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1st-7th March 2013 Vol. 77. Issue 1428. www.redbrick.me
#GuildElections13
Campaigning begins across campus
The responses of all candidates to the questions posed by Redbrick
Redbrick speaks to the presidential candidates NEWS // PAGES 4-5 What Orwell tells us about the Guild Elections EDITORIAL // PAGE 10
Sport View: Ed Tyler considers the end of the 'one club man' SPORT // PAGE 30
Dhara Shan explores the hidden gems of South America TRAVEL // PAGE 12-13
Lucy Whife and Katarina Bickley on awards night fashion LIFE&STYLE // PAGE 20-21
2 | 1st - 7th March 2013
Compiled by Christopher Pembridge Weather by Hannah Findley
@RedbrickNews BIRMINGHAM
SCIENCE
Birmingham Council Passes Budget Cut
New ‘stretchy battery’ unveiled by scientists
Up to 1,000 jobs are put at risk after Birmingham City Council approved its £102m savings plan. The council, thought to be Europe’s largest local authority, faces the task of saving £615 million by 2017 after reductions in the central government grant. Katrin Busch @kabulein
MUSIC
Adele named world number one FOOD
MEDIA
Tesco Vows to sell more British meat
New York Times to expand overseas
The head of Tesco, Phillip Clarke, has said that the chain will increase the proportion of locally sourced meat sold in stores. His comments follow the discovery that three different products sold by Tesco contained traces of horse DNA.
STORY OF THE WEEK
Two die in Egypt after balloon crash A tourist balloon carrying over twenty people has crashed after exploding approximately 1000 feet in the air in Luxur, Egypt. Two Britons have died in the tragedy and another is currently in hospital with minor injuries. 12 noon Saturday
RELIGION
WEATHER
Most senior Catholic cleric resigns
Cold but sunny weather for Birmingham
The most senior Roman Catholic cleric, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, has resigned as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh following allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards clergy dating back to the 1980s. He has denied the accusations.
This weekend will see extensive cloud cover with a risk of light drizzle on Sunday. Occasional sunny spells could lead to maximum temperatures of 6ºc, but frosts are likely overnight. The start of next week is expected to be sunny but still cold.
Redbrick Editorial Editor Raphael Sheridan
Marketing Manager Eimear Luddy
Deputy Editors Lexie Wilson Owen Earwicker
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Digital Editor Chris Hutchinson Art Director Alexander Blanchard Photography Editors Anna Kirk Charlotte Wilson photography @redbrick.me
Music Editors Lily Blacksell Jonathon Milnes Josh Holder
Travel Editors Chloe Osborne Zara Sekhavati Will Spence
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News Editors Patrick McGhee Ashley Kirk Zahra Damji Beth Clarke
Television Editors Charlotte Goodwin Russell Webb Abigail Salter
Food Editors Izzy Gibbin Jemima Lovatt Gemma Bridge Lynette Dakin
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Film Editors Natasha Lavender Aisha Bushby Josh Taylor
Science & Technology Editors Sam Atkins Andrew Spencer Tom Rich
Comment Editors Daniel Baird Elisha Owen James Dolton
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Multimedia Editors Molly Garfoot Matthew Hewson Max Powley
Arts Editors James Kinsey Rebekah McDermott Jenna Clake
Life&Style Editors Lucy Whife Megan Nisbet Megan Jones
Sport Editors Tim Pearson Felix Keith Matt Clark
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Junior Art Directors Lauren Wheatley Akhil Kothari Anita Baumgärtner Julia Jablonska
Proofreaders Naomi Baldwin Louise Curry Hannah Dove Lucy Haffenden Emily Hickey-Mason Ashley Kirk Megan Kissane Senior Editorial Rebecca Mee Assistant Bethany Prottey Isabel Mason Amy Saul Faye Simpson Sophie Tollet Emily Trivette Editorial Assistants Elizabeth Waind George Bearman Hannah Detheridge Hannah Coates Alicea Francis Ellie Jarvis Ravina Khela Hannah Mason Ella Parsons Francesca Seabourne Ellie Smallwood Charley Ross
POLITICS
Lord Rennard harassment allegations widen
Redbrick Guild of Students Edgbaston Park Road Birmingham B15 2TT 0121 251 2462 editor@redbrick.me Redbrick is printed through www.mortonsprint.com 01507 523 456 Advertising Contact Linda Langley in Guild Marketing on 0121 251 2524 Designed and typeset by Redbrick Copyright (C) Redbrick 2013 The views expressed in Redbrick do not necessarily reflect those of the editors, the Guild or the publishers. If you find an error of fact in our pages, please write to the Editor. Our policy is to correct mistakes promptly in print and to apologise where appropriate. We reserve the right to edit any article, letter or email submitted for publication.
Isabel Hicks Reporter
Louise Warren
Selly Oak. Battery Retail Park development proposals discussed
@izihicks
On February 18th, around 100 people attended a public meeting to discuss proposals for the Battery Retail Park Site and the issues around its expansion.. The site, which lies just north of where the Worcester and Birmingham Canal crosses Bristol Road, has been a key topic on the Community Partnership of Selly Oak's agenda in recent years. The expansion would see the Birmingham Battery and Metals site transformed into a canal-side development with a superstore housing up to 20 shops, bars, restaurants, offices, a doctor’s surgery, student flats and hotels. Whereas the overall response to the regeneration has been positive because it will create many jobs and provide accessible amenities close to the university and the QE Hospital, the Community Partnership for Selly Oak have devised alternative proposals adressing concerns voiced by residents of the area. A main concern is that the plans do not adhere to Selly Oak Council’s strict guidelines on walkways and cycle access requiring ramps for the disabled, cyclists and parental access in and around the area. Open and well-lit walkways have also been identified as necessary to meet health and safety precautions for the public. Neither of these issues are featured in the December 2012 plans. There were also questions over the current roads at the main junctions around the site being able to hold the increased levels of traffic entering the area and whether pedestrian safety had been thought through sufficiently. It is hoped the revised plans for the regeneration and development of the Battery Park site will provide many new amenities to those living in the Selly Oak and Bournbrook area, creating around 3,000 new jobs and aid the economic growth of such a highly populated area of Birmingham. The Gun Barrels
3/5
Campus. This Week
www.redbrick.me/news | 3
Further coverage online at
www.redbrick.me/news
UoBCareersNetwork @careersbham
Careers Network wins double award New moon sized planet discovered Katrin Busch @kabulein
During a survey of over 150,000 stars, a team of experts including scientists from the University of Birmingham, have discovered the smallest planet outside the solar system. The moonsized planet, named Kepler-37b, is thought to be a smaller version of Mercury and orbits a dense, sun-like star called Kepler-37.
Burrito Van returns to University Centre
Drinks2Go The Selly Sausage
3/5
Urban Village
5/5
Khanum Restaurant
1/5
5/5
Beth Clarke @beth__clarke
Ratings as awarded by the FSA between 2010 and 2012
Food Standards Examined Sofia Karttunen Reporter
The scale used by the Agency ranges
@Zophy92 from 0 (urgent action needed) to 5 (very
The national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, drawn up by the Food Standards Agency, has published varying results for restaurants favoured by students in Selly Oak. The data for Bristol Road, Selly Oak, has revealed some restaurants falling short of medium hygiene standards. In preparing the rankings, theinspectors look at how well the eatery meets the requirements of food law, how hygienically the food is handled, the cleanliness of the premises and business records showing what it does to make sure the food is safe.
good hygiene standard). Five Selly Oak eateries, including two curry houses, obtained the minimum rating of 1/5. The results have raised concerns amongst students who have eaten at eateries that are reported to have such poor hygiene standards. One student, who did not want to be named, told Redbrick, 'it's concerning that I, along with many of my friends, have eaten at some of these places. We eat out to have a treat, and expect a certain level of quality and hygiene in the food that we eat. We don't know what goes on behind closed doors, and scores of 1/5 are very worrying.'
Last Thursday, the University of Birmingham officially opened a new Centre for Research in Race and Education.
Race & Education Research Centre launched
4 | 1st -7th March 2013
#GuildElections13 Campaigning begins
Patrick McGhee News Editor
@Patricksmcg
Campaigning for this year's Guild Officer Elections began this week. After a short breakfast at the Guild of Students on Wednesday, candidates began planting signs and banners around campus to promote their policies. Many candidates have adopted costumes and gimmicks, and have been speaking to students about their campaigns. Redbrick spoke to current President David Franklin, who gave some advice to candidates. He said, ‘From personal experience, firstly take care of yourself, it’s very important, and if you don’t, make sure someone else is. 'Secondly, when you’re campaigning just focus on what you’re doing, and if you’re getting distracted by what other people are doing, trying to compete with other people, you’re probably going to be wasting your time. Be positive, be happy, have fun, enjoy it and just focus on your own campaign.’
He added that students should ‘take all the free sweets you can’ and ‘focus on policies’ during the campaigning season. Vice-President (Activities and Development) also advised candidates, commenting that, ‘I guess it’s getting yourself out there, get amongst it all, try to talk to as many students as possible and tell them why they should vote for you.’ Candidate websites and social media accounts for many candidates have gone live, and information on these can be accessed via each candidate’s page on our website. The first major event during the campaign period, a candidate hustings, took place on Wednesday at 1:30pm in Mermaid Square at the Guild. At this event, candidates addressed an audience of students, speaking about their policies and explaining why they think they should be elected. Redbrick will be conducting interviews and providing live coverage of the campaigning season until 9th March, on which the results of this year's elections will be announced.
Keep up to date with all of Redbrick's election coverage at: @RedbrickNews #guildelections13
Patrick McGhee News Editor
Presidential
Beth Clarke @Patricksmcg
News Editor
@beth__clarke
With the election period underway, Redbrick asked Presidential candidates a series of questions about their campaigns. A number of these were focused on their manifestos and the potential limitations of each policy. For more coverage of the elections, including interviews, videos and all the latest updates, see our website at www.guildelections.co.uk.
Diverse and inclusive freshers events. Free printing credits. 24 hour library. Zero tolerance on discrimination.
Areeq names time as his biggest obstacle. He states, 'One year isn’t very long and officers sometimes struggle to achieve their aims in this time. However, I am very dedicated and committed and believe that we can achieve these aims despite this.'
A Guild that recognises the diversity of the student population.
Malia states that her biggest obstacle will be to get elected. She further stated that, 'Aside from that, I tend to approach things in a positive way, so if I do get it I hope that I can help students and communities to really cooperate more. Students should tell us what they want and we should try our best to implement it no matter whether we agree with it or not.'
Breaking down the barriers that students face in education. Anna Kirk @AnnaTidyKirk
A campaigning Guild, fighting for students' rights and interests.
www.redbrick.me/news | 5
Second General Meeting cancelled
Patrick McGhee News Editor
@Patricksmcg
The General Meeting scheduled for Tuesday 26th was cancelled due to lack of notice, after an incomplete members list was provided to the Guild by the University. In a statement on its website, the Guild of Students said, 'You should have received notification of the Guild of Students’ General Meeting due to take place this evening (Tuesday 26th February) at 6pm.
'Under Company Law, we were required to serve notice on all students who are members of the Guild that the meeting was taking place. The notice was served via email (on Monday 11th February) to all students included on a list of members of the Guild supplied by the University. 'We have very recently learnt that the data supplied by the University is incomplete, with a large number of students who are members of the Guild missing
manifestos
from the list. This invalidates the notice served and therefore tonight’s new meeting, and the adjourned meeting of the 28th January, are both now cancelled.' A previous General Meeting was scheduled for Tuesday 28th January. This was postponed amid concerns that proxy votes had been mishandled. In an earlier statement, the Guild of Students stated, 'The investigation has concluded that the use of the proxy voting system was not safe, nor secure. This conclu-
Improving the usability of the Guildwebsite and building a Guild app.
sion was reached after the investigation was unable to verify if all proxy votes cast had been received by the Guild of Students. It was also unable to confirm whether or not the proxy vote forms received had been tampered with.' The Guild has said this week that it ‘will call a new General Meeting as soon as we are satisfied that any issues surrounding missing data have been resolved.'
Improved student I.D cards.
The biggest obstacle, Mark states, that he will face regarding implementing his policies are 'largely financial'. He further states, 'The expansion of the e-library is going to require a lot of collaboration with the library. That will probably be quite tough as well, but I think it is all doable.'
Boost awareness of the Sabbatical team and what they can do for you. Improve internal career support. Create a more convenient campus. Longer library hours and more water machines. Increase support and awareness for student staff within the Guild.
Poppy believes a big obstacle to her manifesto would be if the Sabbatical team as a whole had different priorities. Furthermore, she states, 'I’m also likely to come up against problems when trying to get more water machines – but, if it wasn’t a problem, it wouldn’t be a manifesto pledge year-on-year.'
Easier access to Gradball and Fab tickets. Value for money from your course and union. Abolish Postgrad DNA forms. A new direction for the Guild (new strat plan)
Tim is positive that improved accessibility of Gradball tickets is a policy that can easily be implemented. However he does state that, 'factionpolitics within the Union will be one of the biggest barriers, but hopefully – as I’m quite apolitical – I can be a unifying force.'
Increasing student representation within the Guild of Students.
6 | 1st-7th March 2013 @RedbrickComment
Adoption Legislation 'Let's Not Cut Corners'
By Declan Kenny @declankenny94
During the early days of Cameron’s premiership, he made it clear he wanted adoption to become an easier process for prospective parents. Naturally an easier process for adoption seems like a positive move; children are housed sooner and they are able to embark on a more normal life. But is there more to it than that? Perhaps taking our time with placing society’s most vulnerable children with a compatible and loving family, isn’t that crazy. Cameron’s motives might be considered questionable, as his proposed system costs less. Granted, his changes could well produce a win-win system where we save more and more children are happily homed. Yet, if the motivation isn’t financial, then why haven’t we done it sooner? On the 4th February 2013, Parliament was presented with the ‘Children and Families Bill Website’; a website where the public can voice their opinions on the proposed legislation for adoption services. The three clauses of the bill include ‘fostering for adoption’, whereby carers take on infants, having already been approved as a prospective adoption carers, before the courts have even decided whether they’re going up for adoption or not.
The second clause involves making it easier for potential carers to adopt children who are of different ethnicity or religious orientation, etc. Lastly, the third clause makes it harder, if not impossible, for adopted children to have some form of contact with their birth parents, in order to maintain stability. The first two have many pros and cons. If fostering can lead to adoption, then that is a brilliant prospect. Adoption is much more stable and gives carers more freedoms. However, adoption isn’t funded by the government once a child is allocated, fostering on the other hand is. This may lower the amount of carers taking on children, in order to be able to provide for them. Also, what if parents aren’t ready to adopt a child, surely being a foster carer is better than a parentless infant? The second clause potentially allows for a loving carer to take on a child in need, regardless of their ethnicity or religion. However, many of the children in the adoption and foster care system are damaged beyond belief and need a certain type of family to meet their needs. This is less likely to happen when carers are quickly matched up with infants prior to a court decision. Stability is key and this is hard to accomplish when the process is so quick and the criteria so short. We therefore need an equilibrium between it being impossible to adopt a child for multiple reasons, against anyone being able to foster or adopt, regardless of a child’s needs. Reform is necessary, for too
long vulnerable children haven’t been matched with loving homes quickly enough. Obscene factors currently affect the granting of adoption and fostering rights. Being a non-smoker, having an especially safe home, and political preference, have all denied children loving parents. Factors which wouldn’t matter had that child been born into the family anyway. But that is not the same as ignoring the children’s needs altogether and rubber-stamping application forms. The child’s needs are the single most important thing when making decisions in the fostering and adoption care system. The cost shouldn’t be the primary motive, but a faster and more efficient foster care system with the cut of menial red tape shouldn’t be dismissed. Let’s hope MPs take into account the difficulties of a child in care’s life and grant them the necessary legislation. Allowing them to be loved by a caring family, as soon as possible. Let’s hope that they understand that taking care over placements often leads to placements lasting longer. Let’s not sacrifice a brilliant service, simply to ease current economic problems. Ultimately, we have a duty to these children; let’s not cut corners, lets cut out-dated red tape.
www.redbrick.me/comment | 7
The Princess and The Mail Charles Maloney questions the recent media attack against Man-Bookerwinning author Hilary Mantel, for her remarks about Kate Middleton. The Daily Mail has launched a media campaign against Hilary Mantel, an English historian, for her ‘extraordinary attack’ on the Duchess of Cambridge. The Sun then joined in, adding that Mantel ‘insultingly dismissed Kate as a babyproducing machine with no personality or emotions.’ It has gradually come to light that Mantel’s speech, from a recent literary lecture, was about the intellectual representation of royal consorts (spouse of the King or Queen) throughout our history. She used Kate Middleton as a contemporary example to further her point, the main bulk of her speech being about Anne Boleyn. Mantel has had many well-researched and highly regarded historical novels on the subject published, and is the first woman to win the Booker Prize twice. What Mantel was actually saying is that the media response to Kate Middleton is predictable, and has a historical precedent which we, as a nation, refuse to learn from. However, this well-balanced and thought provoking point is not being reported in the press. Instead there is a disgusting and cynical distortion of the facts taking place. The Daily Mail released an article entitled ‘Kate puts her baby bump on parade as Prime Minister mauls best-selling author over "plastic princess made for breeding" jibe’. It says ‘the author described her as a personality-free "shop window mannequin" with a "plastic smile", thousands of Britons leapt to her defence.’ Whilst it is pointless to question The Mail on where it got the statistic that ‘thousands’ of Britons were compelled to jump on this media bandwagon, this shows that the papers have disregarded the truth. Why do the sensationalist media give us headlines in the place of real facts? One can only assume this article was written with an agenda, and that was to strike back at somebody who was attacking them. Mantel’s speech claimed that the constant, pandering, idolising and sycophantic media coverage of Kate Middleton is nothing new, wholly predictable,
and is indeed trying to box her into the predetermined image of ‘the princess’ that the royal family had ready for her. The way in which the press stalks Kate Middleton is so transparent that Mantel even predicted their exact choice of wording, saying ‘once she gets over being sick, the press will decide she’s radiant.’ Lo and behold, the tagline for The Sun’s article is ‘Radiant Duchess laughs off hurtful attack by author’. Perhaps if this reporter (Duncan Larcombe, The Sun’s Royal Editor) had actually read Mantel’s speech then he could have avoided proving her point quite so foolishly. The fact that The Sun and The Daily Mail have so whole-heartedly misled their readers shows the utter contempt that this kind of journalism has for the truth, its readership and people who hold opposing views to their own. If the two biggest selling daily newspapers in the country won’t honestly describe an academic speech, then how can we trust the way in which they will cover larger issues? Instead of engaging with Mantel’s actual point, they have completely misrepresented her views. They have also resorted to character assassination. In The Mail’s article about Mantel’s speech they have provided a short ‘History of Mantel’, in which we are informed ‘Ms Mantel went from a size ten to a size 20 in nine months after she was diagnosed with severe endometrosis. The treatment, which included surgery removing her womb leaving her infertile, caused her to gain four stone.’ The writing duo responsible for this ‘article’ don’t need to be explicit about what they mean. What they, and the majority of this stories media coverage, have been mean enough to imply but too prudent to actually say is that fat, sterile, old Hilary Mantel is jealous of the dazzling, and highly fertile (actually being with child as we speak) Duchess. That’s the reason of course why she chose to say such ‘misguided’ things. What a bitch.
Let us know your thoughts: www.facebook.com/redbrickcomment @RedbrickComment
8| 1st - 7th March 2013
What if Religion Did Not Exist? Redbrick correspondant Olivia Beesley explores religious faith A friend of mine was once asked by a Korean tourist ‘Who is that man?’ while pointing up to a statue. A little taken aback, he replied simply, ‘Jesus’, thinking that this single noun would clear up the issue for anybody. However, after receiving a quizzical stare and a few moments silence, he realized that a little more clarity was needed. ‘Jesus Christ, the Son of God’ he added. Surely this would suffice? The tourist had never heard of such a man. It is hard for us, in our western society to imagine someone who has never heard of Jesus or Christianity. But the University of Birmingham Atheist, Secular and Humanist Society (UBASH) took this concept two steps further. During this past week, dedicated by UBASH as ‘Reason Week’, the society didn’t ask ‘What if someone had never heard of Jesus?’ nor ‘What if Christianity didn’t exist?’ but ‘What if religion did not exist?’ It was this challenging and engaging discussion that I attended on Monday afternoon that made me ponder the purpose of religion in the world today and the prospect of a life without it. Coming from a Christian background, I found it unusual to listen to a group of people discussing religion in terms of practicality, rather than spirituality. The discussion began by highlighting both the benefits and disadvantages that religion provides for our world today, mainly focusing on pragmatism. However, it was when the society ventured beyond this safe-ground that the discussion developed into one that was exhilarating and spirited. This turn in the discussion was triggered by the question ‘Is religion really the problem?’ While it may be easy to answer with
a simple ‘Yes’ and cease to finish reading this article, I encourage you to take a step back from the magnifying glass that society holds up to religion. Perhaps it is time that we took a look at the larger picture and question whether religion really is the source of our problems today. Maybe we need to stop pointing the finger at smaller issues and turn it to the root of these issues: humanity. Regardless of your beliefs concerning who created humanity, we can be sure of one thing - humanity created religion. If this is true, then surely we are the source of all so-called religion-related problems? To provoke further thought at the discussion, I went on to ask aloud to a room full of atheists and humanists ‘Do you have more of a problem with the idea of religion, or the idea of God?’ The votes were in, so to speak, and the answer was unanimous: the problem was human-made religion. It seems that the human attempt to bring God into our world is less than perfection. Furthermore, any human-made creation holds some flaws, just like we do. Isn’t that where the saying comes from? ‘We are only human’. Our issue seems to be more with our invention of religion, rather than God and spirituality. I suggest that we need to focus on the elimination of corruption within humanity, rather than trying to erase a small scratch on a much larger painting. So, is religion the problem, or are we? While people have every right to move away from religion and reject it in today's world, perhaps this ‘break up’ needs to be done in a truthful way: It's not you, it's me or rather, it's us.
@Oliviabeesley
News News
Views
Barry Redknapp. Gareth Bale is Tottenham's wonder boy at the moment. Up until Sigurdsson scored in their game against West Ham on Monday, Bale had scored all of Tottenham's last eight goals. He is now a striker that is tentatively mentioned in the same paragraph as Messi and Ronaldo. Andre Villas-Boas has stated that losing Bale would be similar to Barcelona losing Messi or Madrid, Ronaldo, and this statement doesn't seem to be too out there - Bale in his current form is unstoppable. Diving back into the annals of history though, Bale did not have the most auspicious start in football. At Southampton, fans dreaded seeing his name on the teamsheet. How times change.
SPORT
POLITICS Daniel Baird. He's the comeback king that just won't stop fighting. Silvio Berlusconi is a real enigma of a man, one minute he's being investigated for paying for underage prostitutes and corporate corruption, the next he's back running for Italian Prime Minister and very nearly winning. He has had some incredible moments over the course of his political career, including stating before the 2006 election that anyone who didn't vote for him was a 'dickhead'. Unsurprisingly he lost this election but that doesn't stop him running again this time. The best part is apparently in Italy he is synonymous with stability and Italian pride.
www.redbrick.me/comment |9
A ‘useless degree’ costs the same as 750,000 life saving Polio vaccines Commentator Tamara Leonard weighs up the cost of obtaining a degree As my economics-studying boyfriend sets his alarm for 7am I smile inwardly, knowing I have a lie-in tomorrow. In fact, I don’t have any university at all, or the next day for that matter. Is it reading week? Not officially, although you could argue every week is reading week when you’re studying Philosophy, with a mere two-hour lecture each week, and two seminars, every other week. If it wasn’t for my MOMD I could feasibly commute to Birmingham from Bristol and save on rent. Though there are few other courses that have quite so little contact time as my own, we Philosophers are not alone in finding ourselves filling our days with excessive sleep and shameful daytime TV. It is terrifying to learn that each of my lectures costs £160 (based on 22 teaching weeks, a yearly fee of £3535, and one lecture per week). For students unfortunate enough to fall under the new £9000 fees, this equates to a massive £409 per lecture! To make matters worse, art students find ourselves paying the same amount as those receiving around 30
Harold Wilson. Colin Brewer, a member of Cornwall Council has apologised to Disability Cornwall after remarking that 'disabled children cost the council too much money and should be put down'. Now as comments go, this one was pretty brainless. Councillor Colin has defended himself by saying he had only made the remark to 'provoke a reaction'. He's now admitted that it really wasn't one of his finer moments but remarkably he has, for the time being, managed to keep his seat on the council. He added: 'I meant no offence. I would defend disabled children to the last.' Is this a forgivable offence or should the councillor be packing his bags?
COMMENT
hours of tuition per week (medics). In a poll conducted by Redbrick in December 2010, Owen Earwicker and Freddie Herzog found more contact hours to be top of the list on student concerns for those having to pay higher fees. Arguably it is the degree we are paying for, and we all get one of those (hopefully); but should all degrees cost the same amount? Should a medic, almost guaranteed a high paying job straight out of university, be paying the same amount as someone taking Drama – where high pay is possible (e.g. Dame Judi Dench, who graduated with a First), but far from certain. Interestingly, some argue it is the students who are less likely to earn a career from their degree that should pay more. In Florida there has been a proposal to freeze fees for 'high-skill, high-wage, high-demand' degrees, and to charge more for the 'less useful' areas of study. The proposer, Dale Brill, gives two main reasons for his argument: the first, that taxes should be spent on degrees most likely to aid Florida’s economy. Secondly, he argues that prospective students will put more con-
CONSTRUCTION James Dolton. In an excellent example of what happens when one individual gains far too much money for anyone else to exert any control over them or their insane ideas, Australian batshit billionaire Clive Palmer has announced plans to, by 2016, launch "Titanic II". That’s right. A ship modelled almost exactly on the "Great unsinkable" which launched almost 100 years ago and promptly sunk. Palmer, who likes to be (entirely illegitimately) styled "Professor" fails not just to see the potentially offensive connotations of re-building the cause of one of the greatest peacetime man-made catastrophes of recent years, but any problem entirely, quipping hilariously "What’s so eccentric about building a ship?". I’ve got a few suggestions.
sideration into their degree choices, 'The tuition differential will increase the probability that there will be some introspection about careers and livelihoods'. However, I would argue that even these degrees deemed lesser by the 'high-skill, high-wage, high-demand' standard still contribute to society. For example, it is the arts subjects seen as least useful, yet without degrees in English and History it would be difficult to educate the masses; teachers are essential to society. Furthermore, research suggests a positive correlation between proportion of population with any degree and economic growth – a one per cent increase in people with degrees raises annual growth up to 0.63 per cent. So should we accept that degrees cost a lot of money, and choose our courses more carefully, based on what will earn us the most money to pay back our loans? Or should we continue to follow our interests in the face of higher fees, and demand a bit more bang for our buck? After all, when average student debt in England is now estimated at £59,100, you might expect a bit more attention.
Owen Earwicker. $20 trillion is a lot of money to hide under the tax-free mattress. The Economist recently examined the offshore economy hidden away in locations including the ones we know about (the Caymen Islands) to the more unknown havens (Miami, Delaware and even our own City of London). The general mood of the nation now allies with the taxman rather than against; we demand companies like Amazon and Starbucks pay appropriate tax. Now that we suffer economically, there is a vast amount of wealth that avoids its dues to society. The blame isn't with the companies trying to maximise revenues, it's ours for failing to keep step with a globalising economy crying out for regulation.
FINANCE
10 | 1st-7th March 2013
@RedbrickPaper
Editorial. What Orwell tells us about the Guild Elections
Our 2013 election coverage:
www.guildelections.co.uk
Orwell’s influential essay bemoans the torpid use of language by academics and politicians. But his remedy for this particular ailment is one that we can all use throughout the election period. Raphael Sheridan
Owing to the short campaign period, and some unfortunate printing deadlines, our print edition will be comparatively quiet this year. But that is a blessing in disguise, because we have put all our focus into online coverage of the elections. And we are working with the other media societies: the Guild’s radio station (Burn FM) and the TV station (Guild TV). Our digital editor, Chris Hutchinson, has built a stunning website which will be running throughout the election period. It has videos of the candidates, breaking news stories and important updates. From 10am, Guild TV will also be broadcasting live for 15 minutes to keep you informed. Previous institutional convention meant that Redbrick never normally scrutinised candidates’ policies. Past editors, under the guise that they weren’t able to do so found it immensely frustrating. It remains, after all, a key function of the press to be able to effectively scrutinise those seeking public office. However last year (for reasons that aren’t necessary here) we were able to more properly fulfil our role as a check and balance. We aim to further that this year. We have examined every candidate’s manifesto and are busy researching which policies could be implemented next year. Once we have satisfactory answers, we will publish our findings. Redbrick also has seven reporters on the ground, each dedicating their time to covering one Sabbatical position over the course of the next couple of weeks, with everything coming under our Twitter hashtag, #GuildElections13. We are also returning the feature that ran last year, which statistically analysed candidates’ performances on social media. Although the data was small, last year showed a weak correlation between being active on social media and doing well in elections. Candidates, you have been warned. We want to give you, the readers, this information (fair and balanced, without endorsing any candidate) because we believed a more informed electorate will make a better decision regarding who runs their students’ union. The results are announced on the evening of 9th March. Our coverage of that event, which you can watch live on the website, begins at 7.45pm. Until then, the power lies with you, the voter.
Editor
@Raphael_1
In 1946, as Britain was recovering from the devastation of the war, George Orwell penned a highly influential essay entitled ‘Politics and the English Language’ which criticised the increasing slovenliness and ugliness of the written word. He dismissed the writing ability of, amongst others, academics (retributive justice to all of us who’ve had to trudge through endless journal articles), and this chastening of contemporary writing spawned from its two primary faults: stale imagery, and imprecision. Such flaws were especially prominent in political writings, said Orwell, and created a vague and confusing jumble of thoughts. Meaningful words, chosen carefully for their impact, became instead overused phrases. And metaphors once vivid became dull or mixed. This editorial, I hasten to add, does not stand above such criticisms. ‘If you use ready-made phrases, you not only don’t have to hunt about for the words; you also don’t have to bother with the rhythms of your sentences since these phrases are generally so arranged as to be more or less euphonious,’ Orwell warned. By being lazy with language ‘you save much mental effort, at the cost of leaving your meaning vague, not only for your reader but for yourself.’ In other words, simply reeling off easyto-hear sentences usually revealed that the writer or the orator wasn’t actively thinking about their message.
Here, Orwell was especially contemptuous of political writers and warned that we, the listeners, had to be wary. A clear link between politics and the debasement of language presented itself. ‘When one watches some tired hack on the platform mechanically repeating the familiar phrases... one often has a curious feeling that one is not watching a live human being but some kind of dummy,’ he noted. ‘If the speech he is making is one that he is accustomed to make over and over again, he may become unconscious of what he is saying, as one is when one utters the responses in church.’ It was, and remains, impossible to ignore politics. And should Orwell have wandered this week amongst the cardboard, the campaigners and the slogans on campus, it is tempting to wonder what he’d have thought. Later in the essay, he tells us of one politician who ‘feels, presumably, that he has something new to say - and yet his words, like cavalry horses answering the bugle, group themselves automatically into the familiar dreary
On campus you might be blasted by vague concepts and policies, but don’t forlornly accept them: ‘the worst thing one can do with words is to surrender to them’ Orwell reminds us.
pattern’. Those students - and there are many - who complain about the yearly campaign period may find Orwell’s words comforting, if hopeless. Thankfully he has a solution to the problem: ‘This invasion of one’s mind by ready-made phrases can only be prevented if one is constantly on guard against them.’ It is good advice. Whilst the colour and the gimmicks of this election period might give an air of superficiality to proceedings, the reality is quite different. Our students’ union turns over £4.3 million a year, and each of the seven individuals you elect to help run it will receive a not insubstantial £17,000 tax-exempt bursary from the University. On campus you will be blasted by vague concepts and policies, but don’t forlornly accept them: ‘the worst thing one can do with words is to surrender to them’ Orwell reminds us. That necessitates questioning the candidates, separating those who have done research from those who haven’t. Those who bombard you with the same tired mantra must instead speak in plain, honest English. Finances must add up, policies must be water-tight and, if you remain unconvinced, use the one weapon you have: the vote. ‘One can at least change one’s own habits, and from time to time one can even, if one jeers loudly enough, send some worn-out and useless phrase - some verbal refuse - into the dustbin, where it belongs, concluded Orwell’ So if you, the wearied campus-goer, prepare to ruffle feathers, ask questions and use your vote, you may just be contended with the result. Dare to be wise.
12 | 1st - 7th March 2013 @RedbrickTravel
FestiVice
South America:
Hannah Stevens Top Tips for Festival Fun... Festival season is fast approaching which can only mean one thing: saving time! That perfect weekend of madness isn’t cheap! But then there is that ever-important question; how do you choose the perfect festival? There are so many all around the world, ranging from heavy metal festivals like Sonisphere and Download, to the classics like Glastonbury, to the all-rounders like Reading and V Festival. So how do you choose? Apart from the obvious factor of ‘line-up’ there are other very important things to consider: Who are you taking? Sounds so trivial, but when I went to Reading 2012 I went with my best friend and her (more than clingy) boyfriend, and another friend who has a tendency to disappear at festivals. So it felt more than a little lonely, I recommend a big group! At Sonisphere 2011 I went with a huge group and it was amazing; you never have to worry about not having someone to go see a band with if there’s plenty of you. Unless you’re more than happy to watch your favourite bands alone then I suggest you make sure you go with a group big enough that everyone has a ‘partner’. Is it really worth it? If you’re only going to a festival for the headliners then you’re probably wasting your money. If you’re paying £200 for a ticket you want to make the most of it. Don’t waste time traipsing around a festival to watch other people’s favourite bands, and then only seeing one band a day, it’s a waste of time and money, make sure you’re going for the bands you want to see the most. What else is there? This might not matter to everyone, but if you care about what else you can do when the only bands playing are ones that makes your eardrums ache, then check out the alternative activities first. Most festivals have some rides, but a lot of the time they tend to be few, and precariously placed at the back of a campsite. But trust me when I say, you’ll be so busy at any festival that it won’t even matter whether there are enough theme park rides or clubs.
How much money do you take?
Sounds early, but when you get to two weeks before that festival and you’ve reached the end of your overdraft you’re going to be regret not having started to save up earlier. Nothing is worse than getting to day two and realising that you’ve run out of money when all you have left to eat is a half eaten packet of biscuits with more grass in them than biscuit. Ask who's been before: Again so simple, yet so useful. If I’d have known what the toilets had been like at Reading, I probably would’ve brought the extra cash to fork out for ‘pootopia’ (a company that provides decent toilets at festivals, for a price). If you’ve already got an idea of the atmosphere to expect then you’ll be a little bit more prepared for whatever horrors you face. And if you’re a festival virgin there’s a lot you can expect; there are surprises waiting around every tent. From the guys selling porn round the campsite (yeah that happened), to the mud fights and people wearing their own tents. Just go prepared, festivals can bring everything from the best night of your life, to the most embarrassing.
Dhara Shah's hidden gems of the great South American continent from hot Brazil to sexy Argentina:
Huacachina, Peru: It is a tiny town based around a lagoon in the Peruvian desert, and just a few minutes away from the bustling city of Ica. This oasis is a great stop for anyone travelling between the tourist hotspots Lima and Cusco. Not only does it offer the calm of only having 115 residents, being surrounded by giant dunes is the perfect place for any adrenaline junkie. It is renowned for its sand buggying and boarding over the dunes which are hundreds of feet high. These expeditions are run every afternoon, and finish at sunset with amazing views of the desert and town.
Buenos Aires, Argentina: Alright, Buenos Aires is not exactly off the beaten track but bear with me. It is a place which is unmissable and for all you that thought Rio de Janeiro had the best nightlife in South America, think again. For a totally authentic experience, avoid the tango bars in La Boca and the Saturday night at Pacha, head to see La Bomba de Tiempe, quite literally the Time Bomb. What sets this experience apart is the atmosphere which builds up throughout the night ,starting with a laidback vibe through slow tribal beats, and climaxing at fever pitch, normally with the help of a guest musician. The drummers perform every Monday at Konex from 8 til 10pm – and it is the perfect way to start any night.
www.redbrick.me/travel |13
Off the Beaten Track Ilha Grande, Brazil: In my eyes, this island is paradise. Before you go there, be prepared for limited electricity, few amenities (not ATMs!) and truly terrible internet – however, all of these things just add to its charm and the twice daily ferries to the mainland, which means you’re never completely isolated. The island is more than just a beach resort, although it does boast Lopes Mendes, which is recognised as one of the top ten beaches in the world. There are opportunities to interact with the wildlife whilst snorkelling in the blue lagoon where the water is truly crystal clear! For the natural adventurers among us, there are lots of opportunities to explore the island, finding the many natural viewpoints as well as discovering the ruins hidden in the undergrowth of the colonial prison.
Potosi, Bolivia: Not only is it one of the highest cities in the world at over 4000 metres above sea level, but is also steeped in history. The uniqueness of Potosi, however, lies with its mining history. I know, mining is not exactly interesting but honestly, the ‘tour’ is most definitely a once in a lifetime experience. You get to try your hand at extracting rocks, riding along with the mining cart all with real miners, the best humoured people in Bolivia. The whole thing was probably the funniest two hours I had in South America, you’re dressed in what only can be described as a chicken outfit, a yellow rubber suit to prevent you from getting electrocuted – you have to love their help and safety standards.
Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay: Uruguay is often forgotten between its larger and more touristy neighbours, but is more than just the winners’ of the last Copa America. Colonia del Sacramento is a small town on the Rio de la Plata peninsula and only a short ferry ride away from Buenos Aires. The old part of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most beautiful places in Uruguay, and a great way to soak up the colonial history and has heaps of rustic charm, the walking tour is a must! For the more active soul there are also horse treks through the forests leading down to the coast.
People We Meet Zara Sekhavati's Bizarre Encounters on the Train Line... “We’d recently turned nineteen, we’d finished first year. Best thing to do? Go Interrailing, of course. My friends and I decided to pack up our gear and travel around Europe. East, west, wherever, we wanted to travel, and to go and see the Eiffel Tower, have a pizza in Milan and wander the streets of Budapest. We were eager and raring to go. We didn’t know, however, that we would come across such strange encounters whilst on our travels. Yes, we’d all heard about the ha ha ha and lolatron (these days I hear roflcopter too) moments of travelling, and damn right we were ready to make some memories, but we really did have some odd encounters. This time it’s all about a certain Prince. No unfortunately not Jake Gyllenhaal as the Prince of Persia, but this man. Enter Turkish prince in Verona. We missed our train. Shit. We were contemplating going back to Rimini just to have somewhere “decent” to sit for the night. But no, we were stuck in a train station all night. Then out of nowhere a Turkish prince appears. As you do. Yes – a “Turkish prince”. Disney much? Not quite. The so called “Prince” hovers around my friends and I and starts conversation with us. After the whole regular chit chat, “Where do you come from?” “Oh you’re a Prince!” Yes, regular chit chat indeed, there comes the offer of a drink from the “vending machine around the corner”. There are three of us in our Interrailing crew. Two of us say no of course, flashes of Hostel, Saw and every piece of stranger danger advice comes into our heads. These flashes happen to us all, but one of my friends took the drink offer ever so light-heartedly. The Prince comes back “hot chocolate” in hand, and appears to be different; he is laughing a lot, sweaty and is undeniably high. Whatever floats your boat we thought, but the drink, yes that drink he went to go get from “the vending machine” is in his hand. Our friend drinks the hot chocolate, whilst my other friend and I are cowering away wanting to scream “What are you doing?!” to her and thinking of everything and anything he could have slipped in there, with Turkish Prince man still stood there watching intently. The friend was not harmed in any way, you’ll be glad to hear. The Turkish man soon got the hint to lose us and leave us alone and then went to go smoke. He only carried a suitcase full of cigarettes with him. Literally. Nothing else. And he started handing them out to the poor people sat in the train station. By poor people, I am not referring to my friends and I, even though at this point we were skint and taking every freebie we could get our hands on. So the moral of the story is; talk to everyone, be friendly, have your getting-to-know-eachother moments yes, but when there is a drink offer from a strange prince who’s going to get it from some other dodgy place in the train station, maybe say no, give an excuse, or actually just say, the loos are closed and I’m stuck here all night, so nah mate, but ta.” Next time: old women in the spas of Budapest.
14 | 1st - 7th March 2013
@RedbrickFilm
'If we wanted applause, we would have joined the circus.' Jack O'Donnell Argo (2012)
FilmReviews
Newsreel PATRICK McATEER Critic
OutNow
Cloud Atlas
Warm Bodies
CHARLES MOLONEY Critic Release Date: 8th February 2013 Director: Jonathan Levine Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich
ALICE WELEMINSKY-SMITH Critic Release Date: 22nd February 2013 Director: Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski Cast: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant There’s not very much that I’m sure of in Cloud Atlas, but with six storylines, six different time zones spanning nearly 500 years, and thirteen actors playing over sixty characters between them, one thing that I can be sure of is that Cloud Atlas is a very, very complicated film. The six storylines are set up individually at first, and then (in a style that I can only describe as Love Actually-esque) begin to subtly intertwine. They cover a massive range of issues, from the slave trade to human cloning, but the general message seems to be that one’s life is not restricted to the time in which one actually lives, but that individuals can live on throughout the centuries through the impressions they make on others. The film is an adaptation of a novel, and it was argued that such an elaborate storyline would be impossible to transpose to the screen. The part of me that spent most of the film trying to work out what on earth was going on is inclined to agree, but another part of me wonders whether this sort of viewing challenge should actually be heartily encouraged, rather than dismissed for being too difficult. Unfortunately, the intellectual and emotional pay-off at the end wasn’t quite large enough to outweigh the initial bewilderment, but some extremely talented performances from the cast and a commendable energy that kept me absorbed for the whole three hours makes this possible to overlook for a film that will certainly be one of the most talked about of 2013.
Warm Bodies is a heart-warming love story which draws on the Shakespearean theme of two star-crossed lovers from conflicting backgrounds. Nicholas Hoult’s ‘R’ has considerably more obstacles to overcome than Romeo, as he lets you know in the opening scene when it is revealed that he has become a shuffling, inarticulate corpse. R’s adventures, including his chance meeting with the love of his afterlife, Julie (Theresa Palmer), are narrated to us by the charming and far more eloquent voice of his internal monologue. The audience will be very quickly immersed into the angsty and disgruntled mind of the zombie who wants more than just to wander around an abandoned airport, grunting and sometimes teetering on the brink of conversation with his best friend ‘M’. This is a very cute, and surprisingly self-aware romantic comedy. However, if 28 Days Later is your favourite film then you may want to give this a miss. Hoult has in no way sacrificed his heartthrob status to portray a member of the undead legions, and his make-up resembles a vampire from Twilight rather than something from The Night of the Living Dead. It’s not a zombie film, but it’s still worth watching.
TopThree Stock up on snacks and clear your diary for Daisy Edwards' favourite film series
#1 James Bond
Starting from the very beginning with Sean Connery and moving straight to the present with Daniel Craig, Bond takes the number one spot. Although the storylines are separate between films and the change in actors clearly noticeable, the tales of 007 have stood the test of time. Maybe it’s our interest in the Secret Service, or in how Bond will stop at nothing to save his country. Regardless, a Bond movie marathon is always worthwhile.
#2 Harry Potter
Love it or hate it, this book to film adaptation swept the nation into a frenzy, which lasted until the final film was released in 2011. The plot hooked audience members who were the same age as Harry during the first film, and allowed them to grow up with him. Although the cast, score and script are what you’d expect from a children’s fantasy series, it's worth taking the 48 hours out of your week to watch all the films, back to back.
Fans will be delighted to hear that despite the modest success of last summer's The Bourne Legacy, Universal have confirmed more films to come in the Bourne series. The studio is open to former franchise star Matt Damon returning for a possible fifth film, but are also willing to continue without him.
The fans spatshould between Bond Megan Fox and rejoice, as Skyfall has Michael Baymost which led just had the sucto Fox opening losing a week role in cessful thethe third in UKTransformers of any film, ever, making is finally over.£37.2 Though million. the star This, oncecomlikened bined with a verydirecposithe blockbuster tive reaction from tor to and Hitler, sheboth has critics audiences, now signed on istonota shows that Bond Teenage Mutant Ninja going away any time Turtles movie with Bay soon. taking a producer credit, which implies a reconciliation.
#3 Toy Story
The most successful Pixar series to date captured the imagination with the question: What if your toys came to life when you left your room? The soundtrack and animation are beautiful, and heart-wrenching moments still traumatise us now that we’ve grown up: who didn’t well-up during When She Loved Me in Toy Story 2? The brilliance of these films is that we’ve grown up beside them, meaning we get to experience the nostalgia all over again.
Christian Bale’s next project will be a disaster movie set on the highest mountain in the world. Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur’s film will dramatize the events of a storm which hit Everest in 1996 and left eight mountaineers dead in its wake.
www.redbrick.me/film | 15
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS (LINCOLN)
JENNIFER LAWRENCE (SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK)
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
BEST PICTURE
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
ANNE HATHAWAY (LES MISERABLES)
ARGO
CHRISTOPH WALTZ (DJANGO UNCHAINED)
And the Oscar goes to... FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
AMOUR
BRAVE
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE ORIGINAL SCORE MYCHAEL DANNA (LIFE OF PI)
MALIK BENDJELLOUL AND SIMON CHINN (SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN)
DIRECTING
CINEMATOGRAPHY
ANG LEE (LIFE OF PI)
CLAUDIO MIRANDA (LIFE OF PI)
16 | 1st - 7th March 2013 @Redbrick @RedbrickTV
Have You Seen... My Mad Fat Diary Jo Kendall TV Editor
If you missed My Mad Fat Diary then get onto 4oD before it disappears because you’re missing out. This new breakthrough series has got critics talking as it tackles sensitive and relevant issues in an endearing and comic way. The series follows the life of Rae Earl and the ups and downs she faces on being released from a psychiatric ward following a mental breakdown and attempted suicide. We see the world through her slightly eccentric eyes as she records her experiences in her diary, a form of treatment suggested by her therapist. What is so great about this series is the range of characters from the 'gang' that Rae manages to become a part of thanks to the 'help' of childhood friend Chloe, to her sex-mad mother and her non-English speaking fiancé Kareem, her old friends back at the 'mad house' and her dysfunctional therapist Kester.
As viewers we are instantly made to care about each individual character and their story and struggles. Each episode is full of brilliant one-liners, outrageous nineties outfits and moments that just make you want to hide behind a pillow with embarrassment. I find it amazing how the producers so cleverly manage to bring you from laughter to tears in a matter of minutes. Using the format of Rae’s diary really works in helping to present the struggles of her character in both a tragic and hilarious way. Beneath all the humour, this series is a touching exploration of the issues surrounding mental health and tackles issues still relevant today, creating a central character who is not only relatable but also loveable in her courageous battle to accept who she is and overcome her demons. The only thing I would say that lets this series down is the final episode.
Throughout the series we watch Rae and Kester continuously fight, banter and bicker in their attempt to work the root cause of Rae’s breakdown. The final episode reveals what this is (don’t worry - I won’t spoil it!). However, I felt that, while as a conclusion it made sense, it was a bit unoriginal and predictable. I just wanted something a bit more interesting to end such a good series. However, that said the acting and delivery cannot be faulted, meaning that, even with this slight issue, the final episode is still as emotive, funny and wonderfully awkward as all the rest. If you want something to fill an evening that is entertaining but at the same time seems to have slightly more depth and interest than the average E4 programme, then do not miss this one.
Top 5: Panel Shows Hannah Mason TV Critic
5. Would I Lie To You Aahh Rob Brydon. The aim of the game is to guess whether the celebrity guests and team captains are lying to us or not, with us learning things about them that should probably never have been revealed.
4. Fake Reaction New to ITV2, this panel show works on the basic concept of faking a reaction to something which would usually make you show an extreme emotion. How would you react if you were eating a fish-flavoured cupcake?
This new breakthrough series has got critics talking as it tackles sensitive and relevant issues in an endearing and comic way.
Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
www.redbrick.me/tv | 17
Russell Webb TV Editor
@rwebb92
One word, strung out and sung in a woman’s voice, makes that word complete once again. What is that word I hear you ask? But of course, it is: Saturday! The Geordie boys are back and no, I don’t mean the ones on the reality TV show. Ant and Dec have brought their Saturday night entertainment show out of hibernation - where it has been for the past four years - and back onto our screens for the next seven weeks. The format of the show is largely the same and instantly recognisable with a few new features and the return of old favourites. The show always begins with a surprise for a member of the audience. It’s the part of the show where all of the people in the aisle seats start to look nervous as it might be them who is about to be embarrassed live on national television. This week’s segment revolved around the tweets of a young Welsh lady who 'inspired' the writers of Emmerdale and the news and weather broadcasters of Daybreak. Although they are humiliated there is always the upside of getting the chance to win great prizes; in this instance she had the opportunity to win a holiday to Spain. Other returning features in this episode were 'Ant vs Dec' and Little Ant and Little Dec. The latter was a segment that I hoped would be included, especially after such a long absence - it would be interesting to
Rosie Pooley TV Critic
@rosiethings
see how much the little tykes had grown up. The answer is a lot! Now 18, the pair of them are taller than their older 'selves' (which isn’t difficult) and so new Little Ant and Decs had to be found - in an Apprentice style fashion. This time round Little Ant and Little Dec are much younger (five and six to be exact) so as to get a bit more use out of them. 'Ant vs Dec' also made a big return with a slight twist. This series the boys won’t get the chance to practise the challenges; they will simply be told what they’re doing live on the night. New host Ashley Roberts revealed that this week they would go to the roof of the ITV tower, crawl out six metres to get a flag with their name on it and have to hoist it to the top of a flag pole. A new segment in the show is 'I’m a Celebrity... Get Out of Me Ear'. The premise is simple. Take one celebrity with an ear piece, hidden cameras and two cheeky Geordies telling them exactly what to say and do in a constructed situation. This week’s victim was X Factor judge Louis Walsh who was a fantastic sport, doing everything that he was told to do to poor unsuspecting decorators. Saturday Night Takeaway certainly hasn’t lost any of its humour and after its well earned break I for one am ecstatic to see it back on the box.
666 Park Avenue For fans of the supernatural genre, the initial story of 666 Park Avenue seemed to have promise; a ghost story meets the Upper East Side, think The Shining meets Gossip Girl... However, when you stop and think about it, it actually sounds rather awful, and it was. The plot centres on Jane Van Veen (Rachel Taylor) and Henry Martin (Dave Annable), a fresh-faced and nauseatingly loved-up young couple who are looking for a new direction in life and quickly find themselves in a new job as the acting managers of The Drake, a prestigious New York apartment building. Although with mild scares that would hardly cause a baby to blubber, we quickly begin to realise that the grandeur of The Drake is only papering the cracks of the buildings dark past and something spooky lurks beneath. Yawn. It is clear 666 Park Avenue had good intentions at the start. It is a sort of up-market horror story with glam-
ourous settings and cast members, but the mixture of luxurious lifestyles and ghostly encounters are all too quaint and nothing new against the platter of supernatural offerings that inundate our TV listings. It seems to be playing too safe for its 10 pm time slot, and a lot more could have been done to put us on the edge of our seats. The entire hour was essentially the first part of a horror film where you watch the heroine get a bit freaked out, but without the climax when it all unravels and you find out that *insert bad guy here* was the killer after all. 666 Park Avenue has been stretched out for 11 hour-long episodes, so you will have a lot longer to wait to find out what is the deal with the creepy owner and all the other unmemorable characters that live at the supernatural address. However, it is wrong to give all supernatural dramas a bad name. The horror film/television crossover can be done well, which we have seen in
the likes of The Walking Dead, already in its third season of zombie antics, and American Horror Story, which changes up the plot and location with every season in a nod to the difficulties in keeping an audience rooting for the main characters rather than wishing them a gruesome death (which you will be for the tooth-achingly sweet Park Avenue couple). What 666 Park Avenue is good for is a who’s who of characters from the re-runs of other US imports; you can spot Locke from Lost (Terry O’Quinn) and Ugly Betty’s Wilhelmina Slater (Vanessa Williams) amongst others. Although with it already been cancelled in the US, if you are looking for a quick fling with a cheesy horror romp then get started with 666 Park Avenue quick - it will not last for long. But for horror fans, or anyone who values their time, give this one a miss.
3. Celebrity Juice
2. 8 Out of 10 Cats
1. Mock The Week
Keith Lemon isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but he is mine. This show consists of crude humour, annoying catch-phrases and crazy antics, and is definitely worth a watch; even if you end up disgusted. A favourite moment has to be Keith and Vern Troyer acting out Jurassic Park in a game of charades.
You should watch this purely because of Jimmy Carr’s laugh. But if that doesn't entice you team captains Sean Lock and Jon Richardson are two of the best in the business at interacting with their follow panelists and churning out funny material.
This one has been around for a while now, but is still brilliant. Ever think the news is a load of rubbish, but don’t have the wit or energy to mock it? These comedians are seriously talented when it comes to improvisation.
18| 1st - 7th March 2013 @RedbrickMusic
What Difference Does it Make? As Jonny Marr 'forbids' David Cameron from liking The Smith's music, Jake Pembroke asks if musicians can choose their fans, and whether a politician's playlist must match their manifesto. Musicians and politicians have always been awkward bedfellows. From Tony Blair’s snubbed Downing Street invitation to Oasis, to Primal Scream’s outrage at the alleged use of 'Get your rocks off' by Theresa May at the Conservative Party Conference in 2011, politicians have sought to legitimise their careers through appeals to popular music, and musicians have reacted with, for the most part, disgust. This week, David Cameron defied the ban imposed on him by Johnny Marr and Morrissey of The Smiths, who were angered at the fact he proclaims to be a fan. This is not the first time the pair has objected to Cameron liking their music; in 2010 Morrissey stated that songs like 'Meat is Murder' and 'The Queen is Dead' are not for people who hunt for pleasure.
'There is no conceivable scenario in which their music could relate to those using it to promote their political agenda' Similarly, Rage Against the Machine spoke out against Republican candidate Paul Ryan’s self-confessed love of their music. But should musicians be calling the shots on who can and can’t listen to their music? The first problem is the message of bands like The Smiths, Primal Scream and Rage Against the Machine. There is no conceivable scenario in which their music could relate to those using it to promote their political agenda. The hunting-shooting-fishing stereotype that follows the Conservative Party is diametrically opposed to Morrissey’s own (oft touted) views on animal rights; Primal Scream are notoriously left wing; and Rage Against the Machine are about as anti-Republican and anti-establishment as you can get. The irony of Paul Ryan’s love of their music was not missed by many. It would be like Cameron’s 2015 campaign centring on the collected works of Billy Bragg. Conversely, the reason Mitt Romney’s use of The Killers in his presidential campaign did not
attract the ire of the band, may lie in the shared religion between Romney and Flowers, but also because the band’s music is as politically inoffensive as you can get. The second problem is one of image. Understandably, the public perception of politicians is less than favourable, seemingly existing in a privileged bubble where the rules of the game that apply to us mere mortals hold no weight. The expenses scandal, as well as the allegations at the heart of Andrew Mitchell’s resignation, perpetuate this sense of aloofness and serve to dehumanise politicians as unable to relate to the “plebs” they govern. So what better way than to appeal to popular culture in order to seem relatable? After all, they’re still people... right? The problem is that these attempts at humanising our politicians seem conceited. When Tony Blair or David Cameron namedrop their favourite band, one can’t help but picture them surrounded by bespectacled advisors holding clipboards plastered with the most recent front pages of NME, desperately suggesting names of bands that might help them curry favour with the public. There is a vicious circle at play with politician’s public image: they don’t seem to be able to relate to real people, their concerns and every day experiences, yet when they try to expose some aspect of humanity beneath their circuitry they are met with cynicism and derision. However, when politicians fail to recognise the message of the bands they claim to like, or that they utilise in their campaigns, can anybody blame the public for calling their bluff? Surely blunders like Ryan’s and May’s show how oblivious they really are?
'As owners of the intellectual rights of their art, musicians ought to have some say over where their music is used.'
Perhaps a deeper problem is the janus-faced relation-
ship between politicians and the arts. At the same time as proclaiming their love for a band, politicians push through cuts to arts funding across the nation, threatening the very arts centres, community projects and musical education projects that help the next generation of Johnny Marrs to pick up an instrument. In December, Arts Council England was forced to undertake cuts of £11.6 million by 2015, on top of existing cuts to its budget, affecting music, theatre and dance projects nationwide. Is it any wonder that a politician’s self professed love for a mainstream band or culturally iconic band such as The Smiths is taken with a pinch of salt?
It would be like Cameron's 2015 campaign centering on the collected works of Billy Bragg
As owners of the intellectual rights of their art, musicians ought to have some say over where their music is used. Politically minded artists are right to object to their music being used to promote views that are opposed to their own, but it is difficult to see threats like those of Marr and Morrissey changing the listening habits of politicians. Concerning the cynicism directed at politicians for their “favourite bands”, at least nobody questioned Gordon Brown’s love of dullards Coldplay. I wonder why.
For the latest marriage of politics and pop, look no further than the video for One Direction's Comic Relief single
www.redbrick.me/music 19
A Bugg's Life
Jonathon Milnes and Rob Jones get to know the young and reluctant star. Jake Bugg is a typical teenager. He looks like one, he acts like one and he talks like one. If you threw him back into the Clifton council estate he is from, the only thing that would make you question his roots is his current season Burberry Jacket. While his teenage charm is part of his appeal, it meant his honesty over-rided his media training, or lack of it. When asked 'are you excited to be in Birmingham?' his response was simply 'nope'. After all, honesty is the best policy, and the surroundings of Digbeth are hardly inspiring. Swiftly moving on, I began to ask him about his music, and suddenly, he becomes more enthusiastic. He tells me 'there will be a lot of touring this year'. Europe, America, Festivals - 2013 is only going to get even more hectic for the youngster. Yet despite the Hollywood-sounding life-style, he remains very grounded. His pre-show routine includes 'playing a bit of FIFA... have a cup of tea, or maybe a beer if I've got the day off the next day.' Hardly Rock 'n' Roll. Unfortunately for Jake, he doesn't tomorrow. He will discover if he wins a BRIT for 'Brtish Breakthrough', a nomination that doesn't particularly enthuse him. He grunts when asked if he plans on attending the event. When asked about his rise to fame, he makes it all seem pretty simple: 'I did some demos, made an album, and it seemed to connect with people'. The truth is that Bugg's mentality is far-removed from the artists he competes with in the charts. No star-studded collaborations, no epic or high budget music videos, and no dramatic publicity stunts. 'I make music 'cos I enjoy playing music, and if people like it that's brilliant. If not, I don't particularly care, I just enjoy playing music'. For him, it's simple; he does what he loves. Despite his number one album, countless awards and a BRIT nomination, he tries to convince me he's 'not made it as such'. This weeks charts say something different. Four months after release, his album (a collection of songs that he has written since the age of 15) is
still number 4, charting higher and for longer than Rihanna, One Direction and Calvin Harris.. Why, I ask? 'Because the artists named are about singles, whereas, for me, as a songwriter, I'm about a body of work, an album. My singles might not do as well as the pop artists, but as an album it works well'. Bugg juxtaposes the glossy image of his over-produced contemporaries. 'Lightning Bolt' was recorded 'with my mate Ian, got a mic on it, and it took 5 minutes'. Even more shocking, the final track on the album is taken 'directly from an iPhone recording'. This kind of authentic attitude transfers into his personality. Despite his lyrics implying differently, he speaks fondly of his home town. 'I've never really been out of Notts, I mean I went to skeggy on holiday, but I just want to see the world' he tells me. And that's exactly what he'll be doing this year. 'World domination' he tells me jokingly is the plan, as he intends to go to America and continue doing what he loves: 'writing and playing music'.
On a sunny Tuesday evening I arrived at Birmingham HMV Institute in a similarly curious and hyper-critical mood, ahead of Jake Bugg’s highly anticipated hour long set. I’d given his album rave reviews last year, but was unsure how it would stand up in front of an expecting audience. Would he change the arrangements? Would he give the songs more electricity? Five minutes earlier than penned, a coy, almost embarrassed Bugg shuffled on-stage and picked up an acoustic, and my questions were answered. Watching his every move, I was ready with my metaphorical notebook to document any wrongfootings with the harshest of language. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t, because as he delicately launched into album-closer ‘Fire’, it became immediately apparent that he has more talent in his index finger than there is in an entire swimming bath full of the world’s leading business men. Nineteen years of age, and his voice was just as crisp and distinctive as on record, a n d more pow-
Music Critic
Who’d have thought a song about charity shops would get quite so much attention? Obviously Ben Haggarty, better known as Macklemore, had more insight than most when it comes to penning hits. ‘Thrift Shop’ has recently soared to the top of the charts after a slow start at its release back in August of last year. But who is Macklemore? He first gained relative popularity back in 2010 after teaming up with producer Ryan Lewis on a remix EP, ‘VS Redux’. One of the highlight tracks is the Ryan Lewis remix of ‘Otherside’ (feat. Fences). It is a heartfelt, personal warning of the dangers of drugs, where Ben talks about his own addiction problem and his experience of others’ addiction. After the success of this EP, the duo went on to release their debut album together in 2012. ‘The Heist’ debuted at number 2 in the US and features the controversial pro-gay marriage anthem ‘Same Love’,
As his mind broadens by travelling the globe, who knows what dizzying heights his stardom may reach. Backed by a steady drummer on the right of the stage, an almost irrelevant bassist on the left and a sign exclaiming ‘Jake Bugg’, the otherwise empty space became his own. He grew ever more casual as time passed, bashing out guitar solos like they were spoken words and then captivating everyone present with ‘Slide’, a delectable break-up song with endless hooks. By now the crowd were aghast and as ‘Note To Self’ trickled by with as much grace as scientifically possible, it was left to Bugg to bring it home with the big guns ‘Two Fingers’ and ‘Lightning Bolt’. A warmly received encore saw Bugg close with a cover of one of his favourite songs: ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ by Johnny Cash. An accomplished guitarist, emotive vocalist and a very sharp songwriter. As his mind is broadened by travelling the globe, who knows what dizzying heights his stardom may reach. Sublime.
Jake Bugg has recently announced a full scale UK tour starting in October.
Single Review. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Thrift Shop Chris Brees
erful in places. Cheered on by a crowd in awe, he rattled off fan-favourite ‘Trouble Town’ and the brilliant ‘Seen It All’ with the greatest of ease, pausing only to mumble a few details about each song.
the video to which is definitely worth a watch if you want to shed a tear or two (as almost 20 million people now have on YouTklube!). The album combines Ryan Lewis’ creative stylings, presented perfectly in the track ‘BomBom’ (feat. The Teaching) and Macklemore’s diverse lyrical range; from the enticing storytelling of ‘Neon Cathedral’ and ‘Jimmy Lovine’ to the uplifting ‘Can’t Hold Us’ and the comical ‘Thrift Shop’. So, back to ‘Thrift Shop’. Lewis’ jazzy saxophone combined with the punchy hip-hop beat gives the backing track individuality which separates it from ‘mainstream’ hip-hop beats and puts it in a similar category to tracks produced by Xaphoon Jones (of the producer-rapper duo Chiddy Bang). Macklemore’s lyrics give it a satirical edge not often seen in the world of rap, and make it all the more appealing. The track comes together seamlessly and makes you want to do nothing more than ‘pop some tags’ and ‘take your grandpa’s style’, or just rap until your heart’s content when it comes on in a club. Top marks from me Mack and RL, keep it coming!
20| 1st - 7th March 2013 @RedbrickLifeStyle
Hollywood Red Carpet Glamour:
The Oscars With my favourite outfit of the evening, Kerry Washington stole the show with this stunning Miu Miu gown. Gorgeous embellishment teamed with a simple skirt ensured the Django Unchained actress is placed firmly on Life&Style's Best Dressed nominations.
Lucy Whife Nominated for 'Best Actress' with her role in The Impossible, Naomi Watts narrowly missed out on the Oscar thanks to Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence. Nevertheless, Watts still looked stunning in this floor-length, custom-made sequined Armani design.
Also nominated for 'Best Actress', Jessica Chastain ditched her usual Alexander McQueen choice, and like Naomi Watts, opted for an Armani gown. The sheer fabric with vintage jewellery and hairstyle show how old Hollywood glamour can still be contemporary in 2013.
The layered hem and embroidered ruffling on Zoe Saldana's Alexis Mabille gown wowed the papparazzi at The Oscars' red carpet. The Avatar beauty did not disappoint, complimenting her intricate dress with simple jewellery and make-up.
Rihanna takes a bow at London Fashion Week April Shacklock Senior Life&Style Writer
@AprilShacklock
Once again, it seemed that Rihanna was the only girl in the world when she made her debut at fashion week with her collection for high street store, River Island. Whilst London Fashion Week was supposed to be showcasing Autumn / Winter 2013 collections, Rihanna’s collection hits stores this week and, with the amount of leg and midriff on show, as well as the MC Hammer inspiration, her collection appears to be for Spring/ Summer in the 90's. Forgive my negative tone - yes, she may be one of the twenty-first century’s most iconic figures, but are global icons becoming too multi-functional? Whilst this may not be her first attempt at designing (she created a capsule collection for Giorgio Armani in 2010) does this warrant a place on LFW’s tight schedule? It took Victoria Beckham nine years to make the transformation from Posh Spice to designer.
In an interview with The Guardian, Rihanna said: 'The theme throughout this collection was easy, laid-back chic. Flirty, not very conservative, but I think everyone can wear this line. It's not costume-y, not too sexy, it's just very simple.' The trouble is this collection is blaringly not only designed by Rihanna; it also emulates Rihanna’s personal style. There has been no effort by Rihanna or River Island to identify a new direction for the store’s products, which is what was achieved by Topshop’s high street collaborations with designers J. W. Anderson and Mary Katrantzou. When Rihanna for River Island hits shops it will not be a fusion collection, it will be a selection of Rihanna merchandise, which will undoubtedly be a huge success with the plethora of Rihanna fans out there. The second issue is the money factor of Rihanna’s collection. A commercial demographic of young adults, mainly students who are on a budget, could not be further away from the typical customer for whom buyers at London Fashion
Week have in mind. But wait - buyers attending the Rihanna for River Island could discard their profession as the collection already has its launch date in 94 stores in the UK. So Rihanna for River Island’s show at LFW could be described as a social event, or a publicity stunt. It was thought to be the most over-subscribed show on the LFW schedule with an estimated 5,000 people queueing. One woman who said she could not wait in the long queue as she was pregnant was faced with security demanding that she prove her pregnancy! Rihanna’s show also caused many top fashion editors, buyers and other fashionably important faces to miss Thomas Tait’s show, which was showing at the same time. Despite studying a technical degree in womenswear at College LaSalle in Montreal and gaining an MA in womenswear at Central Saint Martins in London, it seems that because Tait only has a mere 678 Twitter followers to Rihanna’s 28.5 million, he lost the LFW popularity contest.
www.redbrick.me/lifestyle |21
Best Dress Nominations The BRIT Awards 'Three ways to get back at your ex boyfriend' by Taylor Swift: 1. Mimic his accent when you perform at the Grammys. 2. Wear his universally famous beanie hat in your next music video. 3. Sport a killer dress at the BRITs and make him wish he’d never left you. Well done, Taylor.
Numéro deux of the One Direction exes; Rebecca Ferguson looked simply stunning in this ravishing gown. Following the black, floor-length trend thatseemed to dominate most of the dresses on the night, the X-Factor star impressed all the BRIT viewers.
Katarina Bickley Yes, we know it’s another black dress, - but it’s yet another very nice black dress. Emeli Sande showcased ruffles and shoulder pads in this simple number. 'Best British Female' and 'Best Album' are two Brits she won alongside Life&Style's prestigious 'Best Dressed.'
Fierce Alexandra Landes Life&Style Writer The BRIT Awards - Emeli Sande, Adele, and Ben Howard picking up a bounty of awards. Harry Styles's sour face as Taylor Swift strutted her stuff on the stage - oh it was a good'n. Cara Delevinge - What catwalk did the stunner not grace in Fashion Weeks around the world this season? Rihanna for River Island - The show dominated London Fashion Week and the fierce looks will hit your nearest RI on the 5th March. I predict a sell-out. The Oscars - Arguably one of the most important red carpet events of the year. We had some serious dress envy. Beyoncé tickets - For some of us, the only thing that’ll get us out of bed and sat on our laptops by 9am on a Saturday morning, but were you one of the lucky few that’ll be seeing Mrs Carter do her thing in April? Vogue Festival line up - Head to redbrick.me/lifestyle for more deets..
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part Two - The film managed to win a whopping seven Razzie awards this weekend, including worst actress for K. Stew and worst picture. But don’t worry Rob, we still love you. Lent - Being nearly two weeks in, I bet you’re regretting giving up chocolate, crisps, bread, sweets, cake now!
Perils of turning the BIG 2-0 Hannah Myerson Life&Style Writer
On the 7th of January, I celebrated my 20th birthday. I use the term 'celebrated' extremely loosely; the clock striking twelve on that fateful night saw me experiencing a highly dramatic quarter-life crisis. Picture the scene: a rabble of pals burst into room 27, all chipper with cards and cake and banners as the birthday girl sits at the desk, frantically scribbling on a pink stripy two hundred leaf Pukka Pad. On this sheet of paper was a list consisting of my hopes and dreams for the year to come, which boasted thrilling plans such as
'Skydive' and my personal fave, 'Make creme brulée'. I vowed that this year I would make a difference, change lives, make my parents proud, get a tattoo saying 'YOLO' above my vagina. Why is it, though, that the age of twenty brings with it such negative connotations? Maybe because it just sounds really, really old. It’s an awkward stage where we can no longer say we’re teenagers, yet the word 'adult' triggers disturbing images of watching The Wombles with a four-yearold daughter.
Drowning our sorrows by gambling in Vegas isn’t an option because we’re too young, yet getting jiggy with someone even a few months younger now seems ever so slightly pedophiliac. As I looked back over my two decades of life and realised I’ve basically done fuck all, I found myself envying the likes of Sophia Grace and Rosie. I had hit an all-time low. Perhaps there’s another way to look at it. Rather than sobbing that we’re halfway to forty, we could embrace the idea that we have 7,300 whole days until then, give or take a few for hangovers/leap years. If we’ve managed to learn how to crawl, walk, speak, read, write, join up our writing, eat, drink, drive (not together, that’s illegal) AND make useless objects out of papier mache, we’re more than ready to do some snazzy things with our time. The world is our oyster. And when life gives me a blowtorch, I will be in room 27 making creme brulée.
Cheryl’s Tat - Really Cheryl? A ginormous rose across your back? How did you ever think that was going to look good? However, it does make that weird mark on your hand actually look relatively good in comparison. Anne Hathaway's nipples - Having your nips trending on twitter is never ideal. #LesNipplerables Underwear as outerwear - We know that it might look very cute, but it’s just so not practical for this February weather. Come on girls, save it for the summer, put some clothes on. Meat - Following the horse meat scandal, it is very much in at the moment to be a veggie.
Finished
22| 1st - 7th March 2013
@RedbrickSci&Tech
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#PlayStation 4 Sony take us into the future with the announcement of their new games console
E3 2005: Sony announced its third home console, the PlayStation 3. Much more powerful than anything else on the market, most thought it would continue Sony's dominance of the games industry. 8 years on, PlayStation 3 ends the console generation in joint second place, behind Nintendo's massively popular Wii. This generation has been exciting in so many ways; the emergence of Xbox as a viable threat, as well as the casual invasion seen on the release of the Wii, it's amazing to think we are reaching the end. With the WiiU already in shops, and Microsoft sure to announce the new Xbox in the coming year, Sony took to the stage on 20th February to announce their new system, the PlayStation 4. Rumours of a new name were dashed as Sony detailed their latest offering, showing off the brand new controller as well as a variety of applications and games. The showcase was packed with content; the 2 hours flew by with game after game, as some of the industry’s leading developers took to the stage. The only thing missing was a glimpse of the machine itself, a fact that leads most to believe the design is yet to be finalised. Sony have stuck with the same DualShock controller design since they switched to Analog control back in 1997. With subtle tweaks to the design on PS2 (pressure sensi-
tive face buttons) and more for PS3 (Sixaxis motion control) the DualShock 4 is the most dramatic departure from the norm yet. With an all new clickable touchpad akin to those seen on laptops, this is unlike any controller we have ever seen. Leaked images before the event pointed to a design like this, but the final product seems to be much more robust than the leaked prototypes. The chunky design comes with changes to the sticks, now slightly concave, the shoulder triggers, now with even more give. The lack of Start/Select buttons makes way for the new Options and Share keys, the second of which is part of the big online push for Sony this generation. With their partnership with streaming company Gaikai, PlayStation will offer players the opportunity to stream their gameplay completely live to their friends. Users will be able to spectate live streams of real time gameplay both on their PlayStation 4 and on the web, the stream hosted on that user’s now expanded profile. Sony are expanding the sort of content available to share with others, and this streaming is a big part of the service. The PlayStation ‘experience’ seems to be integral for the PS4, the new interface taking more inspiration from the Xbox 360 Dashboard than the XMB interface seen on the PS3. PlayStation Vita integration was to be anticipated too, and Sony promise that every single PS4 release will be compatible with Vita.
Of course not everything was a welcome announcement. Details soon emerged that neither disc based or downloadable PlayStation 3 games would be compatible with the new system. With many games announced for release on both PS3 and PS4, such as Diablo III, it seems that Sony are suggesting users keep their old system rather than upgrade. That said, the possibility of streaming PS3 games using the new technology from Gaikai is there, so this could be an avenue for the company to take to please fans. With no physical console shown, it was up to the games to showcase the power of the PlayStation 4. New titles such as Killzone: Shadowfall and inFamous: Second Son were showcased next to titles like Bungie’s new shooter Destiny and E3 favourite, from Ubisoft Watch Dogs which arguably stole the show again with its live demo. Graphically the games were a cut above the current generation, though we doubt we will ever see the same jump in graphics that we saw between PS2 and PS3 again. With a ‘Holiday 2013’ release targeted as the conference reached a close, we should be seeing the final product at E3 in June. Expect the next 12 months to be full to the brim with new information and game announcements. PlayStation 4 should be out by the end of the year, the prospect of the new generation kicking off is an exciting thought indeed.
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DualShock 4 The redesigned controller is the biggest departure from the original DualShock the company has ever delivered.
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Watch Dogs
Ben Giblin
inFamous: Second Son
The Apollo missions are generally regarded as one of the pinnacles in mankind’s history of manned space exploration. Few achievements capture the imagination quite as much as these missions to the Moon, launched by NASA during the height of the Cold War space race. The very notion of transporting a human being to another world, so that they may look back and gaze upon our tiny blue marble Earth, is simply mind-blowing - space enthusiast or not. Standing on that distant lunar surface remains for most, a pleasant day dream to be enjoyed during that 9am lecture you always struggle to concentrate in. However, there are twelve men in the history of mankind that lived that dream between 1969 and 1972, and so begs the question: how did it feel? How were they changed as a result of seeing their footprints etched in that cold grey dust? And how did they reacclimatise to Earth, knowing that their family and friends couldn’t possibly understand what they had seen? Unsurprisingly, none of the Apollo astronauts returned from the Moon the same as they had left, and they present extremely interesting and unique psychological cases for study. A number of the Apollo astronauts returned with stronger religious inclinations. For example, James Irwin, the eighth man to walk on the Moon during the Apollo 15 mission, said he heard the voice of the God of Christianity whispering in his ear out there on the Moon’s surface. Irwin retired from NASA the year following his safe return in order to become a “Goodwill Ambassador for the Prince of Peace” and founded a ministry. So strong were his convictions, that in 1973 he actually led a series of expeditions to Mount Ararat in Turkey in search of Noah’s Ark. Apollo 14’s Edgar Mitchell, the fifth man on the Moon, similarly claims to have sensed a conscious entity out in space. After returning to Earth, Mitchell’s attention turned to investigation of the supernatural, and he founded the Institute of Noetic Sciences to conduct research into psychic events. In 2004 Mitchell claims to have been cured of kidney cancer through spiritual healing and he has repeatedly publicly accused NASA and the American government of covering up extraterrestrial visits to Earth since the 1940s. Was there something about the dark void of space or the desolate lunar surface that sparked his captivation with the paranormal? Conversely, Alan Bean, the fourth Moonwalker, devoted his life to art upon retiring from NASA in 1981. As a full-time painter, he now endlessly produces beautiful scenes of the lunar
The Witness
Johnathon Blow, the creator of indie hit Braid, is back developing his new game for the PS4. Expect the same mind bending puzzles.
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We take a look at how astronauts are affected when they return to Earth
Ubisoft's premier next gen title made headlines at E3 2012, its blend of spy action and tech culture makes it one to look out for. Developers Sucker Punch take their inFamous franchise to new places with Second Son. Sure to be one of the key first party launch titles.
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Life after the moon
Killzone: Shadowfall The fourth Killzone game picks up where things were left on PS3. Lots of guns, even more Helghast, the game looks graphically stunning.
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Writer
landscape. He attributes his obsession with painting the Moon to having been fortunate to have seen a world that no other artist past or present has ever seen first-hand. He’s also the only artist to have ever used genuine moon rocks in their work. Many of the other astronauts exhibited more conventional aftereffects upon settling back into life on Earth. Buzz Aldrin experienced severe depression and alcoholism for many years. Neil Armstrong became some-
None of the Apollo astronauts returned from the Moon the same as they left what of a recluse and felt increasingly uncomfortable in the public eye. Charlie Duke, the Moon’s tenth visitor, reportedly felt directionless and frustrated. Dukes’ nurse Dee O’Hara referred to many of the astronauts’ feelings of lethargy as “Earth rage”; Apollo 11’s Michael Collins described it as “Earthly ennui”. Whatever the term, it may
explain the numerous divorces amongst the astronauts after returning to Earth. Duke eventually recovered after following in the footsteps of Irwin by converting to Christianity and becoming active in a prison ministry. Astronauts are deservedly respected for their bravery and passion for exploration and research. However, it is often the case that they are regarded as examples of perfect human beings. The stories of the acclimatisation of these brave men, the only souls in the history of mankind to stand on another celestial body than the Earth, highlight that this is a naïve notion. Through the quest to advance mankind’s frontiers of knowledge, these seemingly extraordinary people often fall victim to very ordinary personal issues. Some of the more unusual paths carved by the Apollo men also present fascinating cause for study as we ponder their motivations, and how visiting the Moon influenced them. Consequently, if you were contemplating a campaign to become Lynx deodorant’s man in space, my advice would be to think very carefully; you might not return quite the same as you left.
24| 1st-7th March 2013 @RedbrickFood
Are you ill?
You will be now. Gemma Bridge Online Food Editor
Hospital food is important for the patients as it helps with recovery by aiding the immune system and supporting mood. In addition to this, different medical conditions may be helped or hindered by different; and so appropriate nutrition should be an absolute priority in order to maintain patient well being. Food and nutrition are viewed as just as important as medication, especially as having good food allows patients to look forward to meal times, this will help to improve patient well being, morale and happiness and may improve recovery times, thus reducing time spent in hospital. Sustain, an organisation that advocates food and agriculture policies that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, wrote a report about the twenty years of failings in terms of hospital food. The report found that there have been over 20 government supported voluntary initiatives which aimed to improve hospital food. The report noted that these initiatives have all failed, despite warnings from government advisers and the appointment of celebrities and celebrity chefs such as Heston Blumenthal. As a result of the failings more than £54 million of taxpayers' money has been wasted. It was suggested that the reason that the the initiatives failed is because they relied on hospitals to voluntarily adopt the recommendations. However, it has been suggested that the initiatives would be more successful if the recommendations were made compulsory, like the nutritional standards introduced for school food. It was released today (22nd Feb) that the British Dietetic Association (BDA) is supporting the report from Sustain and the introduction of hospital food standards. Other support for the introduction of food standards comes from the Academy of Royal Colleges, representing Britain’s 220,000 doctors. Why are hospital food standards needed? It was back in 2005 when mandatory nutritional school food standards were introduced, and since then school food has improved so much that now children eating school lunches now get healthy, tasty and varied meals which include at least two portions of fruit and vegetables each day and have limited fat, sugar and salt content. In 2011, similar food standards were introduced in government departments, prisons and parts of the armed forces. However, unlike schools and work places hospitals in England do not have food standards and it is now believed that the only way to improve food in hospitals is to introduce standards for hospital food in England- now urgently needed. Is hospital food really that bad? Yes. There is a lot of evidence that suggests that hospital food is really as bad as everyone thinks! 1/10 meals served are returned to the kitchen uneaten 6/10 patients rely on families to bring them food because they don't like the hospital food 3/4 hospital meals would score a red traffic light for saturated fat Many of the hospital meals contain more salt than a Big Mac 1/3 patients are not happy with the quality of hospital food Many of the hospital meals are so unhealthy that it is illegal to serve them to children in schools In some cases chips are better than the food offered to patients! Statistics found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/england/8288046.stm How would the proposed standards help? The standards would primarily promote patient health and would ensure that hospital food meets the recommended dietary guidelines which would promote patient health by reducing the saturated fat, salt and sugar amounts in the foods. Additionally the foods used would be sustainability and where possible, organically grown, to protect the environment maintain biodiversity and support farmers. Won't standards make food more expensive? Well this depends! Some environmental and ethical standards may increase costs for example buying organic fruit instead of non-organic fruit. Yet, buying seasonal food from local farmers is cheaper, and choosing Marine Stewardship Council certified pollock and hake is often the least expensive whitefish available. It is hard to assess what changes to food costs the standards will make, but there is a lot of evidence which shows that buying better hospital food will result in a range of economic benefits such as the creation of jobs in sustainable farming, investment in local economies, reducing patient time in hospital and helping to alleviate diet-related ill health which is costly for Government and local services to treat. As a result of all of the problems of hospital food it seems clear that hospital food standards should be introduced. Additionally as hospital food is the number one complaint amongst patients- it seems silly to not to change the food, listen to the people who the hospital cares for and make their stays in hospital more comfortable! For more information about the proposed hospital standards: http://www.sustainweb.org/hospitalfood
'It's time for the government to take action by introducing mandatory standards for patient meals" Alex Jackson Campaign for Better Hospital Food 'We must not think that high qulaity hospital food is too difficult or expensive to achieve. After all, simple food is often the best food - and buying fresh seasonal product is cheap to buy Albert Roux OBE 'High quality, nutritious food is an essential part of a patient' overall hospital experience. It plays a fundamental role in their recovery and helps them to return home sooner"
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Vegetarian Three-Course Meal You won't even notice the absence of meat in this easy, cheap and delicious vegetarian menu for two. Cauliflower Cheese Soup 1 small cauliflower, chopped into florets 1 large onion, roughly chopped Half a chilli (optional) Around 100g cheddar, grated Dried herbs (rosemary is good) Butter 2 cloves of garlic Milk or cream Vegetable stock cube 1. Fry the onion in butter until soft. Add the chilli and garlic, and fry for another minute or so, being careful not to to let the garlic burn. 2. Add the cauliflower and stock cube, then cover with boiling water. Simmer for about 25 minutes until the cauliflower is soft. 3. Whizz until smooth using a hand blender. 4. Stir in the cheese. Add the herbs and some milk or cream to taste.
Aubergine Parmigiana 1 aubergine, sliced into rings 1 onion, roughly chopped 1 mozzarella ball, sliced 1 tin chopped tomatoes 3 cloves garlic, chopped Fresh basil leaves, chopped Olive oil Breadcrumbs (optional; made easily by using a handblender on stale bread) 1. Brush the aubergine slices with olive oil and grill lightly on both sides until soft. 2. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Fry the onion until soft. Add the chopped garlic and basil with a good glug of olive oil, fry for about a minute, then pour in the chopped tomatoes. Simmer. 3. In an ovenproof dish, layer the grilled aubergine with the tomato sauce until all used up. Top with the sliced mozarella and breadcrumbs, if using. Bake until the cheesy topping is bubbling and golden.
Mini Rhubarb Crumbles 200g rhubarb, trimmed and sliced into 3cm pieces 35g caster sugar 100g plain flour 50g cold butter, cubed 60g demerara sugar 1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees or gas mark 4. 2. Mix the rhubarb, caster sugar and 25ml cold water in a bowl. Divide among two ramekins. 3. Sift the flour into a bowl and add the butter. Rub the two ingredients inbetween your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (remember that you can always use a food processor to save time). 4. Spread the mixture over the top of the rhubarb and pack down. Bake for up to half an hour, until the topping is golden brown and the rhubarb underneath soft and bubbling.
26 | 1st - 7th March 2013
@RedbrickArts @RedbrickArts
Reviews
The Glass Menagerie @ The Old Joint Stock Tennessee Williams’ semi-autobiographical masterpiece The Glass Menagerie is a story of escapism and nostalgia recounting the experiences of the Wingfield family. Mother Amanda and her children Tom and Laura struggle to make ends meet, but all dream of escapism in their different ways; in Laura’s case, through her precious glass animal collection. Following the abandonment of their father, whose portrait ominously hangs over the proceedings, anxiety and dissatisfaction underpin the play. The cramped St Louis apartment is drenched in a grey and hazy light, successfully creating the illusion that this is drawn from the memory of its narrator, Tom Wingfield. Portrayed by Henry Bays, our narrator is clearly haunted by his past; the initial bravado of his entrance soon fades. Looming over the stage, and the audience, Wingfield is an enduring presence throughout the play; a reminder that this is his story complete with exaggerations and alterations. Amanda Wingfield, a former Southern Belle, is a complex and interesting character and is outstandingly played by Zoe Vernon. Initially we are presented with a pushy mother but it soon becomes clear her sole aim in life is to increase the fortunes of her two children and fortify painfully shy Laura from the feeling of being disadvantaged or different. Her despair is punctuated by nostalgia for the days she received gentleman callers, which is to become an obsession of hers throughout. Vernon plays the part with sensitivity and skill. Although blighted by misfortune the vivacity of Amanda occasionally shines through, thanks to moments of comic relief. The climax of the production is the arrival of Laura’s first ever gentleman caller, Jim O’Connor. Kieran Vyas brings a breath of fresh air to the stifling situation and comes across as a man unburdened by his past. Director Vik Savalingham effectively uses the set to create the illusion of memory; the oppressive atmosphere of the apartment comes across well to the audience. The fire escape is an important device, physically representing the desire of all the characters to detach themselves from their situation. Even Laura, who is the centre of the action, escapes outside at various intervals. However, Tom’s constant need to ‘go to the movies’ or smoke outside is a precursor to his eventual departure. Birmingham School of Acting’s intimate production of The Glass Menagerie has used the talent of its actors to sensitively explore universal themes and honestly portray the realistically flawed characters in the mirage of a memory. Annabelle Collins Critic
CBSO A Night at the Oscars @ Symphony Hall “With the Oscars only a week away, this is something of a trip down memory lane” explains conductor Carl Davis, as the 20th Century Fox Fanfare fades away. The mood tonight is easy-going: the night's performance of film scores, being the “popular” end of classical music, has attracted a wider variety of people, the audience being somewhat more youthful than normal. A fairly wide variety of pieces gets played, ranging from Toy Story to Titanic. Perhaps some of the highest points of the evening, however, are found in the suite from Return of the King, which has an eerie resonance at times, and the lightly played, faithfully performed Singin' in the Rain, which, despite being in a concert with tragic and heavy pieces such as Lord of the Rings and Titanic, offers an irresistible chance for foot-tapping. The CBSO, of course, need no introduction, their portrayal of some of the most famous pieces in contemporary classical music being without fault. Davis is a very different sort of conductor than regular concert goers may be used to – He strides on in a blaze of charming eccentricity, his suits becoming more shiny and elaborate as the evening plays on. At points in the evening (i.e. “You've got a Friend in me” and “Singin' in the Rain”) he lends his vocal chords to the orchestra. It does leave one wondering whether the CBSO couldn't have found a proper male vocalist, but his sheer enjoyment seems to bypass this cynicism. Nevertheless, his physical presence greatly supersedes his voice. Female vocalist Heather Shipp is a different character entirely. “I'm sending her from the heavens to the basement” Davis jokes as they launch into All that Jazz. Shipp's range is unbelievable, somehow being able to take on the innocence of high, operatic tones next to the deep sleaze of Chicago and the sophistication of Skyfall (our unexpected encore). It feels something of a shame, therefore, that unlike Davis, she has the physical stage presence of a limp mackerel. Nevertheless, the two seem to make a good duo. Despite these good points, the evening feels a little short – could there not have been a reference to Star Wars? (Given that the only John Williams piece to feature was Close Encounters of the Third Kind) Nor does Danny Elfman, possibly the next well known composer after Williams, feature at all. Overall, however, it's a lighthearted and enjoyable evening.
Ciaran Allanson - Campbell Critic
www.redbrick.me/arts | 27
Simon Day @ The mac I'm unsure of what to expect from Simon Day, his career being “a little bit before my time”. This isn't technically a stand up comedy show – it's a tour publicising Day's new autobiography, “Comedy and Error” - but this is an excuse enough as any for a comedian to host a good night. Being somewhat more used to the likes of the Glee Club and Russell Howard, comedians with their heads so far in the gutter that sex references usually slip out without any second thought, it's somewhat refreshing to see something that's based more on the “clean” end of comedy. One can't help wondering if it's a technique that's somewhat gone out of style, however – Day takes a while to warm up, and doesn't have the instantly funny appearance that his rather surreal book cover would seem to suggest. After a while though, the audience seem to get more accustomed to his laid back, more passive comedy. Nevertheless, the first quarter of the night feel like it could use with a bit more work. Accompanying his sections of Stand-Up, Day reads us extracts from his book. Over the course of the night we hear stories about bed-wetting, the “slums” of Leicester and his regret at skivving one of his own shows (something which a good few acts – not just comedians – could learn from!). He turns out to be a rather engaging reader, injecting his humour where he seemingly forgot to add a footnote in various places of the book, and spinning tales of such ridiculousness it's difficult not to laugh. The second set starts with character act “Tommy Cockles”, who in Day's hands sounds like a crossbreed of Bruce Forsythe and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Though it's clearly satire, one isn't quite sure what he's satire of, which, though being enjoyable, makes his act a little confusing. At the end of the evening, as is standard with book tours (or so we're told), Day receives questions from the audience, which he deals with in a calmly humorous and professional manner, prompting skits about life in the modern world and various shows he's done before in Birmingham (which might account for his spot-on impression of the accent) Overall, it feels sacrilegious to criticise Simon Day at all. Indeed, though his act isn't as “laugh out loud” hilarious as some others in the city, it does have an appreciative “sit back and be amused” quality to it. So while Day doesn't have the same “wow” factor as some of his younger contemporaries, he sets a different sort of standard, one which is rather high.
Ciaran Allanson - Campbell Critic
Little Shop of Horrors presented by GMTG There is something irresistible about this show, which mixes a 1950s science fiction B-movie plot with some great songs inspired by the popular music of the same era. A musical about a gigantic, talking alien plant that feeds on human flesh is not one that necessarily calls for much subtlety from its performers, and what we get here is a broad, overthe-top version which is never less than entertaining. The performers’ American accents, in particular, reach the level of the ludicrous, which on another occasion might be off-putting - here, however, as the whole show is basically a pastiche there is something oddly appropriate about them. When it comes to the musical numbers, the cast is particularly strong, with the song of the sadistic, laughing-gas fuelled dentist a highlight. They seem less comfortable with the spoken dialogue, but there are enough laughs to keep things moving along entertainingly. The backstage crew deserve a mention, doing an excellent and professional-looking job with the monstrous Audrey II, and the set design in general is well-realised and atmospheric. It all added up to a fun and memorable performance which seemed to leave the audience very happy – exactly what is needed with a show like this. Matt Kears Critic
28| 1st-7th March 2013
@RedbrickSport
BUCS Nationals round up Josh Hunt Sports Correspondent
@j_hunt91
Judo Birmingham’s Judokas left the BUCS Gatorade Nationals with a fantastic haul of five individual medals and a medal for their women in the team event. The medal total was a terrific improvement on last year’s efforts when Fitzroy Davies’ team took home two medals. In the lower grade events there was bronze for Phil Willoughby in the under 90kg category and silvers for Annie Smith and Sean Barber in the women’s under 70kg and men’s under 60kg categories respectively. The star of the lower grade disciplines however was Assen Babachev who took gold in the men’s under 73kg competition final when he threw St Andrews’ Tauke Seiketov for an ippon. The final medal on a highly entertaining day’s action went to Lucas Rowe in the top grade men’s under 60kg discipline. Rowe, ranked second in Britain, beat Brighton’s James Draper in an absorbing encounter. Three minutes into the contest Rowe was finally able to break the deadlock with a yuko which he translated into an ippon by pinning Draper on the mat. Brum were unable to field a men’s team on Sunday, but the women’s team of Fia Barnes, Annie Smith and Emily Snell provided a fitting end to a magnificent weekend with bronze in the women’s team event. Karate No medals for Birmingham in the individual events, but gold in the men’s kumite team discipline meant that Brum’s karatekas could make the journey back home in high spirits. The biggest hope for a medal in the individual disciplines was expected to come from scholar and multiple medallist in junior international competitions, Tom Hickman but he was injured in the team event and was unable to compete. Badminton Loughborough lived up to their prechampionship billing by taking four of the five gold medals on offer at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, including a clean sweep of the three doubles events. Loughborough’s Nanna Vainio came close to making it five out of five but her progress came to an end with a three set defeat by Leeds Met’s four time women’s singles champion Anita Raj Kaur. In an all Leeds Met final, it was Raj Kaur’s teammate Fontaine Chapman who was confirmed as champion when her opponent was forced to retire in the second set trailing 13-6 despite taking the first set 21-19. Birmingham’s athletes weren’t expected to challenge for podium places before the weekend, such is the quality of competition they were up against. Nevertheless, there were still a number of encouraging performances that suggest Birmingham may be able to start closing the gap on the likes of Loughborough. Anna Showan reached the quarterfinals of the women’s singles, the men’s doubles partnership of
James Hendry and Doug Furze made it to the last 16 before crashing out against Loughborough’s eventual winners Towler and Briggs and the women’s doubles partnership of Showan and Hannah Sharman surpassed expectations by getting all the way to the quarterfinals. Trampolining Birmingham’s Nathan Comber was ‘over the moon’ with his gold medal winning performance in the BUCS 2 men’s competition by a margin of 1.5 points. Rebecca Blacklock was seventh in the BUCS 2 women’s event, a mere 0.6 points behind Nottingham’s bronze medallist, Nicola Britton. The Best of the Rest Birmingham’s climbing team were a very respectable 15th of the 52 universities to enter the climbing competition. Sheffield won gold in the women’s individual event and were untouchable in the team standings, finishing 66 points clear of silver medallists Edinburgh; Sheffield Hallam completed the top three. Edinburgh and Sheffield were in a class of their own in the orienteering at Burbage Moor and Greno Wood. Edinburgh topped the combined scores table courtesy of a staggering set of performances in the women’s individual event in which six of the top ten places were occupied by the Scottish university’s athletes. Durham were a very distant third place and Birmingham were 14th of the 17 competing teams. *Look out for further BUCS coverage in future editions and the Lion.
www.redbrick.me/sports | 29
Birmingham's cup run ended by Scottish champions
@JSchofield92
Jack Schofield Womens Hockey
Birmingham 2nds
0
Edinburgh 1sts
1
Josh Hunt Sports Correspondent
@j_hunt91
Birmingham’s trophy run came to an end against an Edinburgh side unbeaten since May and clear at the top of the Scottish league. Birmingham controlled the first half of the game but were unable to convert any of their six penalty corners into goals, succumbing to a 1-0 defeat. Second team coach Rebecca Condie was ‘pretty confident’ ahead of the match, telling Redbrick ‘if we play with the same spirit and fight as last time [when Brum beat the Northern Division 1A leaders Leeds 4-2 on penalties], we’ll be alright’. For much of the game Condie’s confidence looked well placed. A quiet opening ten minutes saw her Birmingham side have the lion’s share of possession and plenty of time inside their opponents’ territory, but it was Edinburgh
who fashioned the first opportunity of the contest when a cross was flashed across the face of goal with the centre forward inches away from diverting the ball past Amy Tubbs. Five minutes later it was Birmingham’s turn to prise open the visiting side’s defence; Katie Patterson found Rachel Reynolds inside the attacking circle who pivoted into space but could only shoot tamely wide of the left hand upright. Hesitation cost Birmingham the opportunity to steal a first half lead in the closing twenty minutes of the half. Four penalty corners came and went without a single shot on goal for the home team who were far too unwilling to shoot when being charged down, instead looking to work the ball into space which never opened up for their forwards. When Rosie Bailey found Elise Fraser-Childs deep inside Edinburgh territory with a long pass from inside her own half Fraser-Childs, seemingly caught in two minds, took too long in beating the fullback inside before tamely rolling the ball right of the goal from a narrow angle. Edinburgh were relieved to hear the halftime whistle soon after having failed to live up to their pre match expectations. If Edinburgh were disappointing in the first half, they were dominant in the second period. A squad packed full of
Scottish U21 internationals started turning the screw on their less heralded hosts right from the push off, but Birmingham’s defence, led by Becca Hayward and captain Emma Trunks, held firm against waves of Edinburgh attacks and Tubbs remained mostly untested. On the rare occasion the Scottish side managed to get a shot away they found Birmingham’s keeper in the same form which inspired her team to victory against Leeds in the quarterfinals. Fifteen minutes in, a pass was driven hard into the attacking circle and deflected up towards goal but Tubbs reacted sharply to stretch right and palm the shot away for a corner.
'the one thing I demand is work rate and that's what they gave me. I'm very proud.' The pressure always seemed likely to tell and so it was to be. Birmingham conceded a penalty corner for failing to back off five metres and conceded a second in the ensuing scramble in the attacking circle. This time Edinburgh made no mistake. The corner was pushed back to the top of the circle and struck in hard and low first time, taking a wicked deflection off a defender’s stick en-route to the top right hand corner of Tubbs’ net.
Having conceded the opener, Birmingham came to life but were unable to come up with an equalising goal despite having a number of opportunities to do so, the best of which falling to Emily Crack. Hannah Goss forced Edinburgh’s left back into conceding possession deep inside her own half and played a wonderful twenty metre pass into Crack who was free inside the attacking circle. Perhaps feeling the pressure of the situation, the pass wasn’t gathered in and Birmingham’s last chance was gone. Birmingham’s women were understandably devastated when the umpires finally blew the final whistle having narrowly missed out on a trophy final appearance against Loughborough’s seconds. Coach Condie paid tribute to both her side and her opponents after the match, saying ‘they’re worthy of a place, unfortunately I think we deserved this one this year the one thing I demand is work rate and that’s what they gave for me I’m very proud’. Though this loss is hard to take, Birmingham’s women have made great strides forward this year and will come back a better side in future years as a result of the lessons learned today.
30 | 1st-7th March 2013
Sport View. The modern mercenaries Following the announcement of Jamie Carragher's impending retirement, Ed Tyler ponders whether we have seen the last of the 'one club man' and if that is a cause for concern amongst all sport. Ed Tyler Sport Reporter
@tyleed05
A couple of weeks ago Jamie Carragher announced that he would retire from football at the end of the season. This news sparked fans, writers and players of past and present from all over the football spectrum to talk about what a wonderful player Carragher has been, a ‘one club man’. As a loyal player, who stuck with Liverpool through the good and the bad, everyone was quick to make the old clichéd statements such as ‘you don’t see many players like him these days’ and ‘too many are only in it for the money’. I too have tremendous respect for these one club men, whoever they are and wherever they’ve played. However, while it is a commendable achievement to stick with one team for your entire career, is it something that makes one particular player morally better than another? Talks about loyalty in sport have been going on forever but in recent years with more money being pumped in more lucrative contracts are being handed out. Players who accept them are then immediately labelled as ‘mercenaries’ by their former team. This is absolutely ridiculous. Loyalty in sport is a bizarre concept; the mentality of fans is that as soon as a player signs a contract with their team, that ties them there for life. In football this is particularly prominent and while there are some who do break contract (or try to, as in the case of Peter Odemwingie), most players move legitimately. When it comes to footballers’ wages, we are all just jealous that these people earn so much money for doing something that many of us love, and when a player from our team decides they want to earn more somewhere else, we can’t understand it. Take Robin Van Persie for example. Without him Arsenal would have almost certainly not made the Champions League last year and the amount he scored led to an indisputable Player of the Year award. While all this was going on, his contract was ticking down and it was seemingly inevitable he would depart the club. When this eventually did happen, to Manchester United, he became despised by all Arsenal fans, but for what reason? Van Persie at no point forced a move; a bid was accepted by Arsene Wenger. The player now had a chance to do the same job, for a better team and more money. If you were offered that deal in your job, you’d take it no questions asked.
If you explain this to an Arsenal fan though, they can’t accept that their former star did nothing wrong, they feel betrayed. Fans forget about contracts and the fact that being a footballer is a job, and only a few exceptions get away with their legendary status intact when they move at the peak of their careers (Beckham, Ronaldo, Fabregas and Henry for example). The most bizarre example of fans turning on a player is Manchester United fans with Carlos Tevez. It is upsetting to see a great striker such as Tevez go to your biggest rivals, but he wasn’t even a Manchester United player. Ferguson inexplicably did not use Tevez enough and decided not to extend his two year loan. This left the Argentinean to negotiate with whoever he wished and City offered him the
best deal. Again hurtful, but not disloyal or even money-grabbing. Whatever people’s opinions of footballers are, in all sports the players are going to go where the money is if it means they can have as comfortable a life as possible. In the eighties and early nineties, Serie A attracted the best foreign players. Now the Premier League has this honour with La Liga and the Bundesliga closing in. French football has never been able to keep up and still can’t, with the exception of uber-rich Paris Saint Germain. Newcastle’s signing of no less than five highly rated Frenchmen in January shows that French football is struggling, and money is the main factor for this. An extraordinarily high rate of tax in the country means players want out and the lack of appeal Ligue 1
has around the world means the wages aren’t enough and sponsorship deals too few. As a footballer, a sportsman and a human being, you want to be as comfortable as you can be whether this is at home or abroad and so it is inevitable that Ligue 1’s best talent does not remain there when there are riches elsewhere. Footballers are the most abused when it comes to their so-called disloyalty and money-grabbing, simply because in this country it is the most lucrative and high profile sport. Rugby players are demonstrated as martyrs, clean cut men who are playing the sport they love for lower wages than the pretty-boy, cheating footballers. However, while French football struggles, rugby across the Channel is thriving. The attendances for the top 14 rugby matches are on the up and with this increased interest, there is of course more sponsorship, more TV deals and more first-class players. Traditionally and still now, players from the southern hemisphere are the most talented, but why stay there when they can make more money in France? Even in cricket money drives the players. The Indian Premier League has become known as ‘the world’s richest cricket tournament’ since its formation in 2008 and naturally has attracted top names such as Kevin Pietersen, Chris Gayle and Shane Warne. Why settle for playing in front of empty stands and for low money in county cricket when you can play in India for a month too? If it was an option open to every player, they would take the money and be on the first plane to India. Disloyalty in football is one of the most discussed topics in the sport, but it is not as prominent a problem as is made out. Trying to earn a bit more money is not disloyal, and while there are certainly problems with players trying to break contract, the majority of moves are fair. Meanwhile, trying to get as much money as possible occurs in every sport, it just so happens that football is the richest sport in this country, making the players easy targets. Maybe there should be more one club men like Carragher, but it is not a problem that there aren’t. Playing sport is like any job, and a sportsman will take more money if it is on offer just as anyone in any profession would. Let’s not vilify them. In their situation if you could do what you love for more money, wherever it may be, don’t pretend you wouldn’t take the opportunity.
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Page 31 Sports Shorts
Tweet of the Week
Online this week @SobermanSports
Heroes... Gareth Bale The Welshman continued his exception run of form on Monday. He scored twice against West Ham in a 3-2 victory, including a 90th minute screamer into the top corner. Ravi Ashwin The Indian offspinner took 12 wickets in India's win over Australia in the first test in Chenai. The spinner was extremely impressive on his home pitch mixing wicket taking with outstanding control and economy.
Arsene Wenger
'This day in 1992 - Tiger Woods 16, becomes youngest PGA golfer in 35 years.'
Weekend Wager
13/2 Ronnie O'Sullivan announced his comeback to defend his world title after a year out of the sport. The charismatic snooker player, who has four world titles to his name, will be hoping to add to this when he arrives at the Crucible in April.
After Arsenal's recent form Ed Tyler and Fraser Kesteven debate whether it is time for Arsenal to change manager. Jack Butland Interview
1.Stephen Hendry 2.LA Kings 3. 12 4.Three 5.Serena Williams
The Redbrick Crossword This week's prize is a fistful of dreams and moonbeams Completed crosswords to be submitted to the Redbrick office, located in the Guild basement
Across
Please complete this form before you hand in your completed crossword to the Redbrick office. Name:
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2. Twisted to one side (5) 5. Orwell's allegory on communism, Animal __ (4) 7. Suggested as building blocks of the hadrons (5) 8. To cancel or repeal (7) 10. Used to repeat a reference in footnotes (4) 11. Modern name for the country once known as Siam (8) 12. The final stage in UK legislation before a bill becomes law (5,6) 15. Shine brightly (5) 17. The highest mountain in the Andes (9) 18. Running for every position in the Guild elections (3) 19. An entry on a list of persons who contributed to a film (5)
Women's Tennis 2nds Draw 6-6 Coventry 1sts Men's Hockey 2nds Won 4-0 Nottingham 2nds
Women's Rugby 1sts Lost 48-31 Leeds Met 1sts David Morris inteviewed Birmingham City and Team GB goalkeeper Jack Butland, talking football, Birmingham and music.
Six Nations
Fixtures - 6th March Men's Badminton 2nds v Nottingham Trent 1sts Munrow Sports Hall 1pm Men's Basketball 1sts v Nottingham 1sts Munrow Sports Hall 7pm
...and Villains PGA Tour In coming out against the proposed anchored putter ban, the PGA Tour has paved the way for two sets of rules in golf. The PGA Tour should have kept their opinions private so to avoid the split in golf which seems inevitable. Chris Ashton The England winger has received criticism from pundits and fans after his increasingly petulant displays on the pitch and missed tackles. Is his try scoring threat enough to keep him in Stuart Lancaster's starting lineup against Italy?
Women's Hockey 1sts v Exeter 1sts Bournbrook 3.30pm
2. Who are the current holders of the Stanley Cup?
5. Who is currently the number one ranked women's tennis player?
Men's Rugby Blue Won 36-14 Harper Adams 2nds
Men's Squash 2nds Won 5-0 Cambridge 1sts
1. Who has won the most snooker world titles?
4. How old must a horse be to run in the derby?
Men's Football 2nds Lost 1-2 Warwick 2nds Women's Lacrosse 2nds Won 26-2 UEA 1sts
Redbrick Sport Quiz
3. How many Premier League titles has Sir Alex Ferguson won?
Results - 27th February
Women's Volleyball 1sts v Bath 1sts Munrow New Gym 7.30pm Ellie Jones reviews week three of the Six Nations with particular focus on England's important win over France at Twickenham.
Max Steel Crossword Editor
Down 1. French nobleman ranking above a count and below a duke (7) 2. New Testament book describing the development of the early Church (4) 3. Native flightless bird of New Zealand (4) 4. Causing someone to have difficulty breathing because if a blow to the stomach (6) 5. Noted scientist who discovered electromagnetic induction (7) 6. Confection, in various shapes, representing Lucky's magical charms (11) 9. System of university organisation used by Lancaster, York, London, Durham, Oxford and Cambridge (10) 13. Shakespeare's King of the Fairies (6) 14. A large fleet (6) 16. 27th President of the United States, William Howard __ (4)
Women's Lacrosse 2nds v Warwick 2nds Munrow Track 2pm Men's Football 3rds v Worcester 2nds Munrow Track 5pm
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32 |1st - 7th March 2013
www.redbrick.me/sport
BUCS Nationals round up A look at just some of the sporting events that took place in Sheffield last weekend.
Sport View Is loyalty a characteristic consigned to the past in the era of professional sport?
RedbrickSport
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Brum book place in Leeds for trophy final Men's Hockey
Birmingham 2nds
4
Exeter 2nds
0
Tom Dodd Sport Correspondent
@TomAlexDodd
The Birmingham mens 2nds hockey team survived an Exeter onslaught at the beginning of the second half to reach the final of the men's trophy competition in front of a noisy crowd at the Bournbrook pitches. Brum scored three late goals to kill of a game that they had led 1-0 at half time. The game took a while to get going in cold conditions and neither team could muster up a chance of any note as passes from both sides went astray during the opening exchanges. Birmingham’s first real attack on goal saw the deadlock broken on the quarter hour mark as the Exeter defence failed to deal with a fierce cross allowing Josh Hood to slam home from a couple of yards. The goal sparked the away side, and indeed the match as a whole, into life. Exeter immediately earned a series of penalty corners to test the Brum backline, which stood firm on every occasion. Joe Hillyer, who was lively for the entire first 35, then drew a fine save from the Exeter goalkeeper at the other end, a feat that the number one had to repeat again just seconds later from the resultant corner. As the half came to a close the visitors showed a sign of things to come by hitting the outside of the Birmingham post from another penalty corner. The second period started out in similar fashion to the first, with both teams fighting to put their own mark on the game. It is these types of games that often require a special performance: a performance that makes all the difference and stands out come the final reckoning. Ashwin, in the Birmingham goal, gave just this type of perform-
ance, highlighted by a spell in the middle of the second half which saw the man between the sticks pull off three outstanding saves to preserve the home side's slender advantage. One of these was a terrific block from absolute point blank range, when it looked for all the world as though Exeter would pull themselves level. But it was Birmingham who ultimately killed the game off following the move of the match, with winger Will Selfe showing terrific skill down the left from a chipped pass over the top of the Exeter defence before the ball was eventually turned in by Joe Hillier at the back post to double Brums advantage. The goal proved the catalyst as Brum finished with a flourish under the watchful eye of Old Joe. Selfe got on the scoresheet himself with a lovely individual strike from the edge of the D as Birmingham began to add some glamour to a scoreline which perhaps looked slightly harsh on the their southern opponents. Another chipped pass over the top had the Exeter defence backpedalling and Hillyer added his second of the game as the final minutes ticked down. 4-0 the final score, in a game that could so easily have been 1-1 just 10 minutes earlier. Birmingham, naturally ecstatic at the final whistle, can now look forward to a shot at silverware up in Leeds at the end of March and this performance will do their confidence no harm at all. Off the back of a strong league campaign, 2013 could yet be about to get even better for the mens hockey second team. Birminghams Route to the final: First round: beat Loughborough 2nds, 3-2. Second round: beat Cardiff 1sts, 4-2. Quarter-Final: beat Exeter 3rds, 7-4. Semi-Final: beat Exeter 2nds, 4-0.
George Evans
@Georgeevanss