencing 1sts v Leicester 1sts Munrow Gym 2pm Women's Football 1sts v Leeds Met 1sts Munrow Track 2pm Men's Football 3rds v Coventry 2nds Munrow Track 3pm Men's Tennis 1sts v Coventry 2nds 1sts David Lloyd 12pm

Tim Pearson looks ahead to the year in golf and the changes that are taking place and the worrying trend of declining participation.

Antonia Morris Crossword Editor

This week's prize is a £5 Waterstones Gift Voucher Completed crosswords to be submitted to the Redbrick office, located in the Guild basement Across 1. Radio or television show (9) 8. Reflecting sound (4) 9. Vehicle for hire with a driver (4) Please complete this form before 10. Infant bed (4) you hand in your completed 12. Having the same opinion about crossword to the Redbrick office. something (5) 14. Hollow muscular organ that pumps blood through the circulatory system (5) Name: 16. A large flightless Australian bird (3) 17. A set of letters or symbols in a fixed order, used to represent the basic sounds Email Address: of a language (8) 20. Look vacantly at someone or something with one’s eyes wide open (5) Phone Number: 21. Protagonist who lacks conventional heroic attributes (8) 22. Gone by or in the past (3) 23. A false or assumed identity (5) Scribble box 25. Grossly fat or overweight (5) 28. A small tuft or lock (4) 30. An open pastry case containing a filling (4) 31. At or to a distance (4) 32. A famous person (9)

Men's Lacrosse 2nds 9-2 Lincoln 1sts

Women's Football 1sts 1-3 Loughborough 1sts

2. Which sport is played on the largest pitch?

4. Which sport do the Oklahoma City Thunder play?

Women's Basketball 1sts 65-47 Cambridge 1sts Men's Football 2nds 4-2 Warwick 2nds

1.Who was the only woman to win three atheletics gold medals at London 2012?

3. Who was the first cricketer to achieve 10,000 test runs?

Results - 16th January

Down 2. Move about or travel aimlessly (4) 3. A smooth continuous movement (5) 4. Correct in all details (8) 5. A medical imaging technique used in radiology to visualize internal structures of the body in detail (3) 6. A mark left on the skin after injury (4) 7. The University of Birmingham Guild of Students Vice President of Housing and Community, James _______ (9) 11. Wash by immersing one’s body in water (5) 13. Having six sides and six angles (9) 14. Feelings of mental or physical pain (5) 15. A crown-like jewelled headdress worn on formal occasions (5) 18. To fall out of place (8) 19. Prejudice for or against (4) 20. Small mole-like mammal (5) 24. A theoretical performer (5) 26. A set of questions or exercises evaluating skill or knowledge (4) 27. A very troublesome child (4) 29. Frozen water (3)

Men's Squash 2nds v Cambridge 1sts Munrow Squash Courts 2pm Women's Basketball 2nds v Bishop Grosseteste Munrow Sports Hall, 2pm

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32 | 18th - 24th January 2013

2013: A year of sport Redbrick Sport sees if 2013 can live up to 2012's dizzy heights

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Brum men start 2013 as they mean to go on Men's Football

Birmingham 1sts

Tom Garry Sports Correspondent

Warwick 1sts

Birmingham 1sts secured a crucial win over midlands rivals Warwick 1sts on a bitterly cold afternoon at the Metchley 3G thanks to two well-taken second-half goals. The points were won when lonestriker Richards pounced on a mistake by Warwick to double Birmingham's advantage in the closing stages after Youngs had given the home side the lead in the 66th minute. The opening 45 minutes saw both sides cancelling each other out but it was Birmingham who created the best of the rare attempts on goal, winger Scott Treleaven going close on two occasions. Warwick's midfield pressed their opponents high up the pitch, slightly frustrating the home side but rarely threatening the in-form Piggot in the Brum goal. Only a speculative 30-yard drive from midfielder Dale forced a save out of Birminghamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s number one. In the second half, Piggot's opposite number, Ward, suffered a freak ankle injury while taking a drop-kick and, with

Charlotte Wilson

@Wilsonscribles

@TomG_BurnFM

the substitute keeper on, Birmingham took full advantage of their rivals' misfortune. With Warwick tiring, Wardell threaded the ball through to Youngs and the Birmingham number nine beat the offside trap before comfortably slotting the ball into the bottom corner. Confidence brewing in the Birmingham ranks, they started to dominate from then on. Right-back Carr in particular put in a faultless display. And with time running out for Warwick, their centre-back Langdon missed a clearance on the edge of the box and the ball fell kindly for Richards who finished superbly to secure three points for the home team. Additional Birmingham wins for the both the 2nds and the 3rds gave the Men's Football Club three wins out of three on the day that the FA started its 150th Anniversary Celebrations. For the men's 1sts though, today's win saw them close-in on league-leaders Worcester, with promotion back to the Premier North in sight.

10 | 1st - 7th February 2013

The Last Empire:

France's Continued Involvement in Africa

Giles Longley-Cook examines the impact of modern imperlialism Once again a rich Western power is involving itself militarily in the affairs of a third world nation, supplying aid and armed force to the side it deems friendly to its national interests. Time for protests, calls of corruption, anger, condemnation Oh wait; it’s not America intervening. OK cancel all that. No, the gung-ho power on this occasion is France. ‘What?’ you ask ‘The country we praised for not bowing to American pressure and invading Iraq with us?’ Yes France, not a country we consider too much militarily these days, has now involved itself, with the UK in close pursuit, in the military conflict in Mali. While not in large numbers, its troops are occupying frontline positions in the battle to eradicate Islamist rebels in the North. With such similarities to the US interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan (the fight against Islamism, defence of dodgy allies, technological advantages and history of interference with the countries involved) it’s hard to see why one should be accepted as a necessary intervention while the others continue to attract revulsion as imperialist ventures. A certain level of snobbery can be detected in the opinions given of either. Europe, the old money, likes its international relations to remain small-scale, tasteful, unhindered by any vulgar overt displays of action or principle. America on the other hand is the Nouveau Riche power; brash, flashy, confidant, in-your-face. And like the quiet struggle between any elite and rising group, European disdain for the uncouth ways of our transatlantic cousins comes with a barely veiled hint of jealousy and fear. The truth is that whatever the motivations behind and the methods used in American foreign policy, and boy can they be terrible in both, any imperialism or self-interest has come in varying degrees. If you want a record of foreign policy that bears an almost

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unbroken stream of both those two motivations, look no further than that of post ww2 France. Obvious early examples include the terror campaigns waged in their colonies in Algeria and Indochina in the 50’s, campaigns of a similar nature to the ones this country was waging simultaneously in our own holdings. Those wars were well-publicised and assignable to a forgotten/reviled colonial age. But with overt intervention off the table a new era has arisen in exFrench West Africa, one of covert financing, deals, non-committal support and, if putting troops on the ground is necessary, plausible deniability. Earlier examples of such behaviour, and the worst, include the ‘friendly and fraternal’ cooperation with Jean-Bedel Bokassa, ruthless dictator of the Central African Republic, first putting him in power with a bloody coup, then propping up his vile regime, aiding his overthrow once he’d become too much of an embarrassment and finally giving him sanctuary on the French Riviera, avoiding cannibalism charges alongside other spat out despots. Since then the butcher’s bill has included French military and financial aid used to overthrow the progressive Sankara regime in Burkina Faso, reducing the nation to backward servitude, full on involvement in conflicts in Ivory Coast and Chad, and, while the rest of the world remained shamefully silent, involvement in the Rwandan genocide to save Europeans and sabotage the anti-genocide rebels. Very rarely has the UN ever been consulted over these decisions and bare-faced self-interest, financial and political, from national levels to the personal business of presidents, has commonly been the deciding factor behind them. The recent Mali intervention is almost unique in that it is against evil totalitarian forces, but then so was the invasion of Afghanistan. The fact that one is seen as a crime and the other as reasonable has yet to be rectified.

Daniel Baird. President Obama has not had the easiest start to his second Presidential term, what with the Newtown shootings and the fiscal cliff that was narrowly set back. However, it seems like Obama has found an issue that both Republicans and Democrats can agree on and that is immigration. It is predicted that in America there are 11 million illegal immigrants, who are mainly Hispanic. Both parties are incredibly keen to win 'the Hispanic vote' and divisions could begin to occur with the parties as both try to come off as immigration friendly whilst at the same time trying to cut immigration. On another note Republican Senator Marco Rubio is seen as a contender to run for President in 2016 because of his part cuban heritage, its a balancing act.

USA

POLITICS James Philips. The candidates for the NUS Presidential and Vice Presidential elections have been announced – or should I say, the winners of the elections have been announced. National Conference looks set to announce their support for the six Labour students candidates who are standing. The same old faces step up to take their places and it almost seems pointless that the NUS (supposedly one of the most democratic organisations in the country) even hold their elections. We all know who’ll win. It’s more of a coronation ceremony. But, we’ll sit in suspense until April to wait for our thoughts to be confirmed. Procedural motion to go straight to a vote, anyone?

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Political Correspondant How's ofthe State Alicea Francis looks at the the implication of allowing Julian Union? Assange a platform @Alicea_francis

Murder suspects, fascists and religious extremists. These guys are top of the guest list for the Oxford Union, the world's most prestigious yet significantly disliked debating society. Were it a nightclub, the bouncers would probably greet them with a firm handshake and a casual queue jump, leaving the liberals and do-gooders to wait patiently in the rain with the woman who threw up on herself, offering her their coats while simultaneously providing the local homeless man enough words of wisdom and encouragement to turn his life around. The Union prides itself on its a-political stance, professing that it 'believes first and foremost in freedom of speech: nothing more, nothing less'. It is this reasoning that has spurred it to welcome some of the world's most controversial figures to its chambers, with past speakers including John Tyndall, Zakir Naik and O. J. Simpson. But now, it seems, the Union is extending its hand not only to those who have stood trial, but also to suspects who have yet to face the justice system. This week's guest of honour - Julian Assange. Last week, the WikiLeaks founder addressed the Union at their Sam Adams awards ceremony, an evening which celebrates individuals exemplifying 'courage, persistance and devotion to the truth'. He appeared via video link live from the Ecuadorian embassy, where he has been seeking sanctuary from a European arrest warrant, after allegations of rape and sexual assault were made against him back in June last year. A spokesperson for the Oxford Union said: 'The Union was founded on the principle of free speech, and this is still right at the heart of what [it] stands for. Mr Assange has

made a very significant contribution to the field of whistle-blowing and we really feel that it's possible to discuss his political views and opinions without in any way condoning or sanctioning his private actions'. Like me, you may already be picking up on the less-than-subtle ironies of the occasion. Don't get me wrong, I'm a firm believer in free speech. I probably like it a little bit too much for a lot of people's tastes. The BNP's fall in the polls wasn't the result of no-platform activism, but came from providing Nick Griffin with the opportunity to air his views to millions on Question Time. That way, he was able shoot himself in the foot without the BBC having to do it for him. But giving a platform to Assange at this particular event was just plain wrong. The irony of inviting a man who has spent the last six months evading the justice system to speak during an evening celebrating 'integity' is too shameless for belief. The fact that it was at an awards ceremony rather than at a debate or Q&A session meant that, despite claims to the contrary from the Union, there was little opportunity for cross-examination, not helped by the legal constraints that limited how much he could actually say. By welcoming a suspect of sexual violence to its stage, the Union completely undermined the purpose of the event, as well as the seriousness of the accusations made against him. It's instances like this that contribute to the ever-present minimalisation of rape accusations in society, which plays on assumptions that rape allegations are exaggerated or indeed false. Once again, victims of sexual violence have been brushed aside for the thrill of a sensationalist publicity stunt, and silenced in the name of free speech.

Jeremy Crampin. Earlier in the month a helicopter struck a crane in Vauxhall, killing two. London was shocked by this event – initially not least because we’re about due for another terrorist attack. What struck me, however, was the very fact it was a source of shock. Maybe it was because I’d just returned from a fortnight in downtown Marseille, or because of the embarrassing predominance of Russian based ‘fail’ videos- which have become my choice object of procrastination these days; but I thought to myself, ‘isn’t it great that these kinds of tragedies make headline news’. I predict half a century down the line we’ll find a balance between nostalgic Victorian efficiency and the bank breaking risk assessments of today.

LONDON

SPORT James Dolton. This week saw a significant blow for wilful insanity in the Premier League, as one of the most colourful and caustic characters in the history of Premier League departed for pastures new. Mario Balotelli, Manchester City’s jester, committed one indiscretion too many and was shown the door to AC Milan. Manager Mancini’s seemingly limitless patience was bending when a journalist’s recent question of “Roberto, can I ask about Mario” was met with the tragicomical “For fucks sake”. His output and statistical contribution has dwindled this season to a dribble, but even so, it is a shame to lose one of the great entertainers of the modern game from our shores.

Sophie Tollet. The BBC website always makes me laugh. No matter how earnestly it tries to present the news, the ‘Most Popular’ side-bar gives away the British public’s desire for mindless entertainment as they trawl the web in search of procrastination. I logged on today, for instance, for ‘Today’s Top Stories’, including ‘French enter Mali town’ and ‘Donors pledge aid for Syria’, to be thrust in my face. A small scroll down the page, however, tells me that ‘Surfer rides highest ever wave’ has been the most read story. This interest in amusing, insignificant or just plain weird stories runs in the same vein of Fifty Shades of Grey: it seems people are interested in very different things when they think no one can see what they’re reading.

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