Redbrick - Issue 1472

Friday 7th October 2016

Redbrick Issue 1472, Vol. 80

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Vale Payout Compensation for Chamberlain Students Affected by building delays

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The Official University of Birmingham Student Newspaper, est. 1936

EGX Special Redbrick Gaming get hands-on access to this year's hottest games Mason Cusack

Imogen Lancaster learns of the Guild Officers' plans for the year

Life&Style gives us the rundown on London Fashion Week

Tasha Smart explores Birmingham's hidden food scene

Redbrick Careers investigates the world of the gaming industry

News Page 5

L&S Page 29

Food Page 30

Careers Page 34

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REDBRICK

Friday 7th October 2016

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Letter from the committee...

The last few weeks have been busy for Redbrick – which is saying something considering most of them were not even part of the semester. Getting the Freshers’ Edition out was a long process (and a costly one, talking from personal experience – who’d have known Monday morning trains from London to Birmingham would be so expensive?), and in a number of ways has been years in the making. But to be able to hold it in my hands, it all printed in full, and then be able to hand it out to new (and returning) students made it all worth it. I’d do it all again in a heartbeat – maybe minus the 6AM starts.

The same could be said for the Societies’ Fairs last week. Meeting everyone and being able to talk about this paper was fantastic, as was seeing the enthusiasm that so many people had – and in so many different forms – for Redbrick. It was somewhat mournful, of course, realising that not all that long ago I was in their position on the other side of the stall, but then that’s just a testament to how transformative your experience at this paper can be. In the same way that I started in my first year writing the occasional article or review, then becoming a section editor in my second year and then deputy this year, some of the

people I talked to at the stall may be on the exact same path. Thinking on how they may be the deputy editor of 2018, if not 2017, among the people I met was an odd experience – but an exciting one.

Anyway, enough reminiscing.

What you hold in your hands is the first, full 40-page edition of Redbrick – and the first this academic year that is the collected work of all our thirteen sections.

Hopefully you’ll enjoy it – but it’s just the start. We’ve got a lot more editions to come this year, and a lot more good things to come too – so keep an eye out every other week, and if you haven’t already, why not join up? It’s good, we promise – maybe even fun.

Speaking of, this year we also have a whole host of socials lined up – the first of which are very soon. A handful of editors and writers, myself among them, are taking part in the Birmingham Half-Marathon in a couple of weeks’ time, raising money for Birmingham’s Children Hospital.

Sure, it might be stretching the definition of ‘fun’ a bit – truth be told, I too am somewhat nervous at the prospect of running some thirteen miles in just a few weeks – but it should be a good experience nonetheless, and for a good cause all the same. Currently our

two teams together have raised over £200, but the sky is really the limit here. If you’d like to donate go to www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/ followed by ‘Graceandlilyrunreallyfar’ and ‘harryand-harry’ respectively.

Then there’s Bud’s Run coming up soon – which a number of us are also taking part in (and may even feature in our next edition!).

So it’s safe to say, then, that there’s a lot going on here at Redbrick, and moreover, that it’s never too late to get involved! Maybe in a few years’ time you’ll be sitting in this office, writing your letter for the paper’s next edition?

As far as this edition is concerned, however, we hope you enjoy it!

From the dungeons we salute you,

Harry Turner, Deputy Editor

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Hands-On: Batman: Arkham VR at EGX

Album Review: Atrocity Exhibition - Danny Brown

Experience two unique French cities: Nantes and Rennes

Di Matteo Relieved of his Aston Villa Duties

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

NEWS

Friday 7th October 2016

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Chamberlain Compensation Chamberlain residents have recently learned they will be receiving compensation for the disruption they experienced during the start of the 2015-16 academic year Gregory Robinson News Editor

In a collective e-mail sent by Andy Lee (Chamberlain Customer Service Manager), in response to students' inquiries into whether they will receive compensation, only students who ‘officially complained by means of a formal complaint’ will receive payments for the inconvenience. This comes following the original claim made

by Chamberlain RAs that all residents could receive a payment of up to £500.

Andy Lee stated that the complaints ‘have had an in-depth, and comprehensive review by the accommodation management team in consultation with the Guild of Students’ to make decisions on individual cases to ensure ‘full impact could be assessed.’ The response explains the rationale behind the decision; ‘it was also decided that once all the cases had been reviewed and inconvenience payments offered to those affect-

ed, no further complaints received would be taken into account. If a student had not raised concerns during this time then it is reasonable to presume that they were not dissatisfied with the accommodation. Equally, by not raising the concern, we were not given the opportunity to remedy the issues, for example by offering alternative accommodation or asking contractors to change their programme or method’.

In September 2015, The Vale welcomed 726 students to the unfinished Chamberlain block which was originally set to be completed during the month, however construction work continued as far as January 2016. The lower portion of the tower block underwent construction work for the duration of the first semester of the academic year and many facilities, such as a laundry room, a social area and a dining area remained incomplete until January.

As a result, students in the tower block had to endure noise and disturbance from the ongoing con-

struction work months after the initial completion date had passed.

In regards to the Chamberlain compensation situation, Kiki Hassen on behalf of the Chamberlain RAs told Redbrick ‘As RAs we had been working hard to ensure compensation for ALL residents of Chamberlain as we believed everyone had been affected in some way or another.

We agreed with members of the Living Services in March that everyone would receive some sort of compensation on a tier system. We did not hear from them following this agreement, even after people received emails from Living. We are still persevering to achieve this for all residents and are discussing the issues with Roberto Sorrentino (Housing and Community Officer 2015-16) and the University.

Kiki also beleives 'that Roberto and Customer Service Manager Andy Lee have been kept in the dark for most of this. Including the email being sent out under Andy’s name without his knowledge.' She

continued to state that the Chamberlain RAs 'are trying our best and will continue working until something gets done’.

Chamberlain resident Joseph Hollingworth said ‘'I am left slightly speechless that the university accommodation service breached its own contract and then decided when compensation can be claimed for that breach without anyone being informed. I started the petition to show the accommodation service that as a community we will not be ignored. It is a situation I will not accept and I will seek legal advice if the situation continues’.

Following complaints from students regarding compensation, the University has decided to offer it to all residents of Chamberlain in the 2015-16 academic year. In a statement written by Housing and Community Officer Izzie Nicholds ‘After some consideration, the University have decided to offer compensation to all residents in Chamberlain, not just the ones

who have complained as previously thought. It will be done through a tiered system, with the most going to those in the bottom of the Tower and decreasing thereafter’.

Lesley Stewart, the university's Director of Residential and Environmental Services confirmed that Izzie Nicholds, VP Housing & Community and the Guild President 'agreed with senior managers in HAS that all students should receive some inconvenience payment but that it should be tiered so that those most affected would receive more. A joint letter from both the Guild and Hospitality & Accommodation Services has been sent to every resident who lived in Chamberlain in the first term of last year advising them of this agreement, along with inconvenience payment agreed and confirming that they will receive this payment but the end of October.'

Residents will therefore soon receive an email regarding compensation.

UoB Welcomes New Library Emily Darby News Reporter

Beriwan Ceren News Editor

After many years of planning, the new Main Library, a £60million venture, opened its doors to students on the first day of term.

Building works began in February, 2014, and since then many have been eagerly awaiting it's completion. Boasting over 2.1 million printed books and journals , the 40 miles of shelving is equivalent to the distance from

Birmingham to Cheltenham. The task of moving the books and journals from the old Library to the new facility was over 62km!

"There are height adjustable tables, 330 PCs accessible for students" Each of the 1,818 student seats have power and wireless mobile charging; luxuries that lacked in the previous Library. With the study spaces located along the

outer edges of the floors, it is impossible not to admire the beautiful campus scenery when you’re studying. There are height adjustable tables, 330 PCs accessible for students and sockets on individual sofas, the technology of the new Library is profound. There are 14 group study rooms, research suites and state of the art media rooms, promising professional video editing booths. In addition to this, a ‘Research Annexe’ in the facility will preserve the important heritage print collection.

The new Library Café located on the ground floor is celebrated by students for being accessible

without an ID swipe. The Café also boasts a wide selection of vegan, low calorie and gluten free options. Although ID cards are not needed to enter the Café, you do in fact need to swipe to exit the Library; a process that has already started causing long queues at peak times.

The inclusion of 526km² of rooftop solar panels and LED motion sensor lighting that accompanies retractable blinds ensures that the new facility is indeed eco-firedly, using 50% less energy than the previous Main Library. Morever, an atrium through the building will provide

plentiful natural light inside.

Professor Sir David Eastwood, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, said in the topping out ceremony that 'this Library is a central statement of the way in which we are building a great university'.

The Short Loan system, the process which required students to renew books themselves every couple of weeks, has been replaced by a new scheme. The system allows you to potentially keep a book until you graduate if it is not requested by another student.

With all these features the library makes an impressive new addition to campus.

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NEWS

Friday 7th October 2016

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English Universities Are To Be Ranked Gold, Silver And Bronze Branwen Onono News reporter

The Department of Education in England has announced new plans for university ratings as part of the government’s introduction of a Teaching Excellence Framework (Tef). Universities in the UK will be given either a ‘Gold’, ‘Silver’, or ‘Bronze’ rating based on a number of criteria including: graduate employment, student satisfaction and student retention levels. Jo Johnson, Universities Minister, claims that the new ratings will provide ‘clear under-

standable information’ to help prospective students make their choices on where they want to study, however opponents argue that the specified criteria have a low focus on research quality.

The new rankings will be published in Spring 2017, ready for those applying to university in the Autumn of the same year for 2018 entry. All universities that achieve at least a Bronze standard will be able to institute full inflationary uplifted fees up to £9,250; however, institutions who receive a Bronze ranking can still be significantly below benchmark stand-

ards in some areas. This could mean that universities lagging

"The new ratings will provide 'clear understandable information' to help prospective students" behind have less of a motivation

to improve as they will still be able to implement higher fees.

From Year 3 the scores awarded will be use to inform differentiated fees, which could be upwards of £9,500, according to inflation forecasts. Higher education providers in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales will be able to take part in the scheme, but the ranking they receive will not impact student fees.

‘I think the new ranking system will be great for students to be able to find out which university will benefit them the most’ says student, Sophia Dilley. However it

is not as popular with all students as another student, Tom Dixon, told Redbrick, ‘I think that it will end up putting people off applying for the better universities as the fees will become so prohibitive’.

Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, said: ‘For the government to continue to let fees creep up year on year, so students are unable to get a clear picture of the debt they may face, is unacceptable’. University of Birmingham students admitted between the 2012/2013 and 2016/2017 academic years will not face a fee increase.

Birmingham Is The 9th Most Economical Student City In The UK Megan Stanley News reporter

In the 2016 NATWEST Student Living Index Birmingham is the 9th most economical student city, recovering from the drop to 22nd place in 2015.

According to the survey, only 3% consider the cost of living as a main motivation for choosing to study at a specific university.

Whilst at university only 6% of students nationally do not budget at all, whereas 40% try to budget and 21% budget carefully. Given a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, 24% said they find the stress of managing money

highly stressful.

Student loans remain the highest form of student income nationally, contributing £161.14 to the weekly expenditure. Money provided from family such as parents was the second highest contribution to student weekly income.

The survey also showed Birmingham to be slightly over the national average in terms of total term time income, with a total of £1,248.

When considering rent, Birmingham was below the national average of £109.00 per week, with an average of £104.62.

Birmingham was also 10p lower

than the national average for weekly expenditure regarding household bills, which is given at £9.56.

In terms of time spent studying, Birmingham came 9th, two hours under the national average, with students studying 28.21 hours a week in the city.

Nationally, students spend more on groceries than any other item. Birmingham students came lowest in alcohol expenditure but were 8th and above the national average in weekly spending on clothes, shoes and accessories.

Katrin Busch

Selly Oak: Students Still Not Safe?

Josh Hamilton News reporter

Thefts in Selly Oak persist into the new academic year.

Students have reported their houses being burgled during the night, with thieves breaking in and helping themselves.

One intruder reportedly used the unlocked front door and threatened the student within, before stealing their prized possessions.

Jon Lench, second year English and Philosophy student, said that ‘a neighbour of mine was robbed two days ago.’ ‘Security isn’t great, and I think more police presence would be greatly appreciated. One officer for every two roads would be optimal given the widespread nature of the crimes.’

Sarah Horton, second year English and History student, agreed that ‘it needs to be better. I heard someone was robbed recently whilst I searched for a house over there.’ @sellyoakpolice on Twitter have reported a number of these burglaries. Two thefts occurred on Croydon Road and Bournbrook Road on the 27th of September,

and one on Cherington Road on the 25th. All three are notable student accommodation hotspots.

Burglary is, however, an historic concern in the Selly Oak area, and officers continue to patrol the student zone on a regular basis.

Many cases featured insecure rear doors. Police often check random doors to ensure that they are locked. The police have since warned students to correctly secure their properties, and to keep expensive items out of sight.

Police officers have also made trips to student houses in Selly Oak and have checked to ensure students have been keeping their houses locked. In a report published by the Midlands Police, 167 crimes were reported in July 2016 in Selly Oak. Statistics recorded between August 2015 and July 2016 revealed a high number of burglarly (285 cases), theft (164) and anti-social behaviour (415) were reported.

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Friday 7th October 2016

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Guild Officer Question Time Our Deputy Editor was at the first Guild Question Time of the year 2016/2017 Imogen Lancaster Deputy Editor @ImogenLancaster

The Guild held an informal Question Time last Thursday. It was a friendly occasion whereby any student from the university could meet the Guild officer team and learn about upcoming changes being implemented.

Each of the elected officers pro ceeded to present a short video sharing their current and proposed ‘action plans’, based on the manifestos for which they were elected.

They then opened the floor to questions on any topic; some of which surrounded PhD issues, disabled students, and study spaces.

Over the course of the two hour meeting, several objectives and achievements particularly stood out

as being topical concerns: 1. Societies’ night on 17th October. £1 from each ticket goes

"I subsequently felt well-informed on the minor and major plans concerning well being and the university experience" directly to student groups!

2. Free contraception at the Guild will be available until at least 2020.

3. Self-defence classes, rape alarms and CCTV in Selly Oak is being proposed to ensure safety in and around campus, as well as housing areas.

4. The new sports centre is due to open in December and is very accessible for disabled students.

5. Plans for expansion of sexual health testing on campus were discussed.

6. ‘Your Ideas’ is the new online platform, for putting forward mandates regarding academia, welfare etc. This replaces the Guild Council.

The guild therefore encourages students to submit requests and concerns, no matter how big or small.

7. Postgraduate events were said to be increasing, to aid students' transition. There are also discussions for more study and social spaces for postgraduates.

8. The Guild of Students App

will be available within 3 weeks, which will allow access to the Guild website, information about events, and users will also be able to purchase tickets.

9. Welfare Tutor training is now compulsory and will be developed in the coming months.

10. More live music and events on campus are being organised.

11. The possibility of a polling station on the Vale was discussed.

12. The issue of encouraging lecturers to make the most of Panopto and Canvas, in order to enhance education channels, was raised. However the legal restraints were also brought up, since the university doesn’t have performance rights of lecturers and cannot force the widespread use of such platforms.

13. The possibility of disability sports teams and events was also

raised.

14. Preparation for a mental health campaign, considering that World Mental Health day is approaching on the 10th October.

15. The complaint of overpriced accommodation halls was raised.

16. Discussions with Castle Cars are ongoing as to whether contracts will be renewed.

17. The possibility of more accessible housing for disabled students was discussed.

From the perspective of a student, I was pleasantly surprised by the efforts of our student union and officer team. I subsequently felt well-informed on the minor and major plans concerning well being and the university experience. I encourage you to attend future Guild Question time events and have your say.

Boiler Delay In Vale Sparks Concern Grace Duncan News Editor @gracieellen_

In June 2016 it came to our attention that there had been a delay in boiler checks in the Vale Village which caused one flat to have a serious boiler fault.

The delay happened in February this year, and was brought to the attention of the Vale when one student complained, due to a lack of servicing. The accommodation team dealt with the request and as a result the servicing continued.

Upon checking the boiler, the serviceman stated that he was surprised that they ‘hadn't died yet’.

This comment, says Samantha Williams, Communication and

Stakeholder Engagement Manager for the university, ‘concerned us as well’.

The university responded to Redbrick’s enquiries stating that whilst the ‘the delay earlier this year was disappointing’, they are keen to emphasise that ‘the servicing carried out identified no risks’.

The boiler in question did, however, have an attached ‘Gas Safety Warning Notice At Risk & ImmediatelyDangerous Installations’ form. The form in question was filled in at the service performed in February, and brought attention to the fact that the boiler was missing an essential piece of flue equipment.

One student in the flat then had to sign the form acknowledging

that they had received a copy of the form and they were aware that the use of the boiler could act as a hazard, potentially placing them in breach of the Gas Safety Regulations.

Despite the fact that a part of the boiler was missing, without a previous safety check bringing the fault to attention to the Vale village team, the University states that the fault was merely caused by the delay and no further or more in depth checks would be carried out.

The delay was ‘disappointing from our point of view’ and has been attributed to a change of service providers meaning that there was a ‘small gap’ in the annual boiler checks that one is required to carry out by law. The

small gap is thought to have been one of about a month.

Since the issue came to light there are no new measures being implemented, but annual checks are continuing, with some measures being put into place to make sure no delays happen again.The university assurred Redbrick that the system for monitoring has been improved and stock is regularly updated.

This has brought up concerns that, whilst not a legal necessity, it would perhaps be wise for the Vale and other University of Birmingham halls to invest in carbon monoxide alarms. This would mean that any future faults in the boilers would have a minimised risk of harming students.

The university currently has no

plans to do so, although the university stated that it ‘invests significantly in its accommodation stock and is committed to providing a first-class living experience’.

Samantha Williams told Redbrick that they are working hard to maintain checks on the boilers so this sort of fault in service does not happen again.

The residents of the Tennis Court flat received compensation which Samantha Williams states was due to the inconvenience caused by the fault in the boiler, not due to any sort of risk. She also stated that compensation would not become more widespread if it came to light that there were other flats that missed their annual check by a month or so.

Former University of Birmingham Academics Are Awarded Nobel Prizes A number of former UoB scientists have recieved Nobel Prizes in this years awards Beriwan Ceran News Editor

Two former Birmingham scientists, Professor David Thouless and Professor Mike Kosterlitz, have been awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics. They share their award with Professor Duncan Haldane, now of Princeton University. Thouless and Kosterlitz were academic members at the University of Birmingham in 1972 when they published the influential work which illustrated that matter can have an internal topology that can have effects on their properties.

Their research centres on topology, a branch of mathematics involving the study of properties that are preserved through deformations, twisting, and stretching of objects. Professor Andy Schofield, Head of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Birmingham, said, ‘The so-called KosterlitzThouless transition was the key to showing that superconductivity could occur in two dimensions. It redefined what we thought was possible in materials.’ He continued, ‘they were able to demonstrate that superconductivity – a phenomenon that underpins much of the modern technological world – was possible in ultra-thin sur-

faces of materials.’

"Thanks to their pioneering work, the hunt is now on for new and exotic phases of matter" The concept, which may be difficult to grasp, was illustrated

by Thors Hans Hansson at a news conference using a cinnamon bun, a bagel and a pretzel. ‘Thanks to their pioneering work, the hunt is now on for new and exotic phases of matter’, the Royal Swedish

Academy of Sciences said. They were awarded 8 million kronor (£730,000).

Former Head of the School of Chemistry, Professor Sir J Fraser Stoddart, along with Jean-Pierre Sauvage, and Bernard L Feringa, have been awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The prize recognises the laureates work on the design and production of designs on a molecular scale, which is a thousand times thinner than a strand of hair.

They have developed molecules, a tiny lift, artificial muscles and miniscule motors with controllable movements, which can perform a task when energy is added.

The machines have the potential

to be placed inside the human body to deliver drugs internally.

For example, it can be used to directly target to cancer cells.

Molecular machines and nanotechnology are areas of great significance. Stoddart's work in nanotechnology began at Birmingham in the 1990s and continues today in our School of Chemistry and School of PPhysics. Professor Stoddart joins an outstanding list of Nobel Prize winning chemists from the University of Birmingham; Francis William Aston and Sir Norman Haworth.

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Friday 7th October 2016

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Freshers' Perspectives On UoB Freshers give their thoughts and opinions on their first week Vivian Chu News reporter

Making the transition from high school to university was difficult enough without having to move to a completely new country altogether, which is why, when I first set foot in Birmingham, I was at a complete loss. Like most international students, I felt helpless and very out of place. Being alone in a completely unfamiliar environment, miles away from home, it didn’t take at all long for the homesickness to kick in.

However, I felt really thankful for the welcome service the university has provided, which made the move-in process a lot easier.

There was a coach to take the students back to the university free of charge, and I didn’t have to worry about finding my way from the airport to the campus, or the heavy cost incurred if I decided to take a taxi. The welcoming committee were very friendly as well, and they were always ready to offer a helping hand, whether it be students having difficulty with their heavy luggage, or having questions about the university and where to get certain necessities.

The welcome service was also beneficial, especially for international students like myself, since it allows students from the same countries to socialize with one another. I was especially lucky to meet a girl at the airport who was not only also from Hong Kong, but my flatmate as well!

In the 30-minute journey

between Birmingham International Airport and the university, I got a brief look at the city of Birmingham for the first time. The city is best described as picturesque, with a great deal of greenery and charming old-fashioned architecture dotting the landscape, which is a refreshing change compared to the crowded hustle and bustle of Hong Kong. Yet, what really caught my attention was the main university campus itself. Sure, I had seen lots of photos of the university before, but having seen the gorgeous red brick buildings and the infamous Old Joe in person, I can definitely say that all those photos simply don’t do them justice.

Another event I attended was the Societies’ Fair, and I was definitely surprised by the wide variety of societies available at university, compared with the limited options of clubs and teams in high school. Being interested in volunteering, I was especially ecstatic that there were so many options for volunteering activities. I joined a lot more societies than I should have, but everything seemed so interesting that I just couldn’t make up my mind!

With so many things going on, my first few days in the university has been fruitful and, not to mention, exciting. And although I haven’t been in Birmingham for long, I can already see the beauty and adventure this dynamic city has to offer, which is why I am definitely looking forward to my time here at the University of Birmingham.

Rebekah Quixano Henriques News reporter

Freshers’ week seems to be notoriously full of parties, alcohol and enough freebies to last the year.

Undeniably, these were all key elements to my first week at the University of Birmingham but these certainly were not what made me feel so at home here.

When packing everything into my mum’s car, I suddenly became fearful I had packed way too much. Had I fallen victim to the one thing Student Room told me to avoid? I had unnecessarily bought bookends and necklaces I would never wear, yet I had left the sausages I’d bought in the freezer. Despite rigorous planning over the summer, it’s comforting to know very few other freshers have managed to pack perfectly.

My second Freshers’ failure was wildly underestimating how much I still needed my mum. Of course, I could get all soppy here, but frankly we were both completely dry-eyed. She drove me up here in the car, bought me my new ‘uniform’ (a gazillion pairs of jeans) and exhibited her superb packing skills. I never expected to appreciate her quite so much when preparing for university, and so I was slightly disappointed when she didn’t end up crying her heart out as she left me. She cried when I went to Italy for a month earlier this year, but apparently moving ‘permanently’ away from home didn't quite cut it for her tear

ducts. In truth, I underestimated how ready both I and my mum were for me to move out. Eighteen years together is a bit much but I know she’ll always be just a text message away.

‘‘Clearly I'll be getting used to uni life for the whole of first year, if not longer’’ I thought moving away from home would also mean fewer family fights, but within the first week my new family (a flat of 15 girls) quickly found kitchen and bathroom issues to fight over.

Despite this, for me, the most surprising thing has been how central flatmates are to my uni life. They became my first friends here and have already shown me new ways

of cooking, wedging doors open so we can talk and even speaking with our diverse range of accents.

I never could have expected my flatmates to be just so important to my daily life, especially during Freshers’.

Why in the world did nobody mention the importance of lectures during Freshers’ week? They are seemingly pointless in hindsight, but when coming to Birmingham for the first time, I did not expect to find myself rushing from library inductions to subject introductions and squeezing in society and job fairs whenever I could. These lectures were key in revealing what I had got myself in for, how (un)organised some areas of UoB were and how humorous my lecturers were actually going to be.

Clearly I’ll be getting used to uni life for the whole of first year, if not longer, but I could not have settled here so easily if it wasn’t for the friendly faces of lecturers, the leaders of societies and at the Guild, my mum and most importantly, my flatmates.

One Year Later: A Refresher Returns to Birmingham Josh Hamilton News reporter

With first year over, second year seemed too far into the distance to be much of a concern.

Suddenly, summer ended and autumn approached without warning, hailing the start of a new academic term. Once again, I left packing until the last minute, and forgot one or two important items.

And with that, I began my second year of university at Birmingham.

This year, I had far more responsibility, hence my need to return a week earlier than my housemates. As a member of the RA (Residents’ Association), I formed part of the welcome team, who saw students safely to their accommodation, ensuring they settled in well. Later, we stewarded the new, much youngerlooking freshers to Broad Street for a fortnight of fun. I was tasked with keeping them safe, and

handed out condoms and water bottles to a number of students.

Despite my age, I nonetheless suffered from Freshers’ Flu, spreading it to a number of friends. My new housemates also came down with colds – which I was, naturally, blamed for. Of course, Selly Oak’s general living conditions were the more likely cause. It is by no means the finest part of Birmingham, but there comes with it a certain solidarity of living here; we are all in this together, for the next year, at least. It is a nice feeling, not being alone. Everybody feels this way about Selly Oak, which almost makes you feel more welcome. Almost.

Dreaded walks to the university are also a thing of the past.

Previously, it took up to thirty minutes after leaving my first year accommodation to arrive; now, I am sat in a lecture theatre in less than ten. Twenty extra minutes in bed is more than wel-

come for those of us who remain sleep-deprived, even after a threemonth-long nap over the summer.

Having made it to the university, I was stunned by the marquees and gazebos which made a well-received return from last year’s welcome week. I made the most of this opportunity, this year not hungover. Equally, I signed up to new societies, such as Guild TV, and continued writing for Redbrick. Last year, I spent a little too much time focusing on studying. While that is important, it did limit somewhat the amount that I was able to achieve with my spare time. It was nevertheless a delight admiring the sleep deprived first years’ attempt to crawl through the entrance, bombarded with free merchandise that they are given no choice but to accept; the same position that I was in last year.

All this, plus simultaneously having to socialise with people

they do not know well enough to call friends, but are nevertheless forced to live with for at least the next nine months. As a second year attending welcome week, you truly appreciate how confident you have become. Perhaps you are not quite ready to give talks to hundreds of people – not many are. You do, however, feel a lot more confident in the way you act, move, talk and sound.

Walking around campus is another factor in our new-found growth. Regardless of how many open days you have attended, it is impossible to fully understand how the university operates. If asked where G-KAPP or Muirhead Tower was this time last year, I might have eyed the questioner with a clueless face. That is, if I even had the confidence to look at their face. Now I can navigate campus with ease, appreciating the gorgeous Aston Webb building before snapping a picture with the stunning Old Joe clock tower,

only to have his respective Twitter account reply to my image with a humorous message.

As a fresher, I, too, was massively overwhelmed with the sheer amount of information I was burdened with. As a refresher, I’ve come to appreciate just how tough it is to be thrown in at the deep-end, without the faintest idea of what to do with my time at university.

I dread to consider how my outlook will change next year.

Third years, who were in my position one year ago, must have wildly different opinions to first and second years.

Refreshers week was wholly exhausting, as it was last year, but for different reasons. It was undoubtedly worth the up-hill struggle, and the greater climb to come.

NEWS

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbricknews

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Unwelcome the Tories: People's Assembly March on Anti-Austerity

Redbrick reports on the demonstration which took place in Birmingham Megan Stanley News reporter

Emily Roberts News reporter

On the 2nd October, the People’s Assembly held a march against austerity in Birmingham city centre.

The demonstration occurred on the same day that Theresa May’s first Conservative Conference began, which was held in the ICC and Hyatt Regency Hotel.

The People’s Assembly, a national organisation united against austerity, government cuts and privatisation, is based on the affiliation of individual supporters and local campaign groups.

Members of the organisation were seen handing out their leaflets during Freshers’ events at the Guild of Students at the University of Birmingham.

Alongside protesting against austerity, demonstrators voiced their concerns about the current state of the NHS, cuts to education, workers’ rights, and the damaging effects of racist rhetoric within communities. Groups such as Unison, Socialist Workers, antifracking campaigners, Black Lives Matter and The Communist Party were all present at the demonstra-

tion.

Around a thousand individuals took part in the march which began in Victoria Square at 1pm and arrived at Millennium Point just after 2pm. The march took the route through the city centre causing some roads to be closed. The volume of protesters travelling from all over the country meant that there appeared to be disruptions and delays at local train stations, such as Selly Oak and University. Although there was a clear police presence, the demonstration remained relatively peaceful throughout.

‘‘Now is the time to stand and unite’’ The protest boasted a range of different speakers, including campaigners, politicians, and even poets – Stephen Morrison-Burke summarised the sentiment of the event, saying, ‘now is the time to stand and unite.’ Campaigner Salma Yaqoob called attention to the controversial issue of tax fraud, citing the statistic that tax evasion costs Britain £70 billion each year, while benefit fraud remains at a steady level of less than £1 billion per year. Bob, a member of the Disabled People Against Cuts organisation was also present, and

raised awareness of the negative impact of austerity cuts on the livelihoods of disabled individuals. The West Midlands Officer for Unison went on to say a few words, stressing the importance of protesting to help ‘rebalance the inequalities’ caused by austerity cuts.

Ex-Green Party leader Natalie Bennett was also at the march and spoke at the end of the demonstration. Speaking to Redbrick she expressed the importance of political demonstrations, making this statement: ‘Marches bring people together. Under the banner [People’s Assembly] you have unions from different organisations. It’s very hard to fight if you’re on your own. Coalition is much louder and powerful together.’

Present at the demonstration was the Birmingham Student Socialist group which was formed in January of this year. James, a member of the group said that they had received over 250 signatures at the Freshers’ Fair at UoB, and that they have also begun to recruit students from Aston University and Birmingham City University.

Many students who attended said they felt a sense of unity and involvement. Lawrence, a UoB graduate told Redbrick that ‘a lot of people feel like there’s no point in voting, and student politics can

be in a bubble [...] you often feel like you’re fighting the fight alone being a left [wing] student.’

James also continued this point by suggesting that the media ‘often ignore the opposition and isolate people.’

Nancy, another member of the group described the atmosphere as ‘exhilarating [...] it’s so positive and clear that I’m not the only one who’s feeling upset because of cuts and austerity [...]

Labour is in disarray but there is an opposition and it’s clear today.’

‘‘All we want is

free and equal education. Smaller debts when we graduate and jobs that give us enough money’’ University of Nottingham student, Joe, who travelled to attend the protest emphasised the fact that ‘it is really important to energise people [...] as a university student there’s quite a lot of right wing students and it’s quite isolating.’ Fellow UoN student,

Theo, also added that he hoped Student Socialists will help ‘give a back bone for the student movement to create a coherent plan to help not only students but workers.’

Students who spoke to Redbrick also expressed their discomfort with how negatively demonstrations are often portrayed. Charlie, a second year English student at UoB explained that ‘all we want is free and equal education. Smaller debts when we graduate and jobs that give us enough money when we graduate.’

When asked about whether events like this can increase the number of young voters, most seemed positive, with Nancy saying that it will ‘definitely get people to vote. It’s hands on engagement just like learning you need to engage people to vote.’

Cassidy, a student from London, told Redbrick that demonstrations may encourage more young people ‘to think about what they believe in’ and encourage them to vote.

Amy, a socialist who travelled to the event from Cambridgeshire, said it was ‘very good to see so many trade unions’ present, and went on to reiterate the importance of getting involved in such demonstrations, saying, ‘after all, if voting changed anything, they’d make it illegal.’

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NEWS

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbricknews

Halloween 'Pokemon Go' Walk Comes to Birmingham Shivani Bansel News reporter

The sensational Pokémon Go app stormed the app charts when it was released back in July 2016, which brought the Pokémon franchise back to the forefront of people’s minds since its inception in 1996 by Nintendo. Subsequent to the previously successful Pokéwalk held in July, also in aid of Birmingham Children’s Hospital, a thrilling Pokéwalk has been scheduled to take place on Saturday 29th October from 1pm onwards. The first Pokéwalk was inspired by similar events in the US, India and Europe and raised over £300 despite only one week of preparations.

"The money donated from the last Pokémon Go walk will make a massive difference to our brave young patients" To add some thrill to the event, organisers have collaborated with Tokyo Toys and the Birmingham

Zombie Walk team. The walk will be followed by an exciting Halloween themed party which will take place in the Second Cup café in New Street; all ages are welcome! Harvey McDonald (see picture), who skillfully organised the last Pokéwalk, has high hopes that this walk will be even more successful, stating: 'It’s just great to see people coming together and enjoying themselves; and raising money for a charity close to my heart is the icing on the cake'.

The Birmingham Children’s Hospital provides short-term and long-term care for unwell children, including those in need of mental health services. Miranda Williams, Public Fundraising

Manager at the charity said, ''The money donated from the last Pokémon Go walk will make a massive difference to our brave young patients and their families, so we’re excited for the next Halloween event!'

Jamie Chapman, founder of the Birmingham Zombie Walk team, stated: 'the Pokémon Walk is a great social event for people of all ages'.

The event is free to attend and the Facebook page can be found under ‘Halloween Birmingham Pokéwalk’. For more information, visit the website: www.birminghampokewalk.com or on social media via BhamPokewalk on Twitter and Instagram.

Birmingham Pokewalk

FoodCycle Starts In Yardley Qassim Saeed News reporter

A new initiative has started in Yardley: Surplus supermarket food will now be used by awardwinning charity FoodCycle to provide a weekly meal every Wednesday to residents at its new home at St Cyprians Hay Mills.

Supported by leading waste management company Veolia and supermarket chain Morrisons, FoodCycle Birmingham Yardley

will take surplus food from supermarkets and turn it into a healthy, three course meal for people in need. As well as providing food it is also a great opportunity to socialise with others in the community.

The Yardley branch will officially be launched on 28th September with guests such as Jess Philips MP and Councillor Lisa Trickett. This marks the 29th project to be opened by FoodCycle across the UK. The charity pro-

vides 750 meals every week to the public. Anna Kulhavy, a hub leader at FoodCycle Birmingham Yardley, said that the initiative is a 'simple concept that helps to address some big issues in our community such as food waste, food poverty and loneliness'. She also reported that the Yardley branch already had 'lots of regulars'. Toby Terlet, general manager at Veolia was ‘very pleased’ to be supporting FoodCycle which ‘does a fantastic job at bringing

local communities together’.

Hassan Ibrahim, a 2nd year Economics student, stated FoodCycle’s initiative is an ‘excellent idea that cuts waste and feeds the ones who need it most’.

He also thought FoodCycle was getting to the heart of the problem by correcting a misallocation of resources. ‘Poverty doesn’t exist because there aren't enough resources in the world, but rather because the wrong amounts are in the wrong place’.

If you know anyone who could benefit from a warm and welcoming meal, please direct them towards the FoodCycle Birmingham Yardley branch.

There is also a FoodCycle hub that opened in Aston in May 2016 and cooks fortnightly on a Wednesday evening.

Channel 4 Consider Midlands The broadcasting corporation are currently considering moving Move their headquaters to Birmingham Qassim Saeed News reporter

Channel 4 is currently undergoing a wave of uncertainty. Due to the channel's reputation as a largely selffunded and commercial entity, it may come as a surprise to many to learn that Channel 4 is owned by the Government. Ownership by the Government, however, may not be for much longer unless Channel 4 acts. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is considering the sale of Channel 4 to private investors, although reports suggest that such privatisation could be cancelled if the broadcaster is willing to relocate their HQ out of the capital and into Birmingham.

The remit of Channel 4 is to be a public service broadcaster, and a move to Birmingham is viewed as a much needed injection in the creative economy outside of London. Channel 4 are a non-profit organisation, and views their state ownership as integral to their being able to take risks in the media world that allow the creative sector to grow. However, the broadcaster is said to be reluctant to leave

the capital.

Birmingham has been overshadowed in recent times by Manchester as ministers appear keen to build 'the Northern Powerhouse', to use George Osborne’s phrase. So would moving this state-owned entity to Birmingham rather than to Manchester signal a shift towards prioritising investment and development here? Recent projects such as the renovation of Birmingham New Street station, the Grand Central shopping centre, and the installation of the Midland Metro all signal that new life is being breathed into Birmingham.

But what would such a move to Birmingham by this major company mean to the students in Birmingham? As a city, Birmingham is home to five universities and 65,000 students from all walks of life, so how this possible move will affect them remains to be seen. That being said, any transition of jobs and skills away from London will surely be beneficial to those studying in the city. Despite such a rich portfolio of students involved in the arts and media, Birmingham has often been overlooked not

only in a wider sense by firms, but also in terms of creative investment in the city.

"Channel 4 are a non-profit organisation, and views their state ownership as integral to being able to take risks" Whether Channel 4 will choose to relocate to save their backing by the government or whether they’ll allow themselves to be sold to private investors in order to remain in the capital remains to be seen. Ultimately, Birmingham being seen on the map as an investment destination for large and exciting firms is a positive sign, regardless of the final decision made by Channel 4

NEWS

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COMMENT

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbrickcomment

Re-Introducing The Liberal Democrats James Cox believes that the Liberal Democrat party is facing a new beginning James Cox Commentator @James_Cox12

Freshers Under Pressure Kat Smith wonders if the hype surrounding the Freshers week experience is justified Kat Smith Commentator

A year certainly is a long time in Politics. In 2015, the Liberal Democrats were in government, Ed Miliband thought he was going to be Prime Minister, and the prospect of leaving the European Union seemed unlikely. Now we have voted to leave the EU, Jeremy Corbyn has led Labour into the wilderness, and the Liberal Democrats have been reduced to a rump in Parliament.

So when people say to me that the Lib Dems are finished, I think to myself that almost anything is possible in politics today.

"I’m sorry, but this is not the time for waiting. This is the time for action" Corbyn has failed – objectively failed – to lead a strong opposition against the Brexit Conservative government. He has let down the many moderate Labour supporters who want to build both a fairer and united society in a strong and open economy. Crucially, he has betrayed the 70% of students who voted for Britain to retain its membership in the European Union. He campaigned on the issue with all the enthusiasm of a student getting up for a 9am seminar. It speaks volumes that he gave just 10 speeches in the six-week referendum campaign, a number he well surpassed in half that time for his own leadership campaign.

His decision to abandon the Brexit negotiations, let the Tories get on with it and not even lobby for access to the Single Market shows his true colours on this hugely important issue.

One of the reasons I joined the Liberal Democrats was their commitment to building a fairer society; their commitment to equality of opportunity. In government every decision was informed by this simple desire.

The Pupil Premium – a £2.5 billion investment in early years’ education for children from low income families – has helped to level the playing field when it matters most, and is helping give children opportunities they simply would not have had. Raising the income tax threshold to take thousands of people on lower incomes out of tax altogether.

Implementing Same-Sex Marriage, because in a fair society all love is equal. Establishing the first ever NHS waiting times for mental health and a plan to invest £3.5 billion to improve

vital services – a policy the Liberal Democrats, like Norman Lamb, passionately continue to argue for. And, also, our campaigning for political reform with the first referendum on alternative voting system and the government’s first bill to democratise the House of Lords.

"We cannot allow the Conservatives to go unchallenged for a generation" Since then, the Liberal Democrats have worked tirelessly in opposition to use what influence we have to stop the Tories tearing our country apart.

We blocked them on welfare cuts whilst Labour abstained.

We blocked them on the Snooper’s Charter whilst Labour supported giving the government the right to look at your emails and your text messages. We will continue to block any attempt to reintroduce grammar schools. And during all this we still have the time to make the considered case for a cross-party commission into our woefully underfunded National Health Service, to advocate the legalisation of cannabis, and to ensure that any Brexit deal is approved by the people in a referendum. Ask yourself, what has Labour done?

Nothing, but war itself when we should all be holding this Brexit Conservative government to account.

Britain needs a strong opposition and an alternative for government. Corbyn’s Labour has no interest in acting as a government in waiting. He has failed to gain the support of his colleagues, failed to act in the interests of students, and will fail to get a mandate from the country.

By clinging on, we are being condemned to a generation of Conservative rule. We are being condemned to letting the Tories dictate our Brexit negotiations, destroying the years of progress

in our education system, and strangling our National Health Service until it dies. Then who will they blame?

I know there are things the Liberal Democrats have done in government that you don’t agree with. I accept that there are things we should have done differently. And when you look at the comparative size of Labour and the Lib Dems, I’m sure you start to comfort yourself saying that you can hold out – that Corbyn can’t lead Labour forever. I’m sorry, but this is not the time for waiting. This is the time for action. Labour has changed and will not return to how they used to be. You can try and wait it out and hope that the thousands of Momentum supporters will get bored and go away, but Britain cannot afford to wait for Labour to get its act together. We cannot allow the Conservatives to go unchallenged for a generation. We need a party that fights for the centre ground, that believes that Britain’s best days are ahead of us, that believes that Progressive Liberal values are the answer to fighting inequality and injustice in our society. Labour isn’t that party. The Liberal Democrats are.

Would you like to write for us? Email comment@ redbrickonline.co.uk with your articles!

We are often told by teachers/parents/siblings/anyone under the sun who has been to university that Freshers is one of the best weeks of our lives, that university will shape us into the people we’ve always been meant to be and basically, that everything will fall into place - but do we hype up Freshers week too much?

I was surprised to have an overall positive experience of my first week at university, despite my fear in the weeks preceding it, but it wasn’t without a fair share of homesickness, confusion and a general sense of disorientation. Despite the stream of “Dos and don’ts for Freshers weeks” and “How to survive Freshers week” articles online, the expectation that everything will be fun and games seems to continue.

Putting so much emphasis on how fun freshers week is can lead to the misconception that if we aren’t having the best time ever from day one, we’re doing something wrong or don’t belong in the university environment.

Considering our Freshers week is far from representative of university as a whole, this seems to be a dangerous expectation to provide.

When we’re told about Freshers by someone who experienced it in the past, the rose-tinted glasses seem to take over – a lot of people are probably not going to remember the feelings of insecurity and doubt that seemingly everyone experiences in the first few days if they ultimately had a good time. It therefore feels unnatural if we do feel that way. We have a responsibility to be honest about our experiences so we don’t isolate doubt as an abnormal feeling to have during Freshers. I did have a few people tell me that the first week of university can feel

a bit strange, but the general consensus was “this is the best week you’ll ever have”.

If I hadn’t received the consolation that you can feel very out of your depth, even if you’re having a good time, the experience would’ve freaked me out.

Freshers seems to be some kind of alternative universe where expectations of our social circles are signific a n t l y heighte n e d , despite meeting only a fraction of the people we’ll encounter during our time at university.

During freshers we don’t, for example, meet the people we will befriend through societies and our courses, as well as various friends of friends.

Coming to university, I thought that I’d meet loads of people instantly, but I only really seemed to bond with people in my flat during freshers week (not that I’m complaining).

Friendships develop and change over time so it’s not like the people we meet in Freshers are the only people we’ll ever see for the next three years.

Yes, Freshers week on paper does sound like one of the best weeks of your life: minimal responsibility, sharing a flat with people your age and social events every night for at least seven days. But it’s such a big change from what we know, so why did I and so many others expect to be comfortable and living the dream from day one?

Although I am now content in my new surroundings and feel very fortunate with my flatmates, I had this weird feeling in the first few days that I couldn’t seem to shake. No period of our life is one we wholly enjoy, so negative feelings during Freshers shouldn’t feel and be treated like such an anomaly.

COMMENT

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbrickcomment

Black Lives Matter! Only An Idiot Would Disagree Joe Goodsall Comment Editor @mightyllama42

You know, when the organisers of Black Lives Matter named their organisation, they had enough confidence in the intelligence of the general population to see that the agenda which their organisation was pushing, was that all lives matter. I had a similar confidence which has recently been shattered. Not by the numerous, senseless, soulless shootings which have taken place in America recently; we’re now so used to news of police shooting an unarmed black person in America that it somehow fails to register with the same impact. That is precisely the reason that Black Lives Matter was set up. To raise awareness of an issue to which we are by now, tragically desensitised. No, my faith in the intelligence of the general population was lost

when I saw that the reaction of some people to the Black Lives Matter campaign, was to feign outrage. All Lives Matter became the cry and it is a cry which belies a basic lack of intelligence or empathy.

"All Lives Matter, in opposition to Black Lives Matter, is meaningless" The slogan All Lives Matter, when stated in opposition to Black Lives Matter, is meaningless. The notion that all lives matter is the very point which Black Lives Matter is trying to drive home. However they’ve noted the somehow overlooked fact that, to the average American Citizen, the life of a Black per-

son does seem to matter less than that of a white person. I don’t know how they made such an uncanny observation! Maybe it was the staggering number of deaths of black citizens at the hands of police officers in the past year, or maybe it was the fact that 27.4% of the black population is living in poverty compared to 9.9% of the white population. But, sarcasm aside, this is a vital point. No one can overlook the staggering discrimination that the black American population is clearly suffering.

Which is why All Lives Matter is such a non-statement.

If you’re crying that All Lives Matter then you’re either an idiot or a racist (Although I suppose that the latter does presuppose the former). An Idiot because A - you have somehow overlooked the above statistics and the fact that no less than 100 innocent and unarmed black people were murdered by police

First Brexit, Now Breadxit Aamina Siddiqi Comment Editor @aamina_siddiqi

Paul Hollywood dips a Jaffa Cake into a cup of tea, Mary Berry looks at him disapprovingly and says “we don’t do that in the south” and thus began ‘Jaffagate’, a scandal that took precedence over the Burkini ban, the Labour leadership debate and almost tore the country apart. The people of the internet furiously debated under what circumstances biscuit dipping is acceptable and what kinds of biscuits are liable for the lesser-known olympic sport of tea dunking. McVities, the manufacturer of the mainstream Jaffa, gave a statement to the Mirror declaring “Jaffa Cakes are not for dunking!” The Daily Mail’s front page the next day was ‘Marry’s Jaffa Cake tiff with Paul.’Longtime viewers of the show will recall another time The Great British Bake Off made headline news. Series five contestant Diana Bear took out Iain Watter’s unset ice cream from the freezer on the hottest day of the year; with time running out, Iain could not complete his baked Alaska with liquid ice cream so, in the heat of the moment, Iain threw the entirety of his bake in the bin.

'Bingate' took the nation by storm and held its own as the most scandalous thing to ever happen, until now. Love Productions, the producers of GBBO, failed to renew their contract with the BBC and now it’s moving to Channel 4 and unsurprisingly (in a snakey act) Paul Hollywood is following suit.

First shown on our screens in 2010, GBBO has a feeble cult following who are passionate about protecting the show at all costs. It’s as comforting as your Nan’s lemon drizzle cake, a sta-

ple of British culture which has attracted a whole host of unlikely celebrity fans from Ed Balls to Robert Pattinson to Snoop Dogg, who has said that Mary Berry is his “home girl.” Really, what’s not to love about a baking competition set in a giant marquee equipped with pastel KitchenAid mixers, Smeg fridge/freezers and hosted by Mel and Sue. If it’s not by the witty puns and innuendo, your heart will be stolen by Mary Berry who is the perfect level of charm and sass and gently tells people that their bakes are not messy but simply “informal”. If you’re not swayed by bunting, the way that Paul ferociously destroys showstoppers and savagely bites the head off people shaped biscuits will win you over. The success of the show saw it make the jump from BBC Two to BBC One in 2014 and also got it’s own spin-off show, ‘The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice’ hosted by Jo Brand.

For something that was going from strength to strength, its departure from the BBC comes as shock and its aftermath puts Britain in a more perilous situation than the split from Europe.

The Guardian reports that the BBC offered £15m to keep GBBO but Love Productions wanted £20m.

Thus Channel 4 swooped in paying £75m for a three year deal - but will people want to watch a competition with advertisement breaks and recaps of what has happened every fifteen minutes? Mel and Sue promptly quit as presenters stating that they “made no secret for their desire for the show to remain where it was.” This deed alone means that the programme has lost it’s joie de vivre. The nation is quick to blame Love Production’s greed but something must be said about the BBC’s miserliness. I fail to believe that an international media corpora-

tion that could set up a new Top Gear sending its presenters all over the world to drive cars funded by the taxpayer could not find another £5m - and we all know how that turned out. Perhaps we should bring it to the attention of the government, the public bombarding PMQ’s in the House of Commons demanding for the nationalisation of GBBO. A movement that Jeremy Corbyn will wholeheartedly back.

"David Cameron retired on the same day Mary Berry resigned from GBBO yet the latter was met with more anguish" It’s a shame to see the set-up of a much loved television programme disrupted by payment feuds. But it’s also bought about a unity that makes us treasure every last moment of this season, the fierce love for Val, the appreciation for Candice’s lipstick choices and the tension between Paul and Selasi. It speaks volumes that David Cameron retired from politics on the same day as Mary Berry resigned from the GBBO yet the latter was met with more anguish. However, not all is lost; the BBC are saying that there will be a new baking competition featuring Mary, Mel and Sue,(that is if Love Production don’t sue) and Channel 4 will extend GBBO to make up for the mandatory ads.

It could be worse, at least we have a future with Mary Berry in it. There may be many more iconic moments where custard theft occurs, salt is mistaken for sugar and cakes collapse, but we will have to savour this season because it’s the end of Bake Off as we know it. In Mary’s words, “no more soggy bottoms.”

in the past year while only 15 officers were charged; and B you have conflated the statement ‘black lives matter’ with the statement ‘black lives matter more than white lives’, a conclusion which even a super-powered kangaroo with no sense of direction would have trouble leaping to. Or you’re a racist because, having seen the various murders and abuses of power in America, you’ve decided that the best course of action is not to protest these murders, but to protest a protest group which is protesting these murders. You have more of a problem with protesting against the murder of black citizens than with the actual murders.

Having heard the black population speak up for its right not to be murdered, those who cry All Lives Matter decided that Black Lives Matter is not a wor-

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thy cause and that it should be forcibly reminded that this is everyone’s struggle. Well it isn’t.

American white people are not being murdered by the American police. American white kids do not have to worry that they won’t come home when they see a police car round the corner. This is the struggle of the black population to be heard and understood as citizens with equal rights to everyone else.

As citizens (or Lives, if you will!) who matter. That doesn’t mean, if you’re a white person, you shouldn’t try to help!

Please do. Get involved.

It’ll do the world of good to see that white people understand this problem. But do it on the terms of the afflicted. They know what problems they are facing and are choosing to speak up. Like it or not, if you are white then you do not have the right to be outraged when the black population of America demand that the police stop murdering them in cold blood.

Redbrick Satire 2016 CAN STILL GET WORSE! EXPERTS WARN Joe Goodsall Satirist @mightyllama42

What with various celebrity deaths, divorces and dispossessions, the disastrous brexit result and unwelcome changes to several tv shows, 2016 has been an almost laughably bad year. As we enter October, it may seem to many that we’ve entered the home stretch of a year which cannot possibly get any worse.

However, these hopes are misplaced according to experts who, laughing at our misery in their ivory towers, have gloatingly made a variety of dire predictions for the final few months of the year.

Foremost in everyone’s mind is the U.S. presidential debate. Liberals, democrats and anyone with half a functioning brain will be relieved to hear that Hillary Clinton will win the presidency with relative ease.

But that fear will turn to horror as Hillary rips off her face-mask to reveal that she was actually Donald Trump in disguise all along. This will come as a shock to the public, and to Donald Trump himself who, upon being trapped by the Scooby Doo gang, will have his own mask removed to reveal that he is in fact also Donald Trump. As everyone struggles to work out which Trump trump's Trump, Trump will begin his reign of terror as he not only bans Muslims, Mexicans and all forms of fun, but also Taylor Swift, The Great British Bake Off and Penguins, just because he can.

Labour will split into

two parties, following the 53rd leadership challenge by Barry Smith from Bogsdon on Avensbury. Whilst most of the party will stay with the old Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn will leave to form a one man party, paradoxically called "New Labour". It will be to everyone’s shock when he is elected Prime Minister after Theresa May admits that becoming Prime Minister without a general election is "a little bit totalitarian".

Corbyn’s supporters however will not be laughing for long as he will quickly disappear off the face of the earth.

After months of silence, he will finally be spotted sitting on the floor of a taxi, complaining about the lack of seats.

Having finally left the EU, deported all the immigrants and minority groups, shut down the internet and driven anyone under the age of 25 out of the country, the people of Great Britain will be forced to confront the fact that blaming their problems on other people won't solve those problems, and that they are now stuck on an island in the North Atlantic with no one to help them. Predictably, instead of trying to make amends, they will immediately begin blaming each-other before launching the island into space after a referendum on whether to remain a part of planet earth. As one member of the government will say, “after a year like this, frankly, I don’t blame them!”

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FEATURES

Friday 7th October 2016

www.redbrick.me

Festival Round-Up : 2016

Summer 2016 was one of the busiest festival seasons in recent memory, and Redbrick was lucky enough to be there for the whole ride. We've picked our biggest and best moments to give you a taste of what was on offer across Europe

Megan Gibson Music Critic @meganrosegibson

Bestival 2016: the land of whimsical wonder and the futuristic district of dance.

First impressions? This may well have been the best weekend of my life. And was it? I’m still making up my mind...

There were a lot of small stages to find new artists, my favourite being the People’s Front Room, bringing a range of Jazz and Blues to a small tent filled with vintage sofas and coffee tables. A circus stage h e l d i m p r e s s i v e p e r f o r mances and circus acts throughout the weekend and an amphitheatre hidden in the Ambient Forest provided a range of talks in part-

Hannah Strong Music Critic @meganrosegibson

This year marked the 10th birthday for Slam Dunk music festival so it’s no surprise that 2016 was another success. Often regarded as the UK version of Warped Tour, Slam Dunk hit the NEC in Birmingham on the 29th May. Using the Genting Arena as the main stage and using surrounding areas as indoor stages, as well as a few outside stages, Slam Dunk ensured a fun-filled day and evening out filled with music for everyone, ranging from rock to pop-punk to heavy metal.

With such an energetic line-up among all stages, the day flew by and before long, everyone was either entering the main stage area

"If this is how Bestival plays the festival game on a ‘cutback’, I can only assume that in future years, it will most definitely be the festival you want to be saving up for." nership with Goldsmiths University. But everything seemed to be on the smallscale (apart from the Big Top, for obvious reasons).

This year only 40,000 tickets had been sold, 15,000 under its usual capacity of

to see the main headliners Panic!

At The Disco perform or heading to the Atlas Stage to see Of Mice & Men. Of Mice and Men are a great band but this time Panic! won my vote.

Overall, Slam Dunk didn’t disappoint. With a wide range of acts across 8 stages, there was something for everyone. There wasn’t a single moment of the day in which people were sitting down bored, most only stopped for food and drink. Slam Dunk has to be the best festival for those who love rock / pop punk and want to avoid the full commitment of camping.

It’s a festival that has proven itself to be extremely successful and so much fun. I’m already counting down the days until Slam Dunk 2017. Bring it on!

55,000 tickets and hence the "more compact boutique vibe". They didn’t even provide fabric wristbands!

Plastic, hospital-like bands were given, much to the crowd’s disgust.

The line-up also seemed to have suffered a bit of a knock. Having seen the likes of The Chemical Brothers, Outkast, Foals, Elton John and Snoop Dogg take to the main stage over the past years, The Cure, Major Lazer and Hot Chip seemed like a bit of a downgrade.

So if this is how Bestival plays the festival game on a ‘cutback’, I can only assume that in future years, it will most definitely be the festival you want to be saving up for. Let’s see who makes the cut for the line-up in

Phil Jones Music Editor @philrdjones

Barclaycard’s British Summer Time events have become staples of the summer musical calendar of not just London, but of the whole country, with fans flocking from all across the island to see their favourite bands. The beauty of these shows is they normally feature curated line-ups centred around genres or themes.

However, on this occasion a rather eclectic line-up was on offer, ranging from the most mainstream to the most obscure.

Topping the bill were one of the most successful British bands of the 2010s, the former folkies turned stadium rockers, Mumford & Sons.

Holly Carter Music Editor @holscarts

‘Daffodils’. They had a late night DJ slot at the Shangri-La Hell Stage, and had played so many great tunes including ‘Uptown Funk’ and ‘The Less I Know The Better’ – it the best dance party I’ve ever been to. At the end Mark Ronson congratulated Kevin on smashing his Pyramid Stage set, and they danced together to their collaborative track from Uptown Special.

Another great moment was when the first confetti cannon exploded in Tame Impala’s ‘Let It Happen’, one of my all-time favourite songs by one of my alltime favourite bands. Kevin Parker, barefoot on a Persian rug, was so close I could almost touch the vibes. That confetti raining down from a blue(ish) sky whilst Tame Impala’s famous synth popped on was so wonderful.

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I went to Glastonbury as a volunteer, so worked until around 3pm each day. Although going as a punter would probably have been a lot more chill and easier on my legs (mud makes your muscles hurt!), some of my best memories of Glasto will be the conversations I had whilst campaigning for the charity I worked for. There are a myriad of different ways you can get involved in working or volunteering for Glastonbury and if this makes you jealous enough to want to join me down in Pilton next year, I highly recommend it!

One of my favourite moments was when Mark Ronson and Kevin Parker came to the front of the stage and had a nice bromance moment to their collaborative

Curated by Mumford and Sons, the day festival really had a little bit of everything on offer.

The Mumfords were there for the

"The Mumfords were there for the singalongs. Wolf Alice brought head-banging galore." singalongs. Wolf Alice brought head-banging galore. The large crowd which Mystery Jets mustered over at the second stage was heart-warming. Nick Mulvey made grown men weep and Alabama Shakes made everyone

in sight shake in a SouthernAmerican style. Kurt Vile played the role of hipster darling to appease the moody teenagers dragged along by their parents.

Baio shimmed and swayed to the sound of his beats, stepping out of Ezra Koenig’s shadow to present himself as a fully capable frontman in his own right.

It’s easy to be cynical about big stadium bands like Mumford & Sons, but with the lineup they chose for the day it’s clear they’re knowledgeable about the current music people want to listen to and know how to plan a good show. I’m sure many people left the day feeling no more love for the Mumfords than they arrived with, but they probably gained four new favourite acts in the process. That sounds like money well spent to me.

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Friday 7th October 2016

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Greg Woodin Music Editor @greg_woodin

August bank holiday weekend commenced four days of broken sleep, bass (lots of bass) and beverages. From the monstrously huge Arc stage to the more intimate surroundings of Smirnoff House Party, highlight sets were delivered by the likes of Nervo, Oliver Heldens, Flava D and Jauz, who performed amidst a star-studded lineup from the A-list of electronic dance music.

Barely surviving on a steady

"If only the party could last forever; Creamfields 2016 was incredible." diet of cold pizza and Nutri-Grain bars, I journeyed on through highoctane drum and bass from Wilkinson, EDM chart bangers from Annie Mac and trap-flavoured madness from Jack Ü, drinking away the days on the

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Matt McCrory campsite before venturing out to the Arena for yet more rib-rattling, ground-shaking sub-frequencies and off-beat hi-hats.

Encounters with weird and wonderful festival-goers off their tree at ten in the morning kept moods high and hangovers in check, and the obligatory inclusion of newly-rejuvenated Will Grigg anthem ‘Freed From Desire’ made sure festival-goers had something to sing along to when the going got a little too underground. Floating up above the soaring marquees and food outlets peddling sub-par food at festival prices, countless fairground rides and attractions - as well as a mysterious ‘oxygen bar’ - the Cheshire sky was set alight with pyrotechnics, neon green lasers and the sound of some of the biggest names in dance music delivering life-affirming sets to the Creamfields faithful.

If only the party could last forever; Creamfields 2016 was incredible.

Music Critic @iamnotmatty

I’m writing this in a hungover stupor. That moody, comatose feeling that only comes after a really good festival. And Sziget is a really good festival. For seven days Óbudai-sziget, an island in the middle of Budapest, is occupied by 450,000 revellers.

Backpackers, festival-hunters and summer-bound students all congregate in the middle of August and throw one of the best events Europe has to offer.

The festival calls itself ‘The Island of Freedom’. Certainly, if you’re approaching that slogan from a price perspective, Sziget is the closest thing to free you’re going to get. If you get a sevenday pass early enough, it will cost you less than £25 a day.

That’s no mean feat, especially considering the festival’s headline roster, which this year included Rihanna, Sia, David Guetta, The Chemical Brothers and Muse. It’ll cost you £2 for a beer, £3 or £4 for a decent meal and about the same to get a tram

"Sxiget is accessible enough for those who want an alternative introduction to the festival scene and expansive enough to appease even the most experienced partiers." to the city and explore Budapest.

Sziget stands up to its ‘Freedom’ tagline in the alternative sense as well. It’s difficult not to sit back and marvel at your surroundings: alluring lights

hanging through tree canopies; beaches dedicated to hazy hangovers; thousands of like-minded individuals, all of them drunk, happy and beautiful. It’s difficult to travel in large groups as you’re likely to lose and find friends amidst the unpredictable outbreaks of parties. Stage acts bustle in the day. Nightclubs seep out of the walls at night.

So Sziget definitely comes recommended. It’s accessible enough for those who want an alternative introduction to the festival scene and expansive enough to appease even the most experienced partiers. It’s far cheaper than English festivals, even when considering the cost of flights to get there, and easily tops most of them in terms of the quality and quantity of activities on offer. If you’re ever in a position where you’ve got a week free in August, look to beautiful Budapest for one of the best festivals you can find.

Redbrick's Festival Snaps: 2016

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FEATURES

Friday 7th October 2016

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Redbrick Sport Tour the New Sports Centre Nancy Frostick & Nicola Kenton Online Editors

The first thing you’ll notice about 360 is that it’s big – and by big, we’re talking huge. It looks enormous from the outside, but it’s only once you go inside that you appreciate the full scale of it.

Despite still being a construction site when we went on a tour with Steve Harris (Assitant Sports Facility Manager), this is what we discovered about what 360 will have to offer.

Uni sport With a mix of UBSport club sessions, as well as casual classes and gym sessions, 360 will serve students much like Munrow has over the years - except the new sports centre is a better, shinier version with a Costa. 360 has a swimming pool, climbing wall, multi-use activity rooms, squash courts and the 220 station gym for students to use.

The new Munrow sports hall is big enough to host multiple sports fixtures on Wednesday afternoons, with over 800 pullout bleacher seats. Students will be encouraged to go to 360 to watch BUCS fixtures with free access on Wednesday afternoons.

For scholarship students, there is a high performance centre, which features private therapy rooms for physiotherapy sessions and other sports-related treatment.

If you’re not an elite athlete, there is plenty more on offer – don’t let the scale of 360 put you off. As Steve Harris was quick to reassure: 'We know that some people will be scared of coming into a building like this because they will think it is elitist, and that is one of the reasons why we have changed what we have got to make it more inclusive to cater for everybody.'

Another new feature that will make life much easier is a bookings app that will be launched in time for opening, so if you want to book classes, rooms or courts for recreational sport, you will be able to do it from your phone.

Online editors, Nancy Frostick and Nicola Kenton, visited the new sports centre and saw all it had to offer Community sport

Environment and tech

Part of the link between the students and local community means that 360 is to be used as a training facility and not an events space – so if you’ve heard the rumours about the swimming pool they are true(ish). The pool is actually 52m long – two metres longer than an Olympic pool – so it won’t be utilized for competitive racing events. Regardless, 360 has Birmingham’s first 50m swimming pool, 'It is about participation and letting people use it, letting the community have access to it', this means that it will not be 'sold out to people who want to take it over for a whole weekend event – that’s not what we are about at all.' Funding for the £55 million facility has not come from Sport England or any other sporting body – so 360 are under no obligation to host competitive fixtures in exchange.

A big part of linking with the local community is with school swimming sessions. An impressive system will see schools arriving through a different entrance to members and using designated changing rooms – there will even be cages to keep their 360 bags in so that they can be transported easily. 'We are trying to create a safe and secure environment for all our members, whether they are adults, children or adults with learning difficulties.' The mix of community and elite athletes is a key part of what 360 is about. 'It’s important that we get engagement with the community and the student community. You can take a child that is learning to swim and have them next to a potential Olympian. It’s all about having aspirations.'

Throughout the 360, there are separate changing spaces and individual toilets in order to ensure that everyone can use a facility in which they feel comfortable. The 'village' style changing area does not suit everyone, thus the plans included different options for everybody.

To fit with the other new buildings on campus, Steve was keen to stress on our tour that 360 is environmentally and technologically leading its field. From flooring bricks that are more durable to the usual tiles to LED lighting and humidity regulated activity rooms, 360 has all the latest technology.

Despite its size, it is environmentally friendly too - 'the whole building conforms to the university carbon footprint policy which is reduction of emissions of 20% by 2020.' 360 is also making the most of having links with certain departments on campus: 'We are looking at things like self-powered treadmills – they are not on the market at the moment. There are self-powered climbers powered using dynamos, but not treadmills, so we are working with the materials department at the moment to try and develop one.'

The activity spaces are also full of the latest technology – each room has a self-controlled sound and lighting system, and the free weight floor in the gym is built on springs so that if anyone drops weights it will not disturb the rooms below.

'If all you do is come in and do one Pilates a week, then that’s great. It is important we get the message out to everybody that it is there for anybody to use.'

What's On Offer State-of-the-art Gym containing environmentallyconscious equipment with 220 stations; nine lifting bay squat racks; an open and spacious free weights area; 100 cardio machines; and a virtual jukebox.

There will also be 'floating floors' for when people drop free weights: 'When you turn around and say what do you get for £55million- that is an example, and it is fit for purpose.'

Climbing wall behind entrance: A feature for student clubs and team building exercises not competing with other climbing walls around Birmingham.

Munrow Hall - can split in into three halls for basketball, volleyball, netball – will have over 800 pull out bleacher seats.

The pool splits into two 25m pools, and the floor moves up and down. We can divide portions of the pool up depending on what activities we have going on.

Six squash courts with moving walls to adapt the space.

Activity rooms - for pilates, dance, martial arts etc.

Each room can have humidity and heat controlled as well as lighting and music.

View from climbing wall out over Bournbrook astro/3G pitches.

FEATURES

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbricksport www.redbrick.me

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Olympic Star Backs Bud's Run Online editor Nicola Kenton went to find out about Bud's Run, an event on the University of Birmingham campus raising money for Parkinson's UK Nicola Kenton Online Editor @QueenNikNak

Bud's Run is a 5k charity fun run, in aid of Parkinson's UK and named after University of Birmingham athletics coach Bud Baldero who has the disease.

This year will see the third edition of the event take place on campus on Sunday 9th October with Olympic gold medalist and second-year student Lily Owsley the official starter for 2016.

Sports Scientist Lily said, 'I'm honoured to be supporting and running Bud's Run this year. I hope (my name might attract more people), so, it would be nice to think that I could even have a tiny influence on participation. In terms of hockey, it’s been a massive increase so I hope it can be replicated in other sports. I’m aiming to get round the course and I’ll be back to training so it will be a nice bit of recovery, knowing me and my competitive side I’ll try and do well.'

Alongside the 5k adults race, there will be a kids race, as well as a raffle, bacon sandwiches, tea, coffee, cake and sports masseurs available. After the run has finished, athletes Sara Treacy and Alison Leonard will be available to answer questions in an informal Q&A session. It's a fun day for all the family.

Who is Bud Baldero?

Bud Baldero has been an athletics coach for many years, mainly specializing in longer distance events. Some notable names include: Sara Treacy, who competed for Ireland at Rio 2016 in the 3000m Steeplechase; Hannah

England, a silver medalist in the 1500m at the 2011 World Championships; Marion Sutton, a winner of the Chicago marathon twice and Bev Nicholson, who won gold at the 1500m at the Commonwealth Games.

"Alongside the 5K adults race, there will be a kids race as well, as a raffle, bacon sandwiches, tea, coffee cake and sports masseurs available."

Bud said, 'I’ve coached a lot of people and been very privileged to work with a lot of good athletes, I’ve coached over 100 GB internationals. I’m very grateful to support the great cause that is Parkinson’s UK. For a couple of years I was in denial about my diagnosis and made my life busier than ever, I’ve always been busy but I went a bit crazy and I was wearing myself out.

After about four years, I was telling more people and it became common knowledge. My son and my daughter organised the first event and now Luke (Gunn) and Hannah (England) do a fabulous job. I’ve been very lucky and very privileged. I’m hoping to walk around with two of my grand-daughters.'

Recently, Bud was awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award by Runner’s World magazine for his services to the sport.

The award was collected by Jane Hansom, who said: 'Bud turned me from a slow plodder into a sub-three hour marathoner, and changed my life in the process.

For that I am eternally grateful.'

Bud's Run has raised over £42,000; in previous years, the run was held alongside "Bud's Bash," an evening event in the Great Hall but this year it is just the run. Sarah Wakeman, Regional Fundraiser for Parkinson's UK said of the event, 'The first couple of years we did the Bud’s Run and did the Bash in the night-time, this year we’re just doing the run which is brilliant. We’ve got 250 signed up already for the day and I’d like to get 450 because the atmosphere last year was incredible. I’m coming to cheer with a load of volunteers on the day and to help set-up. This isn’t about Parkinson’s which is why it’s such a different event, it’s because of Bud and because Bud has Parkinson’s. It’s a different type of audience that comes here, a very young running side and I love being part of it.'

The money raised funds research projects into Parkinson's disease including that of Dr Ned Jenkinson and Sarah Voets here at Birmingham, who are looking into what can be done to help movements disorders. The event is also supported by Up and Running, as well as Carillion Plc. Aidan Wheeler, Birmingham Store Manager at Up and Running, said: 'Up and Running Birmingham is proud to be a sup-

porter of Bud’s Run 2016. As a company we value the contribution the event makes to the local running community, whilst at the same time raising funds and awareness for an important charity, Parkinson’s UK. We are very much looking forward to this year’s event and making it the best Bud’s Run there has been.

See you at the start line!'

"It gets people doing their first run ever, we've teamed up with Cool Runnings here at the uni and some of them had never been in a race before."

Community and Regeneration Manager at Carillion, Neil Rudge said, 'Three years ago, our involvement was that we were building the library and part of the run was due to come through our site so we made a number of alterations. We entered and put two teams in for that. Last year we were one of the headline sponsors and we are following that again this year. Carillion is proud to support the 5K Bud's Run around the University Of Birmingham historic Edgbaston campus next to the world class Library development. Bud's Run fits in with our health initiatives as well, it’s a good alignment with what we do and we are proud to support it.'

Luke Gunn, Head of Athletics at UoB, stated, 'I have always been involved in the organisa-

tion, the first one I admit I came in quite late so Bud and his family ran the event without asking for much help for everybody; I was the commentator on the day for the race. Last year we had a lick over 400 entrants on the day, so this year we’re hoping we can get 400 finishers. Ideally I want more, at least 500 but as long as we break the record from last year.

'We try to make it affordable while also raising money for Parkinson’s UK. If it just becomes an annual event in the calendar obviously the primary aim is to raise money for Parkinson’s but what we’ve seen since then is that it gets a load of alumni back on campus. It gets people doing their first run ever, we’ve teamed up with Cool Runnings here at the uni and some of them had never been in a race before. It’s more what me and Bud are about as Athletics coaches, getting people running, personal goals.

You’ve got people running around in fancy dress who are very good runners; Olympians in there. It’s more about the actual day for us – if it was off the calendar now I’d think we’d all miss it."

What would you say to students who are doing this for the first time?

Honestly, come along and do it!

You couldn’t find a more inviting, encouraging environment and it’s not far from your student halls either. It’s all on campus and you’ll see people take it quite seriously and those who don’t at all; it’s a nice course, traffic free and you get a nice t-shirt at the end of it. It’s a proper family carnival event as well, people loiter around afterwards - it shows off Chancellor’s court in all its’ glory.

Event Information - www.budsrun.co.uk - Online entries have now closed but you can still enter on the day, just watch out for queues.

- Meet by Aston Webb - If you want to volunteer, email: l.s.gunn@bham. ac.uk with the following information - Name, Email, Phone, Emergency Contact - Help to raise money for Parkinson's UK by entering on the day and buying cakes after the race!

- Family fun day for all - Kids and Adults can both race L-R: James Fisher, Bud Baldaro, Frank Herold, Davis Sarder, Marianne Hensman, Lily Owsley, Sarah Voets, Dr Ned Jenkinson and Neil Rudge, Community Regeneration Manager, Carillion Plc

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Friday 7th October 2016

@redbrickfilm

Film Review: Free State of Jones The potential of Gary Ross' new civil war epic is squandered as the film boasts its star power but falls apart where it really counts Joe Ryan

Film Editor @JoeRyan130212

It has been said that good artists borrow and great artists steal.

Film history is littered with examples of directors taking inspiration from their particular favourites, often going on to craft some of the revered film cinema has to offer.

However, whilst copying itself can be excused, it is important to copy well and jump off with your own input. This is a lesson that Gary Ross’ (writer of Big and director of Pleasantville and The Hunger Games) based-on-a-truestory civil war epic stubbornly refuses to learn. Although punctuated with some impressive moments and a fine set of performances from the likes of Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club, Interstellar) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Belle), Ross’ lofty ambitions for this film are thwarted by bloated longueurs that kill the pace, a poor telling of an interesting story, and a lack of originality in the script and cinematography that evoke a number of better films, whilst itself being disappointingly lazy.

The film opens at the 1862 Battle of Corinth during the American Civil War. Horrified by what he sees on the battlefield, medic Newton Knight (McConaughey) deserts the Confederate army and returns home to Jones County, Mississippi.

Already a wanted man, his actions in thwarting the Confederacy’s

‘tax collection’ force him to retreat to the swamplands. There he befriends a group of runaway slaves, led by Moses Washington (an excellent turn from Mahersala Ali), and begins to fight back.

McConaughey is his usual assured self here. In particular, he is called upon to deliver a series of speeches throughout Newton’s story and, whilst the sheer number of them becomes tedious as the film wears on, in isolation they showcase the husky delivery and uncanny ability to seem unscripted that we’ve all come to expect.

His support is just as excellent, each character being played with convincing sincerity. Nicholas Brittell’s period score also deserves recognition as a wellcrafted, restrained musical accompaniment to the film.

In an unexpected move, the film intermittently cuts to 1947 Mississippi, where a descendent

"the film does no justice to the story it depicts" of Knight is on trial for miscegenation having been declared oneeighth black, calling back to a historically disputed relationship between Newton and Rachel (Mbatha-Raw), a slave woman who joins his cause. A pleasant surprise, this sub-plot is the finest aspect of the film. With expertly fluid editing between time peri-

Home Review: The Neon Demon With Nicolas Winding Refn's surreal fairytale out on Blu-ray, Redbrick Editor George Griffiths revisits one of the summer's finest films

ods, these small intermissions serve to highlight the baffling level of institutionally supported racism that continued well into the 20th century. This makes it unfortunate that, despite the films substantial 140 minute run time, this side story only gets around 10 minutes of screen-time. It feels suspiciously like the original cut of this film was a lot longer, and that much of the time they made up was cut from this segment - a real shame, as the film benefits so much from its inclusion.

However, the film does no justice to the story it depicts. For whatever reason, budgetary constraints or lack of cinematic vision, the film’s aesthetics are reminiscent of the dramatic reenactments of history from Channel 5 documentaries. This isn’t helped by the frequent updates on the progress of the war and political machinations by way of on-screen text, complete with the month and year of each notable event. The opening battle, mimicking Edward Zwick’s treatment of the Battle of Antietam in Glory, is sparse and underwhelming, littered with shots of extreme violence that nonetheless cannot hold a candle to the likes of Anthony Minghella’s phenomenal and traumatic opening to Cold Mountain. The plantations of Mississippi clearly evoke 12 Years a Slave, which it is hard not to do, but that serves only to remind the audience of a film that dealt with American South’s sordid history with slavery so much better than

George Griffiths Film Editor @georgegriffiths

‘I can’t sing. I can’t dance. I can’t write, no real talent. But I’m pretty, and I can make money off pretty,’ this is mantra recited by Elle Fanning’s doeeyed debutant Jesse early on in The Neon Demon, the eleventh film from visionary Dutch director Nicolas Winding Refn. A glacial and unnervingly posed film, The Neon Demon finds Winding Refn at his most visually extravagant and uncompromisingly incomprehensible.

Beauty is the prevalent theme and goal of The Neon Demon, both for Winding Refn as a director and the characters of the film. For the assorted, thinlydrawn models, beauty is their only form of currency, a treasured gift that can not be enhanced, nipped or tucked. And make no mistake about it, The Neon Demon is not just beautiful it’s utterly gorgeous. Winding Refn frames every shot with an intense and precise gaze and attention to detail, never before have I gasped at the pure beauty of a regurgitated eyeball lying in a pool of blood.

From gilded set-piece, to gilded set-piece we follow Jesse as she dives deeper into the dark rabbit hole of the modelling world; there’s the intense, bonkers presence of Jena Malone as make-up artist Ruby, and Bella Heathcote and Abbey Lewis as embittered rivals Gigi and Sarah.

this does.

The same accusations of unoriginality can be levelled at the story, which was such a problem that I came close to hating this film. The real life figure of Newton Knight has been obscured by history, his life is shrouded in inconsistencies and his motives and involvement with the Knight Company are not fully known.

With all this freedom to tell an interesting story (incorporating those inconsistencies by using the 1947 sub-plot is just one idea), Free State of Jones descends into the oversubscribed ‘white saviour’ motif that, if mishandled, can be one of the most cowardly, deplorable narratives in films today. Despite the potential, in a damning indictment of the film, Free State of Jones joins the com-

pany of Dances with Wolves, Avatar and The Last Samurai.

VERDICT: The accomplished performances and brief flashes of engagement are nowhere near enough to overcome the severe problems this film has. Lethargic to the point of boredom, overstretched to the point of looking tacky and historically inaccurate to the point of deplorability, Free State of Jones is fundamentally, structurally inept. It does not justify its length, nor does it tell its story with the respect or nuance it deserves.

Heathcote’s Gigi is referred to as ‘the bionic woman’ because of all the cosmetic surgery she’s had done and Lewis’ Sarah starts off as little more than a set decoration before she lunges at Jesse, tries to drink her blood and from then on in, all bets are off.

An intense visual experience of intoxicating pressure, The Neon Demon is a more imageconscious Mulholland Drive, David Lynch’s magnum opus homage to the dark magic of the movies. Lynch’s shadow looms large over the film, but Winding Refn’s allegories are, like the beauty of his characters, only skin deep. The Neon Demon is expertly posed within an inch of its life, beauty radiating out of every shot, but a piece of its soul is - rather deliberately missing, Dialogue is spaced out in between divine pauses and a

and still deeper into this nightmarish utopia of opulence, where souls are sold and youth is, quite literally, eaten in order to attain that one essence of eternal youth; beauty itself.

‘Nothing fake, nothing false.

A diamond in a sea of glass.’

That is what, in this film, true beauty means, not something gained or paid for, but an inherent quality of supreme otherness that puts you in the lap of the gods. The Neon Demon exposes this aesthetic for the charade it is, but it also partly illuminates the inherent flaws of the film itself. An allegory for what happens when people - and society - set their sights on attaining things that are, quite simply, unattainable, The Neon Demon is a visually gorgeous film, but almost everything else about it is fake and false. It’s the sheen of plastic and the dead-eyed glare of an automaton that stare back at you when you reach into the soul of this film. This is what Winding Refn intended, but you crave, as one always does, more.

VERDICT: A polarising film when it premiered at Cannes, those seeking to immerse themselves in a visual aesthetic so focused it will leave you astounded should enter the dark world of The Neon Demon. Those looking for more three dimensional pleasures should look elsewhere.

"An intense visual experience of intoxicating pressure" coherent narrative and character development are all abandoned to the wind and the film twists and poses itself anew in its final act; the film reaches what you assume to be its natural ending point, but this was all just a diversion.

Momentarily, Winding Refn takes us deeper

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FILM

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbrickfilm

I Know What You Missed Last Summer Redbrick Film takes a look at the films from the past few months that deserve your attention between now and award season Joe Ryan

Film Editor @JoeRyan130212

Breathe has a fantastic stalking presence in Stephen Lang's blind war veteran. The latest film from the the creators of the Evil Dead remake is as violent as their previous work promises, and stages an exciting and gruesome reversal of the home invasion movie.

Similarly, Light's Out plays with another trope. The monster only exists if the lights go out.

So keep them on, right? It might not be that simple. Although not as good as the short film that spawned it, this is still a refreshing take on a tired formula.

Of course, international cinema continues its strong representation in British cinema.

Studio Ghibli added to their strong filmography with When Marnie Was There. Matteo Garrone's english language debut Tale of Tales is a wonderfully twisted fairytale replete with international talent that ranks highly in the year's best films so far.

Colombian direct Ciro Guerra's phenomenal Embrace of the Serpent needs little introduction at this point. The only reason it is included here is because there are still people out there who haven't seen it, and they need to.

Chevalier is a high-spirited and heartfelt Greek comedy with the truly unique premise of sixfriends competing in a series of increasingly bizarre challenges to be crowned the best man.

Conversely The Wait is a lowkey and slightly absurd drama that nonetheless showcases Juliette Binoche at her absolute best.

American indie auteur Todd Solondz gave us the blacklycomic portmanteau WienerDog, taking a look the dashed hopes and disappointments of life through the successive owners of a small dachshund. As bleak as it is, as many Solondz fans will be expecting, it is also genuinely funny.

To finish, one more reccomendation. Jeff Bridges, Ben Foster and the director of Starred Up have made a hard-edged bank-robbery thriller in Texas with clear evocations of No Country for Old Men. It's called Hell or High Water. See this film.

As autumn sets in and more and more daylight hours are sacrificed to the library, you could either spend your evenings on Broad Street or catching up on the finest films from the past three months that you most likely didn't get a chance to see on release. The relatively weak showing The abyss stares back: Tom Sweet in Childhood of a Leader from Hollywood this summer has given greater expo- moment, Traders is a taught, sure to some fantastic pieces that violent thriller about an online would otherwise have been community based around barepushed to the bottom of the knuckle fights to the death for screen listing. With that in mind, bags full of money. A well there really should be something thought out, intriguing satire on on here for you. the financial crash's impact on As The Neon Demon hit cin- attidues to money and job secuemas, another film was explor- rity, the film isn't perfect but ing how the rise of fascism man- well worth a watch. ifests itself in the infancy of a A separate, less-believable future dictator. Childhood of a and somehow 100% more real Leader is Brady Corbet's direc- internet presence is Jane O-Brien torial debut and a towering exer- Media, the subject of the New cise in measured filmmaking. A Zealand documentary Tickled. slow yet deliberate pace with a Loath as I am to reveal too much phenomenally aggresive score about this film, suffice it to say and a fantastic set of perform- that I have seen it, since ances all helps to craft a film of researched it and am currently depth and richness that's quite describing it as a documentary unlike anything released in the and I still don't quite believe that past ten years. Newcomer Tom it is real.

Sweet's performance as the There were a number of other young Preston (distinctly evok- sobering, thought-provoking ing The Omen's Damien) shines documentaries released. Chief with a creeping malice of indeci- among them is Gianfranco Rosi's Fire at Sea, a timely film about the migrant 'crisis' from the persepctive of a young boy on the southern mediterranean island of Lampedusa.

The film, thematically linked to neorealism, is a moving way to keep a human tragedy we're often too quick to forget in the public consciousness.

'Deeply affecting': Notes on Blindness Closer to home, Notes on pherable intent. A political thrill- Blindness is a deeply affecting er, a Freudian character piece documentary adopting a mimedand a drama about the effects of dramatization technique to bring a dysfunctional family dynamic to life Birmingham University on a child's formative years, theology professor John Hull's whatever you take from it, this is self-recorded tapes, chronicling an excellent film. his adjustment to suddenly losFor a more upbeat coming- ing his sight. It is rare to gain of-age movie, there's always true insight into what it is to be Sing Street. School of Rock in blind through art, this ranks Dublin comes close to describ- alongside Stephen Kuusisto's ing John Carney's heartwarming excellent book Planet of the film about teenage love and 80s Blind as an exception to that nostalgia. Fan of The Clash, The rule.

Smiths or Duran-Duran, or none Blindness was also a major of the above, its well worth your theme of one of the two interesttime. ing horror films released during Todd Solondz's Wiener-Dog is perhaps the directors best Staying in Ireland for a the summer months. Don't film to date

"The relatively weak showing from Hollywood this summer has given greater exposure to some fantastic pieces"

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Film News Harry Acheson Film Critic

On it’s quest to remake their vault of animation films, Disney have decided to modernise The Lion King. They have put this in the hands of Jon Favreau, who already succeeded earlier this year with his live-action The Jungle Book. Favreau could also be held responsible for kick-starting the MCU, with Iron Man, which would later become Disney-owned. The studio has already delved into live-action remakes of Cinderella, and the soon to be released Beauty and the Beast, so it’ll be interesting to see how this fan favourite pans out.

Justin Lin, the director responsible for the Fast & Furious franchise’s success, is directing the longidling Hot Wheels movie. The project has been sat inactive for several years, jumping between different production companies but has never got its wheels off the ground. The rights have passed between Sony, Warner and now Legendary who are hoping that Lin’s success in the Fast franchise will apply to this car-centric project. Apparently, Lin and his crew are to scrap previous scripts and start afresh with a new writer.

However, this will not immediately follow his recent hit Star Trek Beyond, as there is still a lot to be done in pre-production.

All aboard the Murder on the Orient Express as more names have been added to the ensemble cast. Johnny Depp, Daisy Ridley, Judi Dench, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Michael Pena have joined Fox’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. Kenneth Branagh will direct and star as Hercule Poirot investigating the murder of a wealthy American travelling on the famous train, but is burdened with numerous suspects.

Branagh has called it ‘mysterious, compelling, and unsettling’. Production begins in November.

M. Night Shyamalan and Fox are developing a TV animated comedy, with the help of Family Guy writer/producer, Alex Carter.

Eleven Little Indians will follow three parts of a large Indian family; one has achieved the ‘American Dream’, another has just arrived in the US, and the last is in a state of dysfunction. This marks a break into comedy for Shyamalan, largely known for supernatural thrillers, such as The Sixth Sense and Signs. Eleven Little Indians has potential to be a refreshing new member of the animated comedy scene, especially with Shyamalan behind it.

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TELEVISION

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbricktv

Interview: Lucy Porter

Paige Tracey TV Critic @the_paigetracey

A favourite on the bread and butter programming of British television, Lucy Porter has had a pretty packed career to date. The 4 ft 11 comedienne, who originally began work as a journalist, has graced our screens with appearances on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Have I Got News For You, Mock The Week and QI. She was also a regular warm up act for television series screenings of The Mitchell and Webb Look at the BBC Television Centre.

'My favourite TV appearance to date, however would have to have been when I won Celebrity Mastermind,' Lucy tells me.

'Sitting in the big chair, with John Humphries giving me his best stare was an incredible experience. I won with my specialist subject, the Life and Works of Steve Martin. I did originally want to do British Confectionary of the late 20th/ early 21st century, but they wouldn’t let me have that one!

Sweets and quizzes are my biggest passions, other than comedy; I’m a complete pub quiz

nerd.' She laughs as I make my own, frail attempt at being a comedian, telling her she is 'very sweet' as she describes how she hands out confectionary to the audience at her shows.

Despite being married with two children, Lucy’s excitable personality indicates she is never too far from her inner child herself. 'Having children has definitely made me more confident on stage,' she exclaims, 'once

'My favourite TV

appearance to date, however would have to be when I won Celebrity mastermind' you’ve been through childbirth, everything else is a doddle!'

This new found confidence seems to be a far cry from the person Lucy was when she first began her comedy career, while working in her new job upon graduating from the University of Manchester. 'I’d always been interested in comedy, but was never quite sure how to go about

it. I wanted to be a really serious journalist, like a war correspondent for the BBC. However every time I wrote something serious, people would just find it funny!

In virtue of not being taken seriously, I thought I’d give comedy a try.' She describes how she selected a venue far enough away from her home in Manchester, so that if her first gig was really awful, no one she knew would be there to witness it. 'I went to the student comedy club in Chester. Its where comedians such as Peter Kay and Johnny Vegas began their careers. They had these “comedy police” there, who came onto the stage making a “woo woo” sound, and walked you off if your act was terrible. I wasn’t “woo wooed” though, and I actually missed the last train back to Manchester because I was celebrating so much. The gig went that well! Stand up is addictive – once you do it, you then want to keep on doing gigs.

I began to do more shows, trying new material and finding out what my comedy voice was.

Eventually I got a show together to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival back in 2001.

That was an amazing experience; I love the festival so much.

Review: Marvel's Luke Cage Harry Turner Deputy Editor @acynicalsloth

Unlike Marvel-Netflix’s other shows, Luke Cage has much less to work with when it comes to established stories. It says something, then, that the show does a very good job in its opening episode of establishing some solid thematic foundations for proceedings. The premiere is made intriguing to watch with its focus on race politics. Luke Cage doesn’t shy away from the real-world significance of having a bullet-proof black man as a protagonist – with the Black Lives Matter name being dropped at least once in the premiere. Indeed, if Jessica Jones is a feminist superhero story, then Luke Cage is perhaps the African American equivalent.

Similarly, Cage himself

comes off well in the premiere.

The character especially comes into his own in the premiere’s asskicking climax – his silent-type persona working really well when it came to fighting a group of street thugs.

Yet for all this, there are some issues – issues that are perhaps only so noticeable because of how impressive Marvel-Netflix’s other outings have been. Chief among them is that the premiere doesn’t have the strong central antagonist found in the likes of Jessica Jones and Daredevil. Cottonmouth doesn't leave quite the impression that the likes of Wilson Fisk and Kilgrave did in their shows' premieres. Whilst there’s still a whole season yet to further develop these antagonists, the fact that both Daredevil and Jessica Jones leaned heavily on their villains in their success, and that these villains both enjoyed much stronger introductions, is perhaps some-

thing worth noting.

Separate to its Netflix neighbours entirely, the premiere also suffers from its soundtrack. Whilst the hip-hop and jazz tracks were welcome and added to the show’s aesthetic, having lyrics concerning a man working two jobs as Luke Cage works his second, or lyrics about a man in a suit as Cage is forced into one, did take me out of the show, and left me wondering if I was watching a musical rather than a superhero drama. It’s not a big issue, but it was a notable one that I hope will be toned back in the episodes to come.

In sum, then, Marvel’s Luke Cage enjoys a good premiere – if one weakened by the lofty shows that it’s following after. It’s worth watching if you enjoyed MarvelNetflix’s other shows, but whether it will be as interchangeably excellent as the likes of Daredevil and Jessica Jones are, only time will tell.

It’s just like being back at uni- mine to perform at when I toured versity when you are there. No on the university gig circuit. It one is taking themselves too has a beautiful campus, but also seriously.' plenty of crazy students! I’d Upon her comedy voice, love as many of them as possiLucy states that her comedy is ble to come and see me live.' 'very chatty and conversation In terms of future plans, based. I do a little bit of politics, Lucy believes that in addition to a little bit of observational stuff, her stand up tours, her destiny but mostly its just aneclies in writing comedy dotes from my life. scripts for other peoAnnoying things ple. 'I’ve just writthat my husband ten a sitcom that’s does is a recurgoing to be aired ring theme! on Radio 4. You Lucy Porter That’s one of see, the probthe things I love lem with has appeared about stand-up; appearing on I change my television is on shows routine quite a that you get such as QI lot, and every recognised. I’m show is different not even that dependant on what comfortable with arena I am in.' the small amount of Lucy brings her new fame I have now! comedy show, Consequences, Working behind the scenes, to the Birmingham Old Rep and producing material for Theatre on 27th January 2017. excellent actors and actresses is 'If you come along, there will the kind of project I now enjoy definitely be some sweets!' she the most. Of course I will be on retorts. 'In all seriousness, I want your TV screens again in the to say to the students at the future. However it is performing University of Birmingham, keep on stage, and writing where I doing what you are doing. You feel most free as a comedian.' are at one of the finest institutions in the country, and it was always a favourite venue of

TELEVISION

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbricktv

Meet the New TV Editors The new editors reveal their top TV picks and guilty pleasures James Tyson TV Editor @JamesTyson06

Lara Billington TV Editor @Lara_Billington

Tamsin Hackett TV Editor @tamsinailish

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CJ De Mooi: Murderer or Just Innocent Egg Head?

James Tyson

Agree? Disagree?

Tweet us your opinions @RedbrickTV

TV Editor @JamesTyson06

Our Favourite Programmes Lara Says: If you ask me, you can't beat a good episode of Friends. When there's nothing else on TV you know you can rely on Comedy Central to provide you with half an hour of pure joy. Monica, Rachel, Pheobe, Ross, Chandler and Joey are forever entertaining and you can watch each epsiode over and over.

James Says: Orange is the New Black for sure! I love this Netflix original and always end up binging it. The constant cliff hangers and flashbacks keep this show interesting in every ep! I can't wait for the next series to come out and find out if Diya actually shot that guard and ruined her chances of getting out! I'm still struggling to recover from the death of Pousssay and it leads me to wonder who is going to take over her role of making the women's hooch.

Tamsin Says: I love anything with Louis Theroux. I always watch his documentaries, and I'm looking foward to My Scientology Movie.

Our Guilty Pleasures Tamsin says: My guilty pleasure is definitely Keeping Up With the Kardashians! I know in the back of my head that this show is utter rubbish but I just find it so entertaining and easy to watch. Their lives are ridiculous and so far from anything we know, making everything they do something out of the ordinary.

Lara says: Mine is Tipping Point. I'll watch any game show, I love playing along and get embarrassingly worked up over the contestants.

James Says: Embarrasingly, I love The Chase. I can't help hoping that the chaser will be Anne Hegerty in every episode, or as she is otherwise known 'frosty knickers' or 'the Governess'. Sometimes when I can't get my fix of Anne I head over to The Chase Australia. I am always torn over whether I want the contestants to win or if I support Anne no matter what.

Looking Forward James Says: For me, it has got to be How to Get Away With Murder! The new series, coming in October, promises to have a now murder throwing the characters back into turmoil.

Tamsin Says: I'm definitely looking forward to the return of the Gilmore Girls. I watched this programme when I was younger and have seen it many times since then. I am so excited that Netflix has rebooted the series for four 90 minute episodes, returning on November 25th. I'm addicted to this show and so curious what has come of all the characters.

Lara Says: After last season's cliff hanger, I'm most looking foward to The Walking Dead season 7. I need to find out which character was killed by Negan. If it turns out to be Daryl I will be devestated!

What Not to Watch Lara Says: Jeremy Kyle's Emergency Room is shocking TV. Don't get me wrong, I Iike an episode of The Jeremy Kyle Show, but what is he doing in a fake hospital trying to give people mefdical advice? Get back to the day job Jeremy.

James Says: Controversially, I cannot stand Breaking Bad. I have tried watching it three times and I just can't break the wall. I don't know what the hype is about, it just deosn't appeal to me at all. The only series I struggle to watch.

Tamsin Says: I hate Hollyoaks! I quite like soap operas, but I just cannot stand Hollyoaks! I just find it so forced and fake, with the worst acting I have ever seen. I don't know what it is but as soon as I hear the theme tune I beg my housemates to change the channel. Definitely something to stay away from.

After being an Egghead for 13 years, 46- year-old CJ was detained last week under a European arrest warrant at Heathrow Airport after landing at Terminal 3 following a business trip to South Africa.

De Mooi is facing extradition over an alleged killing which he appears to confess to in is autobiography. This incident is thought to have happened in 1988 in Amsterdam, where De Mooi was living at the time, homeless and penniless working as a prostitute. When talking about the incident with the drug addict who was attempting to mug him in his 2015 book CJ: The Autobiography of CJ de Mooi, he claims 'He caught me on the wrong day and I just snapped.' He continued to say 'I fully suspect I killed him. I've no idea what happened to him.'

CJ is not one for avoiding controversy and standing up for his beliefs. In 2011 he professed to have been stopped from presenting the prizes at the British Chess Championships for wearing a T-shirt promoting the gay rights organisation, Stonewall.

De Mooi, was released on bail to appear at the court on November 28, for an extradition hearing and tweeted to his fans 'Good morning shiny friends.

Have a fabulous Sunday and always keep smiling.'

Even if CJ gets cleared of these charges, will he ever be able to recover from this slander? Will Eggheads ever be the same again?

What do you think?

Did CJ do all of this for publicity of his autobiography or is this egg cracked?

GAMING

20

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbrickgames

EGX 2016 | Hands-on: Dishonored 2 James Marvin walks us through the Clockwork Mansion, the first global hands-on demo for Dishonored 2 from this year's EGX James Marvin Gaming Editor @js_marvin

Dishonored 2 is easily one of the most hyped and talked about titles of this year, following the success of its predecessor back in 2012. If you don’t believe me you can check out the line at the Dishonored 2 booth at EGX this year, it was monstrous. After squeezing in time at the global first hands on demo for Arkane Studios’ latest, to play the level as both Corvo and Emily (the game’s two playable protagonists), I came to the conclusion that Dishonored 2 should be on every gamer’s radar this November.

The mission on show took place in the luxurious and ludicrous home of one Kirin Jindosh, the Grand Inventor to the Duke of Serkonos. It opens with the player, as either Corvo or Emily, arriving via a monorail-style carriage right at the steps of Jindosh’s mansion. We have been sent here to not only deal with Jindosh himself but to rescue one Anton Sokolov, a returning character from the first game. One thing definitely to note, and is obvious from the outset, is the stunning art direction and visual style of the city of Karnaca, thanks to the work of Sebastien Mitton and his team. The stunning detail you find both inside and outside the mansion, which is the focal point of this mission, is unreal. My personal highlight was how the sunset lay over the stunning vista of Karnaca, far in the distance, reflecting and glistening off the waves of the bay. Dishonored 2 is definitely going to be one of, if

not the, most stunning looking video game to come out of 2016 in my mind. The unique style from the first game is carried over completely intact with the fantastically realised additions of a southern Europe inspiration to the locale of the sequel. I for one cannot wait to blink across the rooftops of Karnaca in the full release. I spent most of my time in the demo in awe of the sheer beauty of the game; both inside and out of the main mission area.

When we enter Jindosh’s mansion however, it is quite clear from that first step through the front door that things are about to go from beautiful and fuzzy, to downright brutal very soon. As you make your way to the first objective you can find small bits of written documents and audiographs that hint to the wider story of the game and flesh out the goings on of why we are here.

For those wondering however if the choice of Corvo or Emily as your character affects dialogue and story, I took away from this that things are about 95% the same. For instance, you first encounter Jindosh in a very James Bond-esque villain fashion, as he taunts you from behind a glass door explaining his plan. His dialogue here, whilst excellently delivered and written, is only slightly different and this is only in the sense that he is addressing two completely different people in his descriptions of Corvo and Emily. The real difference between the two protagonists, are their power sets, that are gifted to them by the mysterious Outsider.

The most striking difference I took away from the difference in powers, is how they make you as a player assess and deal with each

situation. I found that Corvo feels more like a traditional and slower paced stealth setup. The latter is even a literal statement, as Corvo is the character that has the Time Bend power at his disposal. In my Corvo play through, I found myself thinking more in-depth with how I was going to move forward. Scoping out and waiting to learn each guard’s patterns of movement and either silently slithering past or quietly executing each individual. The key to success felt as if it lay in being patient rather than hasty.

I found the opposite to be true of Emily. Whilst of course she still plays in a stealthy style, I felt more inclined to play much more aggressively due to her power set. For instance, with the use of the Far Reach and Domino powers I could link the minds of each enemy in the room, fling myself over and to the back of a single enemy and in one swing of my sword let the bodies hit the floor. This too applied to when things go horribly wrong. Whilst both Corvo and Emily are adept at defending themselves in a more combat heavy scenario, I found it much easier to dispatch my foes with Emily simply due to the insanely agile nature of her power set. I don’t think I’ve ever felt something as satisfying as leaping over one man’s head, cutting him down and then effortlessly landing with a headshot to the next goon in sight. Yet even with that cutting down a Clockwork Soldier in slowmotion as Corvo was also equally sensational. Essentially it boils down to that Corvo is more slow and methodical, whilst Emily is more fast-paced and aggressive.

Both have their pros and cons and

we'll definitely see the majority of players go through twice, to experience each level in a different style of play.

Speaking of missions and mission design, if the home of Kirin Jindosh is anything to go by, we can look forward to some absolutely brilliant and well thought out missions in the full release. There are certain intricacies prevalent from what I saw in the demo. The way that the rooms of the mansion can completely reconfigure their layout at the flip of the switch, which can sometimes lead to a before unseen route to your objective. The fact that other people and I discussed afterwards the different ways and routes we took to complete the task at hand really highlighted how different each players experience of a level could be. I think the potential for exploration and the replay value of the game is something that is clearly at the forefront of the experience of Dishonored 2 as a whole.

I can sure see myself exploring every nook and cranny for that one secret alley way or window that could lead to an effortless completion.

All in all the first global hands on of Dishonored 2 from EGX this year blew me away. I wasn’t overly hyped for the next game in the series, the trailers and pre-release footage didn’t do much to tempt me. This however has made me do a huge 180 and I will definitely be picking up Dishonored 2 when it launches this November.

"Dishonored 2 from EGX this year blew me away"

Do you have opinions on this article? Let us know: @RedbrickGames

EGX 2016 | Hands-on: RIGS Mechanized Combat League (PSVR) Mason Cusack Writer @MasonCusack

If you see PSVR in action and don't think "I want a mech game for this", you're a monster.

Developed by Guerrilla Cambridge of Killzone Mercenary fame, RIGS Mechanized Combat League (though "RIGS" is fine too), puts you at the centre of a wonderful future in which mechs aren't used by Jeff Bridges for an attempt at world domination, but rather for a fun sport in which they shoot each other to build up "overdrive", which is used to jump through a hoop at the centre of a giant arena and score points. It's essentially a fast-paced, circlestrafing shooter/sports game, in which nobody dies. Imagine a mix of Doom and Rocket League, with Rocket League's setting and age rating, in VR. Undoubtedly the coolest part of RIGS is the feeling of looking at and being placed in your mech.

You unfortunately don't use PlayStation Move controllers to get the kind of 1-to-1 arm movement you might see in the mechs from Pacific Rim or Avatar, but seeing and sitting in your mech is

still a fairly magical experience.

Even having the mech I chose revealed (one of six options) and getting a sense of its imposing scale was really cool.

Movement - using the DualShock 4 to control things was a little difficult to get used to.

As you run and jump around the arena, you use thumb sticks for traditional shooter controls, while aiming your arm-mounted guns using your head; as they follow the direction you're looking in.

This can create a disconnect between where you're facing and expecting to run (as in real life), and where you actually go when you push the left thumb stick forward. For the sake of making use of the VR, and maintaining precision and freedom in the shooting, it seemed like this was the best option Guerrilla Cambridge could have taken for control of the mech, but that doesn't mean it's optimal.

I was left wondering whether without a VR treadmill and 1-to-1 mapping of your arm movement using PlayStation Move or Vive controllers - it was at all possible to create the feeling that you're actually one with this giant piece of virtual machinery.

What may have worked better is using the precise head tracking

offered by PSVR, for the same 360 degree view around the inside of your mech, while restricting aiming to the right thumb stick.

Then again, this offers accessibilCaptions go in theUsing corner the of pictures ity problems. direcand shouldn't be hyphenated tion of your head for mouse-like precision and ease of use was a key feature of many VR games in both the indie and triple-A spaces at EGX, as developers want anyone to be able to play their games, and presumably counteract the intimidation VR platforms typically elicit, particularly from casual consumers.

RIGS is also limited by what seems to be PS4's current generation struggle to support high-end graphics, while providing the power needed for VR to run. I don't know whether I was playing an alpha or beta build of the game - RIGS launches on October 13th, so I would hope the most recent build was the one being shown off - but regardless, whilst the VR effectively tricked my brain into thinking I was really occupying this world, poor textures and a general lack of polish and depth to

parts of RIGS (including pixelated decals on the mech in plain view, and my creepily silent fellow pilots' fairly generic celebratory animations as showcased in backstage scenes) frequently had the opposite effect, breaking the immersion. Hopefully the graphical issues are fixed in the PS4 Pro version.

After getting used to the somewhat janky controls, I scored a few points and had some fun, and I have to give props to a studio formerly only known only for a PS Vita title, for taking on such a task and producing something enjoyable and original. Would I recommend you check RIGS out?

Sure - it's a nice VR demo, with a few glimmers of magic every so often. Is it going to prove VR is the next great step in gaming?

Probably not. Could it inspire future games that do create a popular mech-battling VR e-sport?

Possibly. As shown at EGX, RIGS is a neat idea executed decently, and that's about it. I'll watch the birth and progression of VR e-sports with interest, but if I were one of PSVR's early adopters, I might pick up this game eventually, but not for its launch price.

GAMING

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbrickgames

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EGX 2016 | Hands-on: Little Nightmares Roshni Patel shares her experience of 'The Maw' in Tarsier Studios' latest title Roshni Patel Gaming Editor @roshofalltrades

I first heard about Little Nightmares from the coverage of Gamescom, where Tarsier Studios had created quite a buzz with the debut of their quirky horror game, which also scooped up the coveted Gamescom indie award. And after reading the initial hands on pieces after the expo, I knew I had to play Tarsier Studios’ (known for Little Big Planet and Tearaway Unfolded) Little Nightmares when it came to EGX.

Little Nightmares is a horror puzzle-platformer, where the aim of the narrative is to keep you constantly on edge as you play. Set in the ‘luxury’ underwater cruise ship, chillingly named 'The Maw', where visitors can board and fulfil their darkest desires. While The Maw is a luxury escape for some and a home for others, for some, The Maw is their prison; the place where they’re the least safe. Six, our protagonist for this 3rd person narrative, is one of these poor unfortunate souls trapped upon The Maw, where everything is so much bigger than her and everything is potentially dangerous. We join Six as she embarks on her epic quest to escape The Maw and evade those who would wish her harm.

A task which is much easier said than actually done, as I soon found out when I went over to the quirkily designed Little Nightmares booth on the show floor. Putting on the headphones and gripping the PS4 controller in my hands, I was immediately immersed in the game from the music which fit the mood of the scenarios perfectly, to the rumbling controller, which

indicated danger, heightening your fear. Armed with only my wits and a lighter, Six and I began our escape.

Beginning in a fairly safe bedroom where we could play around and get a sense of the childlike playfulness, before we worked out how to open the door and headed out into the dark unknown. An elevator trip later and we finally find out what all the fuss was about as we came face to face with one of The Maw’s inhabitants, a grotesque and creepy chef, whose very appearance screams danger for Six. The task, of course, was to pass the chef and escape the room without being captured. The only issue was that I wasn’t very good at this. Whilst there were plenty of places to hide, the chef was notoriously observant, often turning in time to see me slip across to another hiding place, shrieking in my ears, rumbling my controller and sending my heart hammering as I ran to safety.

For the sake of pride, I’d really like to tell you I made it to the end of the demo, but unfortunately, I was caught by the cook far too many times and had to stop before

"Play for as long as your heart can take it"

my heart gave out. Perhaps I’m a scaredy-cat, but all around me in the Little Nightmares booth were other scared gamers, who were just as alarmed and tense as the chef ran menacingly across the kitchen towards Six. Sufficiently scared, I ambled to the developers' stage to hear what Tarsier Studio’s CEO Ola Holmdahl had to say about their game. Formerly called ‘Hunger’, Little Nightmares was ruthlessly iterated and rose from the ashes of Tarsier Studios’ long cancelled City of Metronome. While you’ll wish you could bring a friend to help you escape The Maw from time to time, Holmdahl was very insistent that the game would firmly remain single player. Another common question was about the game's unique narrative, which is entirely dialogue devoid, with not a scrap of speech, description or cutscene to aid your escape or describe the world and lore around you. The story is heavily left to interpretation and inference, with the hopes that by the end you will get the gist of the story, through the journey taken

and the exaggeration of features and sounds. However Holmdahl didn’t dismiss the idea of companion material to better tell the story.

Overall Little Nightmares was highly enjoyable, even if it did take me about 5 minutes to calm myself back down. While not everyone has the same fears, this game certainly had me on the edge of my seat and I wasn’t even sitting! My quote as I was recommending it to others was: “Play for as long as your heart can take it” and “Don’t play if you have any heart conditions”. It was a really enjoyable game to experience and I didn’t find that watching the developers and steady gamers playing through the game without incident did the game justice, as you didn’t feel the same fear watching as you did playing. Regardless, I was positively raving about this game for the rest of the show and it's definitely on my to buy list when it's released in the Spring 2017.

"...for some, The Maw is their prison"

Do you have opinions on this article? Let us know: @RedbrickGames

EGX 2016 | Hands-on: Final Fantasy XV James Lentschner gives us his hands-on for Square Enix's latest epic James Lentschner Gaming Editor @JLentschner

It’s about time! Now that I’ve got the mandatory comment about just how long this game has taken to see the light of day out the way, I’ll get onto actually talking about the game itself. Final Fantasy is a series that has succeeded in producing a large number of iconic moments in gaming history, and after my hands on with Final Fantasy XV, the series doesn’t seem set to stop anytime soon.

The EGX hands on dropped me straight into a garage in the middle of a desert with a broken car, my three friends and an assortment of large weapons. Five minutes later in true JRPG style I was fighting a swarm of large desert monsters to somehow pay the mechanic to fix my car so I could get out the middle of scenic nowhere. This all sounds very odd to those not initiated in the JRPG genre I’m aware, but surprisingly the game was excellent at not making these, what were essentially tutorial missions; seem forced or boring. These missions also introduced the basics of what promises to be interesting and immersive game mechanics if implemented properly throughout the whole game. These include multiple conversation choices that help you shape the character of your protagonist, a day and night cycle complete with camping while in the wildness allowing you to level up and upgrade your abilities and, once your car is fixed, the

ability to drive through scenic backdrops. These features all tied into the missions seamlessly and did a lot for creating a sense of immersion and realism in a fantasy setting. In my short time with the game it also managed to give the impression of having an incredibly interesting plot, with the 4 main characters all delivering clues as to the main plot of the game, through their involvement with the organisation known as the Crownguards.

There also appears to be a budding romance subplot between your character Noctis and the princess of the kingdom he protects.

Very cliché, yes, but practically necessary in any JRPG. Although the time I had with the game was short, it did a lot to make me have faith that the story should be more engaging and exciting than some of the previous instalments in the series, which personally I felt were, let’s say, lacking in the narrative element.

Now let’s move onto the exciting stuff – combat. Simply put, the combat is the most enjoyable combat I remember playing in a game in a long time, and the new warping mechanic plays a huge role in this. Warping gives you the option of completely changing position in a battle, be it to take an enemy unawares or avoid damage from an enemy completely. You may think this would serve to break the flow of combat, however, this isn’t case, as in an instant and at the push of a button you are right back

in the thick of battle. You also have the option of warping to specific locations above the battlefield during a battle to recover health when you aren’t doing so well, and while this is useful for extended fights and as a way of recovering from mistakes, it does ruin the immersion slightly to just hang around above an enemy while they look at you waiting to come down.

Defending, however, proves to be quite difficult.

In the handy post battle performance review the game seems to be almost waiting to give you every time an enemy even glances in your direction, I found that I was consistently receiving A or S grades for attack, and around a D or C for defense.

This will most likely come down to practice as the game flashes you a command to defend when an enemy attacks, and you have about a half-second to register and respond to this before the enemy decides to show you the meaning of pain. Although frustrating at times, I believe this will actually do a lot to help keep the game quite intense, as from experience with Square Enix games (including the second fight with Demyx in Kingdom Hearts 2 which still gives me a kind of Vietnam flashback), fights later in the game can be incredibly unforgiving and punish mistakes heavily. To summarise it all I would say the combat system and its mechanics are very easy to learn and enjoy, but provided quite a high skill ceiling for

"there is truly something here for everyone"

those looking to truly master them, features necessary for a truly great experience for every type of player.

All of this is tied into what is truly one of the most visually impressive RPG's I’ve ever seen.

Although I was in the rather unexciting landscape of a desert, the game excels on proving just what a game of this generation is capable of, boasting vast spaces and an environment that feels both immersive and interactive without feeling it needs to cluster every empty space with interactions for the player. Final Fantasy XV has been in development for over a decade, and this time has led to what promises to be a huge amount of gameplay, there being plenty to keep me occupied for hours just in the desert landscape alone. Teasers and glimpses of the big cities and other lands om offer show just the right amount to entice the player into exploring

as much of the epic fantasy world as they can.

All in all, my short time with the game did enough to make me do something I rarely ever do with a game anymore, pre-order. I saw enough in the time I was given and enjoyed the experience so intensely that I will be beyond surprised if the full game turns out to be anything short of amazing.

Final Fantasy is a series that can be hard to just pick up and fully get into without knowing an encyclopaedia of information, but that’s where I feel the strength of FFXV really lies, there is truly something here for everyone.

There were a lot of big games on display at EGX, but few came even close to promising anything on the same scale as Final Fantasy XV.

Do you have opinions on this article? Let us know: @RedbrickGames

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SCI & TECH

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbricktech

UN to Tackle Drug-Resistant Infections

Creature Feature

United Nations collectively sign agreement to eradicate one of the biggest The Pink Fairy health threats of our time - antibiotic resistance Armadillo Rachel Kahn Sci & Tech Writer @rachellk96

All 193 countries of the United Nation have recently signed an agreement, aiming to eliminate drug-resistant infections. The UN have only collectively agreed to put essential resources into combatting a healthcare issue four times previously, with the last time being back in 2013 when the Ebola crisis hit.

Antibiotic resistant infections pose one of the biggest health threats of our time, with current predications advising that more people will die of resistant infections by 2050

193 Countries (all of the UN) have recently signed the agreement than cancer.

Common procedures will be impossible to carry out and chemotherapy could no longer be given to patients, leaving society in an ‘antibiotic apocalypse’, unable to treat conditions commonly treated today.

Resistance to antibiotics can occur when a single bacterium

mutates and this can occur in a number of different ways.

Antibiotics work by targeting a unique property of bacteria, not seen in humans, allowing the anti-

'Drug resistant infections are currently believed to kill more than 700,000 people a year' biotic to kill the bacteria without harming us as the host. However, many bacterial species have evolved ways to mutate their genes, thus changing the original feature that the antibiotic would target. Once a bacterium has mutated, it can pass on the gene that confers resistance to further bacterium, through a process known as conjugation.

Overusing antibiotics from over-prescription and use in industries, such as agriculture, familiarise bacterial species with the drug, and this repeated exposure increases the likelihood of the bacteria being able to mutate and evolve into an increasingly powerful strain. Incorrect antibiotic prescription can be when patients take the drug for viral infections such as a cold or the flu. At times this can be difficult to decipher; for example, the common condition Tonsillitis can be

caused by either bacteria or viruses and thus there is rapid intent to create a test distinguishing a bacterial from a viral infection. This is something that UK initiatives such as the Longitude Prize are already aiming to do.

The United Nations agreement states that the countries will rethink how they sell antimicrobial medicines for use in animals as well as human medical use.

They will also further encourage innovative development of new antibiotics. There is also a call to inform both healthcare professionals and the general population about how we ourselves can prevent drug resistant infections developing further.

Here in the UK, we’ve played an essential role in trying to create a global agenda to eradicate so called ‘superbugs’ and stop resistant infections. The University of Birmingham has the Institute of Microbiology and Infection, home to the largest group of microbiol-

ogists in Europe, and one of the biggest teams in the world.

Drug resistant infections are currently believed to kill more than 700,000 people a year and that number is set to rapidly increase. Ban Ki-Moon, the UN secretary general says, 'If we fail to address this problem quickly and comprehensively, antimicrobial resistance will make providing high-quality universal healthcare coverage more difficult, if not impossible'.

This bold quote highlights what a fragile position we could be potentially put in if new antibiotics aren’t developed, and if responsibility isn’t taken to correctly use and prescribe antibiotics. This declaration is a positive move forward regarding antimicrobial resistance and something the UK government and UK scientists, including those at the university, will remain heavily involved in.

Elephant Populations in Decline IUCN report suggests that poaching due to the ivory trade is the main driving factor of a reduction in elephant numbers Ellen Daugherty Sci & Tech Editor

Planet Earth's friendly giants are in serious danger, as the IUCN’s African Elephant Status Report determines that the poaching surge is not due to slow down any time soon.

You may have seen more ele-

phant related news articles over the past few weeks - this is due to the African Elephant Status Report providing a wake up call for conservationists around the world. It called for people to sit up and pay attention to the shocking state of affairs that has led to huge declines of one of the worlds most majestic forms of life. The report shows that the poaching surge in Africa

started around 10 years ago, and since then the elephant population across sub-Saharan Africa has collapsed by about 111,000.

At the UN wildlife conference Captions go in the corner of pictures in Johannesburg, South Africa, and shouldn't be hyphenated the International Union for Conservation of Nature presented a non-binding proposal to ban all domestic ivory markets. Despite international ivory trade being banned in 1989, domestic trade has unfortunately continued in many other countries around the world. This is mainly due to its supposed medicinal qualities, despite this constantly being disproved by scientists.

Although this is a step forward in the legislation of elephant protection, the ban is not legally binding, and Japan have refused to take part, because of the country's large domestic ivory trade.

As result, there is still much that needs to be done if the wild elephant population is to be saved.

Looking on the bright side, 183 countries have signed up for participation of the ban, showing the growing interest from countries all over the world to conserve our largest terrestrial mammal.

Africa is currently suffering a poaching ‘crisis’, and all states

need to cooperate and combine forces to combat the growing problem of poaching. The countries of South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe have been criticised by the Conservation Action Trust, along with other African countries for not doing enough to stop the poaching trade continuing in the future.

The African elephant is currently listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. It is a sad fact that unless drastic changes are made, as time goes on it is more and more likely that future generations will not be able to observe these magnificent creatures in the wild.

Ellen Daugherty Sci & Tech Editor

The pichiciego, or more comically named, Pink Fairy Armadillo, is the smallest species of armadillo and remains elusive to humans.

Endemic to central Argentina, these solitary animals spend their lives in burrows, only coming out to feed at night. Digging through the dry sand is made easy with large claws on both front and back limbs. By burrowing next to large ant colonies they manage to remain relatively unseen, not needing to stray far to get food, and able to access an underground food source.

Pink Fairy Armadillos can bury themselves in a matter of seconds if threatened by a predator - usually domestic dogs or wild boars. They only emerge during the day if water leaks underground. If their fur gets wet they will be unable to thermoregulate effectively.

Thermoregulation is vital for this armadillo which lives in arid grassland or sandy planes, that see dramatic temperature declines at night. To thrive they conserve heat during the day for their nighttime activity. This is where their rose-tinted dorsal shell comes into play. It is covered in blood vessels, allowing them to regulate their core temperature.

Sightings of the small, mysterious creature are so rare, the population is hard to determine.

They also do not do well in captivity, with most dying after only 8 days out of the wild due to unknown, specific and dietary and habitat requirement.

More research is needed into the notoriously cryptic creature, to meet calls of increased conservation of the species.

SCI & TECH

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbricktech

23

Punjab Partnership Fighting Cancer University of Birmimgham scientists team up with experts in India to help tackle the most common cancers in women in the Punjab region Kara Watson Sci & Tech Editor @Karaml_Watson

University of Birmingham cancer specialists are joining Indian partners to start progress towards a new study into the factors that cause the most common cancers that affect women in the Punjab region: breast, cervical and ovarian cancer. They are also taking part the two-day PunjabBirmingham Women’s Cancer Genomics Workshop in New Delhi to bring together all the experts in the field.

Although cancer incidence rates in India tend to be low, the mortality rates are very high. Less than 30% of cancer patients survive more than 5 years after diagnosis. In comparison, this figure in North America and Western Europe is about 60%. This issue in India is also predicted to double in the next 20 years, with an increase of more than 700,000 cases per

year by 2035. The death rate is also expected to almost double, to reach about 1.2 million cancer deaths in the same period of time.

Punjab is in North India, and one of the states with a higher inci-

'UoB is uniquely placed to lead this partnership.' dence of cancer, so to bring together the key partners in this workshop is a good step towards investigating how to help the mortality rates. This partnership sees the university linked with some of the centres of excellence in India, including the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) and the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG).

'The University of Birmingham is uniquely placed to lead this

partnership', says Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor Jon Frampton. 'We aim to address India-specific questions...contributing to cutting-edge biomedical research in India.'

The cohort study aims to understand how these common cancers develop, which in turn will aid with diagnosis and prevention of the diseases. It could help towards producing better risk-prediction models for susceptible individuals, providing a costeffective screening process and early-detection programmes. The study will look at patients and family members, sequencing known genetic mutations and collecting data on factors such as demographics, survival and exposure to carcinogens (substances that can cause cancer, like pesticides).

Mrs Sudha Sundar, a Senior Lecturer in Gynaecological Oncology at the University of Birmingham, said: “Differences in how cancers develop in Indian

patients mean data from Western countries cannot be directly applied in India.”

It is because of these differences that the study will be so important. It is a step towards providing treatment and detection methods that are specific to India, and therefore more effective. However, this research will

also benefit the UK, because of the large Punjabi population in the West Midlands, and so the findings can be applied to help in these areas as well. It is an exciting partnership for the study of women’s cancer and it will help many cancer patients and individuals who are at risk in Punjabi populations, both in India and in the UK.

Rebrick App Spotlight: Callmy

James Pettit takes a look at the University of Birmingham's new security app What is Callmy?

Will I get bombarded by notifications?

The University security team have invested in and are endorsing a new mass communication app for students, staff and visitors to the university campus. The app, called Callmy, is designed to stay dormant on your phone until there is a campus emergency. In which case the app will notify users through a text, voice or picture message.

Users will be notified rarely vital security information, so as to avoid conditioning users into not paying any attention to the notifications when they are needed. At the same time, the university states that it will send out a security alert approximately every month in order to keep the app ‘live’ and unforgotten.

How do I get Callmy on my phone?

Why is Callmy needed?

Campus security are encouraging students to download the mobile application for the benefit of their own safety. In previous cases the university has encountered problems with getting out critical information in a timely, efficient and widespread manner. In 2012, when faced with a cross-campus power outage, Twitter was used effectively in such a way. However, social media has its own pitfalls in this scenario because users have to actively seek out the information themselves.

To access Callmy on your phone you need to download the app and simply follow ‘UBsafe’, to receive University of Birmingham based notifications.

The app is free to download, available on Apple iOS, Android and Windows phones, and only takes up 2.35MB of data. It is also suitable for those with visual impairments because of its dual messaging function.

Food-Water-Energy Film Challenge Kara Watson Sci & Tech Editor @Karaml_Watson

Experts at the University of Birmingham are issuing a filmmaking challenge for young people to help with global resources issues. The task: make a threeminute video around the theme of ‘Food, water and energy in my everyday life’.

These three resources are essential to maintaining sustainable societies and they are all connected with each other, meaning they are affected by the same sort of pressures, such as the economy

and the climate. These interactions are known as the water-energy-food nexus.

"We want to connect young Brazilians with the world."

As young people are important in community life, Professor José Antonio Perrella Balestieri from the Sao Paulo State University (UNESP) wants to

conduct a survey of 5,000 young people in Paraiba Valley and North Coast (Sao Paulo, Brazil), to see how they affect the nexus.

They will be asked about their experiences with the issues the nexus has and help find a way the problems could be addressed, for example how to get equal access to resources.

The aim of the video challenge is to connect the young

people of Brazil to the rest of the world, and it is part of University of Birmingham’s twoyear research partnership with experts from UNESP; the (Re) Connect the Nexus research project.

“We want to connect young Brazilians with the world”, said Professor Peter Kraftl, University of Birmingham. “We want to see

children and young people around the globe coming together to help solve the problems facing Brazil.”

The filmmaking challenge is open to ages 10-25 at any school/ university/organisation. The deadline is December 31st, with the winner being voted for on YouTube. The winning video receives prizes for both themselves and their school, university etc.

If you would like to take part, more information about the ‘FoodWater-Energy Challenge’ can be found at http://www.foodwaterenergynexus.com/Competition.php.

24

CULTURE

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbrickculture

Redbrick Meets: Bethan Cullinane Imogen Tink Culture Editor @imogentink

Starring as ‘Innogen’ in the RSC’s current production of Cymbeline, Bethan Cullinane was an absolute joy to talk to.

Alongside Cymbeline, Bethan is currently appearing in King Lear at the RSC. Having played Guildenstern in Hamlet earlier this year, she has spent much of 2016 completely absorbed in the world of Shakespeare. As we settled down in The Other Place, the RSC’s brand new theatre space, we discussed all sorts, from the relationship between actors and their directors to the details of staging a live theatre screening.

Cymbeline itself is one of Shakespeare’s lesser known plays; a tale including an eclectic mix of both tragedy and comedy, ensuring that critics have always found it difficult to define the play.

Consequently it has always been a

somewhat mysterious feature of the Bard’s literary works. Bethan indicated that performing this concoction of humour and grotesque violence completely came together during the early performances of the play: the audience's reaction is crucial in judging how to perform. In particular it is Innogen, who Bethan labelled a ‘more serious character’ compared to others, who must cope with fairly tragic and traumatic events, including waking up next to a dead body whose head has been parted from its shoulders.

The sheer ridiculousness of this situation often provokes a humorous response from audiences; it is too grotesque to be taken seriously. Yet other moments are made poignant by the audience’s response to the sheer emotion being acted out on stage. ‘If you can make someone laugh, you can then make them cry’ Bethan explained, as she emphasised the impact that each audience has in terms of shaping each

night’s performance, and, in turn, the empathy that an emotional performance encourages them to feel.

"If you can make someone laugh, you can then make them cry" The mixture of these moments of brutality and extreme tenderness permeates Cymbeline, as the play deals with multiple stories varying from the complex issue of succession, to the prominence of familial love. Bethan spoke warmly of her co-stars, particularly James Cooney and Natalie Simpson who play her long-lost siblings Arviragus and Guideria.

The company is very close – Bethan described director Melly Still as 'very company orientated' - and rub along together extremely well, although Bethan did gigEllie Kurttz

gle that 'sometimes it’s dangerous as we can have too much fun on stage!'

Cymbeline portrays the story of young characters growing into adulthood in an adult world in chaos; interestingly Melly Still decided to set the performance in a dystopian future. Bearing in mind the events of the past year, I asked Bethan whether she found that depicting the play in this way was significant. Indeed, the depiction of an isolated Britain seems even more poignant since the outcome of the EU Referendum.

Despite starting rehearsals in January, long before the results of Brexit were established, Bethan was keen to stress how the play emphasises the nature of history repeating itself, and the timeless resonance of the events depicted in Shakespeare’s works in the modern day. Shakespeare often used historical analogies about the past to disguise the message he was sending about the events occurring in his own time, and this means that modern directors and actors can interpret these ideas in their own way. Bethan is a keen advocate for both tradition and innovation. 'Why not work with Shakespeare and adapt things?' she asked. 'We’ve got to try. Even if audiences don’t entirely understand what we are trying to convey, they will see elements of it that interest them and that will encourage our audience to do something new too.'

"Live screenings make theatre much more accessible" In this increasingly chaotic and isolated world, gathering a group of people from all walks of life together into one community is so very important. One such way of achieving this is through the communal experiences of theatre. 'Theatre is so special,' Bethan said, 'because you simply have to forget everything else. It’s not like sitting down in front of the television with your phone to hand. You

just have to immerse yourself.' I asked Bethan what she thought about what the next few years will hold for the world of theatre and she believes that the future is bright. 'I think it’s moving in the right direction. There was a time where the theatre was becoming too much for a certain type of person, and I think certainly our generation are bringing it back to being for the wider community.'

She spoke of the comforting nature of the universal aspect of Shakespeare’s works; Shakespeare’s presentation of human nature, and the feelings and emotions he conveys through his characters, whether they are in love, grieving, joyful or brokenhearted, are things we still feel and experience now. Bethan expressed a deep comfort in the fact that 'someone 400 years ago was feeling the same, and wrote it down', emphasising the timeless and universal appeal of Shakespeare’s plays.

On the 28th of September there will be a live screening of Cymbeline in cinemas across the UK. Bethan was immediately enthusiastic about this relatively new concept, stressing how much more accessible live screenings make theatre. The screening of Hamlet earlier this year was incredibly popular. Paapa Eisiedu was the first black actor to play Hamlet at the RSC; Bethan mentioned that after the live screening of that particular production the audiences noticeably started to change; people of many different ethnicities and of a younger generation have started to fill the seats of the RSC Theatre, therefore audiences have been transformed. Hopefully, in the event of further live theatre screenings from the RSC, more and more people, young and old, with or without a passion for the Bard, will feel encouraged to see more theatre. It is heartening to see that the works of William Shakespeare, written 400 years ago, continue to consistently affect everyday people. Long may it continue.

Žilvinas Kempinas, Sara Barker and Philippine Hamen at the Ikon Gallery Charlotte Russell Culture Critic

From the 23rd September – 27th November, the Ikon Gallery is hosting three exhibitions by the artists Zilvinas Kempinas, Sara Barker and Philippine Hamen.

All three exhibitions fit the Ikon’s general theme of hosting interesting and conceptual art, most of which cannot simply be taken at face value.

My favourite of the three was the exhibition by Zilvinas Kempinas. This features installations made of tape, literally floating around in the air. There are whole rooms filled with installations and film, completely allowing you to immerse yourself in the art. My favourite room was definitely the darkest, featured towards the end of the exhibition

which I would thoroughly recommend visiting. It features various works by Kempinas, but all are placed in a way which surrounds you, again allowing you to be completely absorbed by the artwork. This room included the pieces ‘Verticals’ (2015) and ‘White Noise’ (2007). ‘Verticals’ consists of hanging tape and white noise; a film taking up the whole back wall. The use of monochrome makes this room appear to look like a massive barcode, with its features constantly moving and therefore disabling you from being able to focus. Arguably all of Kempinas’ work does this.

You look at it, you can’t focus because you think, ‘how the hell has he been able to do this?’

This exhibition heavily contrasts with that by Sara Barker.

Sara Barker’s work also consists of industrial materials, a theme

which flows throughout these three exhibitions. Her exhibition is aesthetically pleasing, but I sadly wouldn’t say that it was as awe-inspiring as Kempinas’ work.

It is far subtler with its use of blues and greys, which has been said to emulate nature. Weirdly, there was probably more enjoyment in watching people muse over the art than the art itself: people standing, one hand in pocket, one on chin, nodding their head as they intensely stare at Barker’s minimalist pieces. I wonder what was going through their heads. I couldn’t come to my own conclusion when looking at her work, but perhaps that was just me. My favourite piece from this exhibition was probably ‘Minerva Made A Dream To Order’ (2016). It features pops of neon, again making it aesthetically pleasing – probably in the

same way that neon pops of colour make a minimalist Ikea showroom bearable.

"Interesting and conceptual art, most of which cannot simply be taken at face value" Finally, the last ‘exhibition’ is Philippine Hamen’s ‘For The Man Who Wouldn’t Get Up – Homage To David Lodge’. It features a singular piece of furniture

by Hamen, inspired by Lodge’s tale. The piece of furniture enables you to lie down whilst using a desk, putting emphasis on horizontality, as most of our life is

spent being vertical. Lodge’s character is someone who is tired of getting out of bed, so one day decides not to get up ever again. I suppose Hamen’s furniture shows us that we could live like this if we wanted to. The contraption would be the dream desk if you were feeling hungover and had an assignment due soon.

All in all, I would recommend visiting the Ikon, even if just for the Kempinas exhibition. The Ikon is free, the exhibitions also aren’t massive, and so there isn’t really an excuse not to. It’s such an interesting gallery, even if you are just going for the sake of a hipster Instagram photo in front of some contemporary art. It’s still a fun trip out, so why not use it as an excuse to go and muse over some modern art?

CULTURE

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbrickculture

25

Review: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at the Birmingham Hippodrome Hannah Brierley Culture Critic

It was an honour to watch the incredible Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre at the Birmingham Hippodrome on Friday night. The show included three pieces; Ronald K Brown’s Open Door, Paul Taylor’s Piazzolla Caldera and, of course, the infamous Revelations.

Alvin Ailey dancers are characterised by their unbelievable versatility; they have the ability to perform a combination of complex dance styles with total elegance. Brown’s choreography was a beautiful blend of styles with African torso undulations, extended musical theatre lines and flirtatious mambo rhythms. The end of this piece particularly captured the mambo flavour and I really enjoyed the constant mingling of the separate couples,ofwho perNumber words formed rapidin legthis flickspage's and bewilderingly fast spins. It was totally headline enerengaging and thoroughly gised, a nice contrast to the relatively slow and repetitive initial half.

Paul Taylor’s Piazzolla Caldera was electric with tension, and as both dramatic and sultry it really grasped the dangerous essence of the Tango. The costumes and set, by Santo Loquasto,

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater impresses Culture critic Hannah Brierley Christopher Duggan

were superb, with the dangling lights swaying against the rushing movements of the dancers below, ladies in stockings and men in suits. Hope Boykin performed an effortless and emotive solo, with aching arches of her spine and

deep lustful plies. The male dancers casually gave her their backs, as she battled for their attention.

This lead to a stunning trio with Vernard J Gilmore and Jacquelin Harris, where at one point Gilmore lifted both women, one on his

front and one on his back, like a father trying to deal with two squabbling children, two squabbling children who manage to execute perfect attitudes whilst suspended in mid-air! What I really loved about this piece was how it demonstrated just how communicative movement can be.

Without words or even sound and with the subtlest of facial expression, the company managed to convey the chill of rejection, the heat of two lovers and the hilarity of two bumbling drunks as dancers Kanji and Samuel cartwheeled clumsily across the stage. A truly immaculate piece.

Then, as always, there was Revelations. The audience was buzzing as the lights came up on the initial triangular formation of 'I Been Buked', and the applause hadn’t completely died down even after the dancers had begun. This piece holds such an incredible reputation; the pressure on the dancers to perform perfectly is immense and yet they radiated passion and total serene calm. It’s difficult to pick out specific moments when the whole piece is flawless, however 'Fix Me Jesus' gave me goose bumps. Totally elegant, the choreography tells a

tale of resilience and support as Jermaine literally picks up Ghrai every time she falters.

The flexibility and strength required of an Alvin Ailey dancer was really demonstrated by Ghrai DeVore in this heart wrenching duet, as she spent the majority of it with her leg beautifully extended right by her ear.

'Sinner Man' oozed masculine strength whilst still portraying the vulnerability of a man in fear of what awaits him after death. Revelations transports us to church for the finale, with female dancers rigorously fanning themselves whilst the men cheerfully bob to the gospel rhythm of ‘Rocka My Soul’. A delightful celebratory ending that was met with deafening applause and a well-deserved standing ovation.

It’s difficult to express with words just how phenomenal this piece is. Words don’t seem to have the ability to depict the overwhelming power of Revelations. Its themes are timeless and universal; resilient spirit and undying hope. If you are lucky enough to get the chance to catch their UK tour, do not hesitate.

Review: Little Shop of Horrors Olivia Boyce Culture Editor @Liv_Boyce

The lights dim, the sound of thunder rings around the auditorium at the New Alexandra Theatre, and we find ourselves watching Skid Row. It’s a dilapidated downtown area where the homeless, workers, and residents alike long for better days, and where Mushnik’s Flower Shop, the scene for the events about to unfold, is located. An unseen and rather ominous sounding narrator warns of ‘a deadly threat’ to humankind’s very existence. It’s all a little 1960s B-movie, but then, that is rather the point and what an extraordinary B-movie this gem turns out to be.

Seymour Krelborn, a browbeaten worker at a flower shop in dire financial trouble, has a crush on colleague Audrey, whose own past and abusive relationship has made her self-esteem plummet, and he longs to please his boss Mr Mushnik, even as Mushnik overworks him. When he discovers a plant he can’t identify, naming it Audrey II, he begins to find fame, money, and even love. There’s just one small problem - Audrey II’s penchant for the taste for blood.

The unerringly nerdy klutz Seymour is played by Sam Lupton, a Wicked alumnus perfectly cast in this production. Lupton takes a role most associate with Rick Moranis’ movie portrayal and

makes it his own, removing a little of Seymour’s innocence and injecting just the right amount of desperation, such is his desire to make it big, and to prove his love to Audrey.

Lupton’s Seymour complements Stephanie Clift’s Audrey brilliantly. Audrey’s insecurity is perfectly captured, as is her often girlish flirtation with Seymour, and the second she appears on stage, sporting a shiner of a black eye, the audience are on her side.

‘Somewhere That’s Green’, the song in which she sings of her dreams for a future for herself and Seymour, is extraordinary in its sentimentality. Whereas many Audreys past have played it for laughs, Clift teeters between humour and intense emotion throughout, claiming the character for herself with an emotional poignancy that has scene-stealing results.

Orin Scrivello (DDS!), Audrey’s abusive and generally rather sadistic boyfriend, and a part memorably played by Steve Martin in the 1986 film, is here played by Rhydian. He stretches the character to the limits, making him as immensely unlikeable as possible whilst still eliciting a great many laughs from the audience. The trio of ‘Stoop Urchins’ who sing for a great deal of the show are fabulous, as is Paul Kissaun’s Mushnik.

Of course, it seems rather necessary to mention the plant itself.

Audrey II’s first incarnation is

dainty, cute perhaps, but the monstrous plant that commands the stage in the second act is phenomenally realised, the large and visually stunning puppet a menacing and at times unsettling presence.

Voiced by Neil Nicholas, it provides a great deal of the gags, and delight's much of the audience.

The score is exceptionally varied, and often hilarious and catchy, perhaps not unexpectedly, given

its creators are Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. Menken’s work includes Beauty and the Beast, Tangled and a whole host of Disney classics – it is at times hard to believe that this show in particular could originate with them, and yet the host of memorable tunes, ballads to pop and everything in between, speak to their creative brilliance, realised expertly by the band.

The result is a show that is as sumptuous for the ears as it is for the eyes and the laughter muscles. With its killer score, fabulous design and stellar cast, this show is a marvellous production of a classic, and well worth a visit. A word of warning though: should you decide to spend an evening in Skid Row, please - don’t feed the plants!

Matt Martin

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MUSIC

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbrickmusic

Album Review: Frank Ocean - Blonde Conrad Duncan Digital Editor @conradduncan1

Blonde has been out for three weeks now which, in the hyperactive climate of the today’s music industry, means it’s really old news; offering a new opinion on it seems as necessary as writing a think-piece on Straight Outta Compton or Dark Side of the Moon. But for a substantial group of people, the album hasn’t really existed until this Friday when it landed on Spotify. Sure, you could buy it but who in 2016 buys an album they’ve never listened to,

"Blonde deserves to be held up as a defining work and to seep into the cultural zeitgeist for generations to come" bar major fans. For the uninitiated, ambivalent or downright lazy listener, this weekend is likely to be the first time they ever listen to Blonde, which is important because as much as Apple Music or Tidal exclusives play well with the already converted, albums become classics through connecting with the majority. Unlike the year’s other big exclusives, Blonde isn’t a messy collection of unre-

lated tracks that are lifted by a few great singles. Instead, it’s a fullyformed album with a vision that’s focused and vividly realised; one that deserves to be held up as a defining work and to seep into the cultural zeitgeist for generations to come. Yet, at the same time, it’s also an unexpectedly small record.

Blonde isn’t a grand cultural statement like other recent ‘event’ albums. Instead, it’s an intensely intimate album from a man trying to reclaim his identity from fame and one that takes multiple listens to reveal itself.

Early reviews of Blonde were problematic at best, relying mainly on assumptions and projections of how the album might progress over time. But three weeks on, the themes and motifs that were apparent on first listen have only grown clearer in focus. Lyrically, Frank Ocean deals alternately with ideas that are contemporary and traditional while his music walks a similar path. He writes love songs of unrequited desires and self-discovery, but from a viewpoint that embraces a fluid perspective on sexuality and one that has grown disillusioned with an increasingly consumerist modern culture.

Similarly, his song writing feels at classic and widely experimental all at once. It seems bizarre on paper that the modern gospel of ‘Godspeed’ and ‘Solo’ should coexist with the noisy breakbeats of ‘Pretty Sweet’ but somehow they fit alongside each other. Ocean pulls all these ideas together by injecting them with the same honesty, creating an album that can cope with the contrasting states of an actual human’s personality.

Even if Blonde doesn’t go down as his finest album, it is likely to be remembered as the strongest document of who Frank Ocean is as a person.

"The narratives wind and twist like parts of a dream so that it feels like only novels could now hold the ideas in his head" Nevertheless, the dizzying collection of contrasts that Ocean pulls together would be worth nothing if Blonde wasn’t filled with great song writing. As fascinating as his contradictory positions on drug use are, as well as the album’s intriguing calls to intimacy alongside its ambiguous impressionistic style, what stays with you are those moments that are as clear and striking as those on a classic Joni Mitchell or Marvin Gaye record. You don’t need to understand anything to grasp that Ocean’s hair-raising falsetto at the end of ‘Ivy’ and his entrance on ‘Godspeed’ are spellbinding; the fact that everything ties together under close inspection merely sweetens those moments. ‘Self Control’ and ‘Pink + White’ are impeccably realised soul songs; the sort that feel like they were never made but must have always existed, while the closing section of ‘White Ferrari’

Live Review: The Cribs Lauren Kelly Music Critic @kaurenlelly

The Jarman brothers - Gary, Ryan and Ross - also known as The Cribs, took to the stage on Friday 10th June to embark on what would be their sixth headline slot at the Coventry’s Kasbah.

Complete with beer-stained walls and tattered posters, the run-down nightclub seemed a fitting haunt for the Yorkshire trio It’s something akin to a beehive, seeing The Cribs pack the hardcore of their combustive fan base into such a small venue. The crowd-surf across the Kasbah is short, but was repeatedly made by many a tumbling body. With favourites such as ‘Men’s Needs’ and ‘I’m a Realist’ amongst the set, there was no surprise at the sheer amount of crowd participation.

To kick things off, the trio treated fans to a classic, ‘Mirror Kissers’. The 2005 single proved to be as rousing an experience as it first was eleven years ago. Wiry vocal-swapping twins Gary and Ryan unleashed their trademark dual yelp; younger brother Ross furiously clambered over the drums - all while, right on cue, the infamous ‘moshing’ began (my freshly pulled pint didn’t last very long). Rending into their more recent releases, ‘Different Angle’ and ‘An Ivory Hand’, The Cribs

maintained the frenzied atmosphere. Then, taking a song from their 2007 album, Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever, the brothers compelled the Kasbah with ‘Our Bovine Public’. The Jarman’s may not have mastered wistful vocals, but that’s never been what The Cribs are about.

Their remarkably punchy lyrics, ‘Didn’t think I’d have to choose/ didn’t think I’d wear brown shoes’ were particularly igniting on this timeless track - and, that is what The Cribs are about.

For ‘Be Safe’, the boys mixed it up a little; projected behind the band, Lee Ranaldo (co-founder of Sonic Youth) contributed his spoken word poetry to the song’s heavily distorted guitar riffs and shrieking lyrics. The contrast between Ranaldo’s monotonous lines and the band’s enthusiastic screams is somewhat beautiful.

It’s difficult to believe, now, that ‘Be Safe’ was never originally intended for live performance.

Despite the damp air, the rowdy renditions did not stop there. ‘Hey Scenesters’ was, as expected, vehemently executed; the lyrics ‘Hey scenesters / Hey hey scenesters’ resonated throughout the crowd. Taking the Kasbah back a decade, ‘Baby Don’t Sweat’ followed; the song demonstrated just how great the band’s raw, visceral early material truly is. Then, to much anticipation, ‘Pink Snow’ brought the night to a close.

is among the most moving of the year. There are no underwritten songs on Blonde, although it might seem that way on first listen. It’s just that Ocean has outgrown the logic of traditional song structures. The narratives that he’s trying to write no longer fit into the verse-chorus form. Instead, they wind and twist like parts of a dream so that it feels like only novels could now hold the ideas in his head. Yet, although the possibility of a Frank Ocean novel is exciting, I hope this isn’t the last we hear from him as a songwriter.

The songs on channel ORANGE were great but they were often clear-cut and fixed. On Blonde, Ocean has developed a lightness of touch that means that the power of his songs creep up on you. Even after multiple listens, new songs keep surprising me. Today, ‘Siegfried’ stands out as a highlight but tomorrow it’ll just as likely be ‘Nikes’ or ‘Nights’ that floors me.

More importantly, Ocean has created an album that can accommodate multiple interpretations in a way that channel ORANGE could not. The ambiguity extends to its cover art, where Blonde (the feminine) and Blond (the masculine) share the stage with Frank Ocean in dyed bright green hair; a defiant ‘none of the

above’. The narratives across Blonde are less obvious, less defined than before and are endlessly more interesting as a result.

It’s an album that seems comfortable with the idea that some people might hate it, knowing that some will love it like no other. I’d wager that more people will prefer channel ORANGE but when we eventually talk about what are the greatest albums of the decade, more will stand up for this album.

Frank Ocean has always been more of an artist than his contemporaries in modern R&B but this is the first time he’s made something that lives up to that reputation. With Blonde, he’s made an astonishing work of art.

MUSIC

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbrickmusic

Redbrick Meets: James Vincent McMorrow Zoe Screti

Music Critic @zoescretimusic

James Vincent McMorrow has had a phenomenal year. An incredible Australian tour preceded the release of his third album We Move. Speaking about how this album sounds in comparison to his previous releases, James said ‘it’s similar in the sense that the song writing is very close to how I started as a musician; quite traditional and raw. Different in the sense that the production we applied is very different to anything I’ve used before, though it’s quite close to how I started thinking about music; based on hip hop and electronic production and the aesthetics that those musical genres adopt. So, I guess this album tries to fit these things together more so than on any album before.

I’ve threatened to do it in the past and certain songs have leant themselves to it but, overall I’ve eased back a bit so this album is leaning into the production aspect of it more.’ It’s clear that although James’ life has involved a lot of movement and progression, his roots are more important to this album than any before.

James has also taken a large step in opening up about the mental health issues that have influenced his life, having suffered with eating disorders and anxiety since childhood. Whilst tackling the stigma around these issues was not necessarily the aim of James’ third album, he spoke candidly of how remaining silent about his

battles had previously had a negative impact on his life. ‘I want to be really careful when I talk about it because I never want to seem like I’m piggy-backing on a cause or trying to use something that’s so delicate and important as a talking point,’ he began, trying to put into words the immensely complex emotions he so skilfully describes in We Move. ‘My decision to talk about those things was based purely on me knowing I needed to do it. Mental fragility and anxiety have been aspects of my life for as long as I can remember and I never put them in a song because I was afraid of having conversations with people. When you’re a musician, you’re on stage every night talking about certain things, but you’re also holding a bunch of yourself back and it’s really tiring. The idea of giving yourself over to people is appealing but the reality of it is quite terrifying, so I’ve never done it.

But, after a while, it got quite hard to play songs night after night knowing that I made a decision when writing those songs to not talk about those important things.

My decision to talk about it wasn’t so it became the centre of this album, I wanted it to just be a thing I talk about. But at the same time, if people hear it and get talking about it, and one person realises that it’s OK to feel and talk about those things then that’s great. I’m very grateful for it but I was really doing it to just get it out of my head and to make sure that every night I sing songs that really mean something to me.’

"Turns out James is just as much of a Frank Ocean fan as we are" Whilst James has been on a very personal emotional journey, he has also been travelling to many different places during the writing process the fittingly named We Move. ‘I don’t conceptualise the titles beforehand but I realised mid-way through making the record that I was moving a lot when I was recording. It was constantly three weeks in one place, three weeks in another and then I would tour for two to three weeks and then I would go back through that cycle. So I was writing the songs when I was either on the tour bus or in a hotel room and then I’d go home for a week and clean the songs up in the recording studio,’ James explains, ‘it was quite a transient process, much more so than I’d ever done before.

For my second album, I sat in the studio for six months and worked out my ideas physically and quite painstakingly whereas this one was more spontaneous. From a conceptual angle, we do move, and for me at least, change is vital.

For me as a person, I needed to change and move and think about what I was doing with my life as a human being and so the idea of movement was in all facets of the record and that’s why it felt appropriate to call it “We Move”.’

Local Artist Spotlight: Kioko

We Move has a firm position in my playlist but it turns out that James is just as much of a Frank Ocean fan as we are. ‘Frank Ocean’s record has been the thing I’ve been listening to pretty much non-stop since it came out, more so than most other records recently. I’ve gotten into the habit of obsessively listening to something for two or three weeks and then stopping listening to it altogether but I want to get out of that habit because it’s not how I like to listen to music, it’s just the nature of my life; if I’m on a plane I’ll just listen to an album ten times in a row. Everything I’ve heard off the Sampha record so far makes it seem like that record is going to be amazing. I really like the new Warpaint song too!’

Yet when describing his own music, James seemed reluctant and almost coy. ‘I’m just bad at describing what I do,’ he admits.

‘To call myself a singer-songwriter seems quite mono-syllabic. To call myself a soul singer is quite mono-syllabic. How do people describe themselves? It doesn’t make any sense to me! I think I would just say listen to We Move. You’re either going to like it or not. Music shouldn’t be that complicated- it shouldn’t be something that can be described ten different ways. You listen to it and it’s either good or it’s bad.’

Album Review: David Brent & Foregone Conclusion - Life on the Road Phil Jones Music Editor @philrdjones

Nowadays Ricky Gervais is one of the biggest comedians in the world, starring in Hollywood movies (not necessarily good ones) and hosting lavish award ceremonies. Cast your mind back however to a simpler time. Back in 2001, Gervais’ brand of awkward, cringe-inducing comedy was ground-breaking and fresh, with Gervais never coming closer to perfecting this style than with his greatest creation: David Brent. Bowing out after The Office Christmas Special in 2003.

Brent has been absent from our screens for many years now, save for a few cameo appearances and a YouTube series. However, Gervais has decided to revive the character in 2016, releasing a film based around his attempts to be a rock & roll star, something we were only shown glimpses of on The Office.

Accompanying the film is this 15 track soundtrack album, the epitome of Brent’s dream. Attempting to judge this record without seeing the film may be futile, but I shall attempt nonetheless.

The problem with the majority of these tracks is that they’re taken out of context. The reason ‘Freelove Freeway’ and the other songs we heard snippets of in The

Office worked is because there was always a Tim to give an exasperated sigh or Dawn to give an uncomfortable look, to really highlight the ridiculous of Brent’s attempts at rock & roll stardom. Without this selfawareness, the tracks lose the feel of comedy or parody and move into an earnestness that at times is to their detriment.

Take the aforementioned Office classic.

The reason ‘Freelove Freeway’ works in the show is because you have Gareth singing his backing vocals only to be instantly undermined by Brent, and you have Tim questioning the sexuality of the cowboy in the lyrics.

They are picking apart the ludicrousness of the song without being in your face with it, and without that the song is just another rock anthem.

Your enjoyment of it here will rest upon how

fondly you remember watching The Office all those years ago.

That dynamic is what makes some of the other tracks not work as well. When discussing ‘Lady Gypsy’ with a friend, he made a good point – the point of the song where Brent starts to muse on how he could pick heather from the ground may be funny if not thought through, but if you consider what it’s actually doing the effect is ruined. Why would David Brent write an intentionally comedic spoken word exchange into the middle of his acoustic ballad? We may be laughing at him but David Brent is fully serious in his musical ambitions, and so the moments where the believability is damaged are the weakest moments on the album.

There are two protest style songs on the record, these being ‘Native American’ and ‘Please Don’t Make Fun of the Disableds’. The former is the stronger of

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the two, arguing that we shouldn’t call Native Americans Indians because ‘we’re more like West Eurasians crossed with Siberians’.

Again, it sounds like something David Brent would write and so it works. Backed by a strong, if stereotypical, pounding drumbeat, the track is Brent’s Neil Young moment and is a highpoint of Gervais' parodic style.

Your enjoyment of the album, or at least the lyrical content of the album, will live and die on what your opinion of Ricky Gervais is. I don’t just mean David Brent the character, I mean Ricky Gervais the actor as a whole. This is Ricky Gervais completely unfiltered, attempting to live out his dream to be a rock-star. This isn’t the same David Brent from The Office, as there’s no Stephen Merchant keeping Gervais in check. So, if you love everything Gervais, from The Invention of Lying to Derek, then you will enjoy this album. If you’re only a fan of Gervais & Merchant together, this being The Office and Extras, then you may struggle to see past the thinly veiled self-indulgence here. Ricky Gervais may have finally got to live his rock & roll dream, but the real question is is this really the dream David Brent had all those years ago?

Matthew Feddura Music Critic @matthewfeddura

Kioko are a local Birmingham seven piece who have been championed by Huw Stephens and featured on BBC introducing whose brassbound ska beats and catchy hooks are definitely worth checking out.

Formally known as Tempting Rosie the band first formed while some members of the band attended King's Norton Boys' School. After a few years, and several additions, they renamed in 2014 after returning from university and deciding that the band had turned a corner and Kioko was born.

The multi-cultural septuplet describe their sound as 'soulful pop music, heavily influenced by reggae and dub music primarily'. Their sound is reminiscent of the Caribbean laced pop of UB40 and the band take inspiration from a range of artists as far stretching as Marvin Gaye to Young Fathers. Music with a social message seems to be commonplace throughout the band’s influences and own music with their single ‘Deadly Roots’ tackling the issue of prejudice.

'We don’t want to be too political or too outspoken, because nothing’s worse than people trying to constantly throw something down your throat, but at the same time our songs are heavily influenced by pop music and we love writing songs that people can dance to and have proper big choruses, and classic pop sounding songs. But at the same time having a message is important, you can’t just have songs that constantly are talking about ‘that girl’ or something.'

The growing influence of Caribbean music in the charts is clear with dancehall beats and ragga samples cropping up throughout the charts. But Kioko fill a clear gap in the market with a more down tempo reggae sound, a strong social message and a heavy horn section.

They have played with Tinie Tempah and The Specials and this summer, have performed at Reading Festival, Glastonbury and Soundwave Croatia and are about to embark on a national tour supporting the Dub Pistols. For an introduction, check out their latest single ‘True What They Say’.

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LIFE & STYLE

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbricklife

Bloggers Are 'Desperate' And 'Pathetic': Vogue Criticises Fashion Bloggers Life&Style editor Zoe Screti investigates Vogue's recent criticism of fashion bloggers Fashion bloggers have long been a staple of our daily reading as we lust over the gorgeous outfits on display and draw inspiration from our favourite bloggers. In recent year, fashion blogging has also become big business, with top fashion bloggers earning on average £770,000 per year. Whilst this seems like a pretty easy lifestyle, there is a lot of work involved with keeping a top blog going. Vogue, however, has recently hit out at fashion bloggers, sparking outrage in the blogging community.

Alessandra Codinha, Vogue’s online fashion news editor, went a step further claiming that trying to find style in a row of bloggers was 'like going to a strip club looking for romance. Sure, it’s all kind of in the same ballpark, but its not even close to the real thing'. This clear degradation of bloggers is concerning to the extreme. Surely taking inspiration from a blog is not entirely dissimilar to taking inspiration from a glossy magazine?

Vogue, who have ruled the world of fashion for generations, claimed that fashion bloggers at Milan Fashion Week were ‘desperate’ and ‘pathetic’ according to the Times.

Senior staff members supposedly criticised many bloggers’ decisions to change outfits hourly and claimed that by ‘trolling up and down outside shows’, the bloggers were risking being the cause of traffic accidents.

Unsurprisingly, fashion bloggers hit back at Vogue’s critical article with Shea Marie stating 'the only thing that is "pathetic" here is this jealous, catty and hypocritical article [...] you are exactly the type of people that have given the fashion world the cold, unwelcoming and ruthless reputation it has had in the past. Thankfully those times are changing [...] it’s ironic how you make degrading comments about influencers and then put them on your international covers to boost sales'.

"the fashion establishment don't want their circles enlarged"

Sally Singer, Vogue’s creative digital director wrote 'Note to bloggers who change head-to-toe paid-to-wear outfits every hour: please stop. Find another business.

You are heralding the death of style'. Other Vogue employees were quick to join in the attack on bloggers with Nicole Phelps, director of Vogue’s runway app adding 'it's not just sad for the women who preen for the cameras in borrowed clothes, it’s distressing, as well, to watch so many brands participate'. Perhaps what is most distressing is not bloggers making a living but Vogue’s desire to brutally criticise women who have done nothing more than make a living out of their passion.

Susie Bubble further hit back at Vogue for their comments claiming that 'the fashion establishment don't want their circles enlarged' picking up on the snobbery that saturated Vogue's criticism. Bryanboy further stated 'it's schoolyard bullying, plain and simple.'

Vogue has since declined to comment but the question remains as to what state the fashion industry is in. In a world where the promotion of positive body image is expressed everywhere, it is certainly concerning that fashion’s leading publication is seemingly stuck in the past.

Top Five: Gym Memberships

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Life&Style editor Kamila Geremek explains which gym memberships are worth checking out to get the most out of your workout

Fitness First This is one of the more luxurious gyms in our top five.

Boasting fantastic facilities, membership is just £27 a month when paying for four months. There is a branch on the outskirts of Selly Oak making it easy to access. It is slightly on the higher end but if you're looking for quality you'll find it at this gym. Plus, you get to bring a buddy every Friday for free if you ever need to bring someone along to give you the motivation to keep going.

Munrow Sports Centre

Tiverton Baths & Fitness Centre

If you know that you're going to be a dedicated gym goer and are willing to pay £200 upfront for the year then this might be the perfect option for you. Munrow is an easy gym to get to since it's right on campus and has a range of facilities as well as some great fitness classes too. And, if you buy your membership now, you will have access to the new sports centre when it opens in November. Olympic size swimming pool anyone?

This is a relatively small gym for those that just want to stay fit and don't consider themselves gym junkies. They offer a Be Active scheme which involves incredibly cheap prices for swimming, gym and classes. Monthly memberships range from £12.50-£35 so it's worth looking into if you're on a budget.

Pure Gym

The Gym

At just £19 a month (+£10 joining fee) this gym may be worth the extra effort to get to it. It hosts a wide variety of modern equipment and free classes included in the membership. So if you often visit Broad Street (and not just for nights out) or live close by, this is the perfect option for you!

This is another gym in the centre of Birmingham that is known for being cheap but well worth the money. Starting from just £14 a month (+£20 joining fee) and open 24/7 it's a very good bargain for a student on a budget who is often hanging around the city centre. Though it isn't as close to campus as some other gyms, it is definitely worth the extra effort!

LIFE & STYLE

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbricklife

Best Of: LFW SS17

FIERCE

Life&Style writer Tara Kergon gives us her best moments of London Fashion Week Paris fashion week may have its prestige as the fashion capital of the world, but London has its own draw – it's famous for being an eclectic melting pot of edgy British style. Going in to LFW I never expect to see anything except the unexpected - and the SS17 shows didn’t let me down. This season's entirely original imaginings upheld London’s reputation for creativity; from trends I never thought I’d see on a catwalk, to those that I believed had passed into cliché, every show was a beautiful surprise. It’s always tough to reduce LFW to highlights, but these are my favourite moments:

Crocs at Christopher Kane

Let’s get the big drama out of the way – crocs, actual crocs, were the shoe of choice at Christopher Kane, and the fashion media went wild. A shoe that’s the preserve of children, gardening enthusiasts, and those who either reject or lack fashion sense, I’d long written off crocs as the epitome of hideously unstylish footwear. Now, however, Christopher Kane has me rethinking everything. Perhaps they are in for a glorious, high fashion rebirth with his tie-dyed incarnation of the ubercomfortable, anti-shoe adorned with glittering rocks like pre-cut gems.

Presented with his mix of lace, cut-outs and leopard print, I couldn’t make myself hate them. Maybe it’s time to hang up the heels, put away the blister plasters and let the trend for comfortable footwear extend beyond Adidas.

Preen's Florals

Burberry's Orlando-Inspired Offering

I’m not talking Florida or even the recent tragedy, I’m referring to the Virginia Woolf classic which inspired Burberry’s see-now buy-now show, combining both menswear and womenswear into one glorious, rich, and slightly gothic feast of fashion. The collection itself is beautiful: a mix of military jackets, luscious velvet, and flowing blouses - with glittering dresses thrown in for good measure - and I can see myself emulating it right now. But that’s not what’s got me so excited, it’s the almost shamefully thrilling thought that this time you don’t have to wait six months before being able to get your hands on a piece. As someone who keeps up with (and lusts after) haute couture and ready-towear shows every single season I can’t help but hope that maybe, just maybe, other designers will follow suit and ready-to-wear will actually start meaning what it says on the tin.

M a r q u e s Almeida's Mixed Up Collection

Another collection that perfectly encapsulated the diverse and young-atheart attitude that I always look forward to at LFW was that of Marques Almeida. The collection doesn’t scream spring so much as sing it sirenesque into my ear, and the entirely mish-mash yet somehow cohesive vibe had me rifling through my wardrobe to replicate it. Floral dresses with lace hems and filmy sleeves were layered over baseball tees and combined with metallic ankle boots for something fresh, with a little 90s grunge. They even let the models tweak their looks for something authentic and full of personality. I for one am gloriously happy that the mix-andmatch vibe I spotted in Gucci a few seasons ago is cropping up all over the runway – who wants to wear just one trend at once anyway?

Pressed

These take pride of place in my list because I was captivated as soon as I saw Preen’s delicately pressed flowers framing faces and scattered down arms, collarbones, and shoulder blades. It’s a vibe that exists somewhere between paganism, witchcraft, woodland nymphs and if your flower-pressing granny also happened to be a visionary creative – I’m in love. The soft blooms are a perfect foil for their black lace, pentagrams, and fraying ruffles. It looks like flower crowns are dead, and instead of putting on my Miranda Priestly-esque sarcastic tone, I finally mean it when I say, 'florals for spring... groundbreaking.'

Eclecticism At Mary Katrantzou

Mary Katrantzou has been a favourite of mine since her vibrant arrival onto the world’s fashion radar, but I’d love this collection even if I’d never heard of her. Somehow managing to combine the seventies and classic Grecian culture, her optical illusion style designs are almost too much for the naked eye – there’s pailettes, peplums, stripes, and diamond prints, all packaged together in a bold 1970s colour palette. And that’s before we even get to the statement designs reminiscent of ancient pottery. My winning look is divided between the classical faces on long-line, Grecian gowns, or the doves of peace on striking black and azure blue.

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Kat Von D at Debenhams For years we have lusted over images of gorgeous make up looks on Instagram created with Kat Von D cosmetics, and now we can finally get our hands on them here in the UK! They are vegan, cruelty free, and absolutely gorgeous! We are especially lusting over the beautiful 'innerstellar' pallette which is an array of neutrals and glitter shades

Bridget Jones's Baby This movie is the perfect excuse for a girl's day. Not only do we get to catch up with our favourite singleton but it is hilarious! Get the girls together and be prepared to laugh, cry, and fall in love!

Royals in Canada A royal tour is always good news!

Not only do we get to swoon over Kate's beautiful outfits but we also get our daily dose of cuteness from Prince George and Princess Charlotte! We are still 'aaw'ing over his refusal to high-5 the Canadian prime minister... too cute!

Brangelina's Split We were devestated to hear that Brangelina had broken up. They seemed like the perfect, unbreakable couple! Here's to the end of an era of relationship goals

Donald Trump Toupee Slippers Who thought that having replicas of Donald Trump's hair on your feet was a good look? With a $1,800 price tag, we're afraid Gucci has missed the mark with this trend. They are definitely more creep than chic!

Top Trends

As far as salient trends from LFW are concerned, it’s always hard to tie down the eclecticism of the shows but some elements prevailed. Firstly, it’s the rebirth of florals; they’re micro amongst Roman numerals in the style of Erdem, they’re pressed onto skin amongst pentagrams á la Preen, they’re arranged in tiny sprigs at Emilia Wickstead.

While splashy floral prints will always be a winner, this season the trend opts for nostalgia. Next up, start playing with your hemlines á la JW Anderson, Preen, and Mulberry, be they hitched up and down in disarray, or in clear jagged rebellion. Probably the easiest trend to incorporate without waiting a month for your pressed flowers or taking scissors to your wardrobe is the focus on statement sleeves. Roll them up, yank them down to bare your shoulders (no we’re not done with off-shoulder dressing yet, just reinventing it), or layer your sheer sleeves over tees like Marques Almeida – whatever you do, make it fun and just a little off-piste.

What was your standout moment from LFW? Let us know @lifestyle

Fresher's Flu You're excited about your new classes and determined to make this year the best yet and then it hits you the dreaded fresher's flu. Trying to make a good first impression is difficult when you feel awful!

by Zoe Screti Life&Style Editor

FINISHED

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FOOD

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbrickfood

Explore Birmingham's Food Scene Tasha Smart Food Editor @tashanotsmart The Birmingham food scene is immense.

Boasting more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other English city other than London, it has bragging rights, and it amazingly also rises to provide casual, affordable dining for all.

Birmingham also manages to play host to numerous Independent eateries throughout the city. The ever-growing wish to avoid constantly visiting the chains has led to the creation of an Independent Birmingham Card. Membership will not only help you to locate where all of these treasures are hidden but will allow you to get a discount at all of them.

The wealth of choice means that there is so much on offer for students experiencing the city for the first time!

Birmingham City Centre The centre naturally contains all of the chain restaurants, and it is opposite St Martin’s Church that you’ll find the most popular, Though it is also host to plenty of

Independents if you fancy a change. One example is Bodega Bar y Catina, which can be found just round the corner offering great Mexican food!

For those wishing to be surrounded by food, Selfridges Food Hall is a good one to visit. From Ed’s Easy Diner to Yo Sushi, there are a great number of places to choose from, and it is also the home to Krispy Crème.

For those not wishing to walk far, simply by getting the train into New Street you can be greeted by food in Grand Central Station, with a whole array of open plan restaurants taking over the top floor. You and your friends don’t even have to eat the same thing!

Brindley Place Brindley Place is a key destination, though often people are unaware of it hidden behind the Mail Box. It’s accessible through the Mail Box after a train to New Street; however, for all Freshers, a top tip is to get onto the canal from the Vale and head away from campus - you’ll be there in no time!

There are plenty of restaurants such as Handmade Burger Co looking out onto the canal, or you can go up the steps to find places such as Wa g a m a m a s or All Bar One. All are great choices!

There is something for everyone

The Mail Box Just up from Brindley Place, The Mail Box can be found, categorised as the ‘most stylish’ place to eat. Though containing prime dining venues such as Miller and Carter, plenty of chains can also be found like Zizzi and Nandos.

So you can have an affordable dining experiencewhile revelling in the fancy atmosphere!

Selly Oak Selly Oak may be the most convenient of all for us to visit!

Though mainly comprising of cheap pubs with cheap drinks, something may be said for the food. The key recommendation would certainly be the Mac and Cheese from the Soak, and there’s definitely a case to be made for their lunch time deals!

The reining dining champ though has to be Dilshads, where you can have a hearty curry and free onion bhajis for all students - what more could we ask for!

Digbeth Digbeth is just a 10 minute walk from New Street and plays host to numerous events throughout the year. Part of the older side of Birmingham, its winding and sometimes confusing streets contain a number of independent, interesting places. One example would be Birmingham’s original vegetarian restaurant, The Warehouse Café, serving vegetarian and vegan cuisine exclusively.

However, the main foodie attraction has to be the award-

winning dining event ‘Digbeth Dining Club’. Winning Best Street Food Event two years in a row, it is a must visit. Happening every Friday from 5.30pm at Spotlight, it invites a huge number of street food vendors. With its food ranging from burritos, to pizza, to Indian style fish and chips, and even Poutine, there is something for everyone! A great time to go is when they host their street closure, and even more treats are on offer!

Harborne Harborne takes about 20 minutes walking from the Vale to get to, and it is well worth the trip. If a chilled pub is what you’re after Harborne contains plenty. The Plough is a great one to visit, serving delicious pizza, and The New Inn combines fine dining and fabulous cocktails with rustic country décor.

Or rather, if looking for a great breakfast, The Boston Tea Party is also to be found on its little highstreet!

Hidden Gem - Eis Cafe

Food Editor Tasha Smart gives a bitesize review of one of Birmingham's hidden treasures Tasha Smart Food Editor @tashanotsmart The Eis Café is one of the few places that boast the famous ‘Locoshake’. Located in Small Heath, it is a bit of a trek, however after sampling their shakes I would say it was worth it. For those of you who haven’t encountered them before ‘Locoshakes’ are milkshakes topped with all manner of things, such as ice cream, whipped cream, and anything from pretzels to brownies!

They have a number of choices, and as a group we tried out three: nutella and pretzel, salted

caramel, and blueberry cheesecake. The size coupled with the steep price of £7.50 per milkshake means that sharing is probably the way forward – though no judgement to those wanting to complete their own.

All three milkshakes were absolutely stunning. The ingredients not only come in the glass, but coat it as well, meaning we were gleefully surprised with a nutella smothered glass, garnished with

pretzels. The sweet and salty went perfectly in this concoction, no complaints to be heard.

Though without a doubt the salted caramel milkshake was the unanimous favourite, dripping with caramel and topped off with toffee popcorn!

T h e s e ‘Locoshakes’ are a must try, and for those looking for a challenge, the Eis Café have recently outdone themselves by designing one totalling a whopping 2000 calories! The ultimate treat yourself!

The ultimate treat yourself!

FOOD

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbrickfood

Cooking Made Easy

Food Editor Phoebe Radford shares her top recipes for those new to cooking Phoebe Radford Food Editor Cooking at uni can be time consuming, and is often seen as difficult and a bit of a chore. However, some food can be easy and quick to cook, and it can be useful to

dedicate some time to cooking a dish that you can freeze in portions to defrost and reheat later.

Learning to cook a few staple meals can save you money on ready meals and take-aways, and it's healthier too!

Here are some top tips for getting started...

Recipe:

Chickpea and Spinach Curry

You will need: Balti curry paste (although any paste should taste fine) 400g can of chickpeas 3-4 balls frozen spinach 1 onion 1 garlic clove 1 stock cube 300ml of water 1 tablespoon of tomato puree

Plan your meals and buy what you need - you will save money and waste less (it's also fine to plan to eat a ready meal or frozen pizza).

Have some staples in the cupboard always! Such as: • Cooking oil • Rice

• • • • • •

Pasta Seasoning – herbs and spices Tins – tomatoes, beans Tomato puree Curry paste Long-life items are key!

Method: Chop up your onion and garlic, and fry in a saucepan with a little oil.

Once the onion has browned, add a tablespoon of curry paste and mix.

Pour in the water, add the stock cube, and stir in with the curry paste.

Add the can of chickpeas, cover the saucepan, and leave to simmer for around 20 mins, stirring occasionally.

The curry should start to reduce. If it feels too dry, add more

Chilli powder Paprika Garlic powder Cayenne pepper Cumin Salt and pepper 1 onion 2 peppers 2 chicken breasts Handful of small mushrooms Half a courgette

mix and make sure all the food is covered in it.

Make sure that the chicken is golden and cooked all the way through, and the onion and peppers are soft.

Finally, warm your wraps in a separate pan if you want.

Serve your fajitas with avocado or guacamole, salsa, and cheese.

You can freeze any leftovers and save them for a day when you don't feel like cooking.

Digbeth Dining Club Every Friday @ Spotlight, Lower Trinity Street, Digbeth, B9 4AG www.digbethdiningclub.com Hawker Yard 62-70 Pershore Street Open Friday 17.00-23.00 and Saturday 12.00-23.00 Established by Brum Yum Yum, who also run the KingshEATh event, this is the city’s first permanent street food venue

24-27th Nov – BBC Good Food Show Winter The Birmingham NEC www.bbcgoodfoodshowinter. com

4th March – Whiskey Birmingham At The Bond, Digbeth www.whiskybirmingham.co. uk 14th May – kingshEATh

by Brum Yum Yum (then every 2nd Saturday of every month) King’s Heath www.brumyumyum.com

Top Tip: Try using chilli con carne as a burrito filling. Mix with rice, and add guacamole (or just avocado), cheese, sour cream, tomato, and jalapenos if you're looking for some extra heat.

Method: you can time it to be ready with your chilli.

Stir the chilli occasionally to stop it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

After around 20 minutes, the chilli should be fully cooked and ready to serve.

If you are going to freeze it, allow it to stand and cool down before you put it in the freezer.

If you're vegetarian. a great alternative is to swap beef for quorn mince, or you could bulk it out with a greater mix of beans and a variety of vegetables, such

Regular Events

17th Nov-29th December – German Christmas Market Victoria Square www.germanchristmasmarketbirmingham.com

Method:

Start by chopping your onion and garlic clove.

Fry them in a large saucepan with a little oil, then add and brown the mince.

Add the spice mix, water, tomatoes, and kidney beans along with any other vegetables you want to add.

Bring the chilli to the boil while stirring, then reduce the heat to a simmer, and leave for around 20 mins.

Whilst your chilli is cooking, boil some rice. Rice normally takes about 12 minutes to cook, so

Food Editor

29th-30th Oct – West Midlands Vegan Festival, Wolverhampton The Wolverhampton Civic Hall www.veganmidlands.org.uk/ festival/home.html

Recipe: Chilli con Carne You will need: 500g mince/quorn mince 400g tin of tomatoes 400g of red kidney beans 1 onion 1 clove garlic 150ml water Chilli con carne spice sachet (can add in mushroom, carrots, courgette, more beans)

Phoebe Radford

12th – 16th October Birmingham Oktoberfest Cannon Hill, free entrance on the Wednesday, thereafter £10 www.birmingham-oktoberfest.co.uk

Top Tip: Buying your own spices and making your fajita seasoning works out cheaper and you can personalize your flavours

Mix the spices together to a heat you like, add in any others you like, and leave out any you don’t.

Chop up your onion, peppers and courgettes into thin strips and finely chop the mushrooms.

Next, cut your chicken into strips.

Heat a large pan with a little oil and put the chicken, onion, pepper, mushrooms, and courgette in the pan and cook on a high heat.

When you are about half way through cooking, add your spice

What's On

Other Events

water.

When you think the curry is almost done, add in the spinach and stir around to help the leaves fall apart as it defrosts.

When your curry looks thick and the chickpeas are soft, it should be done!

If you’re ever in doubt about how much water to add, read the instructions on your curry paste jar and stock - this should give you a good idea. Remember you can always add more water, but you can’t take away!

Recipe: Fajitas You will need:

31

as mushrooms, carrots, or courgettes.

June/July – Colmore Food Festival Victoria Square www.colmorefoodfestival. com July – Birmingham Cocktail Weekend Venues across the city www.birminghamcocktailweekend.co.uk July – Birmingham Beer Bash At The Bond, Digbeth www.birminghambeerbash. co.uk July – Birmingham Caribbean Festival Centenary Square www.birminghamcaribbeanfestival.org *for some events later in the year, dates have not been confirmed yet, so keep an eye out!

32

TRAVEL

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbricktravel

Hello New City, Hello New York Giulia Bardelli Travel Writer @giuliabardelli

For me, visiting New York City has been on my bucket list for over 6 years. This summer I finally booked my flight to visit ‘The Big Apple' and my friends who live there. I was flying solo and planned on staying in the city for two weeks, ensuring I got a real feel for the place, rather than purely making sure I ticked off all the tourist hot spots.

I embarked on my trip across the pond early September, reaching New York at the end of summer - prime time to catch the mild summer heat.

The flight from Birmingham felt like the longest 8 hour flight I’ve been on to date, purely because I was waiting in anticipation to finally see the city that so many people long to visit. After a good 2 hours at passport control, I was finally reunited with my suitcase. I called an iconic yellow cab and made my way to Manhattan.

'... I called an iconic yellow cab and made my way to Manhattan.'

The long drive through Queens wasn’t all that scenic, but I felt like I was back in the 90’s, on the set of a Sabrina the Teenage Witch episode. The houses have a stark contrast to the buzz of the big city of Manhattan. They are far more

dainty, and have a gothic feel to them, while the neighbourhood is filled with families rather than busy businessmen and women.

New York is divided into separate neighbourhoods, each one having its own quirks. I was staying down in the East Village, right in the heart of the creative quarter – it’s the perfect place to spend your weekday nights. Our favourite spot was St. Dymphnas, an Irish bar on St Mark’s which was right opposite our apartment. The number of independent businesses is uncountable, and every bar has its individual quirks. Brooklyn may have some great vintage shops but if you’re only in the city for a couple of days, the East Village is just as good a place to find the perfect pair of denim Levis for $15. A couple of my favourite places to find bargains around St Mark’s Place are L Train Vintage (the go-to place if you want a cheap pair of Levis) and Search & Destroy (a music fan’s dreamland: here you’ll find band t-shirts from as far back as the 40’s). Side-note: going thrift shopping is actually a workout! Sifting through t-shirts whilst holding coats makes for the perfect arm workout. Incredible!

As you move uptown the rhythm of the city changes completely, everything is a lot more fast-paced, especially at lunch hour. You’re lucky enough if you manage to squeeze on the subway!

I avoided taking the train around noon and trusted on my sense of direction to get around the city; this called for numerous wrong

turns and asking strangers directions to certain streets, but it makes your trip a whole lot more spontaneous and that’s exactly what I was going for.

If the weather allows it, I recommend having a picnic in Central Park. Start by getting lunch at Wholefoods in Columbus Circle, then head to the park; make a day out of it and wander up towards the MET Museum.

In the evening, Times Square is roaring with

energy and is the only time you’ll want to get a feel of the hustle and bustle in the city. If you’re a budding photographer, the evening makes for the perfect opportunity to take some snaps of all the adverts at their best. Take photographs of the people – I can’t stress enough just how incredible it is to compare

people’s facial expressions as you explore different neighbourhoods.

Catching a cab is an absolute nightmare and so is the subway, especially in the summer when you feel like you’re burning in a sea of people. Despite the fact that Times Square is a budding hotspot for tourists and locals alike, it is like nowhere I’ve been before, and a must-see when you’re in New York.

Greenwich Village - usually referred to as just ‘The Village’ - is where you’ll find the jazz bars and independent cafes. Known for its charm and streets full of brownstone townhouses, The Village is the perfect place to spend a Sunday afternoon with friends.

Head to Jack’s Wife Freda to experience brunch like a true New Yorker – the cantaloupe juice is delicious!

Nonetheless, if brunch isn’t your thing, By CHLOE is a great lunch spot; everything on the menu is vegan, however, this place is no secret so will get really busy at lunchtime! Personally, I recommend getting the guac burger with a side of sweet potato fries and enjoying them in Washington Square Park.

You’ll notice that quite a few iconic TV series and films have been shot in the West Village, including F.R.I.E.N.D.S and Sex & The City. If you’re a Carrie Bradshaw fan, head over to Perry Street where you’ll find yourself in the iconic location of her apartment.

You’ll need to dedicate an entire day or two to explore

Brooklyn in its entirety, purely because it’s a lot harder to get around that side of the city, and the top sites are more dispersed than in Manhattan. Smorgasburg food market is open every Saturday during the summer and is the perfect place to grab some food and view the skyline. There are plenty of vintage shops (too many to name off the top off my head) that you will pass on your way towards the market.

'... TV series and films have been shot in the West Villiage' New York City has surprised me in the best way possible; the streets are filled with endless inspiration and it’s really refreshing to see how kind strangers are to you if you have any questions or if you’re stopping by a café. My trip there broke the stereotype that New Yorkers are generally rather rude, as when I was there I was only surrounded by such welcoming people wanting to share their stories and listen to mine.

There’s no doubt I will definitely be back and ready to explore more areas of the city, but I’m mostly just looking forward to sitting on my friend’s fire escape at sunset listening to the jazz bands play in the bars below.

New York City, you’ve quite literally stolen my heart but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Photos by Giulia Bardelli Photographs by Giulia Bardelli

24 Hours in Ljubljana Gino Spocchia Travel Writer @ginospoc

Ljubljana is a capital like nonother, where the slow life strolls amongst a village-esque townscape. It’s the stuff of postcards and fairytales, enchanting travellers who uncover the stories earning this gem some much-deserved attention.

Climb the path to Ljubljana Castle, atop the aptly named Castle Hill. For 800 years, it has kept watch over a sea of jostling redroofed houses and the central market, where ripe fruits come as wonky and bright as old-town properties. Beyond the vegetable carts, locals linger to chat with good company and good wine – fermenting an unbelievably

Mediterranean feel.

As the views tumble down from a hilltop castle, the Ljubljana fairytale continues along the turquoise streams below the Dragon Bridge. Then uncover the pink church on Preseren Square, sporting a façade that once shone a Communist red. Consult the statue of Slovene poet, France Preseren, before crossing the triple bridge.

'It is the stuff of postcards and fairytales...'

For art, Ljubljana’s east boasts modernist galleries and annual biennales, whilst the graffiti soaked Metelkova is an artistic community sprung up amidst the remains of a military barracks.

As many Slovenian's do on a summer evening, unwind in Tivoli Park – a green escape with an adequate distance from the wild bear population. There are walks for both rose garden strollers and woodland adventurers. The green ethos particularly shines through the 2016 European Green Capital status.

Ljubljana’s locals not only love life, but also adore guests. Like they do with trees, they’ll move mounds to help you. It's no surprise that Slovenian's are commended for kindness.

Slovenia is a small nation caught up in European history home to wild bears, mountains, and ski jumps. It’s a territory for thrill seekers and nature enthusiasts - embodied by a fun, young, and green-loving city. You’ll wish you discovered it sooner.

Photograph by Gino Spocchia

TRAVEL

Friday 7th October 2016

@redbricktravel

33

Cheap Trips: Thailand on a Budget Writer Lilly Wilde takes Thailand by storm on a cheap student budget Lilly Wilde Travel Writer @twitteraccount

Thailand is a beautiful gem of South-East Asia and a must visit, even on a low budget. Delve deep past the tourist traps and in to the history and local Thai cuisine you will discover a true Thailand.

As the capital of Thailand, Bangkok is a must. The city is vast with a population of over fourteen million but it is still possible to explore in a few days. In the city centre you will find a sea of skyscrapers. Choose between the Sky Train that shoots through the central city giving you an amazing view of the modernity of Bangkok; a taxi that will take you through the varsity of the city and the excitement of being in one of the world’s most bustling cities; or a Tuk Tuk tour for a very low rate which will give you a personal tour of all the main attractions, a perfect way to explore all areas of the huge city.

Bangkok centre is filled with luxurious restaurants and designer shopping malls such as Siam square that is worth a visit even by the budget traveller. Meanwhile, the cheaper areas of Bangkok - the suburbs and areas surrounding Khao San road - are equally as great. Brilliant street food, clothing and food markets, and of course the fake markets, line either side of the roads.

Bestides a visit to the bustling Khoa San Road for fantastic nightlife, a visit to the iconic Golden Palace, and a trip up to the Golden Mount are also necessity when in Bangkok. The trek

to the mount is undoubtedly a hot walk but the views from the top make it all worthwhile, as you get a panoramic view of the city.

If you have a little more time, ensure you explore all the other fantastic sites in the city. Visit the ancient city of Ayutthaya, founded in 1331 and take a trip to Damnoen Saduak Floating market and take a long tail boat through the surrounding villages.

Another top destination is Chiang Mai, an ancient city situated in the northern mountains, Chaing Mai is a perfect getaway from the hustle and humidity of the south, while providing you with a different landscape of Thailand. Within the city of Chiang Mai still retains remnants of a city wall and moats of its history as a religious centre in 1296, which gives the city an air of secrecy and uniqueness. The best way to explore Chiang Mai is by bicycle, which can be hired for a reasonable price on most street corners. Chiang Mai is Thailand’s most popular city to visit, not only due to its great shopping and eateries but because of its extensive activities available, such as getting up close with the gentle giants in Chiang Mai’s elephant sanctuaries.

These provide some of the best care for the elephants, allowing you to wash, swim and feed them. Given its ideal geographic location, you can travel outside the city for a little as ten minutes outside and get lost in the mountains, surrounding yourself by lush green paddy fields and tea plantations. Chiang Mai is also closely situated to other tourist attractions such as the Golden Triangle which is in Chiang Rai.

Photographs by Lilly Wilde

This represents the meeting points of Laos, Thailand, and Burma.

You should not plan a trip to Thailand without booking your stay in this brilliant cultural hub.

'... Pai lies imbedded in the mountains...'

Additionally, Pai is a beautiful small town in Northern Thailand, only a three hour car ride from Chiang Mai. The town lies on the Pai River and is a great place to spend a night or two. Pai was once a small market village inhabited by locals who worked the fields and plantations, but has now become a thriving hippies location buzzing with backpackers and endless opportunities to explore the surrounding mountainous landscape. The town itself is filled with cheap but cosy home stays, souvenir shops and restaurants. Because Pai lies embedded in the mountains, many people use Pai as a base to explore other areas; be it the beauty of the waterfalls or to take the daring ride of white water rafting down the river. Pai is renowned for its quality of the street food. Street food can be questionable throughout other areas of Thailand, however, if you fancy a true taste of Thailand, Pai is one place where the street food is a must!

In the South of Thailand, Railay Beach is one of the most

attractive white sand beaches in Thailand. Situated between Krabi and Ao Nang, it accessible only by boat due to high limestone cliffs cutting off the mainland access point. Railay is a collection of beautiful resorts, forest walks and great rock climbing facilities.

There are secret waterfalls scattering the peninsula which offer great opportunities to spend a day exploring these secluded areas.

The peninsula is small and so if you’re hurried for time but want to see the true beauty of Thai coastline, Railay is the place to go.

If you are dropping by in Krabi, be sure to book a night in Krabi cosy place, right in the centre with a lovely pool, and a really friendly family of staff.

One of the top places to party

'... clubs line the beach front, while parties and fire shows take place on the sand' in Thailand is Khoh Phi Phi Don. The island’s main strip is packed with bars and clubs that are continuously buzzing with travellers.

Phi Phi is the place to come and experience the party of Thailand, as the clubs line the beach front and parties and fire shows take place on the sand. Admire the

island’s beauty and unique shape with a climb to Phi Phi Viewpoint where you’ll receive a panoramic view of the island. Phi Phi is also a brilliant place to embark on kayaking trips, snorkelling and PADI diving courses.

While Phi Phi is incredibly touristy, resulting in the unfortunate pollution of the island, it is only a half an hour long-tail boat ride from Maya Beach – famous because of its feature in film The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio.

The beach is a National park and therefore protected, meaning the water is crystal clear and the sand Captions go in and the corner of pictures are cleaned well cared for. A be hyphenated trip toand Phishouldn't Phi may exhaust you due to the amount there is to do, but it is definitely worth every minute.

If you’re on a student budget and you don't care for luxury, anywhere and everywhere you stay will be noisy; Phi Phi Viewpoint is quite an adventure, on a cliffside in a treehouse; however, if you do not mind a short walk the view is amazing.

Thailand was the trip of a lifetime, I would reccommend it to anyone who loves ot travel and seeing new exotic places. Ift is a destination that is entirely doable on a tight budget, and many oppotrunities to splash the cash if you're interested in something slightly more luxurious.

A Weekend in the Twin Cities Alexandra Goodwin Travel Writer @Alexgoodwin_

As one of the great hubs of the Mid-West, Minneapolis and St. Paul are two cities separated by the Mississippi river in the heart of Minnesota.

Starting at the beautiful Loring

'The cities have something to offer for everyone...'

Park, you can explore the greenest corners of the Twins, before moving on to enjoy tours at the Walker Art Centre or Sculpture Garden. I recommend strolling up Hennepin Ave., as this will take you through all the major sights and into St.

Paul.

Stumble across countless alternative pieces of street art; vibrant in colour and design.

Minneapolis’ charm feels embedded in its quirky backstreets and hidden rooftop bars. It is therefore essential you quench your thirst with a local craft beer at Uptown Tavern along the way. A small detour will take you to the U.S. Bank Stadium, the overly grand but exciting home to the Minnesota Vikings (if your bank account will allow, the $80 for a ticket is worth it).

If you then feel the need to immerse yourself further into the Cities’ culture and history, you can cross the Stone Arch Bridge.

The ex-railway will take you into St. Paul where you can continue your historic tour to the ex-home of F Scott Fitzgerald and admire

the pretty architecture of the Landmark Center.

After a long hard day of sightseeing, Downtown Minneapolis offers an array of pubs, bars and restaurants to feast from. At the Brit’s Pub on Nicollet Ave., for a reasonable $15, you will receive a very well attempted fish ‘n’ chips and a pint of Strongbow. The pub also offers an array of entertainment on their rooftop, where you may even be lucky enough to witness a pole-vaulting competition.

Pints aside, just up the road are more upmarket and equally delicious restaurants, such as Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill and Barrio Tequila Bar. Alternatively, during the day Nicollet and Hennepin islands are perfect picnic locations with fantastic views.

For the hefty price of $1.75,

you can take the tram up the Mall of America and curb every material craving you can imagine.

Alternatively, if shopping isn’t your thing, the huge theme park in the middle of the building might be more up your alley. Whilst the 3rd floor offers countless of America’s finest food chains.

‘Burger, Burger’, an affordable and delicious fast food chain, is also suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

The cities have something for everyone and appears to be the perfect hybrid of American culture and the business world- the Twins are a must!

Photograph by Alexandra Goodwin

34

CAREERS

Friday October 7th

@redbrickcareers

It's a Digital, Digital World

Our Gaming Editors provide valuable insight into how to get your foot in the door of the gaming industry and its professional aspects after their time spent at EGX.xploring Lael Hardtman Careers Editor @ehardtman

With gaming becoming increasingly popular and more competitive the E-sports industry is growing alongside it. In fact, as of this year E-sports actually has more dedicated followers than the NFL, proving the maturing industry to be sustainable and hinting at even greater success to come. E-sports is an industry accessible from many different starting points and our tops tips are useful for finding a career within E-sports. Consider pursuing your passion for gaming through exploring its professional aspects and becoming a part of this exciting new industry!

Getting your foot in the door 1. Don’t worry too much about your degree or field. Gaming companies are more than just developers or people who work on the game itself. If you’re passionate about gaming but lack the technical skills required to make the games you can always apply to handle business management, sales, community management or marketing.

2. Customise your CV. Games companies love when you’re genuinely enthusiastic about their games and want to contribute in a meaningful way to their development. An applicant who talks in length about their love of FPS’ in their application is unlikely to impress a company who specialises in strategy games. Know the company that you’re applying to,

who they are and how they started to make the best impression.

3. Network, Network, Network.

Do everything you can to get involved in your area of interest.

If you love RPG games and want to develop them full-time, find others who share the same passion and learn from each other.

Make active use of social media including networks such as LinkedIn or Gamedev Map to find others both involved in and looking to enter the games industry.

companies are much more likely to be interested in you when you’ve shown an active interest in improving your own abilities.

6. Don’t get dejected.

With gaming and E-sports increasing in popularity, there is undoubtedly a lot of competition.

Remember that rejection by one gaming company doesn’t mean no forever. Keep trying, and with enough passion and effort, you can improve your chances of being accepted.

6th

Largest gaming

4. Play them, 7. Don’t be industry in the Enjoy them, Love afraid to do world (UK) them! When perussomething else. ing a career in gaming The gaming indusor E-sports, show a try can be entered comprehensive knowlvia many different edge of the genre and its major paths beyond applying players. Do everything you can to straight to a company. Should follow the industry and its devel- you end up being repeatedly opment, and create a portfolio to turned down from these compashowcase this if you can. nies, look for prospects with common themes or transferable skills which may prove successful.

“Be sure to to be passionate, and offer your own unique perspective on how the brand can improve."

5. Learn from your mistakes.

This might seem like generic advice but it’s vital to remember.

If you decide to create your own game and it turns out terribly, learn from your mistakes and adjust your process until you receive better results. Games

8. Be humble. Should you receive a response or interview, make sure to leave the best impression. Telling developers who have been working in games for a long time that their methods are outdated without providing constructive criticism is unlikely to earn you the position. Be sure to be passionate and offer your own perspective on how the brand can improve, and what you would bring to the company to help it do so. Remember, no matter how much experience you have, you can always learn more.

With credit to Mason Grove (ESL), Nick Marshall (Curve Digital), and Luke Johnson (Creative Asssembly)

Gamification:

Towards a digital future

With the increase in digital taking the world by storm, Gamification is a unique offshoot of the ever-expanding e-games industry, focusing on utilizing gaming mechanics to further engage people to reach their goals. Gamification is unique in that it merges gaming mechanics with human psychology; tapping into what motivates people to buy and consume products in order to enhance customer experiences.

As Brian Burke understands, Gamification is a method to digitally rather than personally engage, whereby people interact with digital media rather than a person. According to Burke, 'the key goal of Gamification is to encourage people to change their behaviors, develop new skills, and to drive innovation' by enabling players to achieve their goals.

(Brian Burke: Gartner Redefines Gamification, Gartner Blog Network, 4/04/14) Gamification is especially popular in industries such as education, commence, entertainment, and marketing. This industry is new, but broad, with companies such as Starbucks, Nike, and Delta (through their Frequent Flyer rewards) utilizing aspects of Gamification to encourage and incentivize rewards to improve customer interface.

The changing industries provide students with several alternative careers - definitely not a nine-to-five but more creatively based careers. Potential career tracks include acting as a game design consultant, project manager, processer engineer, or even a project manager.

Inked in through LinkedIn The time of tailoring your CVs to a specific job is long gone.

Living in the digital age makes it all the easier for employers to find you, but it also doubles the competition. LinkedIn is a great social networking tool to give you the edge against this competition, helping you to grow and maintain an online presence in the eternal quest that is job hunting.

Having a LinkedIn account is vital to keeping track of all of your experiences, skills, achievements and qualifications that you accumulate during your time at university, as well chronicling your development. The connections you make on the site also have the potential to turn into job offers in the future.

Furthermore, connections can write recommendations which can give your application an edge as employees now have an insight into who you are and how others perceive you as a professional.

If you’re a blogger, LinkedIn can also act as a great tool for getting new readers to your blog posts, which in the future might help you build business relationships with your connections.

Showing off projects and the work you’ve done gives your skills tangible evidence, and incentivises people to get in contact with you. LinkedIn also lets you meet professionals from around the world and increases your commercial awareness by following or connecting to experts in your given field of study.

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450 Million Linkedin Members

CAMPUS WIDE CAREERS EVENTS Kick Start: I need a job!

Autumn Careers Fair

Wednesday 5th October, 12.00 – 3.00pm. Great Hall

Wednesday 12th (11:00) - Thursday 13th October (15:30) Great Hall Aston Webb Building

Graduating and uncertain what to do next? The Graduate Careers Intensive might provide some much needed guidance. The Careers Network can help lend a helping hand in planning the next phases of your post graduation journey to make the most of your degree and utilize your potential to the fullest. Visit the Great Hall on the 5th of October to find out more!

The Careers Network is hosting a careers fair for all University of Birmingham students, providing a opportuninty to glimpse the range post university employment, over 100 employers will be present over the 2 days!

No registration is needed, so be sure to give the fair a visit!

CAREERS

Friday October 7th

@redbrickcareers

SPOTLIGHT: THE CIVIL SERVICE FAST STREAM Lael Hardtman Careers Editor @_hardtman

The Civil Service Fast Stream has opened on the 29th for final year students or recent graduates who have earned a least a 2:2 in their degree. With starting salaries at £25,000, this highly popular grad scheme offers a unique opportunity to make an active change in people’s lives by helping dictate governmental policy and administering public services in the UK.

What is the Civil Service?

The Civil Service is the secretariat of the Queen’s government which helps to develop, manage, and maintain government policy to keep it running efficiently. The Minister for the Civil Service is held by the Prime Minister but this role is largely political.

Furthermore, not all of the public sector is subsumed under the Civil Service; the British Armed Forces, the police, or people employed by the NHS are not part of the Civil Service. The government is one of the largest sources of employment in the UK, with over 1 in 5 people servicing the government in either a central or civil service, regional, or local position.

What is a Civil Servant?

Civil Servant is defined as 'servant of the Crown working in a civil capacity who is not the holder of a political (or judicial) office; the holder of certain other offices in respect of whose tenure of office special provision has been made; [or] a servant of the Crown in a personal capacity paid from the Civil List' (Bradley and Ewing, 2009).

Currently, there are 412,000 people employed as full time civil servants in the Home Civil Service. Civil servants themselves canwork in central government department or agencies, but also in non-departmental government bodies. The core tenets of the Civil Service are integrity, honesty, objectivity, and impartiality. Whilst the Civil Service may operate as one of the main arms of the government, the Service itself is politically impartial in order to be better able to serve the people of the United Kingdom, regardless of political affliation.

What does the Civil Service Do? Civil servants themselves come from a variety of academic backgrounds, and the Service is made up of 25 different professions, some of which include Intelligence Analysis, Human Resources, Policy Profession and Operational Research with opportunities in business, technology, communications, and the diplomatic serv-

"The Civil Service is currently tackling some of the country’s most complex and exciting challenges" ices. They are responsible for running and managing all sorts of government schemes, such as paying benefits, running prisons, issuing licenses, and managing housing. Thus, civil servants employ a high level of flexibility in their role as their job is subject to change by the agency. Fiona Christie, Press and Media Planning Officer, writes that 'The Civil Service is currently tackling some of the country’s most complex and exciting challenges such as negotiating Brexit and digital transformation. There has never been a more interesting time for talented and capable young leaders to take on unique challenges, gaining experience and responsibility in an organisation like no other.' The Civil Service offers an interesting insight to the government’s capabilities, and their new application process draws on people from a wide array of backgrounds, seeking exceptional leaders as their candidates. The work you do will have a direct impact on peoples lives.

If you feel this scheme is for you, or if you want to find out more information, please visit https:// www.gov.uk/government/organisations/civil-service/about/ recruitment!

Grad Scheme Application Tips Graduate schemes come in all varieties, ranging from a diverse pool of industries such as the Public Sector (Teach First, Civil Service, NHS), Media (BBC, Sky), to top of the tier financial hegemons Unilever, PwC, Barclays, and KPMG. As such, there are many options and you may feel yourself overwhlemed by all the choices! Keep these quick tips in mind as you're going through your applicaiton process.

1. Carefuly decide which schemes you want to apply for. Graduate scheme applications should be tailored specifically to your interests; don’t apply to any and all. Pick the schemes in the industry you wanted; being selective is never a bad thing!

2. Tailor your answer to the employer. Truth of the matter is that everyone wants to feel special; and generic CVs and cover letters won't set you appart from the rest of the applications. Demonstrate how your experience can be an asset to whatever scheme you're applying for with real life examples. And keep these examples in hand for the interview phase!

3. Put effort into your CV. This is the fodder that employers will see first, so keep a record of all your acomplishments and achievements at secondary school and university. It might feel silly to keep track of them in a word document or through LinkenIn, but having a visual record will help you immensely later in your application. Remember: be selective and put good time and effort into your applications 4. Check specialist graduate sites such as Save the Student, Target Jobs, and the Graduate Recruitment Bureau to filer graduate opportunities. Do some background service into your industry as to not get overwhelmed.

5. And most importantly: apply early! The early bird really does catch the worm. Because graduate schemes tend to be so competitive, applications may close before the date. So don't be the one that gets caught out!

5 more Schemes for the Keen 1.

Cancer Research UK

Applications are now open for the Cancer UK Graduate Scheme. Interested in helping cure canver? With 5 different streams available (Fundraising, Finance, Policy, Scientific Strategy, Technology, and HR), there are a diverse range of opportunities avaliable.

2. SIS (MI6) The Secret Intelligence Service is now hosting graduate schemes in a range of intellgience - based roles. The requirements include being a UK citizen, having substanital ties to the UK, and having lived here for the better part of 10 years.

3. Amazon Innovation is the core driver of this megalodon ecommerce inudstry.They are always recruiting university students as interns or for graduate positions working on real world technical ad business problems. Keep an eye out for their many university opportunities!

4. Rolls-Royce Rolls Royce is always seeking graduates from an array of different academic discplines and backgrounds.

With grad schemes offered in Operations managmeent, Health and Safety, Commerical and Customer Focused schemes, there are many ways to get invoeld with this global company.

5. PwC The number one graduate employer for over a decade, PwC proves itself to be more than just another finanical institution. There is a long list of ways to get involved, with numerous work placements, internships, and grad schemes, so don't be intimidated! Theres something for everyone.

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We're Hiring!

Join Redbrick Careers Would you like to help put the Careers section together for Redbrick? Whether you have an interest in the more traditional routes and gradschemes, or are curious about emerging roles in unusual industries, come and talk to us about contributing to Redbrick's newly established section.

The role really is what you make it!

Writing and editorial positions available. If you're interested, send an email to careers@redbrickonline.co. uk we will be in touch to arrange a meeting.

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Sport

Friday 7th October

@redbricksport

Bradley Wiggins: More Grey than White Two weeks after the initial revelations, the dust has started to settle on Team Sky and Bradley Wiggins’ TUE Scandal. Jamie Starling offers a rounded explanation of just what has gone on, and what it means for Bradley Wiggins.

Jamie Starling Sports Writer

Back in 2009, when Team Sky were formed, there was a clear and concise mission statement: to win the Tour de France with a clean British rider within the next 5 years. Bradley Wiggins was quickly signed as the figurehead of this movement, following his then 4th (now upgraded to 3rd after the dismissal of Lance Armstrong) place finish in that year's tour. But perhaps more striking than their objective of winning the tour with a British rider was the sheer force of their hard-line approach to antidoping, and their repeated desire to be seen as whiter than white.

In the last fortnight, releases by the Russian based hacking group named ‘Fancy Bears’ have sent this reputation into disarray.

Primary amongst their revelations was the discovery of three TUEs, or Therapeutic Use Exemptions, registered to Bradley Wiggins in the years 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively.

TUEs are a system by which an athlete is permitted to use an otherwise forbidden product in order to aid a medical condition.

They have to be approved by the sport’s governing body, and are an entirely legal and in some cases much needed system. The drug that Wiggins requested use of is called Triamcinolone, and is used to combat conditions such as asthma and hay fever, both of which Wiggins is known to suffer with.

But whilst there is no suggestion that Wiggins or his team have broken any rules, there are several factors surrounding this exposure which could qualify as extremely suspicious.

"Immediately, this could make Wiggins' use of Triamcinolone incredibly suspicious given he has passed through the rest of his career.. without any need for this most unique of treatments."

Firstly, there is the medical nature of this specific product.

Multiple doctors have publically stated that Triamcinolone is a highly unusual asthma treatment, calling it a 1 in 1000 approach to only be tried as a last case scenario when all else has failed.

Immediately, this could make Wiggins’ use of it incredibly suspicious, given he has passed through the rest of his career claiming 8 Olympic Medals, multiple 1 week stage races, and 2 other grand tour podiums without any need for this most unique of treatments. A look at the potential side effects of this drug does little to calm any fears of misdemeanours. Convicted former dopers such as David Millar and Tyler Hamilton have made strong public

statements revealing their belief that Triamcinolone has strong potential benefits in aiding rider recovery and weight loss, possibly even encouraging the loss of up to 5kg in a single month period, which would make a huge difference when climbing mountains at world tour level. Whilst some might accuse these riders of just seeking another chance to hit the headlines, it is the presence of David Millar amongst Wiggins’ critics that may worry him the most - the former teammate of Wiggins having carved out a respected career in both TV analysis and more importantly antidoping tribunes. Medical experts, however, have contradicted these statements, pointing out that these effects may have come from the concoction of other drugs, such as EPO, being taken by these riders at the time they tried Triamcinolone.

These same doctors have all also stated that, in defence of Wiggins, they cannot see how it would have any specific benefits for sporting activity, but we must remember that potential cycling performance enhancement would not exactly be at the forefront of attention in the original medical trials.

If one thing is clear from these contradictions, it is that no one seems to really know exactly how e f f e c t i v e Triamcinolone would be if it was taken for the purpose of performance enhancement. If we amalgamate both sides of the debate however, our best guess would appear to be that at the very least it does aid recovery slightly, which over the uniquely strenuous demands of a 3-week tour could be significant. As a wider family, Triamcinolone is a type of corticosteroid, a drug most commonly associated with improving recovery in the world of doping, so this conclusion is generated in part by this pattern. Perhaps the level of fear generated

by Wiggins’ actions could actually have stimulated from this bracketing as a corticosteroid; they were the drug famously used by Lance Armstrong before his 1999 failed drugs test.

There are two ways to interpret this conclusion of aided recovery.

On the one hand, those that believe in and defend Bradley Wiggins could see it as a fair explanation for the why only took the product before the 3-week tours. The unique stress of these events would encourage his genuine asthmatic conditions to be at their worst, and hence his body would not medically need this product throughout the rest of the year because he would never be under this much

stress again. On the other hand, disbelievers and critics would see this firmly as a case of the evidence indisputably convicting the subject; the 3-week tours are harder and thus he took something to improve his performance.

"In Bradley Wiggins' own autobiography, 'My Time', he states that he has never had any injections in his life bar vaccines" This suspicious timing of the TUEs has perhaps provided just as much outrage as their mysterious nature, with many believing it to be pretty much self-incriminating.

All three were taken just days

before Wiggins’ biggest target of each season, the tour in 2011/2 and the Giro D’Italia in 2013, and the implications of this speak for themselves. Why did Wiggins not need this product at any other time of year? The explanation of more stressful events has not sat well with most, and his 2013 Giro D’Italia use is also particularly significant, for the May running of the event rules out any defence along the lines of his condition affecting him worst in the height of summer.

As if the plot wasn’t thick enough already, many commentators were quick to point out that, for Wiggins’ part, he has publically defended himself twice over the

past week, initially in an interview to Andrew Marr, and after this was apparently seen as unsuccessful, to the more reputable (for cycling fans) William Fotheringham of The Guardian. While these interviews, and his explanation of the seriousness of his condition, no doubt satisfied many the casual fan, it did not do the same for most pundits. Neither was it lost on these people that he conducted the first of these interviews less than a metre in front of a giant vase of lilies, a plant renowned for their high pollen content and sneeze creation, if one suffers with hay fever that is. So what defence is there of Wiggins?

To start, there is perhaps his reputation. Ironically, the thing most at risk in this whole scandal could be the thing that keeps him afloat, for there is no doubt whatsoever about the validity of his extensive prior achievements, clear aptitude for cycling, and undeniable ability to achieve what he has achieved. Despite all the furore, there is no indication that Wiggins actually broke any rules, and no indication that his achievements were in any way unbelievable. Enhancing this are the extreme lengths taken by his team to avoid any doping links whatsoever. Team Sky have relentlessly, and at times ruthlessly, let go any riders or staff even remotely linked to a past in doping, no matter what success they brought the team now, how long ago the offences were, or whether these people may end up working for a competitor instead or not.

They even made the unprecedented move of allowing David Walsh, the Irish journalist who was one of the key exposers of Lance Armstrong and was famously banned from attending his press conferences, to spend 6 months shadowing the team from its incarnation to evaluate every aspect of team procedure. While Team Sky are not a popular team, largely due to their success, they could not be accused of being a corrupt one.

More important than this however is the very fact that everything Wiggins did was known of and approved by the sport’s governing body, and the constantly but reluctantly reiterated line by all journalists that there is no indication whatsoever of any rule breaking. The key here is that the UCI granted permission for these requests to be carried out, and thus, with their infinitely larger base of information, decided that what Wiggins was doing was legal and needed. If they can be okay with this, why can’t we? If we are to vilify a rider for using a method of recovery approved by the UCI as necessary over performance

enhancing, where are we to stop?

Many would argue that this is just another flaw in the UCI, and whilst they may be right, until it is proven as such it seems harsh to judge Wiggins as much as has been done. If Triamcinolone was at all known to be significantly performance enhancing and not remotely needed by Wiggins, the TUE applications would surely have been rejected and moved on from without a second thought. It is not like the UCI as an organisation exist to let things like this slip through their fingers, and in fact the statistics for TUE use through the past seven years backs this up.

The amount of TUE applications successfully granted by the UCI has fallen year on year from 2009 to 2015, from a starting figure of 239 to an end one of just 13 last year. This does not paint the picture of a corrupt body consciously letting things slide, but rather an ever-increasingly tight organisation that is working hard to clean up both itself and its sport. It is also made clear by the UCI that a TUE may only be granted if it is proven that a significant impairment to health would occur if the TUE if refused, the TUE is highly unlikely to produce any other performance related effects, and there is no reasonable alternative method to cure the condition. For Wiggins and Team Sky to pass a performance enhancing drug through all of this just seems ludicrous. It is clear here that with these stringent measures in place, if any foul play occurred it is surely the fault of the UCI just as much as Wiggins, and that should perhaps be the bigger issue to come out of this scandal.

"Despite all the furore. there is no indication that Wiggins actually broke any rules" Like the rest of the world, dictionary opinion is divided on whether or not Bradley Wiggins actions qualify him as a cheat.

There is just too much wrong, and too much suspicious with his actions to completely neglect it, yet the inflammatory vilification in the mainstream British media seems to feel a bit too far and over the top. Perhaps what offends us so much is that is has challenged our the otherwise perfect and pure pedestals we put our British cyclists on in a sport that in reality may never be far from a scandal.

Our naïve nationalism has led us to be so shocked that we could be accused of overreacting to a storyline where the main villain hasn’t actually done anything wrong.

If the aim of the Russian based hackers Fancy Bears was to expose the rest of the world as drug cheats, then they have failed. If their aim was to install a sense of doubt in the sporting stars of other nations as well as their own, then they have succeeded beyond measure.

Sport

Friday 7th October

@redbricksport

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Sam Allardyce Parts Company with England Dan Steeden examines the latest controversy in English football, following the departure of national team manager Sam Allardyce Dan Steeden Print Editor @dannysteeden

After chasing the England job for much of his career, Sam Allardyce has thrown it all away after just 67 days in charge. He only took charge of one game in his short time as manager – the unconvincing 1-0 win over Slovakia on September 4th – so leaves with a 100% record, as well as a huge blow to his professional reputation.

An undercover investigation by The Telegraph showed Allardyce agreeing to represent a Far East firm looking to profit from Premier League transfers even before his first game in charge. He is shown negotiating a £400,000 fee for his services.

This action, and the pervading sense of greed that underlies it, could not have come at a worse time. It cuts a sharp contrast to the numerous redundancies that recently occurred within the FA, which Allardyce goes on to criticise heavily in the taped conversations.

He is seen giving advice on how to 'get around' FA third-party ownership regulations, criticising the redevelopment of Wembley stadium, and remarking negatively about previous England boss Roy Hodgson and assistant manager Gary Neville.

The remarks aimed at Hodgson and Neville could perhaps have been overlooked as tactless throwaway comments but the advice concerning the sidestepping of FA regulations gave Allardyce little other choice but to resign by 'mutual consent.'

The FA released a statement in which it said, 'Allardyce's conduct, as reported today, was inappropriate of the England manager,' while also confirming that Gareth Southgate will take temporary charge of the team for four games 'whilst the FA begins its search for the new England manager.'

It remains to be seen who will take charge permanently but it is clear that England need some positive and professional performances on and off the pitch.

Potential Replacements: Gareth Southgate now has four games to prove that he is ready to step up to the role and, should he experience success, he could certainly be given the permanent job.

Steve Bruce - recently parted company with Hull City.

Eddie Howe - praised for attractive football at Bournemouth.

Glenn Hoddle - previous stint as England manager was not without some success.

Alan Pardew - has had his eye on the job for a while.

Ralf Rangnick - current Director of Sports at RB Leipzig Arsene Wenger - if he ever leaves Arsenal.

County Championship Final Day Drama Bradley West

Cricket Correspondent

A little over two weeks ago one of the most memorable County Championship seasons in recent memory ended on the final day of the final game with Middlesex ending 23 years of hurt by narrowly edging both Yorkshire and Somerset with victory over the former at Lord’s. Now that the dust has settled on a remarkable campaign, it is time to analyse that unbelievable final day.

In a season when the longest form of domestic cricket has come under increased pressure due to the proposals and ever increasing likelihood of a city T20 competition being established within three years, the competition that dates back until 1890 answered its critics in emphatic fashion.

With only half an hour to go the title could have still gone three different ways, a most striking and dramatic finish that proved the championship still provides the biggest spectacle and is still the most prestigious domestic title to win.

Coming into the final set of fixtures, the top three (Middlesex, Yorkshire, Somerset) were separated by 10 measly points, a margin that by the terms of many sports sounds vast but in the domestic four day version of cricket is as slender as they come.

Given that Middlesex played host to Yorkshire on this final week the stakes could not have been higher.

The game saw Middlesex struggle in their first innings and, but for a fine century from Nick Gubbins, their eventual total of 270 would have seemed a long way off. Yorkshire likewise struggled with their top order batting however a quite brilliant Tim Bresnan 142 not out, under extreme pressure, ensured Yorkshire carried a 120 run lead

into the second innings.

It was the action of the final day though, which Middlesex started on 81-2 trailing by 39 runs, which will live long in memory. To begin with, Middlesex batted relatively safely and, in notching up a small lead over Yorkshire, were guided by a patient century from Dawid Malan.

"Coming into the final set of fixtures the top three were separated by 10 measly points" The match took a thrilling, and frankly extremely practical, turn later in the afternoon though when, after discussions between the two captains, a contrived declaration was set up which saw Middlesex up the tempo and hit 120 runs inside nine overs in setting Yorkshire 240 runs to win. To allow this to happen Yorkshire’s opening batting pair provided easy deliveries for Middlesex to score quick runs off with Yorkshire head coach Jason Gillespie even helping out by fetching the ball on the boundary.

Previous to this the match had been meandering towards a draw on the final afternoon which would have been no good to either participating side, handing Somerset the draw they needed to win the title in the process.

Therefore to try and force a win from the game, irrespective of which side obtained this, the entertaining option was taken and Middlesex captain James Franklin has since defended this decision stating, 'Both teams felt we owed it to the occasion to try to make a good game of it.'

This decision effectively ended Somerset’s hopes of winning their first ever County Championship title but Somerset captain Marcus Trescothick was rational in an interview with Sky Sports afterwards stating that he 'understood' why the declaration came and knows both teams were 'going to try to win at all costs.'

When Yorkshire came out to bat early wickets were taken by Middlesex whilst resiliency was once again offered by a stubborn middle order performance from Tim Bresnan, however once he was removed for 55 the game hung tentatively in the balance.

Up stepped Toby RolandJones, who delivered a bowling spell of pinpoint precision, in the process forcing the Yorkshire team into submission and taking six wickets for 54 runs in the innings to send the home crowd inside Lord’s into frenzy.

"With time running out of the game and the Championship, it would need a hero from either side to decide where the title would be going" Indeed, in a season of such drama, the title could only be decided one way as Roland-Jones sealed the victory by completing an unbelievable hat-trick, the stuff of dreams, to forever place his name in Middlesex folklore.

For every winner though there has to be a loser and, in this case, there were two. For Yorkshire, they came so close but yet so far to completing an historic third consecutive title and must now contemplate life without their

inspirational head coach who returns to his native Australia. For Somerset, a bitterly heart-breaking final day saw them only able to watch as they came within a matter of minutes of winning their first ever County Championship.

Nevertheless, Somerset have much to be proud of, and are optimistic for the future, in the form of the likes of spinner Jack Leach with his 68 wickets this season and the promising Overton brothers. Perhaps the biggest symbol of Somerset’s courageous season though came in the form of retiring captain Chris Rogers who, at the age of 39 and after scoring over 25,000 first class runs retired following the season’s finale, did all he could with two centuries in Somerset’s final game victory over Nottinghamshire.

All in all, a fantastic finale summed up an entertaining season of county cricket. Essex provided lots of spark as they dominated Division Two on route to the title whilst Nottinghamshire majorly disappointed and now have to plot their way back into Division One after relegation this season.

Finally, some superb individual performances lit up both divisions and this is symbolised by the efforts of exciting prospects Haseeb Hameed and Ben Duckett, who were both duly rewarded with England call ups for the winter tours. Indeed, this is where attention now turns to with England facing two tricky assignments against Bangladesh and India away from home.

Spotlight On: Trampolining Conrad Duncan Digital Editor

I’m hardly someone that you’d call an avid trampoliner, nor am I someone who is gifted at all in the sport; my past experiences have largely been drunken or set way back in my childhood.

Nevertheless, as a fully qualified layman in the activity, I can at least talk for those who have never consider trampolining as the sport for them. Although, the fact that I’d somehow managed to find myself in an intermediate/ advanced session did little to reduce any feeling that I had ended up hopelessly out of my depth. Yet, with a little bit of help, trampolining is nowhere near as daunting as it seems on paper.

Better still, it’s a lot of fun and a great way to exercise and compete for people who find the idea of running or more traditional sports unappealing.

UoB Trampolining train three times a week in the Munrow Sports Centre, and provide training for all levels from novice to intermediate and advanced, all of which can be found on their UoB Sport page. Even if you’ve never set foot on a trampoline in your life, there’s still every reason to get involved as the society is welcome to all abilities. In fact, the lowest level of competition routine contains only moves that I managed to learn (to a very average standard) in just half an hour of training. When we asked Club Captain Tom Senter what it takes to be a great trampoliner, his answer was encouragingly simple – ‘just commitment and getting rid of the fear factor. You’ll never know what you can do until you just go for it.’ So although this writer is unlikely to be Birmingham’s next great trampoliner, there’s no reason to believe that it couldn’t be you.

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Sport

Friday 7th October

@redbricksport

Redbrick Sport Meets: Redbrick Sport editors Nicola Kenton, Dan Steeden, and Harry Wilkinson met Olympic gold medalist Lily Owsley who gave her thoughts on...

The Olympics: The Social Media Ban 'We were off social media for the whole of the tournament so we had no idea what was going on at home - for all I knew ten men and their dog could have been watching. Looking back if we got told that 11 million people would have been watching the final we might have psyched ourselves out a bit.

It was absolutely the best thing we ever could have done, we were so submerged in this bubble, we only knew what was going in each other's lives and we had no idea what was going on in the outside world. We all had different phones throughout the tournament, so I could only be in contact with my family. There was no external kind of pressure or distractions, it was literally just us but then getting out of that bubble, everything just blew up. We got on that flight and signed back into social media and we were like "Oh my gosh, what has happened?!"'

Inspiring the next generation 'One of our values as a team was to inspire the future and the next generation. Obviously we wanted to win gold but by winning gold that's going to inspire the next generation and that was such a big thing for our squad. Going down to my local club and seeing how many new people have signed up, it's just the most unbelievable feeling to think that us 16 players have inspired more people to start playing hockey. That was the best thing for me coming out of the games, and obviously it's great to just put hockey back on the map.'

Worrying whether she'd make it to the Olympics 'Pretty much every day I was injured. Australia was a tough one, I felt going into that at the end of January I was in the best shape I'd ever been, I was playing I thought the best I'd ever been playing and so I kind of went to Australia thinking it's four/five months out from the Olympics. I had set myself a few things; I was going to nail that and then going to be in the best shape going to the build-up of the Games. But then I fell over - it was very innocuous; I didn't score; nothing came of it, and I broke my collarbone. During those three months it was tough, I had days where I thought I wasn't going to the Olympics.'

The Dream of the Olympics 'The Olympics has always been a lifetime goal for me regardless of whether we were winning tournaments or losing tournaments, I always wanted to go to the Olympics, and the good thing about a team sport is that nobody has to feel more pressure than the other because at the end of the day

everyone has to perform and it all has to come together. It's something I've always wanted to do so obviously the pressure was intense because it was a lifetime dream.'

Her Olympic Journey 'January was called physical development month which means there's not a lot of hockey and it's all running and gym; it was tough and it kind of shows that in times of adversity, everybody comes together because I feel that month was the making of the whole squad. There was a lot of dark times; you know running at six in the morning, doing a really hard session and a lot of the time you think to yourself "I cannot do this", but you've got 30 other girls there spurring everyone on.

Everyone had their days where they were like "I cannot do this", but there were 10 other girls on a good day who were like "come on we can get you through this". Then we headed out to Australia in February, obviously not my best trip but there are worst places to get injured than Perth.

Australia have been our bogey team, we've struggled to play against them for the whole cycle and that trip showed that we were ready to beat them. We were in their heads and it was a big mental advantage. The next three months for me were just about recovering and rehabbing, and it was actually a really good opportunity for me. I was so determined to get back that I had to fit a lot of hockey into a short space of time and it kind of makes you really appreciate the sessions.

The months leading up to the Games were just unbelievable all you're thinking in your head is "please just start now, start now, I need it to start now."'

Rio 2016 The Olympics as a whole really couldn't have gone better!

Australia was the first game and for me that was the biggest game of the whole tournament. I was absolutely bricking it because I was making my Olympic debut and I remember I went on the pitch and my stick was literally shaking, it was like it was vibrating, and then ball came to me and I think I kicked it or mis-trapped it. I was so relieved to get that first touch out of the way, "oh good first touch Lil well done."

From then on, I was absolutely

fine, no nerves; nothing. 15-20 minutes later, I was loving life because I'd got on the score sheet and we were winning; as soon as we won that first game it became very real, the vibe changed because we realised we could actually win this.

We wanted to win gold but we didn't even let ourselves think that. Even when we knew we were in the quarters, it was like "no, we've got a fourth group game, a fifth group game", and it was so important because we knew that if we didn't win our group we were going to have a tough journey to get to the final and have to play Holland in the semis.

I don't really know what to say about the knockouts, it just went too well! We scored so many goals and won so many games; it was just perfect.'

Olympics and the final, the margins are so small you just have to take your chances and luckily enough it fell to me and I took it.'

The Belief in the Squad in the Olympic Final 'I remember they [Holland] were 3-2 up and they were absolutely on a mission and Helen and I looked at each other and said "Believe." I know it doesn't mean much to other people but for us that meant we will get one chance and we will take it. We just have so much belief as a squad that not one person didn’t think we could win, even my parents would have probably written us off at this time. We've had a Tuesday where it's raining at Bisham Abbey where we've said that we're 1-0 down against Holland and there's 10 seconds to go, what are you going to do? We knew we were going to have a chance and take it. As soon as we got that third goal, I knew we were going to win and as soon as it went to penalties, we were all so elated and happy and then you look over at them and it was like they'd lost. The game was 3-3 but we'd won the game through mental edge.'

Goalie Maddie Hinch

Her Goal in the Olympic Final 'Holland are so good; they're aggressive, skilful and fit. You can't beat Holland if you're going to go in with the attitude of they're not that good, because they are. It was about finding a way to win you're not always going to outplay another team but you find a different way to win. I was just so lucky, I remember Sophie Bray (UoB Alumna) dribbling it in and you get to the point where you know every player so well and you know exactly what they're going to do, so I knew she was going to be having it in the air so I was like, "if you back off the ball is going to pop up." So, I back off, come back in and the ball just popped to me and I was like "Oh my god, I've got the ball, the goal is a metre away and the goalie is lying down somewhere."

I put it in and it was almost too good to be true. Bray did some absolute world class skill and then a tap in is a tap in, a goal is a goal.

I kind of went mad and everyone started jumping on me and I was like "No, my shoulder!" In the

'Maddie is the world's best shuffle saver, she's unbelievable and fair enough, I live with her, and she does so much work. Sometimes I'm like, come on Maddie go to bed, but she's looking at every single player and what they're going to do. Under pressure, you resort to your strengths and Maddie knew exactly what she was going to do and the five penalty takers then thrive off of Maddie. I say every game; I swear she wants it to go to penalties.'

The Winning Penalty 'Then Hollie Webb, cool as a cucumber, just waltzes in and scores. Everyone else I think was confident and I was just so weak, I couldn't even watch. If you don't look whatever happens you'll hear, if I look it's eight seconds of pain, as long as I don't look it's over quite quick and everyone was running and celebrating so I thought we must have won!'

Being named the Rowdiest Team member on the One Show 'I think it was the fact I kept start-

ing chants, so I think I was the rowdy one. I think that social side had been suppressed for a long time and suddenly we were winning games and so after games, it wasn't a night out but the next best thing, and we were winning so I just started the chants. On the flight on the way back, suddenly I started a chant and all the athletes were joining in. What I didn't realise though was that it was going to be plastered around the BBC and I was like, "oh sorry Mum." I saw one of the athletes taking the video, one of my quite good friends and was hoping she wasn't going to do anything with it, but really it was such good fun and the whole thing showed how tight we were as a group.'

The Hockey Squad 'The chants were just the start of it, and it's weird to think that that group of players will never be together again, in terms of playing because of retirements and people moving on; they'll be new players in and it's a weird thought, but yeah, we had our time and our era but it was so nice to spend that time with sixteen genuinely absolutely amazing people, 19 or 31 the whole squad. This cycle has just been so close and I think that's why we won.'

Team GB 'The best thing for me about the games was that Team GB was so tight. For the first time I'd be racing back from a game to go to the flat to watch the fencing because you felt so connected to everybody. When else would I be standing on my feet screaming at the badminton, it was just so great that everyone was so united.

Everyone was so supportive of everyone that when the medals started to come in such as Adam Peaty, it was great. Outside the block was a massive chart and names along with the colour of the medal that they won would be put up and you walked past it every day. You end up walking past the medals and thinking "we can do it", we watched him get that gold and now they're going to watch us compete. The sense of team spirit was really nice.'

Watching back the Olympic Final 'I have not watched it back, in my head I can picture it and we were definitely under the pump at times, so I don't know if I want to ruin it and watch it back and go "did we have the ball at any point?" I don't want to take it away from what it was. To me it was just the best day and the most unbelievable game and from a spectator point of view. It had everything: goals, penalties, cards, injuries. tears and blood. It literally ticked every box. I just don't want anything to take away from the image I have of the game.'

SPORT

Friday 7th October

@redbricksport

39

Lily Owsley Education:

that world.'

Deferring second year

A-Levels and Commonwealths

'As soon as I deferred I knew it was the right thing to do, I could focus on one thing. I didn't want to spread either too thinly. I want to do well in my academics and I wanted to do well at my hockey, I didn't want to get to a point where one was compromising the other because they're two things I'm passionate about doing well in. Deferring was actually a big thing for me because then I kind of realised I wouldn't have that escape; I wouldn't have that something else. I carried on playing hockey for the university so I still had that way out, I could go to Birmingham and play here. It was still hockey but it was different; it was with my friends and it was amazing.'

Balancing studies and sport 'Being a full-time student was amazing, it was tough and had its challenges. I think balancing your studies and hockey is definitely a challenge, it was made a lot easier because of the support I got from uni and the support I got at hockey, both were quite understanding of the situation. I get very obsessed with things and I can get too focussed on one thing. It can sometimes go over the top a bit and I get one thing one-track minded, so usually studies was kind of my way of getting out of hockey and out of

the

'I've never just had one thing, unfortunately. I was still at school when I first started playing senior hockey, so when I didn't have an A-Level or didn't have an exam, I was required at hockey. I remember thinking the days I had off were the days I had A-Levels, so that was kind of the mindset at school - if I had an exam I had a day off training so I was like great! Rest Day!' The Transition from School to Uni 'That was definitely a tough transition but that got me prepared for what life would be like in the next few years, going into university and at least I knew what I was signing up for when I started. I wasn't unprepared for that, I knew it was going to be tough and have its challenges but in the grand scheme of things it's definitely got me to where I have been because without this escape and without studying I don't think my hockey would have been quite as successful as it has been.'

Being back at Uni 'Good, really good. It's been a long summer and it's been unbelievable. Life as I knew it has kind of changed. It's really nice and reassuring that the things that have always been here are still

'My hero when I was growing up was Kelly Holmes, I was an 800m runner and so she was kind of my idol, she was the one I aspired to be like.'

as an injured person watching your team get far away and you're in two minds thinking "this is brilliant, this team and we're on fire, we're going somewhere" and then the half of you can't help the feeling that you're not involved in that and that everyday you're not on the pitch you're getting further away from something amazing.'

Kate Richardson-Walsh

Keeping a Diary

'I think she's just an absolute inspiration, she's such a kind caring person and to adopt that captaincy role in a team of needy girls is difficult but she's also just an absolute legend and she just epitomises everything I feel sport is about.

She's just been the biggest advocate for women in sport and hockey, she's the most unbelievable person and most unbelievable player. The way she conducts herself every single day is just professional and she's caring. If I took on as much as her I think I would selfdestruct! She always wants to do more and she's always looking out for anybody - apart from herself!'

'I keep a diary on my phone and when it gets tough, I just literally write it down and then don't think about it again and that's it. I always write what I want from the month so I had to adjust that in February - wrote three new ones about being the fittest I've ever been when I get back. I had to look at it as an opportunity, I had three months to get as fit as I possibly could without any pressure of selection. For me it was about setting aims and being realistic about where I was.

The big one for me was I'm so competitive and I always want to be the best, although I had to be realistic and realise that when I come back after three months I’m not going to be as good as I was.

Everyone is going to be better than me at this stage, everyone is going to be sharper, quicker, fitter and you kind of have to accept that before you go onto the pitch. I wish that I'd told myself "you'll be fine, don't worry we're not going till late July." I guess hindsight is such a great thing but that's kind of why I write everything down so

Miscellaneous: Her Sporting Heroes

Not being able to play for three months 'It was tough having to watch people in my position getting a look-in and playing well, everyone was getting really sharp of course and it got to a point where it was two months out from playing at the Olympics and everybody was absolutely on fire. It’s really tough

here, so it was good to just see my mates and just chill. My brother is here too, so it's just nice to have him here and chill. I'm actually excited to start studying, which my mum will probably be very happy about, I've been out of education for a while so I'll probably be a bit stupid but yeah I'm looking forward to it.'

Advice for a Student Athlete 'I wish I could tell myself a couple of years ago that it's okay to feel the stress and to feel that you're being torn a bit both ways because that's sport and that is studying.

Enjoy things outside of your sport, so for me that was meeting other sports. I absolutely love the hockey girls but it's really nice seeing people from other sports and seeing what they're doing and kind of getting advice from them. Don't put too much on your plate and you can say no to things. I think the biggest one is you're not alone, there's always people trying to help you - accept the help! In the first year, I tried to do everything myself and I'm the most unorganised person in the world and I ended up being so stressed and I kind of sent this plea email of I don't know what to do, I've got an exam but I'm supposed to be in Spain playing hockey. The performance team are around you to try and make your life as easy as possible, so you only have to focus on your studies or your sport - everyone is there to help you so accept the help!'

that I can look back if it happens again.'

The ‘Rising Star of the Year’ Award and its consequences 'Yes, I think I didn't feel pressure because of that accolade. I don't want to take anything away from it, but it is "World Young Player," not "Player," and it is a young girls award in a big girl’s game, so I knew it didn't mean anything in the grand scheme of selection and world hockey. It was really nice to think that everything I was doing in development was on the right track. For me it was a reassuring step, but no I didn't feel any more pressure or determination to get to the Olympics.'

What’s Next on the Hockey Agenda 'My plan is to take a bit of time out.

Four years is a long cycle and if I don't take a bit of time out now, even though I'm raring to go and I want to start playing uni hockey and BUCS, I'll start to feel it at the end of the four years. I need to make that next cycle to Tokyo a bit shorter. The next goal is to win BUCS gold, the girls have started the League great and I love Saturday hockey. It's just about finding the right time to come back and I guess I will have conversations with Phil about when that will be. In the meantime, I'll be supporting the girls on Saturdays

"Life as I knew it has kind of changed. It's really nice and reassuring that the things that have always been here are still here, so it was good to just see my mates and just chill." and Wednesdays and get back to the BUCS league as soon as possible.'

The Most Unexpected Thing in Your Hockey Career So Far 'I got stung by a bee in the semifinal of the Olympics. Someone scored and I was celebrating, I got stung so I threw my stick and screamed and everybody was like "calm down Lily." I just had to carry on and my hand was slowly swelling. I walked over to the bench and was like I've been stung and they were like "shut up, right come on, let's get back on we're going to get them." After, we were absolutely buzzing because we were guaranteed a silver and I forgot about it and it was only later that night when I went to get into bed and it still hurt. It was only a little sting but it was really random and unexpected.'

they beat Wigan and we beat Australia. Some of them have come through the academy and I've seen and grown up with them so it's nice that they're getting first team exposure and obviously as well I'm just a massive hooligan - a massive fan as well! It was good fun.'

The Trip to Kenya 'It was amazing, the trip of a lifetime. It's just something I've never done before because we haven't had the time so we've just been on European holidays and for the first time I had a month off so I was just like I'll go to Africa. It was amazing, we did everything. The beach, climbed Mount Kenya, a safari and went into quite a lot of schools and it was eye-opening and put a lot of things into perspective for me, so I'm really glad I went.'

Coach Danny Kerry

Bristol City 'I've just been a fan all of my life.

My mum works there so I spent most of my childhood afterschool running around the training ground.

Our first hockey match in Rio was on the same day as Bristol City and I was like this is awful, I need to not look at my phone I'll get so stressed out. My mindset was if I can get six points at the end of the day, three for us, three for City then I'll be great and it happened

'We massively have our coach to thank for everything we've achieved, he's just a genius and he does so much work looking at the other teams and coming up with a game plan. You kind of know that if you listen to what he's saying and stick to the game plan on top of fitness, and that extra kind of British bulldog grit, we were going to do it, so yeah he's a tactical mastermind - we're very lucky to have him!'

International Rules

07.10.2016 Nicola Kenton finds out about UoB's very own Bud's Run

Page 15 Jamie Starling investigates the Bradley Wiggins controversy

Page 36 Redbrick Sport meets Olympic Gold medalist and UoB student Lily Owsley

Pages 38-39 For more, follow us on twitter:

@redbricksport

Aussie Rules vs Gaelic Football Brief explanation of the football. You cannot run conrules tinuously with the ball, every 15 metres you have to bounce Aussie Rules is a game that it, pass it, or shoot. contains elements from a variety of sports, such as How can you get involved? rugby, football and basketball. It is played 18 a side on If you want to get involved a large oval pitch. To watch, in the sport, we train every it bares most resemblance to Wednesday at the Metchley rugby as we use the same grass pitches from 2-4. shaped ball, it is full contact and scoring is achieved by Five reasons why you kicking the ball between rug- should join your respective by-like posts at either end of clubs: the field. The main difference from rugby is that you 1) We don’t discriminate! cannot throw the ball to pass We take on anyone regardit, you have to perform what less of shape, size, gender is called a handball, which is and ability. a punch similar to what you 2) International opportunisee in volleyball, that can be ties - we produce a number played in any direction. Other of international athletes than that passing is mainly every year who have comachieved by kicking the ball peted for England and Wales between players, which when and have even gone on to caught cleanly is called a represent Great Britain in the mark and means you cannot European Championhips! be tackled for around 20 sec- Could this be you? onds, but you cannot run 3) Socials - as a relatively with ball only pass it via kick small club we always a creor handball, or make an ate an amazing atmosphere attempt on goal. After scor- where everyone knows eveing a goal (6 points) play is ryone which pays off on and restarted with a ball up where off the field, especially when the umpire throws the ball in it comes to sports night! the air and two players called 4) Membership - our memthe ruckmen will compete to bership fees are one of the gain possession. Once the cheapest at only £55! ball is in play pretty much 5) Tour - Every year we go anything goes, there’s no off- on tour, which has taken us side, the ball can hit the around the country and ground and the player with abroad. Last year we went the ball can be protected by and played in Amsterdam his teammates via a shepard and this year we have a tour or a bump which is similar to to Prague lined up. Don’t what you see in American miss out!

Brief explanation of the rules Gaelic Football is an amateur sport that combines the skills of Football, Rugby and Basketball to create the second fastest field sport in the world (the fastest is Hurling, another Irish sport).

It is typically played with 15 players on each side on a pitch considerably larger than that used for football.

The ball is played through the hand and can be passed by hand or kicked to a teammate. The goalposts are similar to Rugby posts with a net in the bottom section and you gain one point for putting the ball over the bar, with a goal being with three points. The tackling is similar to Rugby but you cannot simply drag someone to the ground, instead having to rip the ball from them or hit shoulder to shoulder. The Basketball aspect comes from needing to be agile and also being required to either bounce the ball or to kick it back into your hands every four steps. It is high scoring, highly physical and highly enjoyable to play!

How long has this match been happening?

International Rules has been happened five times at UoB, with the last four times haveing been supported by UoB Sport. This year was the first time that both clubs

women’s teams played International Rules with the game split in two halves between the men and women under a single, continuous scoreboard.

How can you get involved?

If you couldn’t make the taster session, fear not, beginners are always welcome and you can come along to training at any point this year.

Contact us on Facebook for details, or on twitter @uniofbhamgaelic.

Five reasons why you should join your respective clubs: 1) It's a great way to meet new people and make lifelong friends. We pride ourselves on having a welcoming social atmosphere with all teams coming together at sports night.

2) We are a successful team nationally coming second overall in the BUCS points table.

3) Gaelic Football does not require any single physique and as a club we run two teams, catering for all abilities.

4) Membership is only £75 for the year and for that you get three training sessions a week and participate in BUCS level competition.

5) We wear sleeves and playing University level sport through the winter is usually a very cold affair!