Redbrick Issue 1501, Vol. 83
Who might be the next U.S. president?
Features 12-13
Friday 25th January 2019
Women Power Protest in Birmingham
FREE
How to turn Veganuary into veganism
Ali and Mortensen shine
Culture Film 19 22
Food&Drink 28
Green Heart Completed
Guild President and VC formally open £11.5 million project
Redbrick
page 3
The Official University of Birmingham Student Newspaper, est. 1936
Future of Selly Express in Doubt Megan Stanley & Sophie Woodley News Editors
Questions have been raised recently concerning the current and future funding of the Selly Express. Launched in October 2018, the Selly Express service was an attempt on the University and Guild of Students’ behalves to protect students’ safety in Selly Oak. In November, the Guild Community Wardens made a Facebook post stating, ‘The Selly Express is now 1 month old and we have officially taken over 1,000 passengers home safely at night in our first month!! Thanks for riding the Selly Express!’ However, on Monday 14th January, Guild President Reece Patrick Roberts published a post stating, ‘Sadly, no new money has been secured for the project as the university deem this project as “showboating” and not dealing with safety in Selly.’ The Selly Express is currently funded by the Residents’ Association (RA) Scheme. The Guild are contracted to spend the RA Scheme fund on behalf of the University, and therefore need to seek permission for what the funds are used for. The University say it has been ‘supportive’
of the trial ‘since its inception in the previous academic year and supports the Guild in organising the Selly Express by employing a driver, providing a vehicle and co-ordinating the service – in addition to the joint decision to provide funding.’ A University spokesperson also told Redbrick that, ‘The Selly Express was originally planned to run for one term in the first instance, with funding provided by a historic underspend in money students paid towards accommodation fees. The aim was to test the concept and see how popular it would be. In discussion with the Guild, we have agreed to extend funding for the Selly Express until the end of the academic year.’ The future of the Selly Express is therefore still under formal evaluation, and the University states that ‘no decision has been made about the success of the initiative nor its future operation nor funding since the year-long pilot is less than halfway through.’ Nevertheless, changes to the Selly Express that have been made since November raise doubts over its future. Towards the end of last term the service became only available from the Library (having previously also made a stop at the Guild), as well as altering its collection times from every 30 minutes to every 45 minutes.
Roberts spoke to Redbrick regarding the future of the Selly Express: ‘Moving forward, I will be working to ensure that the Selly Express can be delivered for the next academic year and beyond. I want student safety in Selly Oak to remain at the top of the agenda, and for this to be the primary focus of our efforts, as opposed
INSIDE: The Night I Don’t Remember – One Student’s Search For Answers After Being Spiked in a Club
to a debate about funding.’ He also suggested finance to be a key obstacle, stating an obligation to ‘reducing running costs and overheads’ in order to make the service ‘sustainable’, and to ‘ensure there is a long term commitment to delivery of the Selly Express as part of a wider safety strategy.’
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Redbrick
Friday 25th Januray 2019
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Letter from the committee... Following the 1500th edition of Redbrick seems somewhat strange. Reaching a landmark that immense, after 82 years of history, how can you be expected to follow? Being the newest member of committee (appointed in October of last year) and to one of the most recently created positions of ‘Marketing Secretary and Treasurer,’ maybe I should be used to ushering all things newfangled by now. The next era of Redbrick, looking forward to the next milestone begins here. However, I must crown this new epoch with a somewhat mellow tone. The decline of print media, especially in the younger generation, is left bare for all to see. An obsession with instant consumerism has led to information reduced to bite-size chunks that may be read – and reacted to – within a second. Amongst students especially, who have a mass of social media at their fingertips, traditional newspapers are often left discarded. My position was somewhat created to combat this, a direct reflection of the worry that we are becoming increasingly ‘unknown’ even on our own campus. Marketing ourselves in
the right way to our audience is vital for raising awareness that we intend to be here to stay. I hope to force the paper (if I have to) back into the faces of students across campus. However, I express this concern with an equal sense of optimism. Earlier this week the ‘Give It a Go’ fair saw a lot of new faces eager to join the paper. Amidst a year of continued sign ups, it proves how vital it still is to give students the opportunity to express their voice. There will hopefully always be a new generation of Redbrick to come. With announcement of our AGM imminent, the tenure of all current committee members will begin to swiftly conclude, and these new faces will replace us. I am glad to have played my part in such a prestigious paper. A vast number of opportunities can be gained by signing up, and I would encourage everyone to do so. In my life at the moment, second year spells the halfway stage of my university life looming. I would tell everyone reading to heed the advice of taking advantage of all opportunities provided while at university – there is no other time
in your life when you have unparalleled time with minimal commitments and responsibilities.
Theodore Wrigley Marketing Secretary
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UoB’s Green Heart Opens its Doors Liam Taft News Editor
The Green Heart is officially open after an opening ceremony took place on Friday 18th January. Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir David Eastwood and Guild President Reece Patrick Roberts were in attendance and opened the gates leading to the Green Heart for the first time. Construction began on the project in 2017 with the demolition of the old library. The 12 acres of parkland now boasts 160 trees, a grass auditorium for performances, and dedicated areas for art and sculpture from the University’s collections. A new water feature known as ‘The Rill’ is also being implemented, which will ‘bring together’ the new Teaching and Learning Building and the Green Heart. The space also includes digital information points and vari-
ous Wi-Fi hotspots. With seating for up to 500 people, the University hopes that the Green Heart will be a place for students, staff, and members of the public to meet and relax. A walkway has also been constructed that connects North Gate a n d Chancellor ’s Court. This University of has improved Birmingham accessibility for wheelchair users and people with white sticks. Not only that, it has restored the walkway between the two areas that was envisaged as part of the University’s original designs in the early 1900s. Speaking at the ceremony, Vice-Chancellor David Eastwood
said: ‘The work of the last 15 months has been extraordinary.’ He continued, adding: ‘This is a good example of our ambition to create a space that will become a thriving hub of biodiversity, provide flexible outdoor spaces for students, staff and the community, and a sustainable heart to this Edgbaston campus.’ Guild of Students President, Reece Patrick Roberts also spoke at the event: ‘Today we open the gates [...] to the Green Heart, which to some students may just be lawn but to the majority of them it’ll be a Green Heart that will be a platform for students to meet, to relax
and share knowledge.’ Chris Churchman designed the project in association with Associated Architects. He said that it has been ‘a great honour’ to design the Green Heart and that it has been a ‘rewarding experience to see our vision realised.’ Some students have spoken positively about the Green Heart. UoB student Roisin Murphy told Redbrick that it ‘really brings a nice atmosphere to the Uni.’ Roisin also suggested that she and her friends had already ‘gone onto the grass and chilled’ because it’s a ‘great place to relax.’ Adam Green agreed, saying that the final product is ‘better than I thought it would be – one hundred percent.’ However, in regards to the funding of the Green Heart, a second-year English student told Redbrick that she is ‘angry’ that so much money has been spent on the project. ‘I think it’s a wonderful space,’ she said, ‘but it’s disappointing to see that the money
could have been used to improve services that students actually care about, such as counselling.’
“It really brings a nice atmosphere to the Uni” Others acknowledge that the Green Heart is an important longterm investment. Roisin suggested that ‘a lot of people might choose to go to this University because of the way the campus looks,’ which she argues makes the spending worthwhile. Construction of the Green Heart is yet to be fully completed, with a new café and tapas bar expected to open later in the year. However, the Green Heart will host various events throughout 2019, including a weekend-long launch event in June.
New Policy for UoB Non-EU Staff Megan Stanley News Editor @oh_itsonlymegan
The University of Birmingham is facing criticism over plans that will place more immigration controls on international staff, the Guardian has reported. In new guidelines released this week, UoB have said that non-EU staff will be required to register attendance each day by filling in a time card which will be validated each week. The guidelines further said that if a manager found that ‘any of the
details are incorrect they will need to ensure they are raised with the individual and resolved’. This new system is expected to affect both short and long-term non-EU staff and is being introduced to comply with visa sponsorship duties that the university must uphold. Unions and campaigners are accusing the University of pursuing draconian and discriminatory monitoring of academics. President of the Birmingham branch of the University and College Union (UCU), James Brackley said: ‘Under the current system, administrators compile
attendance reports on non-EU staff every week in line with Home Office requirements. ‘It appears that the proposed system is a significant escalation of that monitoring and will put them under much greater scrutiny, and give their line managers a lot more power over them.’ Brackley further said that some staff believe it is ‘a racist policy comparable to going through a border checkpoint simply to do their daily work.’ ‘It makes them feel like outsiders and that they’re not trusted by their employer. This is causing an enormous amount of stress.’
In response to this, a University spokesperson said: ‘The University of Birmingham is not introducing a new attendance monitoring system for non-EU staff and is not expecting non-EU staff to check in on a daily basis. ‘Like many other universities, businesses and organisations we are implementing a new finance, HR and payroll IT system to provide self-service to staff. [This] replaces outdated, often paperbased systems and processes and gives staff control of things like booking leave, accessing payslips and changing personal details.’ The University further added
that the Home Office requires them to confirm that staff attendance. Since 2010, universities are required to inform the Home Office regarding any breaches in the visa status of any international student or member of staff, under the hostile environment policy. Dr. Gareth Edwards, of campaign group International and Broke, told the Guardian: ‘This proposal sends a clear and unfortunate message that non-British staff are not welcome at the University of Birmingham.’ Do you have an opinion on this article? Contact us on Twitter: @redbricknews
UoB Welcomes Refugee Exhibition Emily Darby News Writer
An award-winning exhibition called ‘Museum Without a Home’ has been on display on the bottom floor of the University’s library. The display started on Monday 21st January and is due to close today. The exhibition created by Oxfam and Amnesty International Greece is composed of real items, including a nappy, a kettle, children’s toys and many more everyday objects donated to migrants that arrived in Greece during the refugee crisis between 2015 and 2016. ‘Behind each one of these simple items is a story’, Lisa Steward from Oxfam Scotland told the BBC. It has already won a European Excellence Award and was nominated for the best NGO campaign in 2016. The collection comes to the University of Birmingham this month, after the Student Action For Refugees (STAR) society donated an item to the touring
museum which has since travelled from Greece to the UK, and was recently opened to the public in Westminster, Glasgow, and Scottish Parliament. Several events will take place to celebrate the exhibition’s arrival in Birmingham this week, organised in collaboration with three of UoB’s prominent charity-focused societies: Amnesty, Oxfam Outreach, as well as STAR (Student Action For Refugees). Chair of STAR society Amy O’Neill talked about how Birmingham students contributed to the collection: ‘One of STAR's committee members and I went to the opening of the exhibition in Parliament in September, as Birmingham STAR contributed to the exhibition by showing some of the children's books we used in the library that we set up at the refugee hostel in Birmingham.’ O’Neill, who is also a 2nd year History student, continued: ‘STAR and Oxfam thought it would be a good idea for the museum to come to Birmingham, as it has also done a school tour, and will be visiting some other universities. We've organised a number of events in
the week, such as an information event on Monday and a rally on Friday to raise awareness of the Families Together campaign.’ The items reflect basic objects that became a source of comfort for some of the 173,000 refugees who arrived in Greece in 2016 alone, many of whom fled to the country by sea, often having left most or all their possessions at home. Greek citizens responded by donating small everyday objects that could make a huge difference to the refugees’ quality of life. Ted Lewis, Chair of UoB’s Amnesty International society told Rebrick: ‘Campaigning for refugees has been at the forefront of our issues in the past couple years’. ‘I think it’s easy to experience a disconnect towards, or, at least, not fully appreciate the challenges refugees face in their everyday lives. That’s why I think this exhibition provides a great opportunity for people to really connect and empathise with refugees, seeing evidence of their lives helps us appreciate them as people, not just headlines or statistics.’ the Chair
and 4th year International Relations student continued. Since arriving in the UK at the beginning of this year, the exhibition has been receiving new donations to its collection as it advances in its tour around the country. Emma Hodgart, President of UoB’s Oxfam Outreach society Sophie Woodley
told Redbrick: ‘I strongly believe in this exhibition and it signifies the welcoming of refugees in Greece and the UK. With all items of the exhibition being real objects donated by people to make refugees feel more welcomed, I believe it shows a real sense of unification and a desire to help.’
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UoB School is ‘One of a Kind’
The University of Birmingham School has four catchment areas across Birmingham, making it one of a kind according to the Guardian, Megan Stanley reports Megan Stanley News Editor @oh_itsonlymegan
When the school opened in 2015, the year seven class was made up of students from 61 primary schools across the country. Based on Weoley Park Road near UoB’s Selly Oak campus, the school reflects the diversity of Birmingham. Having multiple catchment areas means that the school has a white population of 42%, an Asian students population of 26%, while black students make up 16% of the student body. This can be compared to Selly Oak where 71% of the residents are white, 11% are Asian, and 5.8% are black. While the school takes half of its student population from Selly
Oak, the other catchment areas cover Hall Green, the Jewellery Quarter, and Small Heath. Birmingham was named as one of the top 10 areas for having some of the least integrated schools in the UK according to the Casey Review, a 2016 government report about segregation. James Arthur, founder of University of Birmingham School (UoBS) and a professor at the School of Education at UoB said: ‘Birmingham is quite segregated. You have an east side of Birmingham that’s predominantly Muslim and Pakistani origin and you have a south side, where we are today, which is predominately white and more affluent. ‘We were very conscious that we didn’t want to have another school in the south of Birmingham that would just reflect the south of
Birmingham.’ While having a diverse school body is part of the school’s mission, another key goal is ‘character education.’ Head teacher Rebecca Tigue said: ‘It’s our way of inspiring and teaching children to lead more flourishing lives by increasing their standards of what virtuous behaviour might look like. ‘We encourage them to show courage, compassion, empathy, justice, honesty, on a day to day basis.’ A student who attended UoBS sixth form after attending a local secondary school told Redbrick: ‘I can definitely say it was very, very diverse. There was a vast range of cultures and people with different religious beliefs and abilities. There was also emphasis on discussing British values and
tolerance for people of other beliefs. All my friends lived in different areas across the city.
“It's our way of inspiring and teaching children to lead more flourishing lives” ‘I can say for the younger year groups, they did make an effort to give them a wide range of opportunities that you don’t usually find in other state secondary schools.’ UoBS has ‘enrichment programmes’ which encourage students to volunteer in the local
community. ‘There were also frequent talks with people in different industries to discuss prospective careers and how to improve your CV to be a competitive applicant in the future,’ the student added. Despite this focus on character, there was an incident on December 10th when three male students were stabbed outside the school gate. There have also been a few incidents of racism and homophobia, according to the article in the Guardian. Tigue said that it mostly occurs between younger students and they discuss these issues openly. ‘We specifically talk about racism, we specifically talk about homophobia, but we create safe spaces so students share the voices they have,’ Tigue said.
Students Join Refugee Campaign Ollie Davis News Writer
SolidariTee, a student-led fundraising campaign, has been set up by a group at the University of Birmingham. The campaign raises awareness of the continuing refugee crisis. SolidariTee sells t-shirts to help fund legal aid for refugees living in temporary camps who cannot afford legal representation in the asylum-seeking progress. Started in 2017 by a University of Cambridge student, Tiara Sahar Ataii, SolidariTee is a response to the decline in media coverage of the refugee crisis and a need for raising continued awareness. So far, SolidariTee has teams of student representatives in 25
universities across the UK and is in the process of applying for UK-charity status. Abroad, they’re also forming teams in the U.S., France and Australia, which will provide the campaign with an international reach. Kitty McCarthy, head of the SolidariTee fundraiser in Birmingham, has said ‘We’re all based in Selly Oak so delivery to University staff and students is very easy and can happen anytime – get in touch and we can meet on campus or arrange delivery.’ Costing £10 each, the t-Shirts are being sold in two distinct designs created by Sudanese artist Dar Al Naim who uses motifs of ‘figures, boats and water – reminiscent of the photos pervading the media on the refugee crisis.’
With 85% of the total cost going directly to legal aid, Kitty told Redbrick, ‘I love that the fundraiser is entirely student-run [and that] such a high percentage of the cost goes straight to tackle the crisis at its roots.’ Over the past two years, the campaign has sold 3,600 ‘SolidariTees’ and 600 ‘SolidariTotes,’ with donations and sales totalling nearly £48,000. The SolidariTee Secretary, Maddie Hancock said, ‘I’ve become a lot more able to adapt to situations too. Ultimately, what keeps me motivated is meeting inspirational, like-minded people who share our values.’ Kitty also said: ‘Awareness is the first step to solving the crisis.
Follow the SolidariTee National social media pages for infographics and myth busters to expand your knowledge of the crisis.’ Mouki Kambouroglou, VicePresident of SolidariTee, told Redbrick that news regarding the refugee crisis has ‘been decreasing for the past two years – unless you’re looking at a very specialised news source you won’t find much about the refugee crisis.’ SolidariTee’s two main objectives are to demonstrate solidarity and dispel harmful myths whilst making a material impact through funding sustainable method of assistance. Anyone interested in getting involved can contact Kitty McCarthy via email (KXM516@ student.bham.ac.uk).
Ollie Davis
Kitty McCarthy, Head of SolidariTee at UoB
10% Of Students Pay Fees Upfront Aneesa Ahmed News Writer
One in 10 students are not taking out loans and avoid big debt, according to the Intergenerational Foundation and a report from the Guardian. Around 110,000 undergraduates are avoiding debts by paying tuition fees upfront. A quarter of Russell Group universities, had self-funding levels at more than twice the national average. These included King’s College London, with 20%, Cambridge and Oxford with 16% each, University College London with 14.5% and LSE with 14%. These stats exclude international students or those who have fees paid through job-related support or scholarships and bursaries. Curator of the think-tank, Angus Hanton, said the report ‘makes a mockery of claims that the current system is progressive, since the wealthiest kids are not even in the system.’
Hanon added: ‘the government should treat all students fairly and that means reducing the interest rates charged while at university, reducing fees, reintroducing maintenance grants, and lowering the repayment rate.’ Rakib Ehsan, author of the report, said: ‘The current student loan system, while being clearly inter-generationally unfair, is also exacerbating intra-generational unfairness. ‘Even though the number of self-funders has decreased dramatically since fees were increased to £3,000 and then trebled in 2012 by David Willetts, then secretary of state for education, wealthier families have realised that they can give their children a get-outof-jail-free card by helping them to escape sky-high interest rates and a 30-year loan that could be sold off to the private sector in the future.’ Shakira Martin, the president of the National Union of Students, told the Guardian that the report was ‘more evidence that the cur-
rent system is not fit for purpose’. ‘While wealthy students can avoid accruing debt and the high interest which comes with student loans, too many students from low-income families grapple with a cost of living crisis and unaffordable housing.
“The current system is not fit for purpose” ‘Wealthy students can focus on their studies, while too many poorer students work long hours to make ends meet.’ Redbrick spoke to Tara, a firstyear student who said: ‘Most people I know will be in a lot of debt.’ Tara further said that it is important to understand the different circumstances of each student as ‘even if some parents do have money. some parents do not
help out.’ Maintenance loans are currently means-tested which means that students with parents who have a higher income receive less loan. Tara also added that it’s unfair that students leave university in different circumstances as ‘every student should be in the same position.’ Redbrick also spoke to a student who’s tuition and mainte-
nance costs are financed by family members. The student, who wished to remain anonymous said: ‘I am highly aware of the privilege that I have, and since coming to University I have understood the great difficulties that many of my peers may have to face. This report has shown that Universities and the government need to do more to tackle inequalities amongst young people and the system needs to be updated.’
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De Monfort University Launches ‘Digital Detox’ to Inspire Students Florence Jones News Writer @liam_taft_
As part of their Mental Health Awareness programme, De Montford University in Leicester is encouraging students to take time off social media by pausing use of their own accounts. This ‘digital detox’ period took place between Wednesday 16th to Monday 21s tJanuary. Sometimes referred to as Blue Monday, it is commonly believed to be the most depressing day of the year due to the time of both week and year. The University operates nine
different social media accounts, used to keep current students updated and recruit prospective students, but all accounts remained silent during the 6-day period. Vice-Chancellor Professor Dominic Shellard said ‘In conversations I've had with students, I've been really struck by the degree to which their over-engagement on social media is having a negative impact on their mental health.’ In a survey of 96 University of Birmingham (UoB) students conducted by Redbrick, all students agreed that social media is in some way damaging to our mental health. Just under half (49%) believed it can be damaging but depends on the circumstances of
the individual, and a further 46% believe social media usage to be generally damaging.
“All [social media] accounts remained remained silent during the 6-day period” According to the Independent, there are six ways in which social
media is damaging to our mental health. The problems identified are: decreased self-esteem, reduced human connection, effects to our memory of an event due to an obsession with getting the perfect shot, poor-quality sleep, reduced attention span and, for those who already struggle with mental health problems, heightened anxiety and depression. Redbrick spoke with Eve Coffey, one of the UoB bloggers who frequently uses social media as part of her ambassador work. She suggested that social media be ‘taken with a pinch of salt.’ Eve explained that ‘we tend to project all the good bits and leave
out the bad, which is damaging our perceptions of normal life dramatically.’ Coffey advised students follow positive accounts that inspire them, as this can be a really celebratory use of social media. She explained that it is also important to unfollow those that make you feel down. She also recommended using phone settings to restrict the amount of time that can be spent of certain apps as well as having a few days completely free from social media every once in a while. Do you have any opinions on this article? Contact us on Twitter - @redbricknews
Plans Leaked for Tuition Fee and Student Loan Shakeup Erin Santillo
The same would apply to equivalent further education qualifications if these ideas were to be implemented.
Editor-In-Chief
Plans to stagger university tuition fees and introduce a ban on loans for low-scoring A-Level students have been revealed in a leak of an upcoming independent government report into post-18 education and funding. Students failing to achieve three Ds at A-Level could be refused loans to cover the cost of tuition fees and instead be offered money for vocational courses.
“Students failing to achieve three Ds at A-Level could be refused loans” Rumours also indicate that the independent panel behind the
report will propose to cut fees for arts, humanities and social science degrees to £6,500 and raise those in areas such as engineering and medicine to a maximum of £13,500 per year.w The Augur Review, due next month, was launched by the prime minister last February in order to improve ‘access, quality, choice and value for money’ for students in higher education. Figures recently released by UCAS indicate that almost 80% of UK applicants with A-Levels below DDD were accepted into
universities in 2018, a significant increase on previous years. In 2013 this figure was around 66%. Dominic Shellard, the vicechancellor of De Montfort University, told the Guardian that withholding loans from these applicants would ‘strike at the heart of social mobility’ by reducing the accessibility of courses for poorer students. Speaking to Redbrick, a final year UoB student said: 'if this was in place when I was applying to uni then I would have definitely struggled to fund myself.’
U.S Government Works
16,600 Crimes ‘Fail’ to be Recorded by West Midlands Police Charlotte Gill
HMICFRS found that 5 out of 6 reported crimes were recorded by News Writer West Midlands Police force, leaving 38,000 crimes unrecorded. A watchdog has uncovered that Consequently, in 2018 it was West Midlands Police fails to reexamined just for violent crimes record around 16,600 violent and sexual offences -- other crimes crimes each year. could not be examined due to a In 2018, a total of 78% of system update. It was found violent crimes and 89% that of the 2,176 reports of sexual offences audited, 470 related to reported to West domestic abuse, of Midlands Police which 354 were force were recordrecorded. The 116 ed. It was therefore unrecorded reports graded as ‘inadeincluded offences quate’ by Her such as common of violent crimes M a j e s t y ’ s assault, ABH, harwere not Inspectorate of assment and maliConstabulary and cious communicarecorded Fire and Rescue tions. Services (HMICFRS). According to the However, the force watchdog’s report, some have said they have made crimes were not recorded as ‘substantial progress’. officers were ‘simply not believAn unrecorded crime refers to ing’ victims. The report also found one which has been reported to that ‘some incident logs contained police but is not then recorded as closing comments that were coman offence, which can naturally pletely different to the initial call lead to the potential crime not and recorded no crime, without an being investigated. In 2017, adequate explanation.’
78%
West Midlands Police has not improved its recording for reports of rape since 2017, when only 144 of 161 rape reports were recorded correctly, also according to the report. Kate Russell, spokesperson for Rape Crisis England & Wales, has said the findings are ‘seriously concerning’. The Guardian notes how roughly 75% of police forces in England have been inspected,
with two-thirds of those being rated as ‘inadequate’ or ‘requiring improvement’. According the HMICFRS, the estimated percentage of reports not being recorded by police was 22% in the West Midlands. The watchdog has said these findings are unacceptable and that West Midlands Police is ‘failing victims, including victims of domestic abuse’, something which must Terry
be ‘urgently addressed’. Victim Support, an independent charity, has said these reports have the potential to undermine public trust in the criminal justice system and could deter people from reporting incidents in future. It points out that when crimes are not recorded sufficiently, victims cannot access appropriate help and support. Deputy Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, Louisa Rolfe, says that the 2018 findings do not take into account all crimes, therefore the watchdog has not recognised its strengths in recording crime overall, for which it has ‘good, reliable crime accuracy’. She added that the force is confident that it has improved overall since 2017 and that it could not be criticised for failing to put more resources into its crime recording, so despite ‘substantial progress’ it is ‘disappointing’ to still be rated as inadequate. In wider crime efforts, West Midlands Police has recently been given metal detecting devices in an attempt to tackle knife crime in the region.
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Where’ve You Bin Over Christmas? Sophie Woodley News Editor
Over the Christmas period, Birmingham bin workers took industrial action over a dispute which saw rubbish pile on the city’s streets in summer 2017. The dispute involved ‘outrageous and immoral payments’ from Birmingham City Council, according to Unite the Union’s press release. This involved up to £4000 being paid to those who did not take industrial action in 2017.
“The dispute involved 'outrageous and immoral payments'” However, in a 2018 press release, the council said that ‘no
payments were made to Council employees who were represented by the GMB union in the refuse service for not going on strike during the industrial action.’ In light of this dispute, Birmingham City Council announced on 15th January a series of measures to try and tackle the disruption. The series of contingency methods involves fortnightly bin collections replacing weekly collections, with household waste to be collected as normal for recycling. The methods also involve an agency bin collector who will be brought in specifically to tackle a pile up of rubbish in the city’s 200-plus high-rise blocks. The 22,000 properties still using black sacks have also been allocated ward-based street
cleansing crews, who have been suspended elsewhere to tackle these particular areas. Other methods are being implemented by the council in attempt to resolve the dispute, which is costing them an extra £350,000 a week. UNISON has also announced that it intends to join the dispute according to Birmingham Live. Bin workers took action from 29th December over the festive period and only worked contracted hours, returning to base for breaks, Unite the Union comments. The dispute continued for three weeks, but some residents reported on Twitter that their bins had not been collected for up to 6 weeks. Redbrick spoke to a final year student and resident in Selly Oak who said: ‘The pile up of bins is
not just an inconvenience, it’s affecting our day-to-day life and our wellbeing.’ According to Birmingham Live, a full strike following the industrial action over Christmas could now escalate.
“Some residents reported on Twitter that their bins had not been collected for up to 6 weeks” Unite’s Assistant General Secretary Howard Beckett told Birmingham Live that ‘the dispute will be escalating to a full strike.’ Beckett has warned members of the public ahead of a union strike, stating ‘We would urge the council to rethink and start meaningfully engaging with Unite over
an offer to resolve this dispute, otherwise we will be forced to escalate our industrial action to strike action.’ Leader of Labour-lead council Ian Ward said: ‘We do want to resolve this dispute and reach agreement with Unite and UNISON, we want to improve industrial relations with the trade unions and we certainly don't want to be in a position we are in. ‘The situation has been changing since the ballot and we have been considering all of the possible ways forward and all the options available. ‘This is not an easy situation. Our focus as a Cabinet is to resolve this dispute and to deliver clean streets, homes, jobs and opportunities for the people of Birmingham.’ Do you have an opinion on this article? Contact us on Twitter - @redbricknews
MP Preet Gill Rejects May’s Deal Alex Boscott News Writer
Last week, Edgbaston MP Preet Gill voted down Prime Minister Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement. During last week’s Brexit debates prior to the long awaited ‘meaningful vote,’ Labour MP Preet Gill condemned those ‘blindly following’ ideology and called for urgent action to be taken to achieve a better deal for the UK. Gill represents the Edgbaston constituency, which voted 52.7% in favour of remaining in European Union.
Speaking to MPs in the ‘not trying to hamper Brexit.’ Commons chamber on the 14th This denunciation of the Brexit January, Gill laid out her deal came after weeks of concerns about Prime criticism from all sides of Minister Theresa May’s the house over issues proposed Withdrawal such as the Irish backAgreement with the stop arrangement; in European Union. which the UK She targeted the would become part government’s poor of an EU customs voted remain in handling of the Union without sinthe referendum in negotiations and gle market access. demanded a ‘deal Gill expanded Edgbaston that works for people, her rebuke of the deal families and businesses to the ‘threat’ it poses across the West Midlands’ to universities in her con– declaring that May’s deal stituencies. ‘Across the West ‘does not do that.’ She told MPs Midlands, we attract over 8000 that the deal ‘did not represent a students from the EU each year,’ better future for the people of she told MPs, ‘the universities in Edgbaston.’ Adding that she was my constituency are concerned
52.7%
about the impacts of this deal.’
“Universities in my constituency are concerned about the impacts of this deal” Uncertainty over the futures of EU nationals has many MPs from across the political divide concerned. However, the Edgbaston MP is not alone in her concern for EU nationals with many parliamentarians rallying to attack the
government for its initial decision to charge European citizens a fee to remain in the UK – a move sharply reversed by Sajid Javid’s Home Office. Gill voted down the Withdrawal Agreement along with Tory backbench rebels such as Boris Johnson and Anna Soubry. She and 431 other MPs were able to inflict the worst defeat upon a government since 1924. Another vote is due to held on the 29th January, however it will not be another ‘meaningful vote’ and instead will be an opportunity for backbench MPs and opposition to amend it. A second ‘meaningful vote’ is expected to be in February, a spokesperson from Downing Street has said.
Unemployment Rises by 24% in Regions Across the UK Sophie Woodley News Editor
According to GMB Union, unemployment has risen to 24% in UK regions. The union has said this could leave ‘communities in tatters’, after releasing this latest figure on 24th January. In the West Midlands, the ‘quarterly increase unemployment’ rate was 8%. Redbrick spoke to a final year English and Drama student who said, ‘I’ll be graduating in June, and staying on in Birmingham afterwards for further education, and so I’m actively looking for part time jobs to help fund the cost of living, but I’m really worried that I won’t get employed even on a part time basis or to fit around my studies.
‘If I can’t find a job, I don’t know what I’ll do, and it’s more than likely that I’ll have to move home or delay my MA for a year whilst I work.’
“If I can’t find a job, I don’t know what I’ll do” Regions across the UK have been affected differently by unemployment rates, with the percentage increasing by 24% in the North East, 17% in the South West and 13% in Yorkshire. GMB Union states that the rising unemployment rates stem from ‘wrongheaded austerity policies, a lack of Government investment in jobs and our economy’.
Brexit could also be a determining factor, as ‘a lack on any feasible plan on Brexit will only make the situation worse.’ Other regions have seen unemployment figures rise, with Wales having the lowest percentage of 4% along with the East of England at 5% and the East Midlands at 9%. Unemployment has reportedly risen in almost every region outside of London and the South East. According to Trading Economics, in 2018 unemployment rose by 8,000 on the quarter to 1.37 million across the UK. GMB’s General Secretary Tim Roache said, ‘Unemployment up by almost 25% in just three months is a ‘horrific rise.’ Roache continues, ‘It's a terrifying statistic but behind the numbers are real people's lives and
families. Thousands of jobs lost mean thousands of people and families
wondering how they're going to pay the bills, it means thousands more at foodbanks.’
Jaggery
JJ Ellison
NEWS
Friday 25th January 2019
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@redbricknews
Editors’ Picks of 2018
News Editors Tom Leaman, Megan Stanley, Liam Taft and Sophie Woodley take a look at some of 2018's biggest headlines Winter Olympics: February In February, South Korea hosted the Winter Olympics in the city of PyeongChang. Remarkably, the Games became a rare symbol of unity for the Korean peninsula, as athletes from the North and the South marched under the Korean unification flag. A gesture not seen since the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy. Politics aside, the medal table at the end of the Olympics showed a resounding victory for Norway, who won 8 more medals than Germany, who finished in second. Great Britain finished in 19th out of 28 with 5 medals, including one gold. Team GB’s one gold came on February 17th and was won by Lizzy Yarnold in the women’s skeleton. Yarnold told BBC Sport: ‘If women in sport are pushing the platform for success then it's a good thing for everybody.’
Dan Scavino Jr.
12 Boys Rescued From Cave in Thailand: July A crisis was successfully averted in Thailand’s Chiang Rai province. Twelve young footballers and their coach were rescued from a cave after they became trapped. On Monday 2nd July, two British divers successfully located all thirteen members of the Wild Boars and, on Monday 10th July, the boys were all successfully pulled from the cave. There was one fatality during the rescue operation; Saman Gunan, a 38-year-old Thai diver, died four days before the rescue operation took place. His wife said: ‘Saman once said we never know when we're going to die, so we need to cherish every day.’ The Thai Navy seal, who were running the operation said: ‘We are not sure if this is a miracle, a science or what.’ Ireland's Referendum : September Ireland voted to legalise abortion in a landslide vote last May. 66.4% of people voted in favour of overturning laws that gave equal rights to women and their unborn children. This was seen as a historic moment for women’s rights . Before, women were only permitted to have an abortion if the woman’s life was at risk, creating a near-total ban on the practice. After the result was announced, Irish Prime Minsiter, Leo Varadkar, said that the result showed the Irish public: ‘trust and respect women to make their own decision and choices.’ The fight is still not over, according to activists, as more pressure is being put on Northern Island to follow suit.
BLazarus
Facebook Cambridge Analytica: March Facebook was caught up in a political scandal last March after it was revealed that Cambridge Analytica had harvested the data of millions of Facebook users. This data was taken without users’ consent and was used in in the Vote Leave Brexit campaign during the 2016 referendum. This misuse of data was first reported on in 2015, but came to a head in 2018 when whistleblower Christopher Wylie, an ex-Cambridge Analytica employee, revealed the extent of the firm’s operations in an interview with The Observer. This was a watershed moment that led to public discussions about online privacy and data protection on social media. The shares of Facebook fell by more than $100 billion and creator Mark Zuckerberg agreed to testify infront of Congress in April. Brett Kavannaugh Court Case: October 2018 saw countless women tell their stories and experiences of alleged sexual assault and harassment. One of these being Christine Blasey Ford, who reported the alleged sexual misconduct of Brett Kavanaugh, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Ford was amongst three other women who reported alleged sexual misconduct of Kavanaugh, all of which he denies. Donald Trump repeat-
North Korea: April In April, a historic summit meeting took place which saw the leaders of North Korea and South Korea agree to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula. The two leaders also announced that they would pursue talks with the USA to officially end the Korean War that took place on the Peninsula between 1950 -1953 and is remembered as one of the key proxy-wars of the Cold War. This was the first time the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, had visited the South and they both shared a handshake at the border. In June, the North Korean leader met with American President, Donald Trump which was another important diplomatic event for the country which has had tensions with the US since the 1950s. The two leaders agreed to new peaceful relations. Trump announced the US would discontinue military exercises in South Korea. edly defended Kavanaugh, saying he is one of the ‘highest quality people’ he has met. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted on the nomination of Kavanaugh in early October, with 51 republicans voting on advancing the Supreme Court’s confirmation, and 49 voting against it. The Kavanaugh controversy caused widespread revolt and campaigning for women’s rights across America in 2018. But, as Oprah Winfrey said in her 2018 Golden Globes speech, ‘a new day is on the horizon’ for women, as campaigns continue.
William Murphy
Royal Wedding: May
World Cup: June
After announcing their engagement in November 2017, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle married in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on 19th May. Despite not making their wedding day a national bank holiday like Prince William and Kate Middleton’s, 18 million UK viewers tuned in to watch the ceremony. In the US, 22 million people woke up early to watch the American actress wed a British Prince. The Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Duchess Camilla, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were all in attendance. In the bridal party were Prince William’s children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Celebrities including David and Victoria Beckham, Elton John, and Serena Williams attended the ceremony. In October the couple toured Australia and announced that they are expecting a baby in Spring 2019.
In a year marred with a resurgence of nationalism across the world, including Bolsonaro in Brazil and Trump’s wall, the World Cup in the summer proved to be an opportunity for football fans to express both respect and acceptance of others as well as genuine national pride. France and Croatia made it to the final, with the latter knocking out England. The tournament may have been won by Luka Modric’s Croatia, but the efforts of a waistcoat-clad Gareth Southgate and his 23 England players will surely live long in national memory. Off the field, the tournament offered welcome signs of humanity, from Japanese supporters voluntarily cleaning the stadiums after games to Southgate individually consoling each distraught Colombian player after their penalty shootout. Even though it didn’t come home, the World Cup became a 2018 highlight.
George Hodan
Brexit: October
US Midterm Elections: November
In 2016, 51.9% of people voted to leave the European Union. Compared to 48.1% of those voting remain, the UK majority was in favour of the country’s independence. In November, Theresa May drafted a withdrawal agreement with the EU regarding the UK’s proposed departure on 29th March 2019. The 500-page draft was given to May’s parliament and has since faced numerous approvals and rejections from her MPs. A number of May’s MP’s resigned over the withdrawal agreement, including previous Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab. In the remaining months of 2018, May’s Conservative government has faced division over her deal, which was solidified in a ‘vote of no confidence’ last week. May’s government survived the vote, but the future stability of the Conservative government remains uncertain.
When Donald Trump was elected President in 2016, he entered the position with a Republican controlled Senate and House of Representatives. Over the last few years, Trump has tried to remove the Obamacare Act, faced an increase call for gun control after a series of mass shootings, and attempted to raise funds for the border wall between Mexico and the US. The most recent midterm elections saw the political make-up change as the Democrats took majority of the House, while the Republicans held onto control in the Senate. A record number of 117 women were also elected, 42 are women of colour and at least three identify as LGBT+. This election also saw the highest voter turnout in 104 years. This political change has arguably led to the longest government shutdown since 1980, with 800,00 federal employees working unpaid since December 22nd.
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Friday 25th January 2019
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Gillette’s Close Shave
Catrin Osborne discusses criticisms of the new Gilette advert, which has sparked widespread debate surrounding modern masculinity Catrin Osborne Comment Writer
On 13th January Gillette premiered their new advert before the NFL Divisional Playoffs, changing their iconic slogan of ‘The Best a Man Can Get’ to ‘The Best Men Can Be.’ The mere one minute and fourtynine seconds has sparked a widespread debate as to whether masculinity is under threat in 2019. Though fundamentally a marketing scheme, Gillette’s advert begins to address their own contributions to destructive standards, yet the overly-preachy message runs the risk of isolating their consumers. The advert begins with Gillette’s hypermasculine 1980s advert being shattered by ‘reality’ as a group of boys tear through the screen. We see a
sequence of images associated with toxic masculinity; bullying, cat-calling and the infamous ‘Boys will be Boys’ mantra. Incorporating clips from news broadcasts of the #MeToo era, Gillette suggests that men must ‘hold each other accountable for their actions.’
“The overlypreachy message runs the risk of isolating their consumers” Back in September, Nike’s choice to make Colin Kaepernick (the NFL player that infamously refused to stand during the US national anthem to protest racial inequalities) their poster-boy
improved their profits. Despite conservative consumers threatening to boycott the sportswear company, they benefited from a 10% profit increase, and it was inevitable that a big brand like Gillette would jump on the ‘virtue signalling’ trend. Procter & Gamble have been rapidly revising brand images to appear more politically correct; Venus’ ‘My Skin. My Way.’ showed a more diverse selection of women shaving actual hair rather than incomprehensibly bare armpits. As less politically overt adverts such as this have not exploded virally, perhaps Procter & Gamble felt the need to ‘go big or go home’ with Gillette. This decision has ensued widespread backlash across the internet. In the first four days the advert managed to gain a shocking 414,000 likes to
825,000 dislikes on YouTube. Whilst conservatives feel that the advert demonises men, political activists have criticised Gillette for appropriating their cause.
“This decision has ensued widespread backlash across the internet” Videos of men hurling their Gillette products into bins or toilets have been trending on Twitter as consumers ‘boycott’ Gillette. Conservative criticism focuses on the idea that the advert portrays men as monsters, molesters and generally mean-spirited. Fresh after Greggs-VeganSausage-Roll-Gate, Piers
Morgan slammed the advert on ‘Good Morning Britain.’ Morgan has dubbed it a ‘war on masculinity’ and refuses to recognise that the advert is not branding all men as rapists. Instead, it identifies how Western macho-culture can contribute to the dehumanisation of women and subsequent sexual assault. Morgan criticised the feminist message as irrelevant for Gilette. I’d suggest that this is a weak critique of the campaign. Whilst Iceland’s Palm Oil advert seemed somewhat random, Gillette has built its brand on fragile masculinity. Old adverts associate their razors with money, muscles and most importantly, hot girls. By bombarding viewers with images of the archetypal male, Gillette has profited on masculinity-related insecurities.
The End of Fake News?
Harry Thompson argues that a growing awareness of fake news has the potential to increase public trust in accredited journalists Harry Thompson Comment Writer
Two men living separate lives are just starting their days. The first, Donald Trump, is the President of the United States and he’s had this position since the 20th January 2017. The second is Christopher Blaire, who lives in Maine on the East coast of the United States. In November 2018 he was heralded by the BBC as the ‘Godfather of fake news.’ The former has been at the forefront of a new global awareness regarding the phenomena of ‘fake news.’ Rightly or wrongly he has proliferated the use of the ‘fake news’ undercutter into mainstream politics. With a knowing nod to his own ingenuity Trump announced i n
Frederick Burr Opper
November that one third of Americans no longer trusted the media, and maybe he was right, but for what reason? He has used the title of ‘fake news’ much in the same way medieval clergymen used the term ‘witch.’ Both are belittling tools for discrediting and ostracising and leave the accused with a considerable task to regain credibility if the label gains traction. The capacity to dub an individual o r a group o f indi-
viduals as witches is a dangerous position to be in and although fortunately the New York Times and CNN have each managed to avoid trial by dunking, it is hard not to assume that long-term damage is being done. However, much to Trump’s frustration, Mr Blaire and his associates may be the real reason that exactly one third of the American population no longer trusts the media. Mr Trump’s propagation of the previously largely unknown phrase has coincided not only with a greater media and public awareness of the need for factchecking organisations (thanks to increasing efforts from businesses like Facebook at disseminating awareness), but it has also coincided with the prominence of fake news sources. ‘Fake news’ as a self contained phenomena began largely with the rise of mass consumed social media, but only since Trump’s presidency have children in playgrounds been branding each other ‘fake news’ as a source of insult and entertainment. Titles such as The Onion have been writing and creating satirical articles for many years, however the notion of truly fake news represents a separate body of alternate truth dissemi-
nation. Writers like Mr Blaire are at the forefront of this, writing and spreading false articles about politicians, organisations or others based simply upon what mood they wake up in or what political motivations they may have.
“Trump announced in November that one third of Americans no longer trusted the media” There is money to be made here too. Advertising has led to a move away from satirical 'fake news’ to ‘real fake news’ because the chances of sharing and subscription are far higher. But awareness has grown; the recently repealed Malaysian law that made the dissemination of ‘fake news’ a crime worth of up to six years in prison show (however brutally) that it is an issue that is being taken seriously. Log into your Facebook or Twitter and there is a good chance you will be met with a message informing you to be on the lookout for fake news. Organisations like Snopes and Full-fact are becoming household names, while articles from a trusted news source seem increasingly like an oasis in the desert when looking for information online. This is where the light at the
end of the fake tunnel lies. In a world where a nine year-old calls his friend ‘fake news’ for ignoring a hand-ball in the playground, where Cambridge Analytica decides key votes and where Trump finds himself in a authority battle with anyone who will listen, the need for real, authentic reporting has never been more vital. As awareness of the handywork of people like Mr Blaire becomes greater, and as people realise that a website with a convincing heading banner isn’t a replacement for credible and ethical journalism, there is hope that the the public will be driven back into the arms of real writing, real investigation and real reporting.
“Articles from a trusted news source seem increasingly like an oasis in the desert” Journalism is facing its biggest challenge to date in the face of the internet, social media and a loss of advertising partners to search engines. However in all of this downturn, the rise of fake news may be just the thing the industry needs to pull the masses back into the safe and trusted arms of their favourite, real paper.
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Friday 25th January 2019
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09
Copy-fight: YouTube and ‘Fair Use’ YouTube's flawed enforcement of the 'Fair Use' law has destroyed its reputation as a vibrant and creative platform, argues Holly Pittaway Holly Pittaway Comment Writer
If you manage to keep up with YouTube drama like me, you’ll probably have heard about the recent scandal in the mukbang community whereby several popular creators, most notably Veronica Wang and SASASMR, made illegal copyright strikes against a smaller channel, ‘Shookbang’, for parodying their content. As a result of this, the channel was forced to temporarily shut down, fearing further legal action and their reallife identity potentially being exposed. Since then, the entire YouTube community has jumped to their defence, including PewDiePie and Jeffree Star, to call out Veronica and SAS for unlawfully claiming copyright on Shookbang’s videos, since the content was protected by the Fair Use Law as it was ‘transformative’ in its reuse of the original clips. While the situation seems to have died down for now, with Shookbang back up and running a channel with 100,000 subscribers, (and a second channel of the same name with a further 17,000), the events have sparked a more general conversation about the YouTube copyright system and demonetization of content.
Before I get any further into it, I think it’s important to discuss what ‘fair use’ actually means. According to the official YouTube definition, fair use ‘is a legal doctrine that says you can reuse copyright-protected material under certain circumstances without getting permission from the copyright owner.’ These ‘circumstances’ fall under the realm of remix, news reporting, or criticism, so effectively you can use anyone’s content as long as you are doing so for one of those purposes. However, for example, simply re-uploading someone else’s video without permission would be unlawful.
“The issue of false copyright... questions about our right to freedom of speech” But the law is not black and white and questions remain unanswered: How long can a clip of someone else’s unedited song be used in a video before it becomes a violation of copyright? What if someone makes a video falling under the ‘criti-
cism’ category, but completely slanders the original content by making hateful remarks? Is it legal for a person to record a cover of a song but use the original, unaltered backing track in their video? The law doesn’t provide a clear-cut answer, and that’s why it is so easy to abuse it. Several YouTubers have recently announced their own personal struggles with the copyright system. Two of Cody Ko’s videos were actually taken down (although one has since been reinstated) because it was claimed that they infringed the fair use law, despite the fact that both of them could be described as ‘criticism’. Ryan Trahan, another popular commentary channel, had one of his videos claimed by Universal Music Group because a few seconds of Taylor Swift’s ‘Trouble’, a song that they have the rights to, could be heard in the background of the outro of his video. As a result, while the video was not taken down, Trahan was unable to continue profiting from it since all of the ad revenue generated after the claim had been made automatically went to UMG. One YouTuber, Gus Johnson, made a video entitled ‘YouTube’s content claim system is out of control’, after a video of his where he only talked about Queen’s
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was manually copyright claimed by EMI, a branch of UMG, despite the upload not containing a single second of the actual song. What’s worse is that, while the creators are free to contest the claims made against their videos, the ultimate judgment of whether they constitute fair use is made by the original claimants, and why would they turn down free money? The issue of false copyright has certainly gripped the website in recent weeks, but it raises some further, more worrying questions about our right to freedom of speech, with Shookbang being a testament to this; it’s terrifying to think what YouTube would be like if its users weren’t able to express their true opinion out of fear of legal action under false pretences.
Furthermore, as Shookbang’s case has shown, the abuse of fair use by larger channels against smaller ones has the potential to deter new creators from entering the commentary/ parody community; after all, 1,000,000 vs 1000 subscribers would be no contest. Most YouTubers seem to be making light of the situation so far and moving on with their content, but this does not mean we should forget what is happening behind the scenes; what was once a vibrant and creative platform that allowed anyone to have a voice has now become a dangerous place to be a content creator. Image credits: PxHere
Image credits: PxHere
Poll of the Week: Resolutions We asked students at the University of Bimingham whether New Year's resolutions encourage the idea that we are never good enough “They force you to put a lot of pressure on yourself” Ye s
.
41
Do New Year's
.3 %
No
Comment Writer
58
7%
Resolutions encourage the idea
“Why is it a bad thing to want to improve yourself? Nobody's perfect” “They shouldn't be taken so seriously. You can make a lifestyle change at any point” “I don't think they are a bad thing”
that we are never good enough?
“I don't think it's that deep... there's nothing wrong with not completing them” “This mentality of needing to change ourselves...is toxic. Be proud of who you are!”
Take part in our polls:
Abby Spreadborough
@RedbrickComment
Redbrick Comment Contributors
As ‘New Year, New Me’ begins springing up on everyone’s Facebook feed, we asked University of Birmingham students whether or not New Year’s resolutions encourage the idea that we are never good enough. Disillusioned with the notion of a clean slate upon which to start anew, 59% thought that New Year’s resolutions were damaging. One respondent said that it creates a ‘negative cycle’ in which yearly pledges to exercise more and be more productive end up harming individual’s self-esteem when these goals aren’t achieved. Others had more of an issue with the New Year aspect, as they argued that lifestyle changes can happen at any time if you are committed. There was also concern about the ‘negative tradition’ leading to a ‘toxic’ self-image, feeding into the existing culture of never being good enough or
achieving the perfect lifestyle often modelled on Instagram. The remaining 41% thought New Year’s resolutions just weren’t ‘that deep,’ everyone has room to improve, and the classic ‘nobody’s perfect,’ featured in many responses. Those who strive to improve, whether it’s going to the gym more often, going vegan or actually doing the reading for seminars are making a personal choice for the sake of self-betterment, and this shouldn’t be discouraged. Whilst many New Year’s resolutions are often fruitless, (one respondent confessed to failing to stick to their resolution for several years consecutively), they do offer us with a ‘fresh chance for selfimprovement.’ Ultimately, we need to change our approach to New Year’s resolutions; they are by no means compulsory but offer us an opportunity to evolve. It isn’t the tradition which is ‘toxic’ but rather the culture which surrounds it, and in an increasingly inter-connected world we witness meticulously constructed realities, so it is important to be aware that, truly, nobody is perfect.
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Friday 25th January 2019
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Selly Express: It’s Time to Put Student Safety First After speaking to Guild and University representatives, Tom Leaman argues that the Selly Express should continue to be funded after this year as it provides a vital service to students at the University of Birmingham Tom Leaman News Editor
Since its introduction in midOctober, the Selly Express has become a valued resource for UoB students by helping them feel safe at night in Selly Oak. Tensions surrounding the area were a particularly prominent factor in the warm welcome for the service by the student body when it was introduced (ahead of schedule) after a stabbing took place on Heeley Road on October 7th. However, the future existence of the Selly Express has been thrown into doubt over the last two weeks, as the Guild President Reece Patrick Roberts has demonstrated through a series of social media posts regarding funding for the service. A more thorough description of where the funding for the Selly Express has been coming from can be found in the News section on this week's front page, but in essence the funding dispute between the Guild and the University has emerged because the money for the service was provided through a Residents’ Association Scheme (RA) under-
spend spanning several years. The RA get their money through accomodation fees paid to the University, but Roberts told Redbrick that the RA is managed by the Guild, meaning that the money legally belongs to them.
“The future existence of the Selly Express has been thrown into doubt over the last two weeks” A University spokesperson told Redbrick News that: ‘The source of the funds is historic and both the University and the Guild of Students are stewards of that fund – meaning that we both agree how the funds are spent. In this case both the University and the Guild agreed together to utilise the funds to extend the pilot from one term to a full academic year.’ The University also stated that it ‘has been supportive of this trial since
its inception in the previous academic year and supports the Guild in organising the Selly Express by employing a driver, providing a vehicle and co-ordinating the service – in addition to the joint decision to provide funding.’ In the midst of this, a very real concern surrounding the future of the Selly Express has become apparent, with funding being planned until the end of the academic year, when the service will be reviewed to see how much it is being used. Unfortunately, allegations from the Guild President that a University official described the project as ‘showboating’ make it seem as if the Selly Express could well be a one-year wonder. Despite this, the University’s spokesperson said: ‘No decision has been made about the success of the initiative nor its future operation, nor funding since the year-long pilot is less than half way through.’ Ironically, Roberts’ Facebook post outlining this came in the same week that the Green Heart was officially opened to the public (Friday 18th). In September, Redbrick reported that the overall cost for the a series of on campus projects including the Green Heart would be between £160-£180 million, with the Green Heart itself estimated to have cost £11.5 million on the website of contractor Willmot Dixon. Many students are rightly arguing that the Green Heart is more of a vanity project for UoB than something that serves a tangible purpose for them, such as the Selly Express. That’s not forgetting some of the University’s other more expensive displays of showboating over the last few years; In March 2017, it transpired that a banner hanging over the old library (which measured 69.3 by 13.7 metres) to advertise the Green Heart project cost £27,000. Where that banner is now is anybody’s guess, but the money used for that could cover the Selly Express’s running costs for several months. The highly controversial Dubai Campus, which opened in September, is just another expensive (and ethically questionable) demonstration of the University’s inability to represent the wishes of its students. The wariness coming from the University - led by Sir David Eastwood, a man with, according to the Times, an annual salary of £439,000 - regarding the funding of the Selly Express beyond this year is not only laughable in light of some the University’s more extravagant expenses, but potentially dan-
gerous. The service is dual-purpose in this way: Students who use it are not only protecting themselves at night from the risk of muggings, assault or worse, but also from the feeling of being mentally drained that can come with feeling unsafe. A 2012 study from Arizona State University revealed that feeling unsafe in your own neighbourhood is directly linked to poor mental health. With the University’s mental health policy also coming under fire (the Guild’s Welfare and Community Officer Izzy Bygrave started a petition on Monday 14th to ‘lobby the Uni to write a mental health strategy’ for the next three years), it seems irresponsible for a University official to seemingly write off something that can benefit students’ mental health. In terms of the disagreement between the Guild and the University about where the funding for the Selly Express is coming from, it is as if there has been a major breakdown in communication between the two, which is causing students to feel
confused and uncertain about the future of the Selly Express. It also casts questions over some of the other schemes proposed by the two bodies to help keep students safe. This includes the University’s promise to upgrade ‘all of the CCTV across campus’ (as the Director of Student Affairs told Redbrick News in an interview in October). Fundamentally, it’s vital that students are made aware of what the situation is surrounding the policies implemented to help them feel safe when they are studying at the University of Birmingham, and the clarity and availability of the information published to the student body surrounding issues such as the Selly Express must be improved. As a sign that the University listens to and appreciates the concerns raised by the student body, the Selly Express should remain a part of the University beyond this year, assuming it is used enough by students. The full statements from the University’s spokesperson can be seen on this week's front page.
Graphic Showing Funding Difference Between the Green Heart and the Selly Express
Green Heart £11,500,000 (Willmott Dixon)
Selly Express (10 years) £323,950 approx. (Guild of Students)
COMMENT
Friday 25th January 2019
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Bite the Backstop Bullet
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Anna and Michal (Flickr)
Jonathan Korn provides a brief history of the backstop issue which has dominated Brexit negotiations, and discusses why MPs should put peace over perfection when it comes to this issue Jonathan Korn Comment Writer
What the bloody hell is a backstop? And why the bloody hell do we need one? These questions have dominated Parliamentary debate ever since Theresa May brought her Brexit deal back from Brussels. At the time of writing, 432 MP’s have resoundingly rejected the Prime Minister’s Withdrawal Agreement, and it is this wretched backstop which is the obstacle she has not been able to overcome. Few expected the Irish question to be the main sticking point in negotiations, yet here we are, stuck in the quagmire of backstops, regulatory alignment and possible hard borders.
“This backstop is far more complex than a grievance blown out of proportion. It has historical roots and geographical significance” I think lots of people living in England think Ireland are just doing this to piss us off. Minirevenge for colonialism, if you like. That Ireland are being deliberately difficult and holding up negotiations because they simply do not like us. And in fairness, they’d have every reason not to be big fans of the British. Under Elizabeth I in the sixteenth century, a policy of subjugating the people of Ireland
was pursued with fury, with British ‘plantations’ set up and Unionists encouraged to settle there at the expense of Irish farmers who owned the land. The Brits hardly got any nicer throughout the centuries. Irish Catholics were denied their political rights to representation in Parliament (until Daniel O’Connell’s campaign for Catholic Emancipation eventually found favour in 1829). The brutal suppression of the Easter Rising of 1916 and stories of British atrocities which emerged afterwards mark a dark chapter in our country’s history. In short, Leo Varadkar and the Irish government would have every reason to be obtrusive. However, this backstop is far more complex than a grievance blown out of proportion. It has historical roots and geographical significance, which the next few hundred words will try and explain. Ireland became a free state in 1922, yet didn’t gain full independence as a Republic from Britain until 1949. However, the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 saw the six Northernmost counties elect to remain in the United Kingdom. Since then, tension and hostility begot violence and bloodshed. The formation of the Provisional Irish Republican Army in 1969 and growth of Ulster Loyalist Paramilitary groups saw the simmering pot finally boil over, as Unionists and Republicans fought for the soul of Northern Ireland. 3,500 people were killed in the fighting that ensued, and for many citizens in the six counties, friends or even relatives were amongst the dead. The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 finally brought an end to these troubles. It allowed the citizens of Northern Ireland to decide their own destiny in a
referendum which kept the country in the United Kingdom. It also ensured Republican and Catholic voices were not shut out of politics by introducing a power-sharing government. Unionists and Republicans were forced to govern together to seek consensus rather than provoke further antagonism.
“I am not yet cynical enough to believe humanity cannot learn from history” Yet the risk is that all could be lost. Power-sharing has collapsed, along with any semblance of trust between the main Unionist and Republican Parties (the DUP and Sinn Fein). A fragile peace is at breaking point as Brexit looms and Ireland’s future remains unknown. The root of the political problem is that Ireland (an EU member) will continue to share a border with Northern Ireland (a non-EU member) after Brexit. EU countries and non-EU countries have different trading rules and regulations, so when goods go from an EU country to a nonEU country or vice versa, the goods need to be checked to make sure they are in line with both countries’ regulations. If goods need to be checked, a checking point (also known as a border) is required. Except no one wants a border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The EU don’t want one, the Northern Irish don’t want one, the UK doesn’t want one. A hard border would, as all parties agree, sow the seeds of division just as the
dream of unity seemed to have been fulfilled. Families with relatives on both sides of the border will be cut off from one another. A positive trading relationship between Ireland and Northern Ireland, so often the basis of good bilateral friendships, will become harder to maintain. And the bridges built by the Good Friday Agreement risk being torn down and replaced by walls. Yet paradoxically, no one agrees on the means, despite agreeing on the ends. That’s where the backstop comes in. In order to avoid customs checks, the UK has pledged to align its trade rules with the EU by staying in the customs union so that frictionless trade can continue across the Irish border. In addition, the Withdrawal Agreement kept Northern Ireland in some parts of the Single European trading market, in order to make trade and movement across the border easier. The problem is that MP’s hated it. The Democratic Unionist Party hated it because alignment with the Republic of Ireland is the last thing they want. Set up by Ian Paisley in 1971 at the height of the Troubles, the DUP is a party committed above all else to remaining part of Britain. Having experienced and withstood the bombing campaign of the IRA, an unwavering determination to resist Irish unification in any form is the DUP’s defining characteristic. Without understanding this historical hostility towards Republicanism, it is impossible to appreciate the ferocity of their opposition to the backstop. For the DUP, Northern Ireland being forced to basically stay in the Single Market (like the Republic of Ireland) whilst the rest of the
UK leaves is anathema. As staunch Unionists who believe Northern Ireland should remain part of the UK, any deal which treats it even slightly differently they cannot support. The vast majority of MP’s hate the backstop for a different reason. Because it is a joint commitment to avoid a hard border, the backstop can only be ended with the consent of both sides. In short, we can only leave this arrangement if the EU says we can. It’s akin to being stuck in a lift with a mate who can refuse to open the doors for as long as he wants. For MP’s that supported Brexit to take back control of decision-making, a proposal which binds our hands in such a way was never going to hold much sway.
“Avoiding a hard border must be paramount... history says so” As a first-year history student, I am not yet cynical enough to believe humanity cannot learn from history. Understanding Irish history is absolutely essential to understanding British politics. And as the government seeks alternative solutions to the Irish question, it is vital to remember the Troubles and give everything to make sure their horrors are never repeated. I understand the hostility to the backstop. It is hardly ideal. However, avoiding a hard border must be paramount. The citizens of Northern Ireland say so, the citizens of the Republic of Ireland say so, and history says so. If this means the backstop, MPs should bite the bullet and put peace over perfection.
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Friday 25th January 2019
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The Next Leader of the Free World?
As Democrats across the U.S. announce their candidacies, Digital Editor Jonny Isaacs discusses the runners, the potential runners, and who might have the best chance of ousting Donald Trump from the White House Jonny Isaacs Digital Editor
2018 has just finished, 2019 has just started, so in the world of US politics it’s time to talk 2020. American presidential campaigns seem to get longer and longer – this year’s campaign began over a month sooner than in 2007. However, two of the architects of Obama’s winning campaign, David Plouffe (Campaign Manager) and Dan Pfeiffer (White House Communications Director) – both of whom served as Senior Advisors to President Obama – push the point, in their public statements and memoirs, that you can always raise more money or hire more staff, but you can never get back lost time. It seems that the many Democrats hoping to be the one to challenge Trump have internalised that message and are beginning as early as possible. There may well be more contenders than there are pages in this publication
so I will only be able to cover those who I both think will run and who I believe stand a chance of winning (a dangerous prospect in light of the 2016 Republican primary). For each of the major candidates, I’ve given a breakdown of their key biographical details, and then I’ve added my take on each, for what it’s worth. Age is not crucial, but the presidential election is 648 days away – it is a gruelling task for anyone to be on the road for that long, not to mention the job ahead should they win on 3rd November 2020 (see 2007 Barack Obama vs 2017 Barack Obama). By ‘campaign stage’, I mean whether they have officially announced a candidacy, launched an exploratory committee (a month-long legal and financial formality which essentially allows candidates two shots at grabbing the media spotlight), or the character of their deliberations over whether to run. ‘PAC money’ is contributions
from a political action committee – a legal loophole that allows corporations, interest groups, and wealthy individuals essentially unlimited contributions to campaigns. Not taking PAC money will require candidates’ entire war chest to come from individual donations. In 2016 Hillary Clinton spent just over $550million over the primary and general election campaigns. If any PAC-less candidate wants to raise that much in individual donations, which are capped at $5000 per person, it would require that at least 150,000 individuals fork over five grand, about 8% of the median annual household income for 2017/18. For those who have not yet declared, I’ve gathered their key policies and campaign messages from their public statements, legislative history, and previous campaigns they’ve run.
Images: Wikimedia Commons
Cory Booker Age: 49 Home State: New Jersey (Born in DC) Experience: US Senator; Mayor of Newark; Rhodes Scholar Campaign Stage: Undeclared, regular visits to Iowa and New Hampshire (first states to vote in the primaries) PAC money: No corporate PACs Likely Policies: Ending mass incarceration; pathway to citizenship for DREAMers; closing the racial attainment gap Likely campaign message: Racial equality; justice; healthcare; criminal justice reform
Elizabeth Warren Age: 69 Home State: Massachusetts (Born in Oklahoma) Experience: Vice Chair of Senate Democratic Caucus; US Senator; Special Advisor to CFPB; Professor of Commercial Law; Keynote speaker at 2016 Democratic National Convention Campaign Stage: Exploratory Committee announced 31st December 2018 PAC money: No Likely Policies: Medicare-for-All; anti-corruption; combating income inequality Likely campaign message: A
life-long history as a lawyer, educator, public intellectual and senator, of fighting for the middle class and against Wall Street and Washington corruption
My take: Elizabeth Warren is an incredible woman, highly impressive, and would make an excellent president – she is detail-oriented, hardworking, and uncommonly intelligent. However, since springing to the national spotlight in 2016 she has been an obvious contender, which means (much like Al Gore and Hillary Clinton) the campaign against her has been running much longer than the campaign for her. This may prove to be her undoing.
My take: Booker has a bullet-proof history of being a leader on most progressive issues, especially concerning racial equality. Being a well educated, progressive African American senator, the comparisons to Obama are inevitable, but he lacks something of the excitement of Obama – something other candidates (Beto, Kamala, Bernie) have.
Kamala Harris Age: 54 Home State: California Experience: US Senator; California Attorney General Campaign Stage: Officially announced 21st January 2019 PAC money: No corporate PACs Likely Policies: Medicare-for-All; ending of cash bail; $15 minimum wage; tuition-free university Likely campaign message: ‘We’re facing a leadership crisis in the White House’
My take: Harris’ election to the Senate was one of very few bright spots for the democrats in 2016. Since then she has made a name for herself by bringing her relentless prosecutorial attitude to her committee Other candidates already declared: • Former Obama Cabinet member Julian Castro • Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard • Former Maryland Congressman John Delaney • West Virginia Senator Richard Ojeda • Tech mogul Andrew Yang The New York Times also lists former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper as ‘All But Certain’.
roles in the Senate, most notably against alleged sexual assaulter, now Justice Brett Kavanagh. Harris has done everything right for someone who wants to be President, but that might just be her problem. Undeclared, but rumoured: Amy Klobuchar; John Kerry; Jeff Merkley; Mike Bloomberg; Bill de Blasio; Eric Garcetti; Sherrod Brown; Steve Bullock; Jay Inslee; Terry McAuliffe; Mitch Landrieu; Eric Holder; Howard Schultz; Stacey Abrams; Andrew Gillum; Jerry Brown; Gavin Newsom and, if rumours are to be believed, Former First Lady and 2016 Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
Kirsten Gillibrand Age: 52 Home State: New York Experience: US Senator; US Representative; Lawyer and women’s advocate Campaign Stage: Exploratory Committee announced 15th January 2019 PAC money: No Likely Policies: a champion of the #MeToo movement; medicarefor-all buy-ins; pathway to citizenship for DREAMers; job training Likely campaign message: ‘I will fight for everyone’s kids as hard as I fight for my own’
My take: Gillibrand is currently taking a lot of heat for two things. Firstly, semi-justifiably, her decade-old positions on immigration and guns, despite the fact her record over the last 10 years runs counter to these positions (which she has
since abandoned). The other is that she led the charge for Minnesota senator Al Franken to step down after evidence of his sexual harassment surfaced. Once again a woman is taking the flak for the vulgar behaviour of a man. She will have to put these issues to bed if she is to stand a chance.
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Beto O’Rourke
My take:
Joe Biden
Age: 46 Home State: Texas Experience: US Senate Candidate 2018; US Representative Campaign Stage: Undeclared, currently touring the country talking to people to gauge whether or not to run PAC money: No Likely Policies: Improving mental health care; fully-funded public school system; legalisation of marijuana; banning PACs Likely campaign message: A campaign running on honesty, values, and representing all Americans
Beto definitely has that certain quality to him, like Obama and RFK before him, and if he could carry Texas in the general, the game is essentially over: win all the States Hillary won in 2016 plus Texas, and he wins. Beto won’t be able to run a presidential campaign exactly like his Senate one, during which he made a point of visiting all 254 counties in Texas; going to all 3000 in the country would mean visiting five per day until the election. He would, however, run a 50-state race, speaking to as many different types of voters as possible. But he did lose in November, and that might come back to bite him; he lacks experience.
Age: 76 Home State: Delaware (born in Pennsylvania) Experience: Vice President of the United States; US Senator (36 years) Campaign Stage: Not announced PAC money: Unlikely Likely Policies: Fighting income inequality; restoring America’s international standing; rejoining Paris Climate Accords and Iran Nuclear Deal Likely campaign message: The most experienced candidate in the field (only candidate with foreign policy experience)
My take:
Bernie Sanders
My take:
Age: 77 Home State: Vermont (born in New York) Experience: 2016 Democratic primary runner up; US Senator; US Representative; Mayor of Burlington Campaign Stage: Notannounced PAC money: No Likely Policies: $15 minimum wage; medicare-for-all; increased taxation on millionaires and billionaires; tuition-free university Likely campaign message: Working for the middle class; fighting against the financial stranglehold of the 1%
As the only potential candidate to have run a national campaign in the last decade, Sanders is at a significant advantage with an existing campaign infrastructure ready and waiting. Since (and in part due to) his meteoric rise in 2016, Bernie now occupies a much more ‘establishment’ position – his running can no longer be considered ‘insurgent’, so it may not have the same appeal. Sanders’ achievement has been to move the Democratic party to the left over the last few years, but this might hurt his chances in 2020, as most of the candidates now share many of his policies that were once considered uniquely radical.
Biden is leading almost every poll, he’s one of the most popular Vice Presidents in history, and the 16th longest serving Senator in US history. Experience is Biden’s buzzword – it’s what sets him apart, and it might be his Achilles heel. It will all come down to spin; Biden can put his name on some – or all – of the successes of My overall take: Any of the candidates outlined in full profile above would make strong progressive presidents, as would some of those listed by name only. Team two of these up and you have a powerful combo. It’s going to be an exciting campaign and lots of meaty policy
the Obama administration, but it can also be put on the failures. This last year has seen a new generation of Democrats come to the fore, creating tensions with the more ‘establishment’ figures – the ghost of Biden’s role as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee during the Anita Hill hearings may just disqualify him from being a President in the #MeToo era. issues will be thrown about. The two candidates I think can best balance each other’s weaknesses are Joe Biden and Beto O’Rourke, though they do lack for diversity. Beto with Warren, or Biden with Harris (in either combination of President and VP) seem strong bets to me as well. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Step into The Theatre of Light and Dark
Trips Through Life and Imagination Former English student David Hamilton has his 7th book out in December. It is Step into The Theatre of Light and Dark: Trips Through Life and Imagination. A book of experimental poetry as advertised in the Literary Review.
www.davidhamiltonauthor.co.uk
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Redbrick Meets: UoB Drag Print & Features Editor Thom Dent sits down with Ashleigh-Marc, the performer in charge of a society designed to change your perceptions Thom Dent
Print & Features Editor
Despite enjoying a rising prominence over the last few years, the perception of drag artistry in Britain is still fairly one-dimensional. For the most part, the extent of the exposure a Birmingham student gets during their time at the university is an evening at Nightingales and ten seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race on Netflix. For Ashley Jones (better known by their persona Ashleigh-Marc), the founder and president of UoB Drag, the society has been created to tackle this exact issue. ‘It’s shocking – when I was actually doing the research for it, at that time there were only two other universities that had drag societies. They were very limited in numbers and in terms of the students that actually would participate. It was very drag-centric, you had to do drag to join it. ‘I think the main aim of the society is to widen the horizons for people, to be like, “yes, you may think this of drag, you may have seen RuPaul, but we want you to take a deeper look inside of what drag is.” It’s so much more than the gender boundaries, it’s so much more than just putting on a bit of makeup.’ What was your first experience of drag? ‘I’m gonna put that down to the university actually, it was Sports Night that started me off. I’d obviously w at c h e d RuPaul,, but when I came along to the first Sports Night we did
a lot of costumes and it was something I hadn’t really ever done; I’d never been that person. Costumes turned into more theatrical pieces, which turned into drag... it kind of came out of nowhere. But, obviously, I love it – I’ve only been doing it for just over a year as well so it’s only been a very short time, but it’s been an interesting twelve months.’
“It's so much more than the gender boundaries, it's so much more than just putting on a bit of makeup” On the society’s plans for the rest of the year, Jones says: ‘Obviously we’re trying to make it as inclusive an environment as possible. I’ve always said, many people consider drag just to be something that men do, but we want women to come along and experience it too. Also I think a lot of straight men can get deterred by it, thinking it’s an LGBTQ-themed event, so we try not to put any labels on it. We’ve got guest speakers ideally coming in, performance nights planned for the end of the year, and one thing we’ve already got set in motion is the ball we have planned at the end of the year, which will be... interesting. ‘One thing that upsets me: a couple of people came up to me before I started, who identified as being straight and felt like they couldn't do drag
because they aren’t on the LGBTQ spectrum – that’s totally wrong. For me, it goes beyond those boundaries of gender and sexual identity – who are we to say that someone who identifies as straight can’t do drag?’ While it may not be at the forefront of mainstream entertainment culture yet, drag is certainly an industry on the rise. With its recent permeation into Netflix it seems as though shows such as RuPaul are bellwethers of a potential cultural behemoth. And yet there have always been rumblings that such a new frontier for the industry is having a negative effect on the community, reducing the concept of drag to only what the sanitised world of TV allows for. ‘I think it’s a double-edged sword,’ says Ashley. ‘It’s really opened people’s minds – people who wouldn’t necessarily be exposed to drag – to explore what drag is really about, but I think it’s also created a narrow mindset. I’ve had people come up to me in clubs and refer to me by certain slogans or catchphrases and, you know, always ask me “which drag queen inspired you to do drag?” Well, none of them, actually. I think we’re at a point now where things like this society can help to go beyond that. RuPaul’s Drag Race is a great show, it really allowed so many people to do what they do – but does it necessarily show all aspects of the drag spectrum?’ One of the misconceptions about drag is that it is a fixed identity – you are either Dame Edna or you are Alyssa Edwards. For Jones, this is part of the RuPaul effect. The realities of drag culture, they explain, are far more multifaceted. ‘The first thing I need to explain is all the different categories. Within queens you can have men who dress as women, women who dress as women – and then you have drag kings, that can be a man dressing up in drag or a woman trying to impersonate a man. Drag kings are something that are often neglected by shows
Laura Chen
like RuPaul’s Drag Race because people see these hyper-feminine men in dresses and they forget that there are people who don’t necessarily identify with that. I’m trying to find if there are any men or women on campus who are interested in that sort of thing. ‘Drag is an open concept; it’s open to interpretation. I have so much respect for people who do drag and associate with being a drag king, because it shows another side to what drag does. It’s really hard to explain, I’d say take a look at it – there are a couple of big performers in the UK who identify as drag kings or drag princes, but that’s what I’m trying to open up the society to. People think they have to come a certain way, and that’s not right. I try to think of myself as a drag performer, rather than a drag queen, because I think with anything I do it depends on how I’m feeling on the night.’
“People think they have to come a certain way, and that's not right” Can you ever see it becoming part of the mainstream entertainment culture? ‘I really do hope so! I mean, if you look back to the nineties you have people like Lily Savage, you have Dame Edna Everage – they were two really big personalities on national TV. Do I think it might take off in the next couple of years? I don’t know so much... even in the last couple of years that I’ve been exposed to it, it’s exploded to an extent now that everyone knows the catchphrases. Even if you don’t watch RuPaul, there are people that recognise some of the characters and things like that. I hope to see it expand beyond just Netflix or something like that, just really become something a bit more mainstream.’ Ashley’s involvement in the industry is far more than just UoB
Drag. They are a regular performer in competitions across Birmingham, part of a longerterm plan to become a professional drag artist. ‘Do I see a career out of it?’ Ashley muses. ‘That’s still to be determined. But am I enjoying it, am I getting the most out of it at the moment? Absolutely – I’m so lucky with the support I’ve had from everyone.’ For a lot of people it can be hard to differentiate between the performance elements and the identity elements of drag. Unfortunately, and particularly in the UK, the phrase ‘cross-dressing’ either conjures assumptions of transvestitism or of pantomime. ‘I actually went to speak to some college students at City College about these issues,’ says Jones. ‘For me, drag is very much a performance-based art. There are some weeks I can be hyper-feminine and then there’s other weeks I can be very androgynous. ‘I think drag kind of surpasses the gender boundaries that people seem to have set there. I think it’s very much about playing on a character, in the moment – that’s what I do, anyway – and when I’m done I put it aside. I think another thing people struggle with is having the differentiation between themselves and their drag personas. I try and consider it more an extension of who I am rather than a totally different being... I think people sometimes forget that there is a blurred boundary between drag and themselves. ‘What I’m trying to do with the society is show that actually, it’s okay – you don’t have to necessarily do drag but it’s okay to realise that there are moments in life where we just want to take ourselves outside of our comfort zone and do something different. That’s something that’s relatable to everyone.’ UoB Drag are always welcoming new members. To get in touch email drag@guild.bham. ac.uk or find their group ‘UoB Drag Society’ on Facebook.
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Mind+Solve
Issue 1501 Puzzles compiled by Thom Dent, Will Nunn, Erin Santillo and John Wimperis
The Redbrick Crossword
This week we're looking back at some of the most notable moments of 2018 (with almost no bias at all), to celebrate the start of a brand new year. 1
Across 2. Plastic sucks (8) 6. YouTuber, boxer, and dead body enthusiast (5) 8. Farout planet discovered, no biggie (5) 9. Our hot new campus opens (5) 11. Birmingham’s biggest BNOC (5,3) 12. Agrandeising slogan (5,1,4) 13. Artist separates their art (6) 16. Football was, then wasn’t, but still is... (6,4) 18. President proposes future Netflix hit (5,5) 19. Is is a game? Is it a TV show? Is it... reality?? (12)
Down 1. An extremely important and extremely modest newspaper celebrated their 1500th edition (8) 2. Popular British tourist destination, contents confused Russia (9) 3. Aw, snap (8,3) 4. Not Dr Alex... who? (5,9) 5. American suits up for royal wedding (6) 7. Liberté, égalité, santé et sécurité (6,6) 10. Scientist’s brief history finishes (7) 14. Dance move popular among dentists (5) 15. Aldi bring back their festive veg (6) 17. Oldman wins, old men lose (5)
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First Lines
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The premise of First Lines is simple: each issue, we supply a selection of opening sentences from various novels,
songs, poems and films. All you have to do is tell us which novels, songs or films the lines come from.
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‘It was nearing midnight and the Prime Minister was sitting alone in his office, reading a long memo that was slipping through his brain without leaving the slightest trace of meaning behind.’
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‘Looking out on the morning rain / I used to feel uninspired / And when I knew I had to face another day / Lord, it made me feel so tired’
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Can you rearrange the words below to find the names of ten Premier League football teams?
1. STRETCHY ICEMAN 2. TEAT MONTH 3. PASCAL TREACLY
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LAST ISSUE’S ANSWERS | Crossword: 1. Presents; 2. Michael Buble; 3. Chestnuts; 4. Bauble; 5. Jingle Bells; 6. Sprouts; 7. Nativity; 8. Nut Roast; 9. Saint Nick; 10. List; 11. Snow; 12. Slade; 13. Scrooge; 14. Elves; 15. Bethlehem; 16. Myrrh; 17. Jesus; 18. Tinsel; 19. Mary; 20. Die Hard | First Lines: The Polar Express (Chris Van Allsburg); ‘Step Into Christmas’ (Elton John); Die Hard (Jeb Stuart) | Anagrams: 1. Mariah Carey; 2. The Pogues; 3. Paul McCartney; 4. Eartha Kitt; 5. Justin Bieber; 6. Bing Crosby; 7. The Waitresses; 8. Shakin Stevens; 9. Andy Williams; 10. Band Aid
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Get in touch with Redbrick Mind&Solve by sending all answers, applications and queries to print@redbrick.me.
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The Night I Can’t Remember Abby Spreadborough recounts her experience of being spiked in a Birmingham club, and how the burden of responsibility for determining what had happened in the hours she lost was put on her Abby Spreadborough Redbrick Writer
*Warning – this article contains themes of sexual assault and spiking that some readers may find uncomfortable* I was wearing a red skirt, black top, velvet jacket and high heeled boots. People so often want to know what you had been wearing when you suspect that you have been sexually assaulted. As if sexual assault is a conscious choice, something one chooses for themselves, and not something that is grossly inflicted upon you by another human being. In a hypersexualised world, clothes, or lack thereof, are seen as a marker – a visual indication of consent.
“People so often want to know what you had been wearing when you suspect that you have been sexually assualted” Some say that it is impossible to articulate trauma, or even that it is unethical – that ephemeral, subjective words can never convey the incident faithfully. Nevertheless, in the following, I attempt to articulate what has hap-
Tony Hisgett
pened to me. It is important to note that much of what occurred that night exists in my mind as an impenetrable thicket. Like a dark, disorienting woods in which my mind wanders, arms outstretched, trying to grasp at fragments of my memory. There is nothing. I have told so many people what has happened to me that my experience no longer feels like my own, much like how my body no longer feels like my own. The events feel more like a narrative, a sparse story, made up of momentary flashes that dart through my mind inviting speculation and dread. It begins in a bar and finishes with me being found screaming. It ultimately ends in a startlingly cruel realization about the neglect of young women. The police came to visit me the following morning, and in the haze of withdrawal from a mind and state altering substance, I was unable to answer many of their questions. They asked me pointedly if I had been raped and I didn’t know how to respond; perhaps I didn’t want to admit that rape could have happened. I was told to contact friends from that evening – it may jog my memory, they said. This did nothing, so my suspicion only grew, and it became clear that whatever I was given was particularly potent as I had retroactively forgotten events. Days later I was unceremoniously notified by a 101 operator that my case had been closed without my knowledge. The police had dismissed it for being riddled with ambiguities – it would make for a costly drawn-out investigation which wasn’t worth the taxpayer’s money. Students being drugged and forgetting their evenings happened all the time; I was merely another naive victim who hadn’t been careful enough. As many had told me, I had ‘learnt my lesson’. I wouldn’t be that care-
less again. Once again, it was as if I had done this to myself. As if I had walked onto Broad Street that cold December night and advertised myself as a willing participant in someone’s perverse revelry. I would have to continue to investigate myself, or forget it all entirely. Put it to the back of my mind and leave it, as some had said, or rather brush it under that vast rug to rot and fester with many other accounts of spiking and sexual violence. I went to get tested by myself – they call it a self-referral. I travelled across Birmingham, bobbing between the surface and the subterranean of the city as I went. I had sincerely hoped that Birmingham would become a home to me, but now it felt distant and indifferent.
“I had sincerely hoped that Birmingham would become a home to me, but now it felt distant and indifferent”
finding DNA evidence. There is no time to mourn when something so awful happens to you. No time to sit, your body shaking, heartbeat unsteady, eyes bleary and sobbing when such a thing may have happened to you.
“Those in positions of power were continually halting my search for answers” The women were shocked by my matter of fact tone when recounting the story, not at all sensing the emotional deluge that was to come.
been sexually assaulted. And I wouldn’t receive my results anyway until late January. There are no quick fixes in such cases, only quick victims. It seemed as though that those in positions of power were continually halting my search for answers. I felt that my sanity depended on knowing what had happened. If I was able to be sure of the facts, I would no longer be powerless. Nurses, previous victims of such attacks and welfare officers would listen to me whilst those with the power to do something would disregard me. The time spent waiting for answers was paralleled by the time I would have to wait for counselling. Whilst the university could match me with a counsellor in time for the second semester, the NHS would take up to 12 weeks to find someone suitable. T h e interim w a s filled w i t h isolation and t h e expectation that victims would repress whatever had happened to them and go on about everyday life. Such a life becomes laborious to lead. You are unable to sleep, unable to be present and unable to move on. Half of
108%
increase in spiking incidents since 2015 (Sky News)
When I arrived at the clinic it was hidden away. No signage, only an unmarked buzzer I’d been told about on the phone, then a woman standing at the top of the stairs gesturing me forward away from the silent waiting room populated with the city’s sickly young and old inhabitants. What followed was hours of questioning and paperwork before I could be tested. I was told that I had lost much time already. I was five days into a seven-day window required for testing, with each day progressively eating away at forensics' chances of
Nevertheless it came, and it resembled the exact hysteria I had felt upon the night of my drugging. Following this I was told that despite the four hours of questioning and exam I had endured, the head forensic scientist may still decide that my case was too ambiguous, not worth the time and not worth the cost of testing. Even then, as I was so far into the window for testing, they would never definitively say whether or not I had
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Friday 25th January 2019
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eternity. And that at any moment I might be able to wake up again, just as I had awoken screaming that December evening. The truth is I will never wake up. This is it. I will have to settle with the fact that I will likely never know what happened to me in those hours of lost time. I even returned to Broad Street, searching frantically for some sense of what had gone on, but I came up with nothing. O n l y curses a n d threats of violence as I stood outside that club I had disappeared from that evening. Enraged I had tried to contact them, all I was able to reach were robotic voices, echoing the monotone voice I had adopted upon telling people what had happened to me. I increasingly felt as though the world was silencing me, slamming the door in my face and telling me that it was probably best that I didn’t know what happened to me in the small hours of that night. But it will happen again, as it happens on most nights, in most cities and most countries. Men
and women robbed of their dignity, identity, and sometimes even their lives for the simple pleasure of another human being. I have tried to imagine who drugged me. What drives a person to commit such an act? What do they look like? What’s their profession? I worry that I may have passed them in the street, walking to class, at a bar. They are an indistinct silh o u e t t e haunting me, slinking about in dark corners, emerging in the centre of the dance f l o o r amongst flashing lights only to slip away once more, receding into n o t h i n g . Unfathomable and unknowable. Many victims don’t report instances of spiking and the robbery and/or sexual assault which follows this initial offence. The main reason for not reporting is embarrassment, followed by the belief that the police would not be able to help them. Given my experiences in the past month I completely understand these reasons, but I still urge survivors to come forward. While you may have to
121,187
incidents of sexual assault in the UK in 2017 (ONS)
endure the ill-informed assumptions of some and the indirect criticism of others, the police will only be able to act if they have a comprehensive understanding of the nature and frequency of these incidents.
“It happens on most nights, in most cities and most countries. Men and women robbed of their dignity, identity, and sometimes even their lives”
be satisfied, they have the right to have quick, easy and free access to support services. Although I was lucky enough to access these services as a student, others might not get the chance to heal. They may end up stuck on an NHS waiting list or not reporting the incident at all. Whilst I urge these individuals to come forward, more needs to be done by those in positions of power. Club employees and owners should be safeguarding their customers and the police should be taking these reports seriously in order to ease the fears and con-
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cerns of those who are reluctant to report cases of spiking or sexual assault. Opening up may not only help the police situation but yourself. To talk to those you trust can be incredibly liberating. To offload the mix of confusing yet perfectly valid emotions that exist in the wake of trauma will unburden you. It will ensure that an event cannot define the rest of your time at university. You can take back control over your narrative so that you are no longer a victim, but yourself once more.
If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, the following organisations can be contacted for guidance and support
Since 2015 there has been a 108% increase in spiking incidents, yet the crime is still vastly under-reported. Similarly to my case, victims feel that they have no evidence to provide the police with, meaning that there is little point in reporting it. Despite this statistic, following my eventual contact with the nightclub and discussions with the police, there is little being done. From the club I received a half-hearted apology followed by defensive comments about the ‘standards and procedures’ of the establishment. Victims have the right to find out what has happened to them and if this cannot
Email: info@rsvporg.co.uk Telephone: 0121 643 0301
Email: enquiries@horizonsarc.org.uk Telephone: 0808 168 5698
Emily Youlton MONDAY 26TH NOVEMBER BurnFM Station Manager THE INDIE LOUNGE @Burn_FM FROM 7.30PM 2019 has arrived and across the corridor in Burn FM, we are set for another busy year ahead with lots of brand new shows starting soon and our journalistic teams working hard. This year we are trying something completely new, with the Arts team working on a live audience podcast, something we have not yet accomplished as a radio station but are keen to do. Working with Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, we have put together plans for a podcast debating the cuts to Arts Council funding and the importance of classical music and the arts world in general. This debate is yet to reach a podcast format which is why we want to take on the challenge. We are excited to be joined by classical musician Charlotte Skinner as well as UoB musical students and academics. This is an opportunity to question and explore some of the massive changes that will influence both arts education and the industry. It's an important debate to be had amongst students so we are thrilled to be working on this. The Arts organisations in Birmingham have had cuts for the third time in four years, despite a commitment from the council to maintain funding levels until 2020. We can see from copious articles about how it affects art galleries and theatres but limited information is provided on how orchestral groups are affected. We will be asking what our panel think is behind the subdued amount of students attending classical concerts. Is it cuts to funding? Access difficulties? And
how do they think this can be changed? With UoB home to large orchestral groups itself and The Gilbert and Sullivan Society, we will be asking our panel what being part of such an extensive musical family is like. The Symphony Hall is home to a plethora of events, including music from films, tributes to the great composers like Beethoven, and free Jazz gigs. There really is something for everyone – this podcast will intrigue, answer questions of arts funding and show the importance of orchestral music to both professionals and some of UoB’s keen instrumentalists. Tune in at burnfm.com
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CULTURE
Friday 25th January 2019
@redbrickculture
Redbrick Recommends: Podcasts Lydia Waller Food&Drink Editor
According to statistics, nearly six million people now listen to podcasts in the UK every week – if podcasts are new to you, or if your usual listens are getting a bit old, I have 6 of my current favourite podcasts to recommend to you, to kickstart the year with some cultured listening. ‘The High Low’ by Pandora Sykes and Dolly Alderton These two freelance journalists are often found writing for the Times, with Dolly having a weekly column in the Times Style magazine. They are two incredibly charming young women who have a lot to say about feminism, literature, the weekly news and popular culture. Dolly is an award-winning author of the book Everything I know about love, and, being an ex-dating columnist, is well versed in the narrative of single 30-odd year olds and the charm and challenges of living alone in London. Pandora is married with a young daughter, and is an incredibly successful journalist and fashion theorist in her own right. Together they collaborate, very punctually every week, to bring you to tears with some of their ridiculously middle-class humour and lives, and as they are very willing to admit to some of the privileges they enjoy, they make the invite to joke along with them even more inviting. Occasionally they have new writers and authors in to talk about literature and new releases, and a personal favourite is the episode when Lindsey Hilsum discusses her book, and the life of war-correspondent and friend, Marie Colvin. They allow a lot of interaction with their listeners, opening ‘ye olde mail bag’ every week to read letters, complaints and some very emotional stories. The duo offer what literature and culture they have con-
sumed and enjoyed over the week, adding links in the shownotes, making the access to these recommendations very easy. ‘The High Low’ is hilarious, challenging, woke but also willing to be controversial in that Pandora and Dolly do not always agree, making for engaging and witty listening. The two’s friendship is so endearing, and you will fall in love with them!
“Why not give the podcast a go? You may be pleasantly surprised” ‘Table Manners’ by Jessie Ware and her mother ‘Table Manners’ is the perfect listen for those days that you don’t want to endorse the culturevulture stereotype, but do want true, honest and humble conversation with celebrities. Jessie Ware, a well-established pop artist, hosts dinner every week for celebrity guests with her mother. The food sounds absolutely scrumptious, desserts are usually made by Jessie’s brother Alex, and the relationship between Jessie and her outrageously fabulous mother is so delicious to witness, it makes the concept of ear-wigging on a dinner party absolutely appealing. The guest list is wonderful, from Sadiq Khan to Nigella Lawson, and the range of stories is incredible. My personal favourite episode is Alan Carr’s, where you will just cry with laughter. The conversation is lead with such ease, the guests all have such respect for being hosted in Jessie’s family home and Jessie has such respect for her guests, with one example being when she waited to feed Sadiq Khan after the fast in Ramadan. ‘Table Manners’ is such light, honest and life-affirming listening, proving that celebrity or not, we all love a good
glass of something and a nice old natter over some fantastic grub. ‘The Guilty Feminist’ by Deborah Frances-White With wit and a wonderfully crafted relevant feminist focus, Deborah Frances-White combines the power of comedy and gender politics to help expand the conversation about the ever-controversial and topical movement of feminism. She has written her own manifesto-esque book of ‘The Guilty Feminist,’ as a written pledge to what she aims to achieve, but the podcast was the start of her idea and the aural illustration of it in practice. Every episode starts with the audience, hosts and guests saying ‘I am a feminist but...’ followed by a clause about their behaviour or attitude that contradicts what the typical perception of feminism might be. This kick-starts every episode with a common-denominator amongst all listeners, suggesting that there is something about feminism that we feel like we haven’t grasped. This gets to the heart of what Frances-White is trying to say, that there is not a ‘perfect feminism,’ but one that might change potential gendered circumstances for a more egalitarian better. One of my favourite episodes is the ‘Dangerous Women on Film with Nat Luurtsema and guest Yasmine Akram.’ Each week takes a new topic, from the Windrush Generation to the ‘Great Debate’ of whether comedy can change the world, all through a lens of feminism. This podcast can get wild, and wonderfully political, making for some very outrageous and gorgeously dynamic listening about some very complex politics. Want to be a part of the feminist narrative and have a whale of a time whilst doing it? Give this one a listen. ‘The Adam Buxton Podcast’ British comedian Adam Buxton hosts wonderful, emotionally invested conversation
with friends and celebrities, crafting sarcastic jingles to break up transitions in the editing of the podcasts. Adam records the intros and outros on walks with his dog Rosie, instantly inviting you to understand that there is no pretence in this production, just a good insight into his life and feelings, which invites the guests and listeners to open themselves up too. Adam has an incredible talent to interview in a direct manner, but maintains a feeling of safety and emotional sensitivity when questioning his guests. One of my favourite episodes is his interview with Simon Pegg, where he crafts the trajectory of the dialogue from their pubescent fears as young boys, to the life and drug use of David Bowie. I simply love the free-flowing licence Adam allows his conversation to have and his ironic jingles. With some outrageous language and heartfelt honesty about the recent loss of his characterful father, this podcast offers humour, heart and humanity in approximately an hour of jolly listening.
“This podcast offers humour, heart and humanity” ‘The Two Shot Podcast’ by Craig Parkinson This award-winning (British Podcast Awards 2018) podcast offers in depth yet informal banter and chat with actors about acting. Craig Parkinson’s Mancunian charm sets the tone for a good ol’ natter about actors’ extraordinary experiences and their very ordinary vulnerabilities in the public eye. One of my favourite episodes is Craig’s interview with budding star Jodie Comer after her rise to fame in the BBC thriller series Killing Eve. From one northerner to
another, they discuss the unexpected rise to fame and the humility she attempts to maintain amongst the madness of moving to London. Again, this is another podcast that offers honest conversation, no construed questions to get big gossip out of celebrities, but an opportunity for them to be understood and enjoyed as normal people with good banter. ‘What Am Politics’ Richie and good friend Stevie at HeadStuff take on the difficult challenge of simplifying the complicated media approach to reporting of politics and current affairs. I discovered this little nugget of helpfulness when Brexit was getting all too much and I just wanted someone to give me a clear run down of what on earth was going on. This episode is called ‘Brexit: What Am Happening?’ The dynamic of Richie as a self-admittedly confused ‘toddler’ and his pub-pal Steve as the giver of simple news allows for someone with a bit of wit and common sense to spell out what is going on in current politics. Stevie has the answers and Richie highlights how the individual wants to see all the sides of the stories, like us as recipients of worldly news. From Trump to pirates, they have all your confused political questions answered, simply, with no moral high-ground of, ‘well you would know if you watched the News and had a Financial Times subscription,’ because most-likely, the answer to these sorts of statements is, ‘well I do but it’s not bloody simple, is it.’ The episodes aren’t long-winded, so before you take to the dinner-table Brexit debate, give one of these episodes a listen so you feel freshly informed. There are so many podcasts out there, covering anything and everything. This year, why not give the podcast a go? You may be pleasantly surprised.
Culture Corner Laura Mosley Culture Writer
Culture Writer Laura Mosley discusses three of her culture favourites. Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson I’ve been a huge fan of fantasy novels ever since I was young, but this was the first one where I felt completely immersed in the writer’s brain. The first of a trilogy, this novel is set in an 18th century dystopian world where ash falls from the sky, and the earth is brown and dark with mist covering the sky each night. It follows Vin, a street urchin who has Allomantic powers, a type of magic that allows for the control of metals, such as burning pewter to gain strength, and burning tin to enhance the senses. The novel allows for a complete escape into the imagination
and has a wide array of multi-dimensional characters. It is especially important for me as it was one of the first female-led fantasy novels I read where the female protagonist was autonomous and bold, yet also collaborative with her male peers. If this is something you are looking for, I would also highly recommend the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. Reading fantasy at university can be exceptionally hard, with it being one of the most time-consuming of genres, often spanning thousands of pages across multiple books. Nevertheless, it is one of the best forms of purest escapism and this novel is something I can continuously come back to.
“As someone who has a had a lovehate relationship with theatre, this definitely re-established my desire to explore more contemporary performances”
Allelujah! (play) by Alan Bennett After failing to get a ticket for Ian McKellen’s King Lear last summer, my friends and I opted to go and see a play we’d never heard of instead – this play was
Allelujah! Described as a ‘hospital drama’, Alan Bennett’s production is based around a geriatric ward in a Yorkshire hospital known as the Bethlehem, as it does what it can to avoid the plight of NHS closures, including
setting up its own choir and televising the community within the hospital to appeal to the sympathies of the public. The performance is gritty and poignant with real political punch, yet it also has an uplifting and bright feel that shortens the distance between the audience and the lively elderly cast, who were quite truly the heart and soul of the play. As someone who has a had a love-hate relationship with theatre, this definitely re-established my desire to explore more contemporary performances. Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre When I travelled to China in the summer of 2017, I got to explore so many new things. It seems almost ironic then, that one of my highlights would be looking at some posters in a pretty dark building that nonetheless had an amazing atmosphere. Exploring
the history of China throughout time, the posters documented China through its emergence as a people’s republic through communism, its leadership under Mao Zedong, and its journey to slowly becoming a global superpower. One of my favourite aspects of the exhibition were the various representations of the west through the art-work, with America often depicted as being ugly and greedy for money. Having explored such events, global tensions and art works in History at school, it was very exciting to see them come to life as part of China’s history, with many of the posters having to be hidden over the years in order to be preserved. For me, this is definitely a must-see and a fascinating alternative to traipsing around Eurocentric galleries.
CULTURE
Friday 25th January 2019
@redbrickculture
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Review: Women Power Protest Orla Taylor-Davies Culture Writer
Above: Four Figures, 1951. Barbara Hepworth © Bowness. Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust.
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery are celebrating the centenary of the first women’s suffrage with ‘Women Power Protest’, an exhibition that addresses the experiences of women after this historic moment in feminist history. It is crucial to note alongside any mention of women’s suffrage that the number of women who could vote in 1918 was limited, with only women over thirty who met minimum property requirements being granted the vote. This changed with the Representation of the People Act in 1928, which established that women over 21 were to have equal voting rights with men. This exhibition explores the complexity of modern womanhood, drawing upon the continuity and the changes after women’s suffrage was secured. ‘Women Protest Power’ requires us to ask difficult questions, namely, how far have we come since 1918? Fifty-five female artists frame the experience of womanhood alongside wider aspects of personal identity such as race and sexuality. At the forefront of the exhibition is Marion Coutts’ For the Fallen (2001), an instant nostalgia hit in the form of an old, worn vaulting horse, engraved with words befitting a memorial. This work sets the tone for the exhibition; a tongue in cheek reference to the embarrassment and discomfort that characterises many of our school days, but also a recognition of the women who have been ordered, controlled and exploited by authority higher than them, and who could never rise up. Patriarchal oppression is the subject of many works in this exhibition. Jessica Voorsanger’s Susan Dey’s Diet (1994) envisions the diet of the star of cult 1970s sitcom ‘The Partridge Family’, from the tabloid articles about her. Dog bis-
cuits, toothpaste and laxatives are wrapped in pink packaging under the guise of ‘beauty tips’, a commentary on the dangerous consequences of celebrity media’s scrutiny and commodification of the body.
“The issues that continue to blight the lives of many women nationwide, and worldwide, are entwined with messages of empowerment, strength and tenderness” Most difficult to observe are the works that address sexual abuse. Especially challenging is Margaret Harrison’s Rape (1978), which places copies of famous works such as Millais’ Ophelia in the context of subjection and exploitation by positioning them above newspaper articles, statistics and reports that highlight systematic failures in the support of those who have been sexually assaulted. Sonia Boyce’s Mr close-friend-of-the-family pays a visit whilst everyone else is out (1985), with the ‘friend’s’ outreaching hand the centre focus of the canvas, framed by a swirling mess of searching fingers, was chosen by MP Preet Gill as an image that resonated with her. Preet Gill rightly noted the need for an exhibition that confronts us with the experience of victims of abuse, noting that we instinctively shy away from engaging with their testimonies, ‘because as a society we can’t accept that abuse is an inherent issue grounded in the inequalities that women
face.’ The institutional oppression suffered by women is further explored in relation to race. Maud Sulter’s As a Black Woman (1985) is a collage of poetry and newspaper articles about the violence experienced by black women - ‘As a black woman’, the poetry states, ‘every act is a personal act, every act is a political act’. Indeed, Claudette Johnson’s Trilogy series (1982-86) depicts the very act of being visible as politically loaded - her portraits of black women seek to empower a group that lacks representation within art. Artists also reference some other potential experiences of womanhood. Louise Bourgeois’ The Bad Mother (1998) depicts the messiness of motherhood, the eyes and breasts of the mother figure leaking tears and milk as her toddler clings onto her leg, while Kathy Prendergast’s The End and The Beginning (1996), consisting of the hair of her mother, her daughter and herself spun round a spool, comments on the legacy each generation passes on to the next. Women’s solidarity for a common cause is explored by Turner prize winning Lubaina Himid in Cotton.com (2002), a tribute to the workers of Lancashire cotton mills who defended African slaves in America. Overall, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery’s ‘Woman Power Protest’ does well to present such a varied array of feminist art. A broad range of experiences are communicated; the issues that continue to blight the lives of many women nationwide, and worldwide, are entwined with messages of empowerment, strength and tenderness. The exhibition highlights that, a hundred years since the beginning of women’s suffrage in Britain, women continue to address and resist injustice and oppression and to exercise their voice in public spaces to engender change.
Left: Claudette Johnson, Trilogy (Part Three) Woman in Red, 1982-86. Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre, London © the artist. Below: Exhibition, Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust.
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MUSIC
Friday 25th January 2019
@redbrickmusic
Drake: Worst to Best Albums Greg Woodin Music Critic
He’s the man of the hour, the selfproclaimed 6 God, the pop-rap star with a monopoly over the charts. You already know who it is – it’s Drake In this article, I’m going to be ranking his albums from worst to best. Up for consideration are Drake’s solo studio albums and mixtapes from Thank Me Later onwards – so no So Far Gone or Comeback Season, and I won’t be including the Futureassisted What a Time to Be Alive (which was pretty lit, by the way). I figured that More Life and If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late are still studio-quality albums, even if Drake insisted on calling them something else, and, regrettably, I’m not especially familiar with the mixtapes he released before Thank Me Later. So, without any further ado, I’ll jump right into the list. 7. Scorpion In the streaming era, an album as bloated and forgettable as 2018’s Scorpion was inevitable. At this point, Drake had become perhaps the biggest popstar on the planet, and only seemed to care about churning out chart-ready singles and hacking his streaming numbers with an overlong tracklist, taking cues from Migos’s Culture II. Every move made here feels calculated to maximise Drake’s commercial success, with artistic integrity unfortunately being left by the wayside. Admittedly, there are some bright spots on here: ‘Nonstop’ and ‘Mob Ties’ are bangers, ‘Jaded’ and ‘Finesse’ are decent, and I actually quite like the Michael Jackson feature on ‘Don’t Matter to Me’. Plus, ‘God’s Plan’ is a tune, although I am surprised at how popular it’s become. But ‘Ratchet Happy Birthday’ and ‘I’m Upset’ rank among Drake’s worst songs (who the hell pitched ‘I’m Upset’ for a single release?). ‘In My Feelings’ is supremely annoying, and most of the album’s other tracks feel lifeless and uninspired. Scorpion is the sound of an artist who’s become too big to fail testing out his newfound invincibility. With this in mind, Drake realised that he could afford to put out an album of dross and the public would still lap it up. It pains me to say it, but this is a genuinely awful record. 6. Views Not much better is Views, released in 2016. On this album, Drake shows off his melodic side a bit more than usual, while also flirting with a sunny dancehall sound (which seemingly runs antithetical to the snowy Toronto promo shots taken for the album). Make no mistake, there are some good tracks here: ‘Keep the Family Close’ is a decent opener; ‘One Dance’ is incredibly infectious; ‘Controlla’ is an enjoyable cocktail of tropical flavours. But even these highlights shine rather dully compared to Drake’s other material, and there are far more misses than hits over the course of the whole project. ‘Grammys’ is one of the worst songs he’s put out, thanks in no small part to an obnoxious Future feature,
PartyNextDoor cut ‘With You’ features a mindlessly repetitive hook that grates on first listen, and both ‘Hype’ and ‘Western Road Flows’ are rehashes of a formula we’ve heard from Drake countless times before. Views is the album where Drake realised he could make it onto the End of Year lists of publications who didn’t even respond to his album especially warmly in the first place. It’s the album where he realised he could put out as mediocre a single as ‘Pop Style’, featuring his worst ever lyric (‘Got so many chains, they call me Chaining Tatum’), and still get nominated for Best Rap Performance at the Grammys. Views is the album where Drake realised he had nothing to prove, and it shows. This record sounds effortless – and not in a good way. 5. More Life Perhaps I had lower expectations going into this album because it was sold as a ‘playlist’ rather than as a main entry in Drake’s canon, but I found 2017’s More Life far more enjoyable than Views. The dancehall influence is still strong on songs like ‘Blem’ and ‘Passionfruit’, both of which are decent tracks with an atmospheric Moodyman sample on the latter, but there’s also an undeniable UK presence here. Jorja Smith steps in to deliver some smooth vocals on ‘Jorja Interlude’ and ‘Get It Together’. Giggs lays down two gruff verses on ‘No Long Talk’ and ‘KMT’ respectively. Skepta gets a song all to himself with ‘Skepta Interlude’. While I don’t think Giggs and Skepta are the most talented emcees in the game, it’s cool that Drake was able to shine a light on the culture internationally.
“Drake had become perhaps the biggest popstar on the planet” There’s a sense that Drizzy is having way more fun here than on Views, and he definitely takes more risks, rapping and singing his way through bouncier beats and more inventive song structures. On ‘Fake Love’ and ‘Glow’ (the latter featuring now-rival Kanye West), he scrapes into his upper register in a way he’s never really attempted before, and on ‘Free Smoke’, he sounds angrier than he has in years. All in all, this is a pretty solid project. 4. Thank Me Later Ah, the days of Heartbreak Drake. Cast your mind back nine years ago to a world where Drake was not yet a household name, where hip hop heads and R&B lovers alike were bumping his mixtapes, but where the mainstream media hadn’t yet caught on in a big way. While Drake didn’t quite achieve world dominance with this album, 2010’s Thank Me Later was a strong debut and a commercial success. Sure, some of the lyrics are a little cringey – just listen to ‘Shut It Down’,
where Drake tells a prospective love interest that ‘if you were a star, you’d be the one I’m searching for’. Gag. But the bombastic ‘Over’ was one hell of a lead single, and the three-song suite of ‘Fireworks’, ‘Karaoke’ and ‘The Resistance’ that opens the record sets a moody, navel-gazing tone that the introspective songsmith has come to be known for. The middle stretch of the album features some of Drizzy’s best poprap bangers, such as ‘Show Me a Good Time’ and ‘Up All Night’, while the Lil Wayne-assisted ‘Miss Me’ towards the record’s latter half is another great single. Penultimate number ‘Find Your Love’ hints at the pop smashes that would come on subsequent projects, and closing track ‘Thank Me Later’ finishes things off with tonnes of clever rhymes and wicked wordplay. This is Drake before he truly set his sights on the charts; there are lots of long verses here, as well as songs with multiple rapped verses. On Thank Me Later, Drake gave back to the fans that had supported him throughout the release of his mixtapes and contributed to his comeup. On the whole, the album turned out great. 3. Nothing Was the Same Following the major success of Take Care that solidified Drake’s position at the top of the rap game, Nothing Was the Same was the difficult follow-up project, but listening to it, you’d never guess it was difficult to make. The first thing to note about the album is its iconic artwork, featuring a painting of the rapper as a child with a comb stuck in his hair, superimposed against a background of blue, cloud-strewn sky. The music’s not bad either. Opener ‘Tuscan Leather’, named after the Tom Ford fragrance alleged to smell like cocaine, is by far and away Drake’s most epic intro track to date, with a killer threepart instrumental made by longtime collaborator Noah ‘40’ Shebib that samples Whitney Houston’s classic ‘I Have Nothing’ three times over. After this breathtaking start, we have ‘Furthest Thing’, ‘Started from the Bottom’ and ‘Wu-Tang Forever’, all nearflawlessly executed, hitting that sweet spot between hip hop and R&B with precision. ‘Own It’ comes next, which I rate as an underappreciated gem and one of
my favourite Drake songs. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Drake couldn’t keep up this kind of godlike consistency for a whole album, and as a result, the remainder of the record is slightly spottier, but there are still some top-quality songs here.
“If we’re talking straight-up rapping, Drake has never sounded quite this good” ‘Worst Behaviour’, for instance, is more repetitive even than ‘Started from the Bottom’, but Drake comes through with such swagger that you can’t help but get carried away with it. Meanwhile, ‘From Time’ is a chilled-out track that features some beautiful vocals from Jhené Aiko, and ‘Connect’ is another one of the record’s highlights. A great project and a worthy successor to Take Care. 2. If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late If we’re talking straight-up rapping, Drake has never sounded quite this good. ‘It was written like Nas, but it came from Quentin,’ punned Earl Sweatshirt on his latest album Some Rap Songs, and it’s true: parts of 2015’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late probably were ghostwritten by Quentin Miller, and maybe that’s why Drake sounds so damn hungry here. If you can look past that though, this is undoubtedly one of Drake’s best projects. There’s a carefree air to this record that lacks the pretension of a major release. It’s just a collection of really good songs, and while I normally prefer the ambition of a Take Care or a Nothing Was the Same, IYRTITL really won me over. On ‘No Tellin’’, one of the album’s best tracks, Drake successfully makes eating Alfredo pasta in the kitchen sound like the most badass thing in the world, while on ‘Star67’ he talks about his involvement in a phoneline scam amidst some customary flexing (‘Text from a centrefold, I ain’t reply / let her know I read it, though’). And there’s still room for the smoother, more
melodic side of Drake to come through on songs like ‘Legend’, ‘Now and Forever’ and ‘Jungle’. Whether or not the fresh rhyme schemes and satisfying punchlines did in fact come from Quentin (a favourite of mine referencing Drizzy’s Degrassi days: ‘I got rap n***** that I gotta act like I like / but my acting days are over, fuck them n***** for life’), I’m not sure I mind too much. 1. Take Care Take Care has a special place in my heart. It chronicled a long summer break from secondary school back in 2011 in which I navigated a complicated almostbut-not-really-relationship; that summer, I must have listened to this record hundreds of times. I still remember where I was when I first listened to it, how it made me feel, how it blew my mind. As soon as those beautiful, wistful piano chords came in on the album’s opening track ‘Over My Dead Body’, I knew I’d entered a different world. Progressing through the album, there are tearjerkers (‘Doing It Wrong’, ‘Good Ones Go’), sing-song bangers (‘Headlines’, ‘We’ll Be Fine’) and more straightforward rap tracks (‘Underground Kings’, ‘Lord Knows’), all of which thread together to create the album’s irresistibly melancholic, lovelorn aesthetic. ‘Take Care’ with Rihanna is another great pop track, with a simple but effective chord progression and emotive lead melody, while ‘Marvin’s Room’ is a memorable ode to drunk-dialling your exes. And I’m a big Drake fan, so it almost seems sacrilege to say this because it’s practically the Weeknd’s song, but ‘Crew Love’ has got to be the best track Drake has ever released: the thumping bass that suddenly subsides, Tesfaye’s ethereal falsetto vocal, the cascading piano chords and swirling production – it’s otherworldly. Kendrick Lamar absolutely kills his on ‘Buried Alive (Interlude)’, while Lil Wayne and André 3000 show up with characteristic aplomb on ‘The Real Her’. But Take Care, of course, is Drake’s record through and through, and this is deservedly the album in which he truly mastered his craft and hit the big time. No, this isn’t a perfect record, but the vibe it creates is something else. Make no mistake, Take Care is a classic album.
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MUSIC
Friday 25th January 2019
@redbrickmusic
Live Review: DAME
Upcoming Events
Emily Breeds discusses Birmingham-based DAME’s live show at the Bristol Pear Emily Breeds Music Critic
Forming in 2016, Birminghambased indie band DAME have had quite the journey, releasing their self-titled EP the same year and their newest single ‘Habit’ in 2018. After proving popular in the Indie Lounge and at ValeFest, December saw the beginning of their ‘Cold Water’ tour at the Bristol Pear. The Pear is an ideal venue for smaller gigs: the muted lighting, mini-stage and great acoustics are the perfect combination for an amazing night, whether it’s poetry or music. The energy that fellow Brummies Harico brought was evident. The electronic indie band’s craftmanship was obvious through the deft interweaving of catchy guitar riffs and impeccable drum beats during ‘Dressed Up to the Nines’, which had the whole audience moving. Their set ended with ‘Doves’, an atmospheric song created through broken chords and glinting harmonies, slowly building up to a rousing drum-heavy end. The second support act VSDN (short for ‘Verschieden’) defy all genres of music, their full name translating to ‘different’ or ‘miscellaneous’ in German. Their tagline is ‘music to make you feel good’, which they certainly lived up to. Each component effortlessly melted together, from the smooth trombone sounds to the witty lyrics and snappy rhymes like ‘I told her it was neither / Listen baby, I was with the homies playing Fifa’ and
some of the best bass lines I’ve ever heard. The audience had been taken on a ride before DAME had even come on stage, kicking off their set with ‘Pictures’ that began with a vibrant guitar solo, which interspersed lead vocalist Shannon Farmer’s powerful vocals and high energy. Despite me being stood right next to the speaker and her fun moves on stage, Shannon’s voice was perfectly and impressively clear. Following the predominantly guitar-led ‘Bite’, ‘Wear Me Down’ was a slowburner. With breathy vocals and sultry lyrics lightly placed atop a steady drum beat and a quiet, melodic guitar, the tune encapsulated DAME’s alluring sound.
interjected the chorus made the song even catchier. Added to the underlying atmospheric synths and dreamy riffs, it is understandable why this song is such a hit. DAME ended their set with ‘Habit’, and the audience were certainly taken on another ride. The synth-heavy intro melted into rhythmic pulses that drove the atmospheric verses into the chorus. It gave the same playful electronic vibes as Fickle Friends’ music and was stuck in my head for a while. Shannon’s voice impressively changed during the bridge, rivalling the staccato rhythm of the synth. The jagged synths and impressive variation of vocal styles pushed the song forward and finished off their set
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with a bang. Despite having formed relatively recently, DAME present themselves both very professionally, evident from the intricate crafting of their songs and seamless workings as a band – but also as simply having fun. They are clearly doing what they love, and their passion translates into great music. DAME wholly deserve the screaming, dedicated fans, who I’m sure will rapidly grow over the years, and I can guarantee that my friends and I will be among them. The band seemed overjoyed with the turnout and energy of the crowd, and so they should. They brought it, after all.
“The audience had been on a ride before DAME had even come on stage”
Editors’ picks: Digbeth Records Grand Launch Weekend, Mama Roux’s, 25th-26th January Working alongside Digbeth Dining Club, this weekend Mama Roux’s will be launching a pop-up record store above their venue Cafe Colette. To welcome this new and exciting addition, the event wil host live in-store DJ sets from Quest, Lopaski, Tom Shorterx and Marc Spence. The record store will be a weekly pop-up, focusing on new and used records from funk and soul to house and techno, introducing a fun and interesting new space to Birmngham. Café Artum x Voyage presents: Nu Guinea, Hare and Hounds, 1st February The rapidly-rising venue Café Artum hosts this night at the already-established Hare & Hounds. Nu Guinea (originally from Naples) combine, among other things, the sounds of 80s Italo Disco, Afrobeat recordings and the cool tropical house of their home city. This collaboration between the venues, and the left-field acts it seems to attract, are an encouraging sign for music in Birmingham generally. The more that these kinds of nights happen in Birmingham’s suburban areas, the closer it moves towards putting them on bigger platforms in Digbeth and the city centre.
Their penultimate song ‘Runaway’ was evidently an old favourite with the crowd screaming and singing along even harder than when the band first entered. Taken from their eponymous EP, the upbeat tune declared itself with pounding drums courtesy of new drummer Matt England and Shannon’s gradual, whispering announcement: ‘I need a bit of space’. Her playful ‘Oh’s that
Spandan Photography
Live Review: Orbital Orbital remind us why they remain such a vital voice within electronic music, Nina Avitabile reviews Nina Avitabile Music Critic
If you’re going to a gig to be transported away from the dulls of everyday life, then Orbital’s show on the 16th December would have definitely helped you on your way. The first thing that strikes you when attending an Orbital gig is the stage: atop an elevated platform and surrounded by an array of LED screens stand two figures, with synthesizers and controllers scattered around them. The second thing is the small lights that Paul and Phil Hartnoll wear on their heads, which gives them a surreal extra-terrestrial and bug-like appearance. This observation hints perhaps at a prominent feature of the late 90s electronic music scene, the interpolation of playful sampling and relaxed presentation with more meaningful, thought-provoking melodies and production (see Future Sound of London’s ‘Little Fluffy Clouds’). This balance was something that was evident early
on in Orbital’s set when, just as the music became more technoorientated featuring bass with a serrated edge, a full rendition of Belinda Carlisle’s ‘Heaven Is a Place on Earth’ played out across the room without warning.
“Not taking yourself too seriously is a virtue that is sometimes absent in modern electronic music” As aforementioned, some of the samples were playful and verging on humorous which created a contrast with more recent releases of the genre such as Jon Hopkins’s Singularity, influenced by the music scene that contained Orbital. Not taking yourself too
seriously is a virtue that is sometimes absent in modern electronic music, and it proved refreshing here to see an act as influential as Orbital embracing this, complete with the sporadic firing of fluorescent wristbands into the crowd and one group of superfans adornment of flashing, neon edged glasses. However, this is not to say that the event was without more serious meaning. During one particularly long segue, the initials corresponding to ‘Please Help U.K’ flashed on the screens, overlaid on images of diminishing British industries and controversial topics, such as Brexit. Perhaps one criticism of Orbital’s set was the pacing. Each phase of Orbital’s set succeeded in delivering the atmosphere of such a prestigious act, but the ordering of tracks meant the energy seemed to rise and fall in unnatural patterns. After a blistering first half, the music seemed to lull exactly when it could have accelerated into the stratosphere. Despite this, they undeniably succeeded in entertaining and engaging the room
and proving why British electronic music is so important today.
“The ordering of tracks meant the energy seemed to rise and fall in unnatural patterns” In summary, it is necessary to highlight the brilliance of Orbital and their sound. The set wove through numerous electronic voices, from velvety ambience to industrial techno – all while incorporating nostalgia-inducing samples from their own era without a hint of laziness or unoriginality.
Best of the rest: The Hunna, O2 Institute, 25th January Digbeth Records Grand Launch Weekend, Mama Rouxs, 25th-26th January Cloud Nothings, Castle & Falcon, 26th January Joe Goddard (Hot Chip), Hare & Hounds, 26th January The Dandy Warhols, O2 Institute, 29th January Bastille, O2 Academy, 29th30th January Selextorhood, Cafe Artum, 30th January The Wombats, O2 Academy, 31st January Her’s, Sunflower Lounge, 1st February
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FILM
Friday 25th January 2019
@redbrickfilm
Review: Green Book
Film Critic Matt Taylor takes a cinematic tour through the segregated South Matt Taylor Film Critic
Every year, there is a single film that catches me by surprise. Last year, it was Julia Ducournau’s Raw, a blood-curdling comingof-age horror; the year before it was Arrival, a fantastically cerebral sci-fi flick; before that it was Green Room, a terrifying slasher-thriller about a band under siege by a group of neoNazis. This year however, nothing has caught me quite as off guard as Peter Farrelly’s Green Book. I am not quite sure what I was expecting going into this (though from the director of Dumb and Dumber, probably not a lot), but Green Book turns out to be a hilarious, heartwarming, based-on-a-true-story buddy comedy that examines the deeprooted racism of America’s Deep South, and the power of music to bring people together.
“Green Book turns out to be a hilarious, heartwarming, based-on-a-truestory buddy comedy” Our leads are played excellently by Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings) and Mahershala Ali (Moonlight). Mortensen plays newly unemployed bouncer Tony Vallelonga, who is employed by Ali’s Dr Don Shirley as chauffeur/assistant on his concert tour of the Deep South. Mortensen and Ali are each perfectly suited to their roles. Tony is a brash ItalianAmerican fellow who is very set in his ways – he is not actively racist in the same way so many other characters are. He is merely a product of the system, and this system is put to the test over the course of the film. He is surprisingly tender in places too, showing that his personal prejudices don’t run as deep as we
may expect; as the tour progresses, his number one priority quickly becomes maintaining Shirley’s safety. Ali plays Shirley in a fascinating way; he is an enigma, both to us, to Tony, and indeed to himself. His skin colour automatically sets him apart from white folk, but his riches also cut him out of his own community. He is left in the void, not quite belonging to either race, and it is here that his struggle lies – he is employed to play concerts by affluent white people, but as soon as he steps away from his piano, he becomes just another black man in their eyes. It is an extremely intriguing balance that makes your skin crawl as much as it inspires our curiosity. Throughout the whole film, ideas of racism are extremely well handled. Where films such as 12 Years a Slave examined the real horrors of extreme racism in slavery-era America, Green Book chooses to look more at the racial divide itself. Through the character of Shirley, the film delves into the perceived boundaries between black and white people, and how potential crossovers between them are treated. Shirley’s riches have meant that he is able to experience much more of a ‘life’ than almost any other black person we see; a particularly striking sequence at around the halfway point juxtaposes Shirley’s affluence with black farm workers. While it is not exactly subtle, it does highlight both the divide between them, and Shirley’s own sense of disloyalty in himself. This is not to say that the notoriously horrific racism of the Deep South is shied away from: the film’s 12A rating gives it less freedom than other films that may deal with similar subject matter, but that does not mean it feels any less real. Shirley is threatened, mistreated, assaulted multiple times over the course of the film, pushing him further and further to his breaking point. This also means that Tony has to put his own prejudices aside as the bond between them grows stronger. The two men start to break down their boundaries and stereotypes
Universal Pictures
of each other, allowing for some fascinating character development.
“Mortensen and Ali are each perfectly suited to their roles” Something also worth mentioning is that Green Book is laugh-out-loud hilarious – to a surprising degree, given its subject matter. Mortensen and Ali elevate an already funny script with their superb delivery, easygoing chemistry, and fantastic facial expressions. The way the pair bounce and play off each other is wonderful – it is at once a completely believable relationship, not just because of the individual acting of each powerhouse, but because of the way they gel perfectly as a unit. Each has much to learn from the other, because of their respective worlds and outlooks. This is evi-
dent from the first time we meet each of them; we open in the Copacabana nightclub where Tony is a bouncer, forced to eject some rowdy patrons. He is street-smart and down to earth, and not afraid to get his hands dirty. Shirley, on the other hand, is not. When we are introduced to him in his apartment above a concert hall, it is plain to see how outlandish his lifestyle is, especially in comparison to Tony: he has a pair of elephant tusks sitting on a table, as well as hundreds of other worldwide artefacts strewn across the lounge, and he sits on a throne, which in turn sits on an elevated area of floor. The two are almost polar opposites of each other, and with this in mind it seems remarkable to say that the film’s funniest scene is one where Tony introduces Shirley to KFC. Shirley’s wonder and bemusement at the fried chicken is magnificent, and is made all the more hilarious by Tony’s throwing used bones out of the window, which Shirley reluctantly goes along with, until Tony
throws a drinks cup onto the road – Ali’s split-second change in facial expression here, turns the fun sequence into one of hilarity, and it is in scenes like this that the film’s greatest strengths lie: it is so, incredibly human.
“It feels as though we’re watching a geniune snapshot of 1960s America” Green Book is a marvel to watch; it feels as though we’re watching a genuine snapshot of 1960s America. Everything about it feels so unbelievably real, whether it’s the wonderfully enjoyable characters, the gorgeous set design, the incredible acting, the beautiful score from Kris Bowers, or Farrelly’s subtle direction – everything lends the film a fantastic sense of authenticity (despite various disputes over the film’s interpretation of Shirley’s relationships with his family). Everything present imbues the film with such a wonderful sense of humanity – in its more emotional scenes there is such a weight of realism to the film, and in its comedic ones there is an almost ethereal feeling of enjoyment: it is this that truly makes Green Book something special. VERDICT: At one glance, a hilarious road trip comedy and in another, an uncomfortably real insight into America’s racist roots, Green Book is utterly magnificent. Striking a perfect balance between funny and emotional, and thanks to its masterful leading duo, it is an absolute joy from start to finish.
Universal Pictures
FILM
Friday 25th January 2019
@redbrickfilm
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Review: Beautiful Boy
Clumsy cross-cutting and schmaltzy soundtrack undermine otherwise powerful drama Alex Green Film Critic
Awards season is in full swing, and with it comes numerous films looking to grab an Oscar here, a Golden Globe there. Director Felix van Groeningen has put himself in the hunt with his seventh directorial effort, Beautiful Boy. With Steve Carell (Foxcatcher) rejuvenating his career through numerous dramatic performances and Timothée Chalamet (Call Me by Your Name) joining him as one of the fastest rising stars in Hollywood right now, this pairing could make a film that dazzles as we begin 2019. Based on the memoirs of David and Nic Sheff, Carell plays David himself, a father and writer whose life is thrown into chaos when trying to guide his teenage son Nic (Chalamet), through a serious drug addiction which is threaten-
ing his chances at a good life, if even a life at all. Not the most fun start to the year for audiences.
“[This] is a tragic and very scary look at addiction” On the surface, this film seems like a sure-fire winner. Elements of the film really do stand out and work superbly, and the film’s crowning achievement is its star duo. They contrast each other perfectly, with Carell a more subdued, internal figure of ruin and Chalamet displaying an extremely external vulnerability. It is hard to judge who is better, because these performances are designed to be different, to complement each other, and they achieve this excellently. Carell feels totally sympathetic as a father who feels desperate, scared and at times ruined by his son’s addiction just as
much as Nic himself. His frustrations and anger later in the film are totally believable and heartbreaking as a man who feels the son he knew slipping away, even asking ‘Who are you, Nic?’ Meanwhile Chalamet is on top form here, putting in a very vulnerable and convincing performance as Nic, a boy almost cursed by addiction, and he shows great range by fluctuating from a confident teenager to a self-loathing mess. It is through Nic that Beautiful Boy explores addiction in a profound manner. Chalamet plays him as someone who cannot escape his demons; even in scenes where he seems brighter and happy with who he is, he almost inevitably falls again. Here, drug addiction is the antagonist, and is depicted not as a small issue, but a disease plaguing Nic throughout and refusing to leave him. It is a tragic and very scary look at addiction as it not only eats away at Nic, but David as well. The
Amazon Studios
screenplay is well crafted, and Chalamet’s award recognition is deserved. It is in these thematic constructs surrounding Carell and Chalamet that the film attains a level of depth and complexity.
“It’s a shame that ... Beautiful Boy [is prevented] from reaching the greatness it is trying to achieve” It is just a shame that, for all of this, so much seems to get in the way and at times it feels so cheesy. The direction by Van Groeningen is solid, if unspectacular. Not all these problems can be laid at his feet, but various issues creep up. From some very strange editing choices that blend past and present events together in a very unsubtle way, to a completely obnoxious soundtrack that detracts from any emotion or power these scenes are trying to create, and even some poorly executed supporting characters that feel like they are just there for window dressing and not to provide anything of note to the fill. All these combine to create one huge problem throughout: Beautiful Boy lacks subtlety. This is exactly the kind of film that craves subtlety, that wants to deliver a lot from little. Yet these
decisions all draw attention to themselves, almost spelling out to the audience the exact emotions they are supposed to feel. That isn’t filmmaking, that’s spoon-feeding. It is a shame because it feels like these problems prevent Beautiful Boy from reaching the greatness it is trying to achieve, and its central stars deserve. It lacks the restraint to allow scenes to speak for themselves, and too often the subtlety of Carell and the breakdowns Chalamet shows are undercut by very mainstream guitar and tenor singers belting out some sort of ballad. This is the perfect example of a film with awards on its mind. And whilst the intentions are extremely good, the craftsmanship is lacking. It feels so frustrating to watch a film like this, where the greatness is there, only to be spoiled by a few poor decisions along the filmmaking process. VERDICT: A frustrating film that gets in its own way. Carell and Chalamet are both terrific, the screenplay is good and the discussion on addiction is important. It’s just a shame that Beautiful Boy is so unsubtle, so cheesy, and so strangely put together. Good, but disappointing.
Review: Vice
Film Editor Todd Waugh Ambridge finds McKay strikes oil with latest political satire Todd Waugh Ambridge Film Editor
The biopic is a genre that has, in recent years, become increasingly associated with the words ‘artistic licence’. David Fincher’s The Social Network (2010) redefined popular biopics from faithful, by-the-book adaptations of real-life stories to dramatic, stylish and original films in their own right. Writer-director Adam McKay – who made his name behind the camera of such Will Ferrell comedies as Anchorman and Step Brothers – again challenged the genre in 2015 with The Big Short; a sort-of biopic sort-of satire about the 2007 global financial crisis and those who capitalised upon it. McKay’s fierce liberalism has now turned from the economic world to the political: Vice is both a biography of US Vice President Dick Cheney and an exploration of the malleability of executive power.
“It is worth noting that Vice is hilarious” Vice is a film in two halves. The first shows how Dick Cheney (Christian Bale) went from being
a college dropout to the most powerful VPOTUS in history, while the second displays how his tenure in office was characterised by dangerous, controlling politics that shaped the Bush administration, the war on terror and, thus, the geopolitical attitudes of the entire world. The film has been divisive, with some critics calling into question its accuracy; but it is important to remember this is a satirical piece more concerned with exploring ideas thoughtfully and humorously than portraying the exact truth of every situation. Christian Bale plays Cheney at various points in his life in a double-take transformation not unlike Gary Oldman’s in 2017’s Darkest Hour. Cheney was an infamously private man and Bale plays this with sharp subtlety, which cracks slightly in a scarce few moments of genuine emotion, illuminating the multifaceted man beneath. Amy Adams plays Lynne Cheney with her usual skill, Steve Carell makes an impression as the chauvinistic Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld, but it is the hilarious Sam Rockwell – playing the naïve, juvenile President Bush – that emerges as the second-incommand of McKay’s all-star cast. Furthermore, it is worth noting that Vice is hilarious. Apart from one cringe-worthy Donald Trump reference, every joke lands
spot-on. McKay has previously proven himself a master of witty dialogue, but he uses a whole host of cinematic techniques here to grab a laugh. One particularly jarring sequence around the middle of the film is side-splitting to say the least, and doesn’t use a single spoken word. Suffice to say, Adam McKay has come a long way since Step Brothers.
Annapurna Pictures
“[McKay’s] liberalist satire is rarely tactful and never apologetic” At times, Vice feels like a spiritual sequel to The Big Short. That film broke the fourth wall often with cameo roles in order to explain complex economic concepts. Similar absurd or otherwise unconventional techniques are utilised here: news footage is spliced throughout, the film pauses to explain political jargon and there is even a particular scene that abruptly enters Shakespearean territory. McKay does not shy away from being bold; his liberalist satire is rarely tactful and never apologetic. At one point, Cheney uses his power to out an undercover CIA agent as retribution for
a damning newspaper article against him by said agent’s husband. This outing actually happened in real life, but it being Cheney’s doing is pure speculation on the filmmaker’s behalf; yet he is not afraid or ashamed to display it as fact. Some critics have taken issue with this, but it is my belief that a film should stand on its own, devoid even from the true story it is adapting. And ultimately, this is a story of how a single person can shape the future of the world – and a story of how absolute power corrupts absolutely. Surely this is a story pertinent to modern times, no matter where on the political spectrum you fall.
VERDICT: Christian Bale, Sam Rockwell and Amy Adams give some career-winning performances; but writer-director Adam McKay is the true star of this film. While he seemingly takes some serious liberties with his storytelling, the truth he presents is a damning critique of a particularly dark era of American politics and foreign policy. At times, Vice is pure liberal propaganda – and the rating below will show you this is not a complaint.
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TELEVISION
Friday 25th January 2019
@redbricktv
Most Anticipated TV of 2019 Whilst a whole year of great TV lies ahead of us, TV Editor Niamh Brennan narrows down the highlights that you really don't want to miss Niamh Brennan Television Editor
Good Omens Based on the best-selling novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, Good Omens makes this list purely based on how wonderfully bizarre it looks. Starring David Tennant as the overconfident and eccentric demon Crowley, and Michael Sheen as the neurotic and timid angel Aziraphale, the new BBC and Amazon Prime show revolves around the two characters coming together to prevent the forthcoming Apocalypse on Earth. From the first trailer, the show is hilariously presented as more about the wacky and unexpected bromance between Tennant and Sheen’s characters than the actual Apocalypse, an unexpectedly wonderful dynamic duo. Lovers of the book appear to be rejoicing that it is being made into a six-part TV series instead of film, giving it space to explore all its complexities to the fullest. And with a star-studded cast including Jon Hamm, Nick Offerman, Jack Whitehall and (excitingly) Frances McDormand as the voice of God, we can only hope that the series lives up to its high expectations.
Black Mirror As exciting and innovative as it was, for many people the recent instalment in the Black Mirror anthology series, Bandersnatch, was also incredibly underwhelming. Whilst the concept was incredible, the storyline didn’t quite pack the existential crisisesque punch that Black Mirror is so popul a r l y known f o r . Whether y o u enjoyed it or not, this small dose of Black Mirror material has left the world hungering for more episodes now more than ever. In 2019 we will finally be invited back in to the depths of Charlie Brooker’s mind, to find out more about the technology advances we didn’t know to be afraid of or the life choices we didn’t know terrified us. Although there is little information yet available about the series to come, Black Mirror has a tendency of dropping trailers and episodes out of nowhere, so be ready to binge watch at any moment, whether it be tomorrow or much later this year.
Killing Eve It's only been a few months since Killing Eve graced our screens for the first time but already everyone is eagerly waiting for more. After Sandra Oh’s recent Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Award wins for her portrayal of Eve and the universal acclaim for Jodie Comer’s fierce performance, the prospect of further development of the characters is all too exciting. Season One’s cliff-hanger ending saw Vilanelle (Comer) flee after being stabbed by Eve Polastri (Oh), leaving viewers wondering how their odd appreciative yet antagonistic relationship will progress. This ending has left a space for the writers to take the show in a brand-new direction, with Comer telling Elle that his ‘may not be as [viewers] suspect it will be,’ making the wait for new episodes even more challenging.
Space Force On the 16th of January 2019, it was announced that a new comedy from Greg Daniels and Steve Carrell would be ‘coming soon’ to Netflix. Little information about this show exists apart from
three key aspects. Not only is Steve Carell the co-creator, but he will also be starring in the show. For any fan of The Office (US) this is immensely exciting news, as the last t i m e Daniels and Carell worked together was on the show, to much p o p u l a r a c c l a i m . Secondly, it is based on the very real Space Force branch of the U.S. military that Donald Trump proposed back in December 2018 to assert American dominance in space. Thirdly, the show is ‘the story of the men and women who have to figure it out’, which seems to suggest the show won’t be holding back when it comes to satirising one of Trump’s most bizarre recent schemes. It’s the exact kind of comedy
needed in the intense political atmosphere of the U.S at the moment, and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds.
Game of Thrones The moment that all Game of Thrones fans have been simultaneously longing for and dreading since August 2017 is nearly upon us. The final six episodes of Game of Thrones are finally making their way to HBO and Sky Atlantic this April, with each episode of the series is set to be movie length, ensuring that each episode gives its fans everything they’ve been waiting for and more. The most recent teaser for the show was released on the 13th of January, depicting Jon, Sansa and Arya in the crypts of Winterfell, harking back to the first episode of Game of Thrones where Ned and Robert walked the exact same path. Whilst the ice edges closer to them, we are reminded of some key events from throughout the series, specifically focusing on Jon’s own heritage. The circularity of this scene instils hope that all our long-standing questions will finally be answered. It’s been a long time coming, but finally we will know who will win the Game of Thrones, and who will die.
Review: You
Amelia Hiller reviews Netflix's latest stalker drama, which is giving viewers the creeps Amelia Hiller Comment Editor
Based on the bestselling novel by Caroline Kepnes, You premiered on Netflix on Boxing Day after screening on U.S channel Lifetime in the autumn. With people talking about the show across my social media channels, it seemed like a good idea to abandon the essay I was writing for a few days and watch it. The first few minutes of You were perfectly normal. Enigmatic bookstore manager Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) lays eyes on grad student Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail) and is immediately attracted to her. He tells his colleague, ‘That’s pretty aggressive, Ethan’ when he remarks that he’d be ‘Googling the hell out of her’ if he was Joe. Pretty ironic considering soon afterwards Joe has found all of Beck’s social media accounts and discovered her address. This is just the beginning of a string of obsessive actions which become the focal point for the rest of the series. By this point (about twenty minutes into the fourty minute
pilot episode) I was already hooked. If I’m being honest, I thought Joe was charming. He clicked with Beck, was genuinely moved when she smiled and laughed at his jokes, and noticed small, sweet things about her which I associated with love and affection (staring at her top to see if she’s wearing a bra aside, though). But I was so very wrong. As the series continued I was appalled at the levels Joe met to vie for Beck’s attention; this wasn’t love, it was obsession and Joe would (and did) literally kill for Beck.
“This wasn't love, it was obsession and Joe would (and did) literally kill for Beck” Though addictive, I did identify a few issues with You which were also voiced in a plethora of social media articles about the show. Why aren’t Beck’s gadgets
password protected? Why doesn’t she know how to unlink her social media from her old phone? Why does nobody ever go down to the basement of the bookshop? Most importantly, where are Beck’s blinds? If her Dad can send her $500 for a Charles Dickens’ style dress, he can definitely afford some cheap blinds from IKEA. These small issues continued to unravel throughout the series and though they are minor, it dampened the terrifying realisation that oversharing on social media can be far more dangerous than it initially appears. The biggest issue fans have is whether Joe is a cold-blooded killer. I think that looking at the facts there’s no denying it; he deserves to go to prison for life. He’s undoubtedly a complete sociopath, having intentionally murdered five people (that we know of) by the end of episode ten. But many disagree, and it’s safe to say Joe has positioned himself as an anti-hero. His personality is complex; at first glance he is a quiet booklover with a kind nature, and takes Paco (the child living in the flat nextdoor) under his wing. He
recognises that murder is wrong, admitting that ‘Things were starting to feel a little dirty’ when searching Beck’s flat for any evidence that might expose him as a subject in Peach’s death. But this just doesn’t cut it for me. Joe seems to believe he is doing the right thing by monitoring Beck’s social media, stalking her every move and keeping a ‘G. Beck Journal’.
“Isn’t the female victimisation card played enough already in the series?” When he does kill, he justifies it by presenting the victim as a bad person, as someone who deserves to die. It’s this contradiction in personality which may lead to the conclusion that Joe possesses a complex, psychological problem. Whether this is the case or not, I don’t think that tweeting you wish Joe Goldberg
was stalking you is a healthy thing, and I’m beginning to wonder if those idealising his character were watching the same show as me. Overall, You is an addictive, thrilling (in parts, in others it better resembles a teen drama) and extremely bingeable addition to Netflix. It’s well worth a watch, though the ending was in my view a little anticlimactic. It felt like Beck’s death was inevitable from the moment Joe’s true nature was exposed, so watching it play out was pretty predictable. After all, isn’t the female victimisation card played enough already in the series? However, there’s plenty for the second series to explore, primarily Candice. I’m surprised she escaped Joe’s clutches alive, and there’s now scope for a whole new storyline to develop in the sequel. Currently all we know is that a second series has been confirmed for this year, and I’m sure it’ll be just as popular as its predecessor.
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TELEVISION
Friday 25th January 2019
@redbricktv
25
Top TV Picks for January/ February
TV Throwback: 2009
Channel 4
Just as the 10 year challenge is circulating social media, Morgana Chess takes a look back at what was gracing our screens in 2009: Morgana Chess Television Editor
back classic is definitely worth a rewatch for a little boost in the post-Christmas lull.
Glee
Misfits
Ah, thank you 2009 for giving us the gift of Glee. This feel-good musical show focuses on a group of misfit students at William McKinley high school who join the glee club and compete in show choir competitions. Sounds naff? Wrong. The show’s cheesiness and humour is warming and heartfelt, working alongside more serious themes, such as sexuality, race and individual ambition. Plus, the songs are bangers. Bringing Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ back into the mainstream, the show has plenty of other hits that revive the old classics and the performances are fabulous. With an incredible cast including Lea Michele, Chris Colfer, Amber Riley and Jane Lynch, this throw-
E4 presents us with another group of misfits, but these guys are not quite the singing-and-dancing type.. In the TV show Misfits, a group of very different London teenagers are sentenced to do their community service, but things take an unexpected turn. After a freak electrical storm, the young offenders each acquire supernatural powers which they hilariously have to learn to understand and deal with. To quote Nathan, ‘I know I have a power, I can feel it in my balls!’. The gang, nicknamed the ‘ASBO Five’, includes both a mind-reading chav and an invisible weirdo, and their interactions are hysterical to watch. With endless plot-twists and and a fantastic script, Misfits never gets
old. Full disclaimer: the first two series are by far the best.
and the information you learn will stay with you for years to come.
Horrible Histories
Ru Paul's Drag Race
Horrible Histories is another British classic that started in 2009, and there’s no doubt that this show will stand the test of time. Drawn from the children’s history books of the same name, this brilliant sketch comedy show is educational, relating the gristly truths of history through parodying pop culture with historical reenactments and music videos. Learn about Charles II through an Eminem-style rap, the Spartans through a High School Musical spin-off, and the Vikings through a rock metal band. The cast and writing is fantastic, providing facts about the Stone Age through to post-WW2 in a hilarious format. Don’t be fooled by the packaging, this show is funny and informative whatever your age,
2009 also saw the introduction of the cultural phenomenon that is Ru Paul’s Drag Race. The glitziest, most glamorous competition on TV sees a group of drag queens go head to head in a series of lip sync battles, photo shoots and runway walks, as they try to impress their host, the iconic Ru Paul. Often dismissed as trashy, the show has created a cult following that can’t be laughed at. Drag Race also provides an educational slant, enlightening viewers about drag culture and the adversities that each of the queens has faced in the struggle to be themselves. But mostly, it’s a glittery burst of fun that makes great viewing. And remember: ‘If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?’
Broad City Comedy Central 25th January
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Netflix 25th January
Simply Adorkable TV Editor Jessica Green takes us through TV's most relatable Girl-Nerds Jessica Green Television Editor
The Girl-Nerd appears to have become something of a popular trope on our screens today, no longer being shunned to a twodimensional, secondary role. The 21st-century has enabled clever but socially-awkward women to finally step into the limelight as fully fleshed our characters that we can all be proud to identify with. Here are my favourite female dorks on TV today who are smart, strong, and quite simply, adorkable.
New Girl’s Jessica Day From her enthusiasm for being a teacher to her minor (read: major) obsession with arts and crafts, Jess is the definition of a dork but one that we all fall in love with from the very beginning. Despite constantly being in the presence of her model best friend CeCe who can pull off skin-tight dresses and killer heels
on a daily basis, Jess never loses sense of her own distinctive style. Most of her outfits feature a puritan collar and set of ballet flats, and her signature look would not be complete without her big quirky glasses and trademark fringe.
“The 21st-century has enabled clever but sociallyawkward women to finally step into the limelight” From her tendency to burst into song at random intervals to her regular efforts to try and orgarnise all of her friends' lives, Jess makes it very difficult to finish an epsisode of New Girl and not simply want to be her.
Community’s Annie Edison ‘A passing grade? Like a C? Why
don’t I just get pregnant at a bus station?’ Only the best is good enough for Annie Edison, who remains as dedicated a student as ever after recovering from her nervous breakdown and subsequently losing her college scholarship. She may have left the braces and addiction to Adderall behind at Riverside High, but her passion for learning certainly follows her all the way to Greendale Community College. The definition of a star pupil, Annie's drive to do well extends far beyond the classroom as she partakes in a range of extracurricular activities (including working on the school newspaper, being part of the debating team, and even running for student body president). As well as looking out for herself though, she also has a big heart and is committed to motivating her friends to be the best they can possibly be. However, Annie isn’t all sunshine and innocence, and knows exactly how to use her good-girl demeanour to get exactly what she wants. After betraying her Spanish study friends, Jeff Winger puts it to the group: ‘Now
she is going to make the Disney face. Her lip is going to quiver and her eyes will flutter... but do not feel sorry for her!’ And yet, when it comes to Annie and her big Bambi eyes, we just can’t help but do exactly that.
Camping (US) Sky Atlantic 31st January
Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Amy Santiago Many would say that settling on a favourite character from Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s infinitely talented cast is something of an impossible task. But in my opinion, Amy Santiago wins hands down. Every. Single. Time. With her outward love of puzzles and hatred of abbreviations, our favourite dork of a police officer could never be accused of not embracing her nerdiness. She is rarely seen without her trademark pantsuit in a sensible shade of navy blue, and her competetive nature alongside her determination to suck up to Captain Holt on a daily basis most defintely makes her the most ambitious cop in the NineNine.
Nightflyers Netflix 1st February
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GAMING
Friday 25th January 2019
@redbrickgaming
Nintendo
Redbrick's Top 5
What’s the most exciting thing about this selection of fighters to choose from though? The fact that every single player will be able to find someone they enjoy. Personally, I’ve found Bowser’s raw, brutal power to be an
Local Multiplayer - Alex CirantTaljaard Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is made to be played on a sofa with your mates. How else am I meant to see the looks of complete misery in their faces when I down-
Character Selection - James Law ‘Everyone is here.' That was the tagline of Smash Ultimate. And although everyone is going to have complaints when their favourite character doesn’t make it into the roster, myself included (you’ll always be playable in my heart Waluigi), the selection of characters is truly incredible. Adding every character from every previous Smash game makes for an absolutely enormous roster that’s bursting at the seams, and there’s even more coming up, with DLC and bonus cast members coming soon. Piranha Plant and Persona’s Joker are to be added soon, and fans, myself included, are waiting with baited breath for each and every one of these additions. Both the excitement of trying out a new way of playing and seeing what impact these have on the metagame. This, along with the already enormous cast, will help keep Smash Ultimate feeling fresh for a long time yet.
DLC and Online - Sam Nason Like the previous game in the franchise, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate looks to offer DLC over the next few years, increasing the already vast amount of characters, stages and musical tracks. Five ‘fighter packs’ will be released throughout the coming months, with the roster being complete by February 2020. Each pack includes a fighter, a stage and an associated music track. Key to note is that these fighters are unique fighters built from the ground up, not echo fighters that share traits with those already on the roster. This will bring the total number of characters to a whopping 80, cementing Ultimate as the most representative videogame crossover of all time. These packs are available for £5.39 each, or together as a bundle for £22.49; an economical price for the value of the expansions, especially given Nintendo’s recent track record with porting older games, making tiny changes, and then charging full price for them again. The first of these confirmed fighters is Joker from Persona 5; given the fact the game is (at the time of writing this) exclusive to the PlayStation, his inclusion is astonishing, yet an extremely positive sign for the future of the franchise. As with Cloud Strife in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and
3DS, the barriers for which characters can be included are lifting, building a remarkable embodiment of the videogame industry which only looks to grow. Sakurai has stated Joker’s inclusion is ‘emblematic’ of the types of characters the team wanted to add to Ultimate, showing the care and attention presented to not only the IPs they’re managing to represent, but also the fans who are more than happy to welcome the console-transcending brawls with open arms. Of course, with a fighting game like Super Smash Bros., one of the most keenly anticipated aspects is its online capabilities and how one can take the fight global, whether casually or competitively. Sadly, just like previous games, it appears to have fallen slightly short, a crying shame for a title with such obvious online potential. Since the game has released, issues of input lag and online lag in general have, admittedly, improved – yet in a fighting game that relies on fast and specific movements, lag of any kind is a cardinal sin. Online matches are played peer-to-peer, meaning that if you have a good connection but your opponent has a bad one, you’ll both maintain that bad connection. This is a real issue and cripples the match, resulting in a game that isn’t fun and compromises global scores. Before beginning a match, each player selects their own ruleset and they are matched up to somebody with a similar sense of rules, whether that be many or few. In the early days of Ultimate you were virtually always guaranteed to be disappointed, matched with somebody who possessed none of the rules you were looking to impart upon the match. Yet now this has changed via patches, and very rarely are you getting rule selections completely different to desired. Nintendo is certainly maintaining the game as it grows, optimising the online experience. It is good, but still not perfect – time will tell whether any more quality of life improvements are brought in. All in all, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the most stellar and jam-packed game of the franchise. Despite slight online mishaps, the title offers an insane amount of content and acts as a robust and remarkable celebration of videogames. This is on top of maintaining its simplicity and enjoyment, whether locally or playing across the world. This is an essential Switch game and will continue to flourish throughout its life.
Piranha Plant
Nintendo
“The selection of characters is truly incredible”
Single Player - Imogen Mellor We all know that one of the main draws of the Smash games has always been sitting around with you friends and beat them with various amounts of glee, frustration and trash talk. However, in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, that frustration now extends to the World of Light, a new single player story mode. The story isn’t complicated, as it basically revolves around all playable characters in Smash, along with every ‘Spirit’ of any Nintendo, Sega and other large developers characters, being captured by Galeem. All except the lovable pink orb, Kirby. You play as Kirby until you unlock other playable characters, beating different levels based on the characters and Spirits you unlock. For example the Chorus Kids are represented by 3 Jigglypuffs who just love to sing and send you to sleep. This mode is hilarious and fun at the best of times but incredibly challenging at the worst. There doesn’t always seem to be a rhyme or reason why one may be super easy, when others are insanely difficult. A fun new take on these battles are the aforementioned Spirits. Although they do act as a sort of collectable - with over a thousand available, they also are incredibly useful in World of Light. They give you abilities and items which might just give you enough of an edge to win that one fight you’ve been struggling with. Levels may have poisonous floors, high winds that threaten to blow you off of the stage or your opponent may start breathing fire (I’m looking at you, Curry Charizard). All these situations will have a corresponding Spirit or two, which make the level a little easier. Of course it’s perfectly possible to beat any level without Spirits, but it may legitimately take you the best part of a year to do so. All in all however, I loved playing the World of Light and am yet to finish it. It’s refreshing to be angry at a CPU rather than my friends.
smash them directly into hell, or when I swallow them and perform a murder/suicide by jumping off the ledge. I wrote recently about the absolute joy of wrecking your friends in Super Mario Party, but compared to Ultimate, Party is bush league. There are even more options this time around for destroying the hopes and dreams of your closest peers, such as the fantastic ‘Squad Strike’ mode, which forces you to put together an Avengers-esque team of your best fighters to fend off an opponents team. This is probably the mode that I play most often, because it means I can prove I’m not only good at Ultimate when I’m playing as a huge penguin. I haven’t even bothered the online mode yet, and it’s not only because I can’t be bothered to buy an online subscription, or that whenever I’ve played online fighting games in the past I’ve ended up crying myself to sleep. The main reason I haven’t bothered is because, like I said, Ultimate is meant to be played together. For my money, any game that brings people together like that is worth the occasional stress-induced heart attack or Joycon shaped hole in the wall.
4 King K Rool
Capcom
extremely fun way to play, with Jigglypuff’s rest being a fun alternative strategy for me. It’s super cool that everyone’s playstyle, whether they’re new to the series or a seasoned expert, is catered for in Ultimate. And boy is it fun.
3 Simon Belmont
Nintendo
The Super Smash Bros. series is one that transcends videogames. As series director Masahiro Sakurai has repeatedly stated, each new game is a miracle. Seeing Mario, Sonic, Pac-Man and Cloud Strife duke it out on the Pokemon Stadium celebrates not only the legacies and influences of each character, but also the continued support and cooperation the video game industry has flourished into – a far cry from the Console Wars of old. It is no exaggeration to say that, to many, seeing such a vast array of unique and iconic characters in the same game is a dream come true. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was hailed as the definitive edition of the hugely popular crossover fighting game; boasting a roaster of 74 playable characters and 103 unique stages, you’d be hard pressed to say this wasn’t the case. That's why we've enlisted the help of our writers to create the Ultimate Super Smash Bros. review!
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2 Inkling
1
Nintendo
Multi Review: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate A Smashing Success or the Ultimate Missed Opportunity?
Nintendo
Smash Bros. Newcomers
Isabelle
GAMING
Friday 25th January 2019
@redbrickgaming
$340k Raised For Mermaids YouTuber H.Bomberguy’s Donkey Kong 64 stream raises thousands to spite Graham Linehan and help trans children James Law Gaming Editor @JamesMacLaw
Prominent leftist YouTuber and media critic H.Bomberguy just wanted to 100% Donkey Kong 64 to annoy anti-trans activist Graham Linehan. What resulted was something far, far beyond what could possibly have been expected. Hundreds of thousands of dollars raised. Celebrity endorsements. Positivity in a Twitch chat. Dozens of hours. All from the humble beginnings of one guy getting on stream to do a ridiculous challenge. Mermaids is a charity that supports transgender young people and their families, doing important work campaigning for the recognition of gender dysphoria in young people and raising awareness of trans issues across the UK. This charity saves lives.
They also got their national lottery funding reviewed due to the actions of Graham Linehan and followers bombarding the lottery fund with emails detailing ‘concerns’ with the charity’s work. Out of spite, Hbomberguy set up his stream with a donation link, and it absolutely exploded. Tens of thousands of people watched the stream at once, and an enormous host of guests both filling in whilst the main man slept and helping his excruciatingly slow progression in the Kong family’s quest through the Rare’s most painful and tiresome game. It’s impossible to name every single notable person who went on stream. Some highlights include all sorts of other YouTube personalities such as Lindsey Ellis and ContraPoints, legends of the games industry like Josh Sawyer and John Romero, and even political figures and worst-fears-ofthe-establishment like Chelsea
5
Manning and Alexandria OcasioCortez. Moderated tirelessly by a small team including Casey Explosion, Shaun, Dan Olson, DogStrong, and Shannon Strucci, this stream is a groundbreaking show of positivity and proof of the potential of human kindness and positivity.
“Togetherness blossoming from a place of spite” The news and occurrences on the stream happen faster than it’s possible to record coherently, and this stream will be talked about for a long time yet. They even got Grant Kirkhope - the voice of Donkey Kong in DK64 - to say ‘trans rights’ in that voice. The stream raised over $340,000, and
will be available to watch in full after the dust has settled. As the stream ended, 57 hours in, played out fittingly by Left At London’s Revolution Lover, it serves as a reminder that we can, and should, all do our part. Don’t let it be a one-day thing - continue 2019 as it started and make something happen. The money raised for Mermaids is only part of the story - trans folks sharing their personal stories were able to raise fantastic amounts of money for a variety of trans causes. The twitter hashtag #transcrowdfund hosts a huge number of people in need who could do with your help if you’re able. It’s kind of emblematic of our time. Beauty and togetherness blossoming from a place of spite. Mermaids’ helpline number is 0808 801 0400, for young trans or gender-questioning people who need someone to listen and support.
Gaming at a Glance OVERKILL'S The Walking Dead console release indefinitely postponed Publisher Starbreeze AB is currently reviewing and evaluating the OVERKILL's The Walking Dead for future console release, postponing indefinitely its original February 2019 date. The game was released in November for PC and recieved mixed to negative reviews, with many criticising the game's technical issues as well as its mundane gameplay. Previously OVERKILL have released their Payday series to consoles, yet many were frustated at the lack of consistent updates for said versions compared to its PC counterpart. Further information is unavaliable on a rescheduled release date and time will tell whether The Walking Dead releases for console at all. EA cancels its open-world Star Wars game According to Kotaku.com, EA Cancouver had been working on the title since October 2017 before it was cancelled this week. The project had been previously headed by Visceral Games, most well-known for the Dead Space series. The game reportedly involved playing as a bounty hunter, exploring multiple different Star Wars planets and completeing tasks for many unique factions across the galaxy. Despite its cancellation, Respawn - the studio most well known for Titanfall - is developing its own Star Wars game, Jedi: Fallen Order. The game looks to release in autumn 2019.
Review: GRIS Imogen Mellor Gaming Editor @ImoMellor
Every so often I am reminded that gaming is an art form. Between the excitement of storylines or fast paced action titles, little pieces of art can appear within smaller indie developments. GRIS is one such piece of art. You play as a girl who has lost something important to her. You never really know what she has lost, no words are ever said, but you do know it’s significance. She is devastated, and needs to find some sort of peace. Something I would like to note straight off of the bat is the beauty of the first few moments of the game. I hope this isn’t too spoilerheavy as it literally is 30 seconds into the game, but after her home and platform crumbles away and you are given the first opportunity to start playing as Gris, something unexpected happens. You can walk left or right, but as a curious gamer might always do in a game’s first moments, testing the A and B buttons hoping for a jump instead leads to Gris collapsing. It’s such a small detail that feels genuinely shocking. She is tired and heartbroken and you try to push her and she can’t do what you expect her to. She simply doesn’t have the power. Such a minute detail, but really truly a gorgeous bit of game design. The game continues to look and feel gorgeous. Little bits of storytelling are everywhere you look. If anyone has played the game Journey, its sensation is very similar. You understand what you have to do and where you have to go, but never really know why she has to do these things. It’s all very metaphorical and it’s better for it. The game doesn’t have to explain itself to you. It is what it is, and that's absolutely the best way GRIS can explain itself. As with most games however,
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Nomada Studio
there is something I would say could have been different. I’m someone who hates jumpscares. No horror games ever grace my shelves because frankly, I hate the idea of waiting to jump out of my skin and then not sleep that night thinking about it. There is just the one jumpscare in GRIS, and although it’s not a horror type of moment, my lord, did I almost have a heart attack. It’s annoying that such a calm game has something like that within it. Although, yes it adds something of a sense of urgency, but I wonder if it added anything more than that. I write about it here, as a warning to those who might be like me and would prefer to know in advance rather than be shocked like I was. My other issue was how short it was. Despite it looking like it could go on for hours, it stops short of where you think it might. It’s sad because you want to see more of the world and it’s creatures but you have no way of doing that. The other issue with it being short is the problems that the game give you to solve are far more frequently about timing and direction, rather than actual puz-
zles, so there isn’t much in the way of challenge. When someone says the game may be about 2 and a half to 3 hours long, it’s likely to take that much time for everyone, because challenge in this game is almost non-existent. You get the impression that the game is about it’s sense of sorrow and that aesthetic rather than the gameplay itself.
“Challenge in this game is almost non-existant” Other bits of delight overwhelm these doubts though. Huge positives include the sound design, colour palette, art style and music in general. All of the above are gorgeous and suit the game so well. You ‘unlock’ colours as you go, which makes the levels of that colour look more and more beautiful. Red is a desert setting. Green a forest. Blue underwater. Finally, yellow levels are based around light. All of which are enchanting to look at.
The way the game sounds is also just so satisfying. In some areas, as Gris runs, her footsteps chime and make music. When you do get the ability to sing, the notes are echoed in the level’s soundtrack. It’s all so delicate and intricate, it really drives home the passion and dedication of the team behind the game itself. If you’re looking for a fulfilling and short but sweet experience in gaming right now, GRIS should definitely be on your list. Too often will a game cost a lot for many hours of gameplay, and yet you can never quite commit the hours needed to it to be worth the money or time. GRIS admittedly, may cost quite a lot for only around 3 hours worth of content, and it isn’t really replayable, but I would definitely advise others to keep an eye out for when it’s on sale. If you can’t wait that long, then that’s okay. It’s still not going to break the bank. Overall, GRIS really is a breath of fresh air, both in a hectic life, and with games. It’s a one in a million sort of experience and if you’re looking for a game that is truly magical, look no further.
Awesome Games Done Quick 2019 wraps up The charity event which sees speedrunners from all acros the world playing through a huge range of games as fast as they can in a seven-day marathon wrapped up on the 13th January. This year's event featured over 130 different gaes and raised almost $2.4 million for Prevent Cancer Foundation. The event will return onece again this summer with Summer Games Done Quick on the 23rd June. Steam reaches 30,000 games 30,000 games have been released on the game distribution platform Steam, excluding any additional DLC videos or other software. According to Steamspy, about 9,300 of these games were released within the last year quite a large portion when once considers the platform has been operational since 2003.
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FOOD&DRINK
Friday 25th January 2019
@redbrickfood
Post-Christmas Food Guilt
Food&Drink Writer Emily Breeds discusses the impact of food on mental health Emily Breeds Food&Drink Writer
Culture aside, winter holidays are primarily about food. Memories at Christmas are shaped from peeling and crossing sprouts together, and watching the pudding go up in flames. The first image that springs to mind with Thanksgiving is carving the turkey and pumpkin pie, as with frying latkes at Hanukkah. So why is the new year spent trying to work all of that off? It’s as though the bigger portion size is the special occasion, rather than the taste and creation of the food. It is entirely true that physical health is important. Yet diet culture fools us into thinking selfhatred and restriction is healthy. It places moral value on certain foods and body types, capitalising on our guilt. After all, happy people make very bad customers. It feeds us the idea that by suddenly switching to salads we are being kind. It’s notorious for punishing us when we slip up, glossing over the guilt with playful language, labelling certain foods as ‘cheeky’ or ‘a little bit piggy’. Part of unlearning diet culture is to stop categorising food into good or bad, as eating ‘bad’ foods only
increases our guilt. As a result, we justify how much we eat with ‘it’s Christmas’, as if we need an excuse to enjoy a roast. More dangerously, we are led to believe that crash diets and hardcore gym regimes will get us ‘back into shape’ in the new year, as though the food seriously altered our bodies. Festivities are times of joy and kindness, which seem futile as we cannot be kind to our own bodies by indulging without guilt. Society loves to demonise mundane things we take pleasure in, like sex and eating. If we indulge in too much sex, we are dirty; too much food, we are greedy. The unrealistic emphasis placed on eating as a determiner of health makes something pleasurable a source of guilt. This is likely tied to body image: ‘unacceptable’ body types are associated with greed and gluttony. A person with an ‘acceptable’ body type may look healthy, but that is weak evidence to suggest they are. Just because they appear to not overeat doesn’t
mean they do not, or are not unhealthy. There are many other things that lead to poor health: smoking, excessive drinking, hereditary disease, or even living in a city. Holidays are especially hard for people dealing with issues around eating and body image.
Difficulties are emphasised with the conflict between hearty eating and a narrative of post-festivity restriction,
pushed not just by diet culture but those around us. How many times have we heard ‘I must not eat this’ or ‘at least I’m burning this off later’? For someone who has struggled with their body image over the years, I know all too well the feelings of guilt for failing exercise regimes discovered through researching weight loss techniques and for binging Christmas chocolate after vowing to totally cut it out. My issues were pushed by those around me, especially in the environment of dance class. PostChristmas, my teacher would make us do even more sit-ups and SmartMeetings press-ups in order to burn off the fat we had allegedly gained and get our bodies back to ‘normal’. So, if you are struggling with your eating over winter, no matter how much you have eaten, you are still allowed to eat the next day, and there is no pressure to exercise. You do not have to justify
your eating habits or portion sizes this holiday, nor any other day. Your body is a wonderful thing. It moderates what you eat by making you full, and it tells you what it needs by giving you cravings and hunger. There is no need to be afraid of your own appetite. It is there to keep you alive. All you need to do is listen to your body’s needs and fulfil them the best you can, which is known as ‘intuitive eating’. Be kind to your body and it will be kind to you back. By being aware that diet companies only seek to make money from making us feel bad about ourselves and our true pleasures in life, we can start to live and eat without guilt. This being said, we have a long way to go with unlearning diet culture and food guilt, especially when we are living in a world shaped by centuries of it. But at the end of the day, you are worth so much more than the food you put on your plate. You are allowed to eat, and enjoy it. Food is something to relish, not simply ingest and digest. You can have a roast whenever you like. There doesn’t need to be a special occasion made out of it. Ultimately, it is your body and you are the only one who dictates its terms.
Veganuary: A Guide to Transitioning Food&Drink’s Beth Sadler provides a starter pack for a plant-based diet Beth Sadler
not as big as expected. However, just in case you find your eyes wandering towards the left-over Christmas cheese in the fridge, Whether you are trying here are a few easy steps to fol‘Veganuary’, attemptlow in order to guarantee ing to make a persuccess. manent change, 1. Do Your or even just Research want to eat Whilst veganless meat in ism is growing general, the in every aspect, transition this does not into a plant mean that just based diet because Miley can be diffiCyrus or cult. As Leonardo someone who DiCaprio chose has been this diet, so through the should you. process twice, I Making an informed know how hard it decision is crucial to can be to adjust to the success, as you must vegan lifestyle. However, understand the consequences since veganism has increased by of cutting out some major food 360 per cent in the last decade in groups from your everyday dishes. Great Britain, this herWhether it be for health, bivorous diet is environmental or anibecoming more mal rights reasons – and more popumake sure you have “Making an lar, meaning one. Acting on informed decision is impulse will only you are not alone in your lead to regret, crucial to success, as battle to and so you become a must be sure you must understand plant powthis is the right the consequences of ered person. decision for With most you. cutting out some chain restau2. Staple major food groups” rants offering Dishes vegan options Even before I or even dediwent vegan, I was cated menus, you looking for and will quickly find exploring plant based that the adjustment is recipes that I knew I could Food&Drink Writer
Linda McCartney
cook and enjoy. Perhaps begin with ‘Meat-Free Monday’, using this scheme to discover some vegan dishes that, once you make the full transition, will become staple meals in your diet. BBC Good Food will become your best friend, with the internet being a source of thousands of ways to ‘veganise’ all your old favourites. 3. Alternatives Despite the vegan minority who stick to a ‘whole foods diet’, most of us miss tucking into a Domino’s on a Friday night without having to reluctantly ask the pizza man for a vegetarian without cheese. However, the increase of veganism has seen the increase of alternatives, with many companies offering cruelty free replacements to meat and dairy products. Iceland’s ‘No Bull
Burgers’, Quorn’s ‘Fishless Fingers’ and of course Linda McCartney’s notorious sausages (renowned amongst vegans) all became regulars in my fridge. Even Ben and Jerry’s have a vegan
alternative, meaning you can indulge guilt-free. 3. Nobody Is Perfect. Let’s face it, there are bound to be minor slip ups along the way. If you wake up in the morning and realise you may have ordered cheesy chips with mayo last night – do not fret. For most people turning vegan doesn’t happen over-night, and it will take a while before you stop craving animal products entirely. So, if you find yourself ridden with guilt or regret, remember that life-style changes take time. Hopefully, if you follow these steps you will soon come to realise that veganism can be both very exciting and easy. With the help of Oreos, the vegan aisle in Sainsbury’s, and frequent visits to Falafel Munch in Selly Oak, by the end of January you will have well and truly conquered veganism.
Falafel Munch
FOOD&DRINK
Friday 25th January 2019
@redbrickfood
29
Why Are Resolutions Food-Centric? Food&Drink writer Harriet Laban questions our mindsets as we enter 2019 Harriet Laban Food&Drink Writer
The buzz around the beginning of January offers an opportunity for self-evaluation, giving people a reason to reflect on their lives. Food habits and wellness are a central focus, but the ways in which people decide to create New Year’s resolutions tend to neglect where they are on their journey to BrusselsHeartOfChocolate becoming their better self, instead focusing solely on the results they want to see. Rethinking New New Year’s resolutions, due to the Year’s resolutions could be the unnecessary pressure they put on answer to breaking the chain of themselves to achieve them. This repetitiveness, of reverting back to can create a sense of failure when bad habits, which many people see they do not maintain the sometimes heavy, and usually counteryear after year. According to The Psychologist productive, restrictions they create magazine, ‘many cultural fresh to keep themselves working starts are associated with absti- towards their aims. Yet food nence from vices’. People tend to remains central to the New Year’s resolutions of many; you look at their routines from might ask yourself why? the year and evaluate Overwhelmingly, whether they are people realise the doing themselves benefits that makany favours by “It is easy to feel ing positive, sticking to healthy changes these habits. yourself falling short can have to It is easy to of the ever-rising their sense of feel yourwellbeing. The self falling standards of ‘peak’ new year short of the health which people brings a fresh ever-rising start, and can standards of demand of be seen as the ‘peak’ health themselves” perfect time to which people put in motion the demand of foody changes themselves. they’ve been considPeople often comering. Initiatives such as mit to bettering their ‘Veganuary’ can really help relationship with food, due to their increased awareness motivate people to make positive, of its benefits. This is no bad thing plant-based decisions at least for a in itself, but can lead to unrealistic while! Food can also be used as a expectations in achieving what powerful tool for self-empowerthey deem to be healthy. Many people are averse to ment, and many people decide to
“Used in the right way, food consumption, and attitudes towards food, are areas which can be improved in many people’s lives” use New Year’s resolutions as mechanisms to help themselves become a better, healthier version of themselves. Food is a central part of health and wellness, which is what people tend to strive towards in the fresh start which the new year can bring. It is perfectly reasonable for people to focus on their food choices, for this is something easily changed by many, and something which can have such a positive effect! Although made with the best intentions at heart, New Year’s
resolutions linked to food can often become more unhealthy than people may first realise. Their impact on mental health can outweigh the positive changes they may be trying to implement. The Christmas holidays often bring indulgent treats, but come New Year, we find that we feel guilt or lack of control. This leads to a desire to eliminate what is making us feel bad, yet this reflex reaction can bring about decisions which are not the best for our bodies or minds. Used in the right way, food consumption, and attitudes towards food, are areas which can be improved in many people’s lives. However, lots of people struggle to stick to their foody resolutions. This could be for a multitude of reasons, but the mistake countless people make is denying themselves the things
Splunk
they love most about eating. For instance, if chocolate is your guilty pleasure, take away the guilt by aiming to eat it in moderation, rather than gorging yourself every time you allow yourself to indulge because you’ve restricted yourself entirely beforehand. Embracing moderation helps avoid resenting your resolutions, making it easier to work towards your goals. Resolutions tend to be about regaining control, fighting your own personal vices. Allowing yourself to gradually implement changes helps you to keep control, even in areas of your life you might see as near impossible to change. Food is a simple place to start for many, and if the aspiration is to create a better sense of wellness, this can bring the extra energy needed to complete the rest of their goals! There is no pressure to make food central to your New Year’s resolutions, but it is always worth taking into consideration. Food can add excitement and meaning to your life, so why not set some fun, food-related intentions?
Food&Wine
Dry January: A Teetotal Generation Food&Drink Editor Emily Calder discusses modern attitudes to alcohol Emily Calder Food&Drink Editor
As we enter 2019, many of us bring alongside aspirations of what the new year may bring. Resolutions often include progress in academia or a workplace, health and fitness, perhaps cutting down on consumption that may harm our planet, and most famously alcohol. Increasing numbers of people, especially within the current student population, undertake the challenge of Dry January every year. Alongside this, studies show that more and more members of Generation Z are going completely booze-free, or at least cutting down heavily on their drinking. Research shows that today’s percentage of young people who are entirely teetotal has risen substantially from previous generations. Generation Z also seems to be drinking less in general, or at least more sensibly, with a forty-yearold more likely to be caught driving over the alcohol limit than an eighteen-year-old in the UK today.
This may seem ironic, seeing as university culture can be so alcohol-orientated, so why are today’s young people drinking less than our parents? What has caused this
“More and more members of Generation Z are going completely booze-free” cultural shift within our generation? Firstly, and perhaps most obviously, alcohol is expensive. When dealing with fewer jobs, the harsh reality of ‘real wages’, and generally living on a student budget, we are far more likely to prioritise buying food for the week, or a train ticket to visit a friend across the country, than Jägerbombs and pints. We have also grown up in a time of economic and political
turbulence, making us generally more aware of our spending habits and less likely to splash out on booze. A d d i t i o n a l l y, Generation Z seems particularly concerned with health and wellness. A large majority of young people try to exercise regularly, and increasing numbers of people are cutting down on animal products for the benefit of both their bodies and the planet. We have also had the risks of alcoholism drilled into us from a young age – we are aware that it makes us vulnerable to cancer, heart issues, and mental health problems. One student currently undertaking Dry January for the second time said ‘I was having a
really difficult term mental - health wise, and was finding that I was using alcohol as an emotional crutch. In reality, going out so often was just making everything worse’, which is unsurprising considering the close links between depression and alcoholism. Furthermore, perhaps we just do not have the time. Whilst the first year of university is often closely associated with alcohol and partying, further down the line students often become a lot busier with increasingly important assignments and societies. Students are at university for a reason: to get a degree. Our generation, unlike many previous generations, is getting itself into heavy debt in order to obtain an education. We are therefore less likely to throw our time away, and dedicate the time that we could spend drinking
to academic work, or full-time jobs when we graduate.
“I was using alcohol as an emotional crutch” All in all, there has never been a better time to cut down on your alcohol consumption – which is perhaps why so many of us are doing it. Long gone are the days when not drinking would cause others to presume you were taking antibiotics or driving, there is increasingly less pressure within our generation to drink. Universities such as St Andrews are now even offering alcohol free accommodation, and most young people hardly bat an eyelid if someone is heading to a club sober. This January may be an excellent opportunity to reflect on why we drink, how it impacts us, and how we may benefit from changing our relationships with alcohol as we head into a new year.
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TRAVEL
Friday 25th January 2019
@redbricktravel
Travel Diary: Kyoto and Osaka Travel Writer Saivan Khonji-Sajjadi shares his experience of visiting two Japanese cities. Sorasak
Saivan Khonji-Sajjadi Travel Writer
Day 1 After a short hop over from Seoul, I arrived at Osaka-Kansai airport after what was probably the bumpiest flight of my life. The airport itself is pretty cool; the entire airport is an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay. A delay meant that it was now around 9pm, which, given that my hostel was 100km from the airport, was an inconvenience to say the least. Luckily, Japan is famous for its superb rail system which would get me to Kyoto in no time, right? Wrong. Navigating Japanese trains can be tough. The system is very simple once you get the hang of it, but for a tired first-timer it can be confusing, and sure enough, I managed to turn a 1.5 hour journey into 4 hours by getting on the wrong train.
“the city is exactly what I had pictured Japan to be like; temples, marrow streets, and lots of old buildings in traditional Japanese style” I finally arrived at my hostel at
midnight and decided to dump by bags and go for a quick explore. First impressions were good; the city is exactly what I had pictured Japan to be like; temples, narrow streets, and lots of old buildings in traditional Japanese style. My first, and only, full day in Kyoto. I knew I would be pressed for time so woke up very early despite the late night I had had. I planned an itinerary for the weekend which would fit in as much as possible, grabbed some of the breakfast, and headed out. First stop was Kinkaku-ji Temple, a Zen Buddhist temple constructed in 1397. The temple was stunning; a huge structure draped in gold sat in a lake, surrounded by forest. However, there was one problem: tourists. I am aware that complaining about tourists whilst being a tourist is a tad hypocritical, but the presence of large tour groups really did impact my experience of the temple. One would normally expect tranquillity and calm at a temple, but being surrounded by hundreds of people made this an impossibility. Day 2 Next stop was Ginkaku-ji temple. This was far less touristy, with no large groups blocking paths and it had very pretty surroundings. From here I walked down the rather aptly named ‘philosopher's path’; a path by a canal with overhanging trees, peppered with temples and shrines. Over the next few hours I made my way along the path, stopping at Anrakuji temple, Eikan-do Zenrin-ji temple and Nanzen-ji temple. At this point it is worth
mentioning costs. Most of these temples do have an entrance fee of around ¥500 (£3.50), which is reasonable, but given the number of temples there are to visit, it does add up.
“at night the area is buzzing with the organised chaos that can be found accross Japan” Most shrines, however, tend to be free, and there are several free temples to visit to along philosopher’s path. Transport costs depend largely on the individual; busses are reasonably priced, but trains are somewhat expensive. Kyoto is a fairly walkable city, so I would recommend walking between sights, especially along the east side of the city. I would recommend purchasing a bus day ticket for ¥600 (£4) and using a combination of busses and walking to get around the city. This is probably the cheapest and most efficient method of navigating Kyoto. The final stop for the day was visiting the Gion district at night. Here I visited Yasaka temple, which looks especially good at night as the red paint and ambient glow of the lanterns contrasts nicely with the night sky. Day 3 On my third day, I planned to meet a friend in Osaka - a 30
minute train ride from Kyoto, costing around ¥550 (£3.80) each way. By 10am I was at Umeda station in Osaka. After finding my friend, we went to Osaka castle. This is a very large castle/ temple surrounded by a moat, which is surrounded by a park right in the centre of the city. The castle itself is very strange. We went in expecting old decorations but were very surprised to find that the inside had been entirely refurbished into a museum – using a lift in building from the 1500s was an odd experience (I later discovered that it was renovated in 1995). Next stop was Dotonbori, the famous street food district, particularly known for kushikatsu (various battered and deep-fried items), okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake) and takoyaki (battered octopus). Being spoilt for choice meant that I could not eat all of these, however, I did try takoyaki, BBQ crab claws, and ramen. Although the food was not particularly cheap, it was delicious. An added bonus was that at night the area is buzzing with the organised chaos that can be found across Japan. Overall, Osaka is worth visiting if in the area, however, I would recommend prioritising Kyoto. Day 4 Dotonbori. After an early start, I headed to Arashiyama, an area in the North west of Kyoto famous for its bamboo forest, around a 20 minute train ride from Kyoto station. Similar to Kinkaku-ji on the second day, it was a beautiful place that was somewhat ruined by the presence of many tourists
and large groups. I stopped at a convenience store called Lawson, to try what I had read is one of the best egg mayo sandwiches in the world, and sure enough it was pretty tasty. After exploring the bamboo forest and Tenryu-ji temple, I headed back into Kyoto to make my way towards FushimiInari. This is a massive shrine containing around 32,000 subshrines. After some exploration I found some sections which were completely empty, although this did require a 40 minute mini-hike up Mt. Inari, but it was well worth it. This was the final stop on my trip, as I soon headed back to Kansai Airport to catch my flight home.
“I visited Yasaka temple, which looks especially good at light as the red paint and ambient glow of the lanterns contrasts nicely with the night sky” Overall, Kyoto is well worth a visit, although I would recommend avoiding Spring and Autumn, as it can get uncomfortably busy during these periods. Osaka is also worth a visit, although I would recommend prioritising Kyoto.
TRAVEL
Friday 25th January 2019
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@redbricktravel
My Favourite Place: Lauterbrunnen Tom Leaman News Editor
In the heart of the Bernese Alps and 802 metres above sea level lies the Swiss village and valley, Lauterbrunnen. In terms of scenery, I don’t think there are many places in Europe that can compete, while there are more than enough ways to keep yourself occupied while you’re in this part of the Alps. While it’s a popular winter venue, Lauterbrunnen is also perfect year-round location; the valley has 72 waterfalls, the most famous of which is the 297-metre tall Staubbuch Falls. Another defining water-themed feature of the area is Trümmelbach Falls, a series of ten glacial waterfalls accessible to the public through a cave system. The entry fee is 10 Swiss Francs (CHF), but it’s completely worth the fee to experience the icy-cold falls close-up. Without a doubt, the best way to see the natural landscape is from the skies. There are multiple ways to see Switzerland from
the air, including paragliding and helicopter rides. Paragliding is the cheaper option and is an adrenaline-filled, once-in-alifetime experience. Airtime Paragliding operates out of Lauterbrunnen and you can see much of the Jungfrau region on their ‘The Wall’ flight for 180 CHF. There are other thrill-seeking experiences available in the area, inluding mountain-biking and canyoning. From the Camping Jungfrau resort in the shadow of the Staubbuch Falls, a bike can be hired for a day for around 40 CHF. The route into Interlaken is stunning, but you won’t have much time to take it in- even on a mountain bike, it was possible to hit over 30 mph on the downhill stages of the route. Canyoning is a slightly more extreme version of caving, which you can do around the UK’s coastline. It’s a little more expensive than some of the other ways to experience the region, but nothing quite compares to the feeling of jumping off or sliding down a waterfall into an alpine pool. The extreme sports
specialist Outdoor Interlaken turn the experience into a seven-hour excursion, with transport included and some free food thrown in at the end for good measure. If you’re looking for something a little less extreme, there are miles of hiking trails around the Lauterbrunnen region. By cable car, you can get to the Mürren hiking trails, which lead to the (car-free!) village of the same name. The lack of vehicle noise demonstrates the quintessentially Swiss nature of Lauterbrunnen and its surrounding areas. Everything from the eternal chiming of cowbells to the snowtopped mountain ranges is truly stereotypically Swiss. To round everything off, the Schilthorn peak in the area is well-known for being in the Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and the trail to Interlaken supposedly inspired Tolkien’s Middle Earth in The Hobbit, turning beautiful scenery into the mythical and fictional. For all of the big thrill-seeking aspects and the remarkable scenery, it’s the smaller details that help make Lauterbrunnen
my favourite place in the world. Though it may not be very student-budget friendly, it’s truly worth the expense to visit.
Mark Rickert
Reimagining Russia Imogen Burgoyne Travel Writer
Even for us, the post-Cold War generation, Russia remains a somewhat mysterious, far-off land, if not something seemingly threatening. But if there is one thing that the recent World Cup did, it was open up a window to Russia for the whole world to look beneath news headlines and instead see the incredible culture this magnificent country has to offer. Russia is a nation that has gone through immense change in the past 100 years, the effects of which are still very much evident today. Even after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the 1990s was a period of severe difficulty for the nation, with devalued money, corruption, and lawlessness – a time which many still struggle to speak about today. The last twenty years has been a time of huge upheaval for many, and the population has been presented with a flood of opinion and advancement that was previously shut-off. Modern Russia remains a country of paradoxes, with extreme riches contrasted against extreme poverty and a capital full of splendour and luxury contrasted with the harsh climate and struggles of life in smaller towns. Travelling in Russia gives the occasion to explore the incredible history of this nation, as well as the phenomenon often referred to as the Russian ‘soul’, made up of layers of history, culture, religion, tradition, and most importantly, change. There is the widely held stereotype (propagated mostly by films filled with Russian baddies) that Russians are all grim faced and severe, however, that could
not be further from the truth. In reality smiles are saved for close friends and family, which means that whilst you may not see many grins out on the streets, the Russians are in fact an incredible warm people to whom hospitality is incredibly important. Being welcomed into a Russian home is like being embraced into a family, where you will be greeted with piles upon piles of food and tea and pretty much doted upon. This of course demands reciprocal respect, so as a guest one must always take a gift for the host, and follow strict rules such as wearing slippers indoors and washing your hands pretty much as soon as you enter the place. Spending time with ‘real’ Russians in a home environment is the only way to really uncover the Russian mindset and beliefs and you will be rewarded with nothing but warmth (and probably a spread of food!). Being such a huge country it is unsurprising that every corner of Russia presents visitors with a different type of culture. From the European architecture of St Petersburg to the incredible, imposing buildings of Moscow; each city, as was well highlighted by the football World Cup, holds its own story. Kaliningrad is one such example; now a Russian exclave between Lithuania and Poland, Kaliningrad once called Königsberg, was a part of Prussia before being annexed from Germany in 1945 and is a hugely interesting city where history greets visitors on every corner. A true Russian experience is the small-town or countryside life available to those with a ‘dacha’, a small wooden house like a French gîte, where Russians escape the city for peace and gardening. Another centre of culture to
explore is the Moscow metro which is quite different to any other in the world. Each metro station is uniquely designed and simply stunning, complete with exquisite chandeliers, mosaics, stained glass panels and marble columns which make commuting a lot more interesting. Another reason to visit Russia is to get first-hand experience of all the cultural nuances unique to the Russian people. From the wearing of double denim, to weights beside prices on menus, hot drinks served with straws and tea as a cure-all, to cultural demands and beliefs, there are many fascinating quirks to notice. Traditions play a huge role in the Russian ‘soul’, especially when it comes to New Year’s celebrations. One family tradition is that everyone writes down a wish for the year before burning the scrap of paper so that the embers fall into the glass of champagne that is to be drunk at midnight – a somewhat bizarre yet wonderful tradition. It is not easy to blend in as a local in any foreign country, however, one LeoninHawley step doing so is learning local customs. In Moscow this means during winter, no matter how boiling the metro may seem, not a single layer of clothing is to be removed...not even a hat! When there is a celebration in Russia, such as City Day or the Circle of Lights Festival, boy does everyone go all out! The markets in Red Square celebrating the New Year are a truly a magical experience: lights, decorations, trees and bunting frosted with freshly fallen snow, all overlooked by the magnificent fairytale-esque St. Basil’s Cathedral. Military celebrations and parades in Moscow are renowned around the world for being extravagant, and to us, quite a foreign idea. Seeing
all sorts of military weapons and machinery paraded through the capital is an intimidating sight, thoug the atmosphere and partyfeeling is something that cannot be contested! Travelling in Russia not only opens up the possibility of exploring one incredible nation, it also offers the opportunity to gain an insight into other cultures. Cuisine presents the perfect opportunity to do so; from Georgian to Uzbek and Azerbaijani, there are flavours in Russia that we in Britain are not accustomed to. With bread topped with gooey cheese and an egg (‘khachapuri Adjaruli’), dumplings filled with meat and soup (‘khinkali’), Georgian food is a rich and delicious cuisine, that, had I not gone to Russia, I never would have discovered. Russian food culture reveals the nation’s traditions and history and there is no better place to discover this than
at a ‘stolovaya’. Introduced by the Soviet governments, the canteen style establishments remain popular today, serving wholesome meals for very reasonable prices. The rich, hearty food often made from basic ingredients like grains, provides a view into what was and remains important for Russians in terms of their eating needs – warm and filling dishes, especially throughout the colder months. One thing remains to say - what an incredible country Russia is. Looking past the politics, propaganda, and, to some extent, the fear that influences our image of Russia today, the Russian people and their culture are so worth getting to know. Russia is an extraordinary place, made up of incredible stories and traditions and a culture that is truly fascinating.
Ana Paula Hirama
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LIFE&STYLE
Friday 25th January 2019
@redbricklife
Birmingham’s Morphe Shop: What’s the Hype?
Life&Style writer Emily Breeds asks whether the excitement surrounding the Bullring’s new Morphe shop is a reflection of a dangerous obsession with the internet’s idea of high-end perfection Emily Breeds Life&Style Writer
Popular American makeup brand Morphe have recently opened a shop in Birmingham’s Bullring. I visited the Bullring a couple of days after the new shop was opened and instantly noticed a sectioned-off queue. We were let in a couple of people at a time, meaning only twenty to thirty people were allowed in at once. The enthusiastic staff had earpieces to communicate with each other regarding these numbers, seeming more part of a rigid organisation than a makeup shop. The queue was mostly made up of teenage girls, some of whom were getting angry at the staff when they were not let in straight away, as though their lives depended on it. But why were these young people that desperate to shop for Morphe, an admittedly high-quality yet very pricey makeup brand? Brands like Morphe, just expensive enough to let you know how good they are, seem to be in demand at the moment, especially with the younger generation. Is the obsession with these products just a harmless sign of the times or a reflection of the dangers of internet culture? The hype surrounding these products likely comes from internet culture and a rapid rise in online shopping. The internet has become a huge part of most people’s lives, with our social media presence an extension of our personalities. However, this is often simply a highlight reel of everyone’s lives, showing an extremely idealised existence. Additionally, YouTube and Instagram makeup tutorials are on the rise, the most popular of which seem to follow the trend of precision and perfection, which can supposedly only
be achieved with high-end products. An influencer’s endorsement of looks and products increase their followers’ desire for them, meaning those who cannot afford the makeup may feel left out, or save for ages in order to fit in with the masses. Particularly in an age of ‘FOMO’, it is easy to see a link between endorsement from a young person’s role model and an increase in sales. Take Kylie Jenner, for example. Kylie Cosmetics, which sells her famous lip kits for $29 online, has earned her $900 million, which is not surprising considering the extensive promotion to her 121 million Instagram followers. Of course,
the products themselves must be good if so many people are buying them, but the point remains that her celebrity status no doubt substantially contributes to the hype. This is not to say that the internet cannot be used for good in the beauty industry. Through prominent online makeup artists such as Jeffree Star and James Charles, men wearing makeup are gaining more exposure and the idea is becoming increasingly normalised. Morphe unashamedly sells products from James Charles, Jeffree Star, Manny MUA and Bretman Rock, with huge screens of Charles rocking looks from his
new palette. Also, through the body positive movement, which is evergrowing online through Instagram accounts such as @i_weigh and @bodyposipanda, people are encouraged to accept themselves with or without makeup. Makeup tutorials are varied, from SFX makeup, to $1 challenges, and all are completely accessible. If you can’t afford the products shown in the tutorials, many blogs offer dupes for expensive brands. Alternatively, tutorials can be adapted to suit what you already have, without having to spend anything extra. Essentially, there is something for everyone, regard-
Morphe
less of budget or level of interest in makeup. That being said, there is nothing wrong with loving the high-quality makeup Morphe offers. It is popular for a reason – the eyeshadow palettes offer an extensive range of colours and the highlighters glow beautifully. Saving up for something just out of your budget makes buying it even more exciting, either for yourself or as a gift for others. Furthermore, the opening of Birmingham’s Morphe shop means that people living close by do not have to pay extra for shipping or wait for a week. For those outside Birmingham, the shop is just one of many you can only find in large shopping centres like the Bullring, so visits become even more special if you make a day out of it. Therefore, we should not shame young people for enjoying the latest trends in makeup. Experimenting with makeup is part of growing up for a lot of people, which often leads to a genuine and healthy passion for it. Just because better quality products are more accessible to the younger generation does not make them flawed. After all, this is a generation for the majority of whom the latest technology is a staple part of their lives, so why not the latest makeup releases too? The internet and high-end makeup are just two of many things this generation are into, so why should we stop them from enjoying them? The internet is dangerous, but with the right awareness and regulations, it can be filtered into a place for good. And yes, the makeup products are expensive and the hype does seem quite excessive at times, but every generation has something they are crazy about. The pigments in those eyeshadows are amazing, after all.
H&M Launches Gender Neutral Line with Eytys H&M and Eytys are the latest retailers to say goodbye to fashion’s male/female division Estelle Dragan Life&Style Writer
H&M is kick-starting 2019 by removing gender labels from their tags. Say hello to the fast fashion retailer’s new gender neutral clothing range that landed both in store and online on January 24th, ranging in price from £14.99 to £149. The collection has been launched in light of H&M’s collaboration with Swedish footwear and apparel label, Eytys. It includes unisex clothing, shoes and accessories, in tune with
Eytys’ Scandi-cool aesthetic, for customers of all ages and budgets. This gender boundary blurring trend is one that H&M amongst many other big brands have encompassed. By doing so, the fashion label is extending its commercial presence to a social one. Gender categorisation can root from and is reinforced by the way in which children’s clothing tend to be starkly divided into binary ‘girl’ and ‘boy’ camps. It therefore makes perfect sense that H&M are choosing to target children as well as adults. Featuring boxy
silhouettes suitable for both male and female figures, H&M aim to stay in line with what they described to be Eyty’s ‘no-fuss unisex approach.’ The high-street brand is also making the most of Eytys’ signature chunky-soled shoe style for the collection’s footwear. In terms of colour, they employ a neutral palette with pops of colour consisting of bottle green, school bus yellow, beige khaki, dark indigo, black and white. ‘Pink to make the boys wink’ has finally been replaced by yellow to make gender lines mellow.
Vogue
LIFE&STYLE
Friday 25th January 2019
@redbricklife
33
Living Coral: 2019’s Colour of the Year
Life&Style’s Charlotte Gill pre-empts how Pantone’s choice for Colour of the Year will materialise in beauty, fashion, and interior design in the upcoming months Charlotte Gill Life&Style Writer
Pantone recently announced that its 2019 Colour of the Year is ‘Living Coral’, a ‘life affirming coral hue with a golden undertone that energizes and enlivens with a softer edge’. In recent years, the Colour of the Year has included Ultra Violet (a blue-based purple), Greenery (a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade) and Marsala (a robust and earthy wine red). You may have also heard of Millennial Pink and Gen-Z Yellow but these were never official colours so much as ‘it’ ones which had their momentPantone tends to be more researched and technical in its choosing. Each year a thorough and thoughtful process is carried out; the team look to the film industry, circulating art, fashion trends, popular travel destinations, new technologies and materials, upcoming world events, digital and social media platforms and beyond to identify a colour which encapsulates the zeitgeist. Living Coral is said to reflect
our desire for authentic and immersive experiences in an increasingly digitalised world by being bright, fun and lighthearted.
“It seems too great a task for one mere shade to capture a sense of social, digital, economic, political, and environmental global issues for the coming year” As expected, there are people who critique the choice. Some question whether, as a colour aiming to represent the current time, it is naive and insensitive to choose one based on ‘living coral’,
when climate change is leading to the bleaching and destruction of coral reefs, one of the foundations of our underwater ecosystems. To quote Vogue: can a colour be woke? It seems too great a task for one mere shade to capture a sense of social, digital, economic, political, and environmental global issues for the coming year, no? At least this hue is bright and has an optimistic feel to it; perhaps a colour cannot entirely reflect the current time but can offer a little of what we need to offset it. The Colour of the Year can
Mary Kay
seem a wishy-washy phenomenon, a bit like reading your horoscope with the full knowledge that it is made-up. But that does not mean it can’t be fun to entertain the idea of its encapsulation of the year, and a colour is an easy forecast to get on board with.
“If you see coral popping up in shops, hotels, and cafés and on your Pinterest and Instagram, you know where it came from” Looking back at the choices made in recent years, the Colour of the Year tends to have a more direct influence over interior designs and graphic designs, so if you see coral popping up in shops, hotels and cafés and on your
Pinterest and Instagram, you know where it came from. As for whether you will be seeing coral everywhere you turn on the high street, you are more likely to see a broader spread of colours based upon this one shade. Pantone’s Colour of the Year takes inspiration from the fashion industry, often analysing Fashion Week colours. Burnt oranges, soft pinks and reds noticeably appeared on SpringSummer 2019 catwalks. If bright shades are not your vibe then there is no need to descend into sartorial panic because coral in a muted variation can be very natural and understated. Make-up and nail varnishes in nudes and peaches also tie easily into the coral colour scheme, while earrings and bags are a manageable way to work the colour into an outfit. Have an opinion? Let us know @redbricklife
Pantone Andrew Richard / BuzzFeed
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SCI&TECH
Friday 25th January 2019
@redbricktech
Devil’s Ivy Air Detox
A house plant that efficiently removes airborne carcinogens has been developed using genetic modification Farhana Alam Sci&Tech Writer
Increasing levels of air pollution are a major health concern, particularly in large cities, but air quality can also be an issue within the home environment. This is because many everyday activities can cause the release of molecules known as volatile organic carcinogens (i.e. cancer-causing at certain concentrations). These include formaldehyde, benzene and chloroform. Formaldehyde is released from certain upholstery fabrics and wood products; benzene from fuel stored in attached garages, from outside air, from burning candles, and from environmental tobacco smoke. Chloroform can be released from chlorinated water during showering. The use of house plants to improve indoor air quality is known as the ‘green liver’ concept, as it emulates the detoxification role provided by the mammalian liver. A team of scientists led by Prof. Stuart Strand, at the University of
Washington, has taken this concept a step further. They have genetically modified pothos ivy, also known as devil’s ivy (Epipremnum aureum), by adding a gene usually found in rabbits. The gene encodes the mammalian cytochrome P450 2E1, which is normally expressed in a rabbit’s liver, and is able to oxidise and degrade both benzene and chloroform. Two further genes were also added to the transgenic plants; green fluorescent protein, which causes the leaves to glow green under UV light, and a gene that gives resistance to the drug hygromycin, which kills the wildtype (unmodified) pothos ivy. These two extra genes acted as markers to identify which plants had successfully incorporated the rabbit gene. Strand’s team placed the GM plants into sealed vials containing high concentrations of benzene or chloroform, and measured the uptake of these molecules by the plants. They also set up control vials containing wild-type plants, or no plants. After eight days, the uptake of benzene by the GM plants was 75%, compared to only 10% by the wild-type plants. The
uptake of chloroform was even more impressive; after just three days, there was an 82% reduction in the amount of chloroform in the vials containing the GM plants, and the levels were barely detectable by six days. In contrast, the wild-type plants were unable to take up any chloroform at all. The results were published last month in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
“Use of house plants to improve indoor air quality is known as the green liver concept” Although the concentrations of pollutants used in the study were higher than those found in homes, these findings have great implications. One of the main advantages of using pothos ivy as an air filtration system is that it is well-adapted to low light lev-
els, so would not require additional artificial lighting. However, in order to be effective, the air would need to be forced over the plants using a fan, and around 5–10 kg of plants would be required to clean all the air within an average home. Furthermore, this research did not take into account the ongoing release of these air pollutants in the home. Nevertheless, the researchers have already received approval to sell their GM pothos ivy in Canada. The team is now focusing on the ability of the GM pothos ivy to remove other air pollutants, including toluene, which is found in paint thinners and some glues, and naphthalene, which is used in mothballs. There is also potential for adding more detoxifying genes to the pothos ivy, such as those encoding enzymes that are able to degrade formaldehyde. This could result in GM plants that are capable of removing all of the most important volatile organic carcinogens from indoor air. However, such house plants will not be available in Europe anytime soon, due to stringent legislation surrounding the release of technologies that utilise GM organisms.
First Baby from Deceased Donor Womb Issy Greenwood Sci&Tech Writer
Mayer-Rokitansky-KüsterHauser syndrome (MRKH) is a rare condition affecting approximately 1 in 4,500 newborn girls. It results in the underdevelopment or complete absence of the womb and vagina, with sufferers therefore unable to have children later in life. In 2014, a series of Swedish researchers became the first to successfully treat this infertility
with the transplant of a womb from a live donor. On the 3rd October the world’s first child was born after a uterus transplantation, and a series of then very successful procedures until 2017 have resulted in 8 live births. Up until this point, however, there have been no recordings of a transplant from a deceased donor; with fears that the organ would not survive after lacking circulation for so long. A team of researchers in Brazil have defied all odds, with a 32-year-old
MRKH sufferer becoming the first recipient of a womb from a deceased patient to have a baby. In 2016, the patient received a womb from a 46-year-old mother of three that had died of brain haemorrhage. The procedure involved connecting all major blood vessels and ligaments as well as the vaginal canals, and the patient was given various immunosuppressive drugs to prevent her body rejecting the organ. She was also given multiple antibiotics to combat potential infection.
After the success of this transplant, recently she became pregnant via in-vitro fertilisation. She carried a healthy 6lb baby girl who was delivered by caesarean section on the 15th of December 2017. With the numbers of wombs from live donors being extremely limited, this advance in the treatment of congenital absence of the womb is revolutionary and provides a very promising future for those suffering with infertility - in particular, MRKH sufferers.
A Cure for Coeliacs? Danielle Hatton Sci&Tech Writer
Over the last decade, the number of Google searches for the term ‘gluten free’ has quadrupled, making this food trend one of the most popular of the modern age. Although many consider this a fad diet, countless delegates sing its praises, often claiming it gives them more energy and relieves their tummy troubles. It has long been speculated that many people who go gluten free do not actually have an intolerance or allergy. Yet for those who do, consuming gluten can be extremely dangerous. Coeliac disease is a condition where the lining of the small intestine is damaged by an immune reaction to gluten. The results are unpleasant, including digestive symptoms, fatigue, anaemia, and even neurological conditions if left untreated. The culprit, gluten, is a group of
proteins found in many grains such as wheat and barley, meaning that Coeliac sufferers must avoid a range of foods such as bread, pasta, biscuits, cous cous, beer... the list goes on. An exciting new vaccine could put an end to these symptoms and dietary restrictions. The treatment, known as Nexvax2, aims to restore the immune system’s tolerance to gluten by re-training the white blood cells, therefore blocking their harmful reaction. This idea is not the first in the world of vaccinations: many studies have sought to desensitise the immune system to treat conditions such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. The trials for Nexvax2 are in their early stages, but have allowed participants to return to a normal diet. The only catch is that top-up injections are required to make sure the immune system remains tolerant to gluten - perhaps a small price to pay to enjoy a variety of gluten-containing foods without the adverse effects.
Wikimedia Commons
Creature Feature: The Goblin Shark Alex CirantTaljaard
Comment Editor
Wikimedia Commons
If you want proof that if there is a God they’re playing some kind of elaborate practical joke, then look no further than the goblin shark. At an average length of 12 feet, goblin sharks are much smaller than other animals in the same class such as the great white shark and the (now extinct) megalodon. Despite the lack of size, the goblin shark still instils a sense of terror due to its creepy appearance, with pink skin caused by visible blood vessels and an elongated snout brimming with over 100 nail-like teeth. If its protruding mouth doesn’t horrify you, then the fact that it is able to extend it further and move it independently of its body should. This ability is crucial to the goblin shark’s feeding – its flabby body and sluggish movement forcing it to be an ambush predator. The goblin shark catapults its jaws forward, catching everything from crabs to literal garbage. And if its xenomorph mouth wasn’t enough to put you off, then consider the fact that the goblin shark’s snout is covered in electroreceptors, allowing to detect electric fields. This means that even if it can’t see you, it always knows where you are. You’ll be pleased to know there’s little chance of you running into one of these things in the UK, although if you intend on taking a holiday to Spain or New Zealand then be forewarned that goblin sharks have been spotted skulking off the coast. It might not surprise you to know that goblin sharks are rarely caught on purpose, except in some areas of South Japan where the meat and jaw of the fish is sold. Despite its horrific appearance the goblin shark is not a threat to humans, and because there is little benefit to fishing them they a r e l a rg e l y l e f t a l o n e . Personally, I hope this policy of staying as far as humanly possible away from them continues.
SCI&TECH
Friday 25th January 2019
@redbricktech
35
Total A-fib of the Heart
This Week in Cutting-edge research at the University of Birmingham has revealed Sci&Tech... potential new ways to diagnose atrial fibrillation Francesca Benson
Sci&Tech Editor
Affecting around 1.6 million people in the UK, atrial fibrillation is the most common abnormal heart rhythm and can increase the risk of strokes and heart failure. Characterised by a fast and irregular heartbeat, it is usually diagnosed by monitoring the heart via an electrocardiogram (ECG). However, this is only effective if an episode of atrial fibrillation occurs during the five minute ECG, meaning that patients may need to wear a portable ECG recorder over a long period of time for the rhythm to be spotted. The condition often goes undiagnosed, only being spotted after it leads to a stroke. Now, researchers at the University of Birmingham have discovered two biomarkers in the blood that could also be used to diagnose the condition, alongside three clinical risk factors to look for. The study was carried out on blood samples from 638 patients referred to the Sandwell and West
Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, who either had atrial fibrillation or risk factors for an atrial fibrillation-related stroke. Out of 92 proteins screened for, 40 were found in common in all samples. Seven clinical risk factors were also considered (age, sex, hypertension, heart failure, history of stroke or transient ischaemic attack, kidney function, and BMI). Machine learning algorithms utilising the R programming language were used to analyse the data from the study. The analysis of the data revealed that male sex, older age, and higher BMI were the risk factors most strongly associated with atrial fibrillation. Two proteins in the blood were also highlighted as biomarkers to identify the abnormal heart rhythm: brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23). BNP is secreted by the heart in response to increased pressure and strain, and is already widely used as a biomarker for atrial fibrillation. However, FGF-23 as a biomarker
is a new discovery. This protein is secreted by bone cells, and acts on the kidneys to regulate phosphate levels. It is also associated with cardiac hypertrophy and vascular stiffness, possibly explaining the link to atrial fibrillation. Going forward, these biomarkers and risk factors could be
extremely useful in screening patients for atrial fibrillation. Instead of the condition going unnoticed or requiring an inconvenient ECG, a blood test could be used instead to identify patients at risk and direct them towards treatment before it is too late.
Research at Cern, have drawn up plans for a new collider that would be four times larger than the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The design of the new machine, which will be named Future Circular Collider, features a 100km tunnel and will cost £17.8bn.
Insects Invade Antarctica
Sci&Tech writer Courtney Kousser speaks with UoB scientists investigating the impact of insects on Antarctica Courtney Kousser Sci&Tech Writer
This story is set on Signy Island, located in the Southern Ocean roughly 600 km north of the Antarctic Peninsula. This small, frosty piece of land provides transient breeding ground for seals, penguins, and several other marine birds; while scientists at a small research station study and monitor the ecosystem. The largest permanent terrestrial resident is a tiny, flightless, asexual midge that has wreaked havoc on the pristine ecosystem. Eretmoptera murphyi is an invasive insect that likely stowed away within soil brought to the island from the sub-Antarctic South Georgia in the 1960s as part of a plant transplantation experiment. While the plants and the soil were removed, the insect remained. Being highly pre-adapted to the climate, able to breed without finding mates, and living without any natural predators, E. murphyi thrived. While small, these creatures have begun to completely change the ecology of the island over the past 50 years, and scientists from the University of Birmingham, Jesamine Bartlett and Dr Scott Hayward, in collabo-
ration with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), are pioneering this research. With the dangers of climate change and human development looming, polar scientists are more motivated than ever to understand how invasive species have adapted to these extreme environments, what the impact of introduced insects are on this virgin ecosystem and to predict how global warming will affect their survival and spread. While researching the physiology, abundance, and distribution of E. murphyi on Signy island, the scientists found up to 150,000 midges per square metre in some sites, ‘that’s loads of biology pooing,’ muses Bartlett. This has resulted in soil nitrogen levels 3-4 times higher than sites where the midge is absent. They are decomposers, breaking down and recycling dead plant matter. Dr Hayward calls them ‘ecosystem engineers,’ as they are capable of ‘nutrient cycling that other organisms within the soil wouldn’t be performing.’ Because of these high population numbers, early data suggests that Eretmoptera have made the moss banks shallower and increased the proportion of soil, ‘they are like earthworms in a
The Earth has been hit by four times as m a n y asteroid strikes in the period since the dinosaurs first roamed the planet. Researchers say the change in rate was instantaneous, occuring 290m years ago.
habitat that has never seen earthworms before,’ says Bartlett. The result is a completely altered ecosystem, where pools of nutrients sit within a relatively barren environment. This might allow other invasive aliens that are accidentally introduced to thrive as well. ‘There is an opportunity now for other [organisms] to acquire nutrients that they wouldn’t have normally had access to,’ Hayward explains. However, it is unclear as to whether this is a positive or negative outcome. In Bartlett’s opinion, ‘one of the benefits of there being extra nitrogen in the soil is that any vascular plants can take advantage of that, but perhaps the moss wouldn’t benefit from it, so there are pros and cons to it.’ As for the future, there is no way to control the midge’s domination on Signy, ‘it will eventually cover the whole island,’ Bartlett predicts. The major focus is to ensure that this little warrior doesn’t make it to mainland Antarctica, where it has a good chance of taking over as well. Right now, the Birmingham and BAS teams are trying to use this research as evidence to influence biosecurity policy and to encourage stricter implementation of cur-
rent policies. ‘The seriousness of soil transfer hasn’t been realised until quite recently; [humans] are the main vectors in Antarctica for moving invasives around’ Bartlett explains. Both scientists hope that their research might bring about a general increase in awareness of the impact humans can have on the environment, the importance of insects in modulating ecosystems, and the necessity of protecting our most vulnerable habitats. ‘We have a responsibility to try and keep Antarctica as the last established wilderness,’ says Bartlett. In all, this research highlights the ability of all individual creatures, big and small, to hugely influence the environment in which it lives. As Dr Hayward states, ‘the key thing with insects is that often people don’t realize that what looks like a very small, innocuous thing, in massive numbers has a huge impact. At one point of its life stage you wouldn’t even see it, and yet look what the implications could be.’ Jesamine Bartlett (JCB553@ student.bham.ac.uk) and Dr Scott Hayward (S.A.Hayward@bham. ac.uk) welcome further questions.
Wikimedia Commons
The length of a day on Saturn is 10 and a half hours long. The planet's unusual magnetic field and unmarked surface have made this hard for scientists to measure. Data from the Cassini probe data from the planets rings provided the missing piece of the puzzle.
Three thousand Tesla workers are set to lose their jobs. In an email to workers, the company’s founder Elon Musk claimed the cuts were because the firm’s cars were ‘too expensive.’ This comes after a tough year for Tesla, which has repeatedly failed to meet production targets. Despite this, the company will increase its output of Model 3 cars for the midrange market. The world’s loneliest frog has found a d a t e . Romeo, a r a r e Sehuencas water frog, has spent 10 years alone in a Bolivian aquarium. The lucky lady, named Juliet, was collected by scientists on an expedition to remote Bolivian cloud forest. Images: Wikimedia Commons
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SPORT
Friday 25th January 2019
@redbricksport
Health&Fitness: Misconceptions, Misinformation and Mythical Ideas
Alex Kirkup-Lee presents some gym gear that provides mythical, magical benefits, whilst Harry Wilkinson provides an introduction focusing on how superfluous information can give us 'paralysis by analysis' unsplash
Alex Kirkup-Lee Sport Writer
MYTH 1:
‘Using GracefitUK’s resistance bands will give you a bum like hers.’
“Such is the abundance of information we have access to, we become lost in it – swarmed by conflicting ideas” Harry Wilkinson Sport Editor
With the social media revolutions, and endless supply of information on the internet, we are regularlybombarded with new trends, tips and perfect solutions that claim to end our fitness endeavours forever. But with superfluous information comes inevitable confusion: confusion in deciphering the misinformation from the useful. We get, as Jamie Alderton calls it, ‘paralysis by analysis.’ Such is the abundance of information we have access to, we become lost in it – swarmed by conflicting ideas. Everyone claims their solution is the one that works. This applies to diets, training programs, exercises... pretty much all aspects of health and fitness. But the truth is, most of their solutions probably work. They have tried them, stuck with them, and mastered them – of course it worked for them. However, that does not mean it would work for everyone, or everyone else’s ideas are wrong – far from it. With diet, for example, there are a myriad of different types: low-carb, low-fat, ketogenic, intermittent-fasting. They can be very different, but they all work because they follow the same basic principle: inducing a calorie deficit. Low-carb, for example, is a very popular and simple diet people use to try and lose weight.
There is some kind of mythology surrounding carbs that they are evil incarnate – that if you were to eat one slice of bread you’d instantly gain 20lbs. This is obviously nonsense. But what is also obvious is that low-carb diets work. Of course they do – a whole macronutirent has been removed from the diet. That is blatantly enough to cause a calorie deficit, just like a low-fat diet, or anything else that (often unneccesarily) prevents you from eating a whole group of food. There is a similar myth that eating after 6pm is detrimental to fat-loss – that if you do so you store more fat than during the day, or it slows your metabolism: this is, mostly, complete bollocks. But it is also half true. If you do not eat after 6pm there is a good chance that at the end of the day you will be in a calorie deficit. Oftentimes in the evening we are more likely to indulge in snacks etc., especially if we have starved ourselves throughout the day. So, to be clear: there is nothing wrong or different in terms of fat storage/metabolism about eating after the clocks strike 6pm but, if a person partial to over-indulging on evening snacks was to force such a rule upon themselve it would massively enhance their chances of being in a calorie deficit. It has nothing to do with not eating after the specific time of 6pm; it has everything to do with being in a calorie deficit.
Vlogger and Instagrammer GracefitUK promises users the ability to achieve a ‘bubble butt’ like hers, by using her veganfriendly resistance bands. The bands come with a ‘booty burner guide’ full of resistance band-only booty workouts. While these workouts may be good for holidays, or days when you cannot make it to the gym, performing whole workouts with little or no resistance will not give you GracefitUK’s figure. A recent article in Women’s Health Magazine named resistance band exercises as the ‘squat rack alternative.’ It’s no wonder gym goers are left confused. In fact, more than body weight exercises and resistance bands are required if you want to build muscle. Resistance band exercises are useful as a way to increase muscle awareness. They are a good way to warm up, allowing you to engage the muscle group before a workout, or to push you towards muscle failure following exercises using a challenging resistance. Don’t expect to get a body like GracefitUK’s overnight, just by using her band everyday. But using them in combination with challenging workouts and a good diet could prove beneficial. Your best bet is to stick to a varied amount of exercies that train the glutes. Squats are classic and they work. You only get out what you put in.
we stay in a calorie deficit, eventually it will go. We can only target muscle groups, not fat stores. Instagram is filled with workout that have no scientific evidence to show that they actually work. Another problem with Instagram is that many accounts promoting fitness are not qualified. This can also lead to a danger of injury, as the video may not show correct form. If you are going to use Instagram as a source for workouts, look for accounts by qualified trainers. However, nothing can make up for a real life trainer and program specific to you, as even programs you buy online are not specific and what works for one person may not work for another, depending on your body type and specific goals. The internet can be great places to get fitness tips – you just have to be careful about following the right content providers.
“Instagram is filled with workouts that have no scientific evidence to show that they actually work”
MYTH 3:
‘Training Gear Six Pad means you can now achieve abs by doing nothing.’ Ronaldo’s ab trainer mechanism, Training Gear Six Pad, advertises users can achieve his chiseled abs by wearing the ab trainer under their clothes. The mechanism works by releasing an electrical current that passes through the muscles causing a contraction. Designers suggest by using it once a day, users will be able to achieve abs. The website promotes even sitting can now be turned into a ‘healthy training exercise.’ This is not true. Everyone already has abs, it is just whether they are visible. Women hold more fat than men, especially on their lower abs. To have visible abs, you have to work towards overall fat-loss because you cannot target where you lose it. Training has a big impact, and unfortunately abs are made in the kitchen. The Six Pad is expensive and looks like something out of a Black Mirror episode, which is probably why it hasn’t caught on in gyms yet, and probably won’t. Although products promote that you can have an amazing body by doing nothing, this is not the case. Stick to challenging training and a good diet rather than investing in this.
MYTH 2:
‘Instagram is a great place to get all your workouts.’ Instagram has opened up to us a world of fitness regimes and exercises. However, beware of what you see on Instagram, as it is not always the best source. Top body transformation coach Jamie Alderton recently mocked a workout on Instagram showing users how to lose fat on their arms by performing movements with no resistance. He explained that we cannot target where we lose fat on our body – whether it be from the arms, face or legs. Exercising specific limbs or areas will not target fat-loss in that certain area. People store fat in different areas, and lose it in differing areas first. If
Pixabay // skeeze
SPORT
Friday 25th January 2019
@redbricksport
NBA Experience: Behind the Scenes with the Brooklyn Nets Kit Shepard Sport Writer
Over the Christmas break, I was lucky enough to visit New York and witness first-hand the role of the media with NBA franchise the Brooklyn Nets. Here are three things I learned from an unforgettable experience.
Statistics are Everywhere It is hardly a secret that analytics are becoming increasingly important in sports, but the
American media’s obsession with statistics is sensational. During Nets games, reporters receive updated information at every break in play, with pages of numerical data distributed to ensure that nobody misses a thing. Understanding the game is clearly only half of the job, one also must successfully interpret the figures that come with it.
their doors within fifteen minutes of the game’s climax, so that players can be interviewed. Most seem happy to fulfil this obligation and talk to reporters from all media, or even engage in conversation when speaking to a teenager with a strange accent. However, I did find that after a loss, the atmosphere can be slightly less pleasant!
Access All Areas
LeBron Triggers Fanfare Like No One Else
While the media is generally forbidden entry to the changing rooms on this side of the Atlantic, NBA teams are expected to open
The Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James, one of the sport’s most iconic players, came to
Brooklyn for one of the games I attended, and it is safe to say that I have never seen a single person draw so much attention. The crowd was raucous, the countless number of Laker jerseys in the arena made it feel like an LA home game. The PR team were vigilant; the circus that comes with a LeBron visit is probably their toughest assignment of the year, and the world’s media were frantic. The battle to interview James when the Laker locker room was opened after the game was simultaneously fascinating and comical. ‘King James’ is certainly treated like royalty.
Is this a New Period for the NFL? Ben Garrett Sport Writer
The days of placing a certain bet on the New England Patriots to win the Super Bowl are definitely in the past. This all started when they lost the Super Bowl last season to the Philadelphia Eagles in a game which Bill Belichick, the Patriots head coach, was clearly outfoxed by Doug Pederson, his Eagles counterpart. This has moulded the League into a competitive, dispersed spectacle with emerging teams fighting for the ultimate trophy of the Super Bowl. Teams such as
the New Orleans Saints and the Kansas City Chiefs are showing that Patriots star Tom Brady and his team are not the dominant force that they used to be. This is through them losing key players, such as Josh Gordon, and the Brady and Bill Belichick combination not having the flare that it used to. The Saints and the Chiefs are two teams that are paving the way for this new wave of team dominance through both of their quarterbacks showing that Brady has some fierce competition when it comes to the league’s MVP contest. Alongside this a handful of players are moving teams and tak-
ing their talents elsewhere. Jarvis Landry moving from the Miami Dolphins to the Cleveland Browns was the starting point of this wave of change from players.
“Patriots are not the dominant force they used to be” The recent Antonio Brown incident where he is potentially going to be traded to the San
Francisco 49ers shows that the teams within the League may not be what they were over the past years and there will most likely be movement from other star players. The League is also becoming much more international, with London hosting four games each year and the future of those games will only develop and expand as more and more people start taking a vested interest in the League. All these issues matter for the future of the league because it will enable it to become a much more competitive spectacle and fans of all teams will have greater hope that their side can achieve glory.
Sports Club of the Fortnight: Netball Jake Bradshaw
A note from the Sports Officer:
Sport Editor
This week, we caught up with the University of Birmingham Netball’s Club Captain Emily Fitts to discuss what makes her club so popular and successful. As many will know, England’s netball team recorded a stunning last-gasp victory against Australia in the Commonwealth Games in April 2018, and were subsequently named as the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team of the Year for 2018. These events have helped drive enthusiasm for the sport through the roof, and are a major reason why the club has had such a good intake of players this year, according to the club’s captain. Netball currently have around 80 members spread across six different teams. The First Team trains six times a week, including sessions with Wasps Netball team, who play in the Vitality Netball Superleague. The links to Wasps do not stop there either. First Team GD/GK Francesca Williams,
Simon Price Sports Officer
who has also managed the remarkable feat of being called up to the England Netball team, plays for Wasps. It should come as no surprise then, that the First Team are top of their Premier North league and are a safe bet to go on and claim the title, having won seven of their nine games so far, racking up the impressive goal difference of 124 in the process. Our other teams play in the BUCS Leagues Midlands 1A, 2A, and 2B, meaning UoB is represented in the top four possible leagues. Meanwhile, there are two
development squads for players looking to advance their training and increase their skill levels to be able to compete at higher levels. However, the club is not just focused on their netball achievements. One of the most important aspects of the club is its fun, friendly atmosphere. “Our club is a family environment”, explains Fitts, who is keen to emphasise this point. “We try to look after each other on and off the court.” With the club performing so well at all levels, it isn’t difficult to see the benefits of such togetherness.
To find out more about the club, you can find them on Facebook, follow them on Instagram at @uob_netball, and on Twitter @UobNetball.
I chose this week's 'Sports Club of the Fortnight' to be the netball club for being consistently on the ball and impressive since September. Their social media is always fun and engaging, and they have already shown a lot of commitment to their club despite having just started the new term! First team scholar Fran Williams was selected for the England Roses squad for the Vitality International netball series, and all teams have been plowing through fitness training after the holiday! What I love about the club is that it isn't just about the top end, their Development squad secured a huge 60-17 victory against Leicester and I am sure the rest of their teams are looking set for a strong finish to the season.'
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Give Roy the Number Three Spot
A word from the Sports Editor Jack Simpkin Sport Editor
Despite an impressive 3-nil Test series victory in Sri Lanka before Christmas, England’s merry-goround approach to selecting top order batsmen showed no sign of stopping as whilst a ‘solid’ opening pairing of Rory Burns and Keaton Jennings looked like it might be establishing itself, the number three spot is still causing the selectors headaches. Moeen Ali started in the spot for the first test, Ben Stokes had a go in the second, before Jonny Bairstow took his chance with a superb 110 in the first innings of the third Test in Colombo. Rightfully so, Bairstow will have the spot for the start of this Test series against the West Indies that started on Wednesday, but looking forward, Bairstow needs to be batting in his preferred number six spot where he averages 42, being aggressive against the second new ball, and leading the tail to some useful lower order partnerships. That, of course, would leave the number three spot back up for grabs, and I would argue that England’s senior selector Ed Smith, should look no further than Surrey’s explosive Jason Roy. No cricketer from a test playing nation has ever scored six ODI hundreds and not played a test match in the history of the game. South Africa’s David Miller comes close with five, but Roy can count himself slightly unlucky to have never been given the call in an era of such regular change. Something his Surrey captain Rory Burns could have related to until this winter. As is the case in so many sports, a reputation can often go before you when discussing someone’s talents. Often it can be positive, but at times it can be a burden. Just because someone is so good a destructive powerful T20 batting, does not mean they are completely useless in the longer format. Just because a full-back in football might be exceptional going forward, does not mean necessarily that he struggles defensively. Writers, fans and broadcasters alike can often find them knee-jerking to these sorts of almost clichés, but I think Roy deserves a lot more consideration and respect as a red ball batsmen. He has withdrawn himself from the lure of the of the flashing lights and huge money conracts of the IPL this season to focus on making this spot his own come the English summer, and as the history of the game shows, a man with his One-Day record simply does deserve a chance to perform in the game’s best format.
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Friday 25th January 2019
@redbricksport
The FA Cup: Has the Magic of the Famous Competition Been Lost?
Sport Writer George Garrett explains why the FA Cup is still a great tournament George Garrett Sport Writer
‘The magic of the cup is dead’ is a statement that has done the rounds following the recent set of third round of fixtures in the FA cup. Older generations have been lecturing their youth on how the third round of the cup used to be one of the most eagerly anticipated weekends in the football calendar. Now many sides see it as an obstacle that gets in the way of their league campaigns. It would seem the FA cup has lost its shine. There is a lot wrong with the
FA Cup. Games are now spread out over a weekend, rather than the traditional 3pm slot, to suit foreign TV rights. Emirates, a company based in the UAE, is the main provider of sponsorship, rather than an English one. Meanwhile, Premier League managers prioritise the league over the cup, fielding weakened sides. The list could go on. That said, there is too much focus on the Premier League when it comes to the debate. Just ask any Newport County fan who was at Rodney Parade to see their side defeat former Premier League champions Leicester City 2-1. Or those Oldham Athletic faithful
who made the trip to London to see their League Two side turn over Premier League Fulham 2-1.
“Giant Killings provide a change to everything that is wrong with modern day football” ‘Giant Killings’ provide a change to everything that is wrong
with modern day football. Rather than it being about players getting paid too much or record transfer fees, it’s about passion and desire. We get to see part timers take on millionaires; it’s ‘David versus Goliath’ – changing ‘what if’ to ‘remember when.’ Yes, there are games that are not worth remembering, and yes the FA need to offer a greater incentive for top-flight clubs to treat the competition as they do the league, but the FA cup takes the attention away from the money, the egos and power, and instead gives it to those players that have never had the spotlight, those volunteers that wait a life-
time for it, even those fans that dream about it. The Cup is alive and kicking, whether Premier League clubs like it or not.
The42
The Mid-Season Managerial Massacre: Does It Work? Jacob Davies Sport Writer
David Wagner became the latest managerial casualty of the 201819 Premier League season when he left Huddersfield Town by mutual consent on 14th January. The Terriers followed in the footsteps of Southampton, Fulham and Manchester United in parting company with their head coaches mid-season, but is this strategy likely to work? Does replacing your manager halfway through the footballing season result in overall improvement come May? History and statistics suggest that this strategy does indeed work. Over the past decade, only twice has a Premier League manager appointed in either October
or November achieved worse results than his predecessor – with Avram Grant at Portsmouth in 2009-10 and Alan Pardew in West Brom’s ill-fated 2017-18 campaign.
“The Saints, Cottagers and Red Devils have already improved under their newlyappointed head coaches” Despite these, all other 11
managerial changes in the months of October and November since 2009 have led to an increase in points per game and either an improved or unmoved league position by the end of the season – no team dropped in the table. The statistics speak for themselves. Even this season, the Saints, Cottagers and Red Devils have already improved under their newly-appointed head coaches: thus the trend shows no sign of stopping. The reputation and experience of incoming managers makes no difference it seems, so what could be the cause of such dramatic change? I believe it has much to do with mental attitude. Take Jose Mourinho at United for example. He produced dull performances at a club that demands brilliance,
whilst appearing downbeat and unenthusiastic with the press amongst discontent in the dressing room.
“Replacing the manager allows a break from the relentless criticism” Whilst Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may lack experience in the role of head coach, he makes up for it with positivity and an alteration in both formation and style of play which frees the players to change their own game in order to develop, earn their place in the squad
and achieve results. We hear more and more these days about the mental health problems amongst sporting’s elite, so it is easy to see the damage a negative atmosphere could do to athletes under immense pressure to perform to a high standard every week – depression and frustration suffocate creativity and expression. Replacing the manager allows a break from relentless criticism from the media and gives the players a chance to start fresh as they attempt to prove themselves to the new manager and end the season strong. Evidence shows it works, so the trend of mid-season managerial massacre is likely to continue for years to come.
Crazy Klopp: Are Liverpool’s Cup Exits a Worthy Gamble for Glory?
Sport Editor Isabel Baldwin debates whether Liverpool are right to prioirtise the Premier League Isabel Baldwin Sport Editor
Whilst they may be perched at the top of the Premier League table, Liverpool have now crashed out of both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup. It is Jürgen Klopp’s fourth season in charge at the club, but three finals later there is still no silverware in sight.
“The sacrifice of the FA Cup was a gamble” Friends of Liverpool
It begs the question, has Klopp got his tactics right? Is it worth risking it all on the Premier
League or does staying in as many competitions as possible offer him better odds at glory? Following the Reds’ FA Cup defeat to Wolves at the beginning of January, Klopp denied all claims he disrespected the competition by starting a weaker Liverpool side. The Liverpool boss also claimed the FA Cup exit did not gave his team any advantage over Premier League rivals Manchester City and Tottenham. However, with Liverpool already suffering from multiple injuries, Klopp made nine changes from the starting XI that took on Manchester City in the Premier League, handing youngsters
Curtis Jones and Rafael Camacho their debuts and substituting 17-year-old Ki-Jana Hoever on for Dejan Lovren.
“Klopp denied all claims he disrespected the competition” It is easy to link the German’s choice to rest star players, such as Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino, to his desire to give his squad a fighting chance
at being crowned champions of England. And yet, another trophyless season could see Anfield become home to a mob of gloryhungry fans calling for Klopp’s head. Whether the domestic cup exits were intentional or not, Liverpool must now capitalise on their chance to consolidate their league lead. The sacrifice of the FA Cup was a gamble that leaves the Merseyside giants with one less opportunity for a trophy this season, yet it may be the most important risk of Jürgen Klopp’s career if it means they lift the trophy of every Liverpool fan’s dreams on the 12th May.
SPORT
Friday 25th January 2019
@redbricksport
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Six Nations 2019: Five Teams Could Win in Most Competitve Year Ever Dan Hague previews this year's Six Nations which kicks-off next Friday Dan Hague Sport Writer
Scotland
With rugby’s most competitive tournament on the horizon, I look ahead to what we can expect in the coming weeks and analyse a few contenders for the title. This Six Nations will be the most competitive yet and I believe there are five teams with a realistic chance of victory.
Scotland are struggling with a number of key injuries. They are missing international stars such as ex-captain John Barclay, Mark Bennet and David Denton. Additionally, their pack looks underpowered. The Scottish forwards lack the size and grunt to achieve the go-forward-ball all international sides crave.
France
Wales
France have an array of talented individuals such as Guilhem Guirado, Mathieu Basteraud and Teddy Thomas but lack the squad cohesion and coaching roster essential in any successful side. They are also struggling to cope with the demands of extremely rich club owners and a highly competitive domestic competition. As ever though, on their day, France can cause upsets.
The first real contender for the title is Wales. Warren Gatland’s men will be entering this year’s six nations brimming with confidence. They had a fantastic autumn in which they won all four games for the first time in 16 years. Furthermore, Warren Gatland is fortunate enough to be able to call on Welsh stalwarts like Alun Wyn Jones and Jonathan Davies while still introducing a
group of young players. One player worth mentioning is Jonah Holmes. In the extremely competitive position of back three Jonah Holmes may only make the bench, but his form has been scintillating for Leicester Tigers this season. Consistently on the score sheet at domestic level, look for Jonah Holmes to make a name for himself this winter.
England England are a resurgent nation. After a disastrous start to 2018, Eddie Jones seems to have turned things around. His England side won three of their four autumn internationals and came within a point of the All Blacks. They also have a number of returning stars to bolster the squad. Both Mako and Billy Vunipola are playing well for Saracens and Joe Launchbury has put in some stellar performances for Wasps. However, one player to watch for
England is Ollie Thorley. Uncapped and inexperienced, he must be doing something right to get picked. One quick YouTube search is enough to show you that he deserves his spot: he is fast, strong and an excellent finisher. England are definitely title contenders this year.
is hard to look past Ireland for the title.
Ireland
Round 2 Fixtures: SCO-IRE - 09/02 14:15PM ITA-WAL - 09/02 16:45PM ENG-FRA - 10/02 15:00PM
Probably the best side in the world, Ireland are favourites to win the Six Nations. It was a 2018 to remember for the men in green. They won the Grand Slam, beat the All Blacks and scooped team of the year at the World Rugby awards in Monaco. With strong domestic teams such as Munster, Leinster and Ulster all competing well in the champions cup; Ireland are in a great position. As if that wasn’t enough Jonny Sexton, Jacob Stockdale and Peter O’Mahony have been excellent all season. With a squad full of stars and relatively few injuries it
Round 1 Fixtures: FRA-WAL - 01/02 8PM SCO-ITA - 02/02 14:15PM IRE-ENG - 02/02 16:45PM
Round 3 Fixtures: FRA-SCO - 23/02 14:15 WAL-ENG - 23/02 16:45 ITA-IRE - 24/02 15:00 Round 4 Fixtures: SCO-WAL - 09/03 14:15 ENG-ITA - 09/03 16:45 IRE-FRA - 10/03 15:00 Round 5 Fixtures: ITA-FRA - 16/03 12:30 WAL-IRE - 16/03 14:45 ENG-SCO - 16/03 17:00
POLE POSTION: Solskjaer Deserves The Job
Sport Writer Andy Brennan argues Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should get the Manchester United job full-time Andy Brennan Sport Writer
Manchester United have now won seven out of seven since the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with six wins coming in the Premier League – a feat that has not been accomplished by any other Manchester United manager. Many have pointed out that the accomplishment of achieving such a succession of victories is lessened by the opposition United have played. However, I do not
believe such a criticism is valid: United under previous manager José Mourinho had a knack of underperforming against lower table opposition. This was particularly evident in the 2017-18 season, when United dropped 18 points to opposition residing in the bottom half of the Premier League table. Moreover, Mourinho’s United were marred by slow, negative and ponderous build-up play. The speed and creativity of players such as Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba were severely stifled by Mourinho’s tactics, a notion that is made ever
more striking when their performances are compared from Mourinho’s reign and Solskjaer’s; the pair having netted 10 goals between them in six games. Rashford in particular has had a remarkable improvement in performances under Solskjaer, having already participated in more goals in Solskjaer’s six games than he had under Mourinho so far in the season. What makes Solskjaer’s United so compelling is the manner in which they play. Mourinho’s egoism and negativity has now long left the United camp and
Solskjaer has refreshed the squad with a return to old traditional United values; quick, direct passing and counter-attacks working in tandem with willing runners and flair players. Solskjaer has acknowledged Mourinho’s pressing concerns about the defence and has boldly remedied them with relentless attacking football. Victory against title contenders Tottenham Hotspur, coupled with the resurgence of exciting, traditional United football has lead to Solskjaer becoming a quick favourite amongst the Old Trafford faithful.
Sky Sports Football
Petr Cech: Premier League Legend Announces His Retirement
Sport Writer Luke Bosher pays tribute to the career of an all-time great goalkeeper Luke Bosher Sport Writer
It is always difficult to see a toplevel professional such as Petr Cech experience a decline in their ability. Only a select few are able to retire at the top of their game, and not doing so should not diminish the achievements of Cech’s exceptional career. Deemed not part of Chelsea’s long-term future in 2015 following Thibaut Courtois’ arrival, for three years Cech has provided a great service to Arsenal, but has once again been replaced by a younger goalkeeper in the form of
Bernd Leno and decided to end his playing career at the end of this season. Cech is arguably a victim of the modern day demand for a ball-playing goalkeeper, but will leave a legacy of fantastic shot-stopping, athleticism and reflexes. Cech was brought to the Premier League from French club Rennes by José Mourinho in 2004 and established himself as an integral part of a Chelsea side that won back-to-back Premier League titles, conceding only 22 goals in the 2005/6 campaign. He went on to form one of the most iconic back lines in league history with John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho.
“Cech will leave a legacy of fantastic shot-stopping, athleticism and reflexes” In the midst of winning 18 trophies in England, Cech suffered a life-threatening head injury against Reading in 2006. Incredibly, Cech made a full recovery and suffered no loss in his goalkeeping ability, and returned to the pitch donning a
skullcap that would become an iconic feature of the Czech international. Perhaps the pinnacle of Cech’s Chelsea career came in the 2012 Champions League final, when he saved two penalties – one in extratime and one in the shootout. This match typified Cech’s professionalism and leadership, traits that could never called into question. Due to his fantastic mental attributes, and the fact that he speaks five languages, many Chelsea fans are clamouring for Cech to be given a Director of Football role at the club. Whether it is to be punditry, coaching, or a front-office role, many fans would
hope to see Cech remain in football beyond June 2019.
The Irish Times
SPORT
AFP/Getty Images
25.01.2019
Is This Goodbye? InjuryStruck Murray Can't Continue Sport Writers Tahirah Holder & John Rogers reflect on the news that Andy Murray's retirement is imminent Tahirah Holder Sport Writer
If his first round match against Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut at the Australian Open is to be his final competitive match, it is only fitting that Andy Murray went out appropriately – with sheer guts and determination. Limping noticeably inbetween points, the Scot battled back from two sets to love down, but ultimately came up short. Nevertheless, one could make the analogy that parallels can be drawn between this match and Andy Murray’s career.
“He was not afraid of going against the grain to remain at the top” Perhaps the most poignant and pivotal point of Murray’s career came at Wimbledon in 2012. The first British man to reach a Wimbledon final since 1938, the Scot was dealt a devastating defeat at the hands of Roger Federer. A standing ovation at the trophy ceremony followed, and holding back tears, an emotional Murray took the microphone. Channelling bitter disappointment into motivation, within 10 weeks Murray got his revenge on Federer on Centre Court in the Olympic Final, and won the US Open, beating Novak Djokovic over five gruelling sets. In the process, he became the first British player in 76 years to win a major title. He would later go on to become the only tennis player to successfully defend his Olympic Singles Title. A tennis juggernaut and a member of tennis’ ‘Big 4,’ Andy Murray’s career surely cannot be slighted, despite the extraordinary resumés of his contemporaries. Nevertheless, many fans and commentators alike suggest that Murray was ‘born in the wrong era,’ and could have achieved far more were he even 5 years
older. However, it is impossible to ignore the fact that whilst the likes of Federer and Rafael Nadal played an integral part in motivating him to become both stronger and fitter, he also forced his fellow ‘Big 4’ members to continuously raise their game both on and off the court. He was not afraid of going against the grain to remain at the top. December 2011 saw Murray become one of the first players to hire a ‘Supercoach’ in tennis legend Ivan Lendl, and triggered a trend of hiring past prominent players as coaches. His success with Lendl quickly inspired rival Djokovic to partner up with Boris Becker, and later with Andre Agassi. The addition of 2-time major Champion Amélie Mauresmo to his camp years later made him the first top male player to hire a female coach in a male-dominated profession. Over his illustrious career, Andy Murray’s blood, sweat, and tears have inspired a nation. His legacy shall long live in the memory for those fortunate enough to have witnessed his career.
Andy Murray: Off the Court John Rogers Sport Writer
Since Sir Andy Murray’s emotional press conference on January 11th in Brisbane where he announced his intention to retire from tennis in 2019, followed by a first round exit from the Australian open, the tributes have poured in from all sides. Rightfully, the majority focus is on him as a sportsman and his on-court achievements: ending Britain’s 76 year wait for a male Grand Slam champion; two Olympic gold medals; leading GB to victory in the Davis Cup; becoming world no. 1 in the toughest ever era of tennis. However, it is
off the court where Murray has endeared himself to the hearts of the British public, and become a national treasure and worthy role model.
“Murray has endeared himself to the hearts of the British public” Perhaps most commendable has been his outspoken stance on gender inequality, both within tennis and in the wider sporting world. Multiple times throughout his career he has highlighted the casual sexism of journalists, for instance in Rio de Janeiro 2016, where he corrected a reporter’s statement that he was the first person to win two gold medals, pointing out that Venus and Serena Williams exist. Even more significant was his appointment of Amélie Mauresmo as coach in 2014, not as a media stunt, but simply because he believed she was the best person for the job, making her one of the few females to coach any player at the top of their game. Additionally, he has publicly supported having equal prize money in tennis on the occasions it has been questioned. Undoubtedly his mother, Judy, should be praised for helping instill these important sentiments in Andy’s character, and with luck a whole new breed of players will be coming into the game with a similar attitude. On the lighter side of things, we have really got to see his personality come out over the years. While to this day he still continues to deliver his trademark monotone post-match interviews, the insights we have had into his private life and more relaxed environments reveal a real family man with a sharp sense of humour; I fondly recall him careening off celebrating after rocketing a ball into the midriff of his coach Ivan Lendl during a charity match.
But the most enduring memory of Murray has to be his tears on centre court in 2012. That Wimbledon final defeat to Federer hurt and it showed. Not only is the mental strength hugely impressive, but also Murray’s willingness to share his emotions publicly in a sporting world largely full of toxic masculinity is absolutely admirable. There were more tears from Murray in Brisbane as he pondered how much longer he would be able to compete for, but such is his status as a national treasure that he surely will not have been the only one crying.
INSIDE SPORT THIS WEEK:
Crazy Klopp
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Cech Retires
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