Issue 1486

Friday 3rd November 2017

Redbrick Issue 1486, Vol. 82

FREE

Open for Business (Students)

Redbrick

UAE campus prepares for opening as first staff member hired

The Official University of Birmingham Student Newspaper, est. 1936

page 3

About Bloody Time

Guild of Students reinstates 'Free Period' scheme to provide more free sanitary products to help with the problems caused by periods for students John Wimperis News Contributor @john_wimperis

Students who have periods are once again able to collect free sanitary products from the Guild pursuant to the reinstated 'Free Periods' scheme.

Tampons and towels are available from boxes at reception and in the women's and non-binary toilets in the Guild. Students who have periods are invited to take from these boxes what they need. Students can also obtain a week or month’s supply of sanitary products if they go into Guild Advice, which is open from 10am to 4pm during term time.

There have been reports that some of these boxes had been broken, possibly through vandalism, which Guild President Ellie Keiller said was ‘such a shame’. She told Redbrick that this was ‘not only going to cost the Guild money (that we’d rather spend on you) to replace them, but people who really do need these products available to them for free, are going to be put out by some selfish individuals’.

One student told Redbrick that period products were a necessity (rather than a luxury) for those who need them and that this will be ‘such a relief for poorer students who need [period products]’. She also added that

‘it’d be so convenient, if you get caught off guard, to know that there are some nearby that won’t cost anything’.

In announcing the return of the campaign, the Guild stated that ‘we don’t want your student experience to be adversely affected by the cost of menstruating’. They cited the statistic, reported in the Huffington Post, that people who have periods statistically spend over £18,000 throughout the course of their lives on period products and other connected expenditures.

This statistic comes from research which found that periods cost the people having them an estimate of £492 a year. This includes not only sanitary products but also replacement underwear, extra food, and pain relief. Over 91% of those surveyed said they needed to purchase pain relief to deal with their periods.

The need for free sanitary products has been exacerbated in recent years by the government's commitment to the 5% VAT rate on sanitary products, expected to raise £12 million (according to gov.uk). A recent controversy has arisen over anti-abortion charity Life being listed as an official beneficiary of the tax. Life has been granted £250,000 of funding for a project to 'support vulnerable, homeless or at risk pregnant women who ask for their help' according to a spokeswoman speaking to the Independent.

Mermaid Square in the Guild of Students

Aamina Siddiqi: investigates the impact of the #MeToo campaign

Culture: A review of the critically acclaimed Nativity! at the REP

Food&Drink: Caitlin Dickinson interviews blogger Jessica Ward

Life&Style: Chris Burden explains how to budget in Brum

Features 14-15

Culture: 18

F&D page 29

L&S page 32

02

REDBRICK

Friday 3rd November 2017

redbrick.me

Letter from the committee...

I joined Redbrick before I even arrived at Birmingham after seeing Redbrick Sport post an advert on Twitter. My initial ‘application’ would make me cringe if I read it now, with it being about 700 words long of blind begging. Luckily, Sport weren’t scared off, and I soon had my first article go online.

I’ll never forget the excitement and pride in sending it straight to my parents and grandparents (even if it was a dire match report of my football team Aston Villa losing 0-1 at home to Stoke (part of a six run losing streak that ultimately saw Tim Sherwood sacked and Villa get relegated after their worst season ever in the first division).

Soon after I got my first article published in the paper- a top five list of premier league goalkeepers, in which David De Gea was third, which is absolutely criminal in hindsight. Even now it’s a great feeling getting my name put in print, thankfully being spelled correctly unlike one time in my first year where it was spelt ‘Harry Wilkinon’- cheers for that Dan Steeden. Luckily I got the chance to become Sport Print Editor around Christmas later that year, something I was obviously delighted about. That continued on all through last year, going on to be part of the official ‘Best Section.’ We were a class team to be

fair, with Redbrick legend Nicola Kenton (who answered my cringeworthy first email) leading the way. But Sport has been left in good hands.

It’s seems only a short while since I became Deputy Editor; it seems mad that this is already our fourth issue (including freshers edition). So far, the standard of writing in the paper has far exceeded my expectations, and the general design and creativity has been much better than anticipatedalthough if it wasn’t I’m sure Joe Ryan would start running around breaking things in the office.

There have been a number of impressive new freshers come in as well; keen to get involved. This is vital for Redbrick, with the turnaround of members each year it’s important for the Redbrick legacy to live on, and first years are pivotal for this.

Redbrick is not just about writing articles. At the end of the day, we are a society, which means being social is a paramount part of who we are. Redbrick has produced some great friendships, and potentially even relationships (looking at you Joe Ryan, if you’re up for a date). But jokes aside, this society is an unreal place to meet like-minded people, and have opportunities presented to you that you never would have. Through

Redbrick I have been able to report on football matches; to interview exciting new bands at gigs (big up Ivory Wave); and run half marathons for charity. It’s not just about the writing here.

So please, whether you’re reading this after just picking it up chilling in the Mason Lounge, or as an established editor, make sure you get the most out of redbrick, and the mountain of chances it creates. Because before long you’ll be in the real world, where things like Redbrick become just a memory, or a missed opportunity. So if you’re thinking of joining us, just go for it. If you’re already a member, keep writing, keep being keen, keep getting involved. There are always ways.

From the dungeons, we salute you,

Harry Wilkinson, Deputy Editor

Follow us on Instagram @redbrickpaper Want to be featured? Send us your photos at: deputy@redbrickonline.co.uk and/or tag us in your photos by using #redbrickinstagram

Online this week at redbrick.me...

TV

TRAVEL

MUSIC

COMMENT

Review: Broad City

5 Epic Rail Journeys from Around the World

Review: Dizzee Rascal

Travellers: The Last Acceptable PRejudice

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03

First Staff Member at UoB Dubai

Senior Recruitment and Engagement Manager appointed as first staff member at the new UoB Campus in the United Arab Emirates Erin Santillo News Editor

The University of Birmingham’s new campus in Dubai is preparing to begin operations in December after announcing Chris Taylor as the Senior Recruitment and Engagement Manager this week.

Taylor has over 16 years’ experience in student recruitment and marketing, previously being employed by the University of Worcester as the Acting Head of International Recruitment. He has worked at UoB since 2015 in his role as Regional Manager of the Middle East, driving student recruitment from the area to the Edgbaston campus. In his new role, however, he will be based in Dubai attempting to raise the profile of the university’s new venture in order to increase the student intake at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) campus.

Alaric Campbell-Rae, the Director of Student Recruitment, has said, ‘We’re delighted to have Chris on the ground to spearhead student recruitment for University

of Birmingham Dubai. He has a wealth of experience in counselling students from the region, helping hundreds of young people to make key decisions about their academic futures.

‘Chris has already developed strong relationships with partners in the UAE which will, undoubtedly, benefit University of Birmingham Dubai as we deliver a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in this rapidly developing international education hub’.

UoB is the first of the global top 100 higher education institutions and first member of the Russell Group to open a campus in Dubai, the UAE’s largest city.

The site will be located within the Dubai International Academic City alongside 25 other universities, and aims to expand the university’s teaching activities in the Middle East. It is hoped that locating this branch of UoB close to Asia will also help to further international research collaborations with leading institutions in Singapore and China.

The first phase of the Dubai campus will open in December

"We’re delighted to have Chris on the ground to spearhead student recruitment for University of Birmingham Dubai. He has a wealth of experience in counselling students from the region, helping hundreds of young people to make key decisions"

The new campus in Dubai

this year, preparing for the intake of undergraduate and postgraduate students in September 2018.

Degrees from the site will be taught, examined and accredited to the same standards as those at the Edgbaston campus, and will include Business, Economics, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, and Primary and Secondary Teacher Education, with scope to expand to include further programmes in the future.

The Vice-Chancellor of UoB, Professor Sir David Eastwood, has commented on the venture, stating: ‘For more than a century, we have been welcoming international students to our campus in Birmingham and for the last 20 years have been providing opportunities for students to study on University of Birmingham degree programmes at partner institutions, including in China and Singapore.

‘We have strategic partnerships in the USA, Australia, China, and Brazil and active research collaborations across the world. Opening a campus in Dubai is the next step in our global mission and demonstrates our

ambition as an outward looking, world-class institution’.

Mohammad Abdullah, the Managing Director of the Dubai International Academic City, mirrored Eastwood’s excitement about the new campus, adding: ‘As Dubai International Academic City celebrates a decade of excellence, we are honoured to welcome one of the world’s top 100 universities, University of Birmingham, to our vibrant and diverse higher education community.

‘University of Birmingham’s commitment to knowledge transfer through cutting-edge research makes it an ideal partner of choice, contributing to the enhancement of the UAE’s vision of creating innovative and enduring solutions that meet the demands of key sectors of development such as STEM and Education. We are excited to strengthen our relationship with University of Birmingham and are confident that together, we can tap into world-class expertise and provide a truly global experience for students and faculty’.

04

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Friday 3rd November 2017

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New CTL Building 'Topped Off' News Reporter John Wimperis attended the 'topping off' ceremony for the new Collaborative Teaching Laboratory building. Here is what we can expect from the University's newest investment John Wimperis News Reporter

With the signing of one of the building’s girders and a reception in a marquee on the ground floor of the unfinished building, UoB’s new Collaborative Teaching Laboratory (CTL) has been ceremonially ‘topped out’.

Invited guests, including ProVice Chancellor Tim Softley, Head of the College of Engineering Andy Schofield, and Guild President Ellie Keiller, signed a girder in what will become the building’s ‘plant room’. They then attended a reception where Softley gave a speech.

Softley, speaking in a marquee on the unfinished ground floor of the soon-to-be high-tech facility, spoke of how the topping out ceremony dates back to an ancient Scandinavian tradition to ward off evil spirits. He told those assembled that this was a ‘very significant occasion’ and claimed that it was possible ‘to really get a feel of the scale of it’.

He confirmed that the building was on track to open next September and thanked Morgan Sindall, the contractors behind the building, for managing to keep to the timescale. The university’s last major building project, the new Sports Centre, was delayed by almost a year under a different

contractor.

The laboratory, which cost £40 million, is still some way from being completed. When it opens in autumn 2018, the CTL will house a wet lab, dry lab, and an e-lab. Schofield, called them ‘cutting edge facilities’ and told Redbrick that ‘it’s going to be transformative for students in experimental subjects’.

"It’s going to be transformative for students in experimental subjects" Architect Alex Smith, who worked on designing the building, told Redbrick that he was ‘just happy to be involved with such an exciting project’. He said that ‘the university has had the vision and they’ve let us go for it’ and that UoB was developing the curriculum alongside.

Smith also described how, in designing the building, they had ‘anchored the materiality of the building into the timeline of the university’, meaning that they had kept its colour palette in line with those of other new buildings, such as the New Library and Sport

Centre. This promoted Keiller to joke that ‘we might not be called red brick any more but goldsheeted’.

Keiller said that she thought the building was ‘really exciting for students at the university’.

Standing in what would be the e-lab in a hard hat while being rained on, she told Redbrick she was ‘inspired at how quickly it's gone up. Just need to make sure it’s a bit warmer and the roof is watertight’.

The CTL building is phase two of a project, with the first phase having been a refurbishment of the heavy engineering lab in the Mechanical and Civil Engineering building. Second year Materials and Mechanical Engineering student Andrew Loddo told Redbrick that the refurbishment had provided students with ‘specific equipment and space to demonstrate and learn about different concepts covered in lectures’.

A virtual reality model of some of the building’s labs, developed by company Alpha Tango Delta, makes it possible to view in VR what the completed facilities will look like. The developers said that this would probably be made available to download as an Android Cardboard app later in the year.

John James

John Wimperis

UoB Accomodation is Fire Safe

Following the Grenfell Tower disaster, UoB's accomodation has been declared not at risk from the same problems Branwen Onono News Reporter

The Grenfell Tower tragedy of June this year led to the deaths of at least 80 people and caused serious injury to many more. The speed with which the flames spread has been attributed to the highly flammable polyethylene cladding encasing the tower. The cladding combined with the lack of appropriate fire safety precautions, such as sprinklers, contributed to the destructiveness of the blaze. Following Grenfell, there have been inquiries into the safety of tower blocks up and down the country, including the safety of student accommodation.

In late June The Independent reported that multiple student halls of residence including blocks at Newcastle and Bournemouth universities were fitted with similar cladding to Grenfell Tower.

The University of Birmingham has 20 different accommodation complexes, including Chamberlain.

Chamberlain

accommodation is comprised of three residential blocks, in addition to the 20-storey Chamberlain tower. Concerns over the safety of Chamberlain Tower have been raised by its residents since the Grenfell fire.

"I lived in the tower my first year, after Grenfell I was really paranoid for a while, the photos of Grenfell were terrifying" One second year student said, ‘I lived in the tower my first year, after Grenfell I was really paranoid for a while, the photos of Grenfell were terrifying.’

When contacted on the safety

of UoB accommodation, in particular the safety of Chamberlain tower, a representative stated that the cladding had been checked and that ‘it is typically copper or brick and fully compliant with building regulations’. The representative also went on to say that fire safety of the university’s buildings is ‘continually reviewed on a rolling basis’ and that ‘there have been no significant issues found’.

The importance of resident compliance to fire safety instructions was stressed, with one common issue being minor damage to fire doors caused by them being propped open. Propping open fire doors also means that they are ineffective in the case of an emergency.

The university also uses third party ‘partner accommodation’, such as Liberty Living and IQ, to house its students. A UoB representative told Redbrick that the university had ‘received reassurances’ that none of the third party accommodation used by UoB ‘presented any risk of the type

that may have exacerbated the fire at Grenfell Tower’.

This has been met with relief from many students including one third year history student who told Redbrick that they thought that ‘it is good to see that the university was so proactive about it, especially considering the extent of the problem had it taken place.

I hope the same can be said for other universities.’

The safety of UoB’s accommodation is not reflected at every university. One that did not meet the required standards is Nottingham Trent University where 30 students had to be relocated as three of seven blocks in Byron House, above the student union facilities, were fitted with the Reynobond ACM PE Panels.

The safety of all buildings, not just student accommodation, is a nationwide investigation that is still underway.

Do you have opinions on this article? Tell them to us: @redbrickpaper @redbricknews

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05

This Week in the News... from 1605

Gunpowder, Treason and Plot: The Forgotten Role of the West Midlands Tom Leaman News Reporter

As we approach this year’s Guy Fawkes Night (and, more importantly, Thursday’s Vale Fireworks Spectacular), we take time to remember the attempted treasonous attack on King James I of 1605. What history forgets, however, is the vital role of Robert Catesby and a sleepy West Midlands village, just twelve miles from the University of Birmingham campus.

Any depiction of the events of the fifth of November 1605 will tell a familiar tale; a group of English Catholics, led by their ringleader Guy Fawkes, were caught attempting to assassinate the Scottish Protestant king of Great Britain, James. Every year, thousands of bonfires (rather sadistically) glorify Fawkes’ role

in the saga; an English rebel who fought with Spain against his home nation, coming oh-so-close to changing the course of British history.

"The West Midlands would certainly have been the focal point for the second part of the plan, had the explosion at Parliament been a success"

What seems to have been omitted from common folklore is the importance of Lapworth’s own Robert Catesby. Catesby, born in 1572, became disillusioned with James I, who claimed to be working to reduce the oppression of Catholics following the notoriously bloody reign of Mary I. The monarch said that any Catholic ‘that will be quiet and give but an outward obedience to the law’ would not be persecuted, though penalties against Catholics based on their religion continued.

Catesby consequently gathered twelve other men (including Fawkes, as a weapons expert) in April 1604 to carry out his ultimately unsuccessful plot. There is certainly irony in the fact that Fawkes is given the bulk of the credit for Gunpowder Plot,

despite being the first discovered as a conspirator when it failed.

As well as being the home to the fundamental member of the thirteen plotters, the West Midlands would certainly have been the focal point for the second part of the plan, had the explosion at Parliament been a success. The Black Bull Inn, Coventry, was the base of another scheme of Catesby’s to kidnap James’ daughter Princess Elizabeth from Coombe Abbey.

With the king and his male heirs dead, Elizabeth would have been forced to become a Catholic monarch by the conspirators. This, of course, never came to fruition as, on the

night of November the fourth, Fawkes was caught beneath Parliament with 36 barrels of gunpowder.

Had Catesby’s plot succeeded, perhaps he would have more recognition for his role in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. As it was, the Lapworth resident’s head was displayed outside parliament to deter other potential plotters, and Fawkes’ name became synonymous with both the date and the rhyme; This year, when you 'remember, remember the fifth of November', spare a thought for Robert Catesby and the forgotten importance of a suburban West Midlands village in one of the most instantly recognisable events in British history.

Birmingham to be Car-Less by 2025 He welcomes the technological advance of driverless cars, and News Reporter wants the West Midlands to lead the way for the so-called autonoWest Midlands Mayor Andy Street mous vehicles. encourages cities to adjust the ‘We’re already the centre of transport system for a car-less the UK automotive sector future.

– this is our opportunity In the West to become the global Midlands, 63% of centre for design journeys are being and manufacturmade by car. ing of autonoTe c h n o l o g i c a l mous, connected, development allows electric vehifor several alternacles’, said Mr. West Midlands tives to the currentStreet. journeys are made ly dominating mode This is in line by car. of transportation, with the Transport such as driverless cars Secretary Chris and car share apps.

Grayling’s pledge The Mayor urges that Britain will speartransport planning to accomhead the testing and develmodate new technology, rather opment of driverless cars, which than expanding the road networks. are to be introduced slowly. Mr.

Astrid Skjold

63%

Grayling notes that we already have self-parking cars, and that each generation of new cars will introduce a new layer of autonomy or intelligence.

According to the Mayor, the introduction of driverless cars is to be accompanied with efforts to improve public transportation and cycle and walking paths.

In addition to easing congestion, reducing the number of cars on the roads is intended to reduce pollution. Air pollution poses a serious health risk and is the presumed cause of 1500 premature deaths annually in the West Midlands.

The transition to a car-less society is being encouraged all over the world, and cities are tackling pollution and congestion

"We’re already the centre of the UK automotive sector – this is our opportunity to become the global centre for design and manufacturing of autonomous, connected, electric vehicles"

by focusing on cyclists and pedestrians.

Madrid’s Mayor has pledged to remove all personal cars from the city centre, as a first step in the plan to ban all diesel cars from the city by 2025. Oslo plans to ban all cars from the city centre by 2019. Chengdu, Paris, Copenhagen and Mexico City, to mention a few, are all working to change the transport behaviour of their populations.

One student told Redbrick, ‘I am impressed by the enthusiasm of the Mayor to make such big changes but I am not sure how realistic it is considering how carcentric Birmingham is.’

It remains to be seen how these measures will begin to take place throughout Birmingham and the West Midlands.

Oxford Uni Chancellor Spends £70,000 a Year Grace Duncan News Editor

After an investigation by the Cherwell, the Oxford University student newspaper, it has been revealed that the Vice-Chancellor has spent £70, 000 on expenses since her appointment last year.

Professor Louise Richardson’s air travel alone has cost over £56,000 since january, meaning that each of her round trips has cost an average of £2, 174.

The vice-chancellor has insisted that people in her role have modest salaries compared to footballers but she has still come under fire.

David Palfreyman, the bursar at New College, Oxford, called on universities to put an end to the ‘gravy train’ as he criticised his

own university for their vicechancellor’s pay. Palfreyman continued that ‘grossly excessive’ salaries can be seen across the university’s senior management team.

China to sign an agreement with the Chinese Academy of Medicine, to Tokyo to sign an agreement on the Kyoto Prize and meetings around Europe with heads of other universities.

"Grossly excessive"

"The ViceChancellor must travel the world extensively, raising funds, establishing global partnerships and recruiting the academic talent"

Universities minister, Jo Johnson, has mocked the Professor who claims that her £350, 000 a year is low paying compared to footballers and bankers. Mr Johnson later suggested that if she wants the salary of a footballer she is ‘not in the right business’.

The amount of money spent has been attributed to her duties abroad which include flying to

A Spokesman from Oxford said that, ‘Oxford University generates £5.8billion for the UK economy every year. As part of this, the Vice-Chancellor must travel the world extensively, raising funds, establishing global partnerships and recruiting the academic talent on which Oxford – and the UK – depend’.

Adding that all her expenses were incurred on official university business, adding that her expenses are below that of previous years and that ‘This has always been a core part of the job of Vice-Chancellor, and Professor Richardson’s predecessors also travelled widely in building the world’s number one-ranked University.’

He was also careful to highlight that she travels in economy class on short haul flights and

usually in standard class for train journeys.

This report comes only shortly after it was reported that the University of Birmingham’s own chancellor is the seventh highest paid in the country with his pay totalling three times the Prime Minister's at £415, 000 a year. The sum is made even more shocking in that it amounts to nearly 20 times the average salary in Birmingham of £21,059.

The high pay of university vice-chancellors is clearly not one that is unusual although it does bring into question where students’ fees are spent.

One masters student told Redbrick, ‘in times of austerity, it is disgusting to see people in such positions of power abuse the money that they are paid.’

06

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Chinese University Giving Students Extra Credit for Losing Weight Phoebe Radford Food & Drink Editor

In an effort to reduce rates of student obesity, a university in China is running a course in weight loss.

Nanjing Agricultural University in East China is offering the module to those with over thirty percent body fat or a body mass index over twenty eight.

60% of the student's grade will be determined by their fat loss, but if they manage to lose over 7% of their body weight, they will pass with a perfect score.

Students will be following a strict exercise regime including a run on treadmills everyday, twiceweekly 10km walks, and mountaineering and climbing excur-

sions. second year students were classed The course extends to their as overweight. diet, with students asked to send Jess, a second year Sports and photos of their meals to nutriExercise student, said, ‘I tionists. Participants will think some healthy also be required to people might feel record all of their food that it’s unfair that and calorie intakes in overweight people an app. get offered credChina has its to exercise.’ expressed a grow‘A module on of first and second the risks of being ing sense of urgency over its peroverweight year students ceived weight probwould be better, classed as lem, with Peking so that individuals overweight University School of can learn and make Public Health predicthealthier decisions ing that 28% of all chilfor themselves.’ dren in China aged 7-18 will Angela Wang, a third be overweight or obese by 2030. year American-Chinese student at At Nanjing Agricultural Princeton University said that the University, the course was intro- course reflects a mindset that conduced because 13% of first and tinues to persist in China, saying

13%

that ‘China’s culture has a prevalent and undeniable emphasis on weight.’

"China's culture has a prevalent and undeniable emphasis on weight. Being skinny to the point of bony is the standard of beauty"

With this in mind, people who are overweight have an even harder time in their social life. One factor might be that the course is designed to help the students adjust socially.’

Wang also felt the programme could have ‘political factors’ such as addressing a perceived obesity crisis. She also highlighted that this course is not completely out of the ordinary in China: ‘In middle school, we had to pass a Physical Examination test before we graduated.’

Zhou Quanfu, a PE lecturer who launched the course, said he hoped it would motivate students and help them to gain confidence through losing weight.

‘Being skinny to the point of bony is the standard of beauty.

Man Falls off Bridge in Birmingham Emily Roberts News Editor

A busy road in the city centre closed on Wednesday 25th October after a man fell from a bridge.

The incident, which happened at around 3:10am, occurred between Hill Street and Pershore Street. This led to the closure of Dudley Street, the road just

beneath Smallbrook Queensway, and in turn resulted in disruptions and delays in the surrounding area.

The man sustained critical head and facial injuries following the fall. A spokesman confirmed that ‘The man had a reduced level of consciousness and was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

'Two ambulances attended along with a paramedic and a MERIT trauma doctor who travelled on the back of the ambu-

lance with the patient to continue treatment.’

Dudley Street remained cordoned off as West Midlands Police officers gathered evidence in an effort to establish the circumstances of the man’s fall.

In a tweet published at around 10am the same day, West Midlands Police confirmed that the road had successfully re-opened, and thanked members of the local community for their patience.

AHRC Releases Report on Sexual Assault in Australian Universities students said that their universities were providing enough supNews Reporter port for students who have suffered an assault. The report also found that LGBT students, The Australian Human Rights Aboriginal and Torres Straight Commission (AHRC) released a Islander students, and students report on sexual assault in with a disability are all more Australian universities on the 1st likely to be sexually assaulted. of August. The report was Reports from survivors of based on a survey and assaults told The Guardian investigation of Australia that part of the 30,000 students at problem is a lack of 39 Australian unianonymous reporting versities during of incidents, which 2016. It found deters those who do that 10% of not want to publiof students female students cally reveal that and 2.9% of they have been reported sexual male students at assaulted. Another assaults to their Australian univerdeterrent is the pracuniversities sities had been sextice of forcing students ually assaulted in that report their assaults 2015 and 2016, and to their universities to have that as many as half of all face-to-face ‘mediation sesstudents were sexually harassed at sions’ with their attackers. least once in 2016, with 1 in 5 Abby Stapleton, national students harassed in a university women’s officer at the Australian setting.

National Union of Students, wrote Of those who were assaulted that ‘Survivors also do not report on campus, only 9% reported it to because so often universities their university, and only 4% of choose to support the perpetrators

Daniel Hickey

9%

rather than the victim. University management would rather sweep sexual assault under the carpet than take steps to prevent it.’

A similar report by Universities UK, ‘Changing the Culture’, found that many UK universities adopt a similar approach to their Australian counterparts, with their policies on cases of harassment advising students to resolve their issues informally with the people involved in the incident directly.

"University management would rather sweep sexual assault under the carpet than take steps to prevent it" The NUS have expressed concerns about this policy as direct interaction between the victim and perpetrator is regarded as

undesirable by both parties, along with the fact that this policy creates another barrier to students reporting incidents to their university.

Another area of overlap between Australian and UK universities on sexual assault was a problem of underreporting. The survey that the AHRC based their report on was originally going to be distributed to all 1.3 million Australian students, but was cut

back to only 300,000 students, of which only 30,000 replied.

Additionally, the survey’s questions have been criticized for leading students away from reporting their experiences of assault or harassment. The Universities UK report found that underreporting was a major problem at universities as a result of a lack of systematic or consistent reporting mechanisms.

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07

University Diversity Still a Problem Gregory Robinson

black students made up 2.7% and 2.8% of the 10,000 and 8,000 applications to Oxford and Oxford University has been Cambridge last year, suggesting accused of ‘social apartheid’ by the number of black students former education minister David applying for places at Oxford and Lammy due to its admissions pol- Cambridge is relatively low. icies which have reignited the UCAS figures also showed that debate surrounding diversity at 8% of the 564,190 UK university the university. applications to all universities The new data released by were from black students in 2016.

Oxford, the first time the univer- Therefore, Oxford and Cambridge sity has released such figures are recruiting students from a pool since 2010, revealed that 10 out of of black applicants that is less 32 colleges did not award a place than half the size of those applyto a black British pupil with ing to other universities.

A-levels in 2015. Oriel College The data released by Oxford only offered one place to a black can be compared to similar figBritish student in the last six ures released by the university in years. Only 1.5% of all offers 2010, which revealed that 21 from both Oxford and Cambridge Oxbridge colleges took no black went to black British UK A-level students for the previous year and students. Only three one Oxford college had not Oxford colleges and six admitted a single black Cambridge colleges student in five years. made at least one At the time, the data offer of an underproved to be congraduate place to a troversial due to black British debates regarding A-level student elitism at Oxbridge Oxbridge offers between 2010 and being a topic of went to black 2015. discussion However, the amongst students British students data also revealed and education prothat black students fessionals. The debate made up less than 3% has largely been spurred of applications to Oxford

by Labour MP for and Cambridge in 2016, comTottenham David Lammy, who pared to 8% of total university made a Freedom of Information applications. According to UCAS, (FoI) request to reveal the social News Editor

1.5%

profile of Oxford’s students. The data showed that the university’s social profile was made up by 89% upper-and-middle class individuals.

"There are almost 400 black students getting three As at A-level or better every year" Lammy once again requested the ethnicity data from Oxford and Cambridge in 2016. While Cambridge revealed their data last year, Oxford waited until October 2017 to publish their figures.

The new data suggests that the student bodies at Oxford and Cambridge do not reflect the UK’s diverse population. Furthermore, the representation of students from different socioeconomic backgrounds continues to be an issue. Though the new data does suggest a slight improvement from figures released in 2010, the recruitment of black British students continues to be a problem for elite universities.

‘Difficult questions have to be asked, including whether there is systematic bias inherent in the Oxbridge admissions process that

is working against talented young people from ethnic minority backgrounds,’ said Lammy.

‘There are almost 400 black students getting three As at A-level or better every year.’

In response to Lammy’s statements, a spokesperson for Oxford said addressing the issues regarding diversity would be ‘a long journey that requires huge, joinedup effort across society – including from leading universities like Oxford – to address serious inequalities.’

"Widening participation further will require government, schools, universities, charities, parents and students to work closely together" ‘We’re also working with organisations such as Target Oxbridge and the newly formed

Oxford black alumni network, to show talented young black people that they can fit in and thrive at a university like Oxford. All of this shows real progress and is something we want to improve on further.’

‘Widening participation further will require government, schools, universities, charities, parents and students to work closely together. We will continue to work hard with all parties to raise aspirations and attainment to improve access to higher education,’ the spokesperson said.

Though both Oxford and Cambridge vow to widen their application pool to encourage greater diversity, the stereotype of upper-middle class white students dominating the student body may discourage black British A-level students from applying.

This deterrent may explain why a photo of 14 black Cambridge students went viral after it was shared on Facebook in May 2017.

An English Literature student from the University of Birmingham said: ‘the photo showed that diversity was still a problem at elite colleges and universities, but also managed to challenge the preconceptions people may have about the students at Oxford and Cambridge. It might have encouraged black students that Cambridge is a place they can apply to and even study.’

News Analysis: Should 'Elite' Universities Charge Higher Tuition?

Sophie Woodley investigates whether universities higher up the league tables should be allowed to charge more than those lower down Sophie Woodley News Reporter

After Theresa May promised to review the growing issue over tuition fees, there has been widespread dispute over what students should have to pay after they graduate. A recent Guardian report has described this sticking point as a ‘small civil war looming among the institutions themselves.’ University officials are currently discussing whether fees should be made ‘variable’ (and therefore different for each university), or whether they should stay the same for everyone.

One vice-chancellor who wanted to remain anonymous stated, ‘the elephant in the room is whether all institutions should charge same fees’, before settling on the stance that they probably shouldn’t. He went on to say that it is unnecessary for many universities to charge the maximum amount of tuition fees possible (£9,250) and claimed that ‘new’ universities who choose to charge the maximum amount were never asked to do so.

The vice-chancellor of Worcester University, however, disagrees. He believes that ‘those

calling for variable fees...are very unlikely to be successful.’ Instead, he argues that the government and firms should be making more of a contribution in order to help graduate students pay off the staggering sum of money.

"Those calling for variable fees...are very unlikely to be successful" One solution on the table is that tuition fees should reflect post-graduation salaries. However, this has been viewed as being a controversial proposal, as it relates to the quality of university degree obtained. For example, salaries of those five years after graduating with business or administration degrees ranged from £19,400 with a degree from the University of Wolverhampton to £71,700 for those graduating from the University of Oxford.

This suggests that if you go to a better university, you will end up earning more once you graduate, thus reducing the amount

payable of tuition. This becomes problematic when examining how much each university charges for their students; if universities charge a higher amount then this makes it difficult for students to cope with debt, but could be better in the long run as they’ll supposedly have a higher earning salary as they went to an ‘elite’ university. Yet, if universities charge a lower amount, this will be easier to manage, but not in fact beneficial in the long run as you will supposedly not be earning a high amount of money, making it harder to pay off your debt.

Either way, problems arise.

This data, based on the Longitudinal Education Outcomes research, is controversial, according to Nick Hillman. As the director of the Higher Education Policy Institute Think Tank, Hillman warns that there are ‘dangers’ with this data being available to the public. This stems from the fact that ‘salary isn’t the motivating factor for many students.’ Indeed, not all students base their choice of university solely on how much they want to earn once they graduate.

Clearly, if elite universities raise their tuition fees, they are

doing so because they know graduates will get a well-paid job, so they can easily pay back the money they owe. However, many would view this as greatly problematic, as higher tuition fees may decrease the availability - and accessibility - of university places.

This is a problem that has caused great rifts between institutions, simply because of the wide range of opinions and solutions within the education sector. The question is, how long will it take for the government to reach a compromise that leaves both sides content?

Nick Geo

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NEWS

Friday 3rd November 2017

@redbricknews

Murder Inquiry Launched After Hall Green Attack in September Tim Abington News Reporter

A murder inquiry has been launched following the death of a man assaulted in the Hall Green area.

Garry Twist was being treated at the nearby Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where, after making it to the hospital in a critical condition, he passed away after 16 days in critical care due to sustained head injuries from an assault outside the College Arms pub.

The police are currently holding a man from Acocks Green in

custody under murder charges.

West Midlands Police had originally charged the 32-year-old with attempted murder and assault, but following the death of Twist the case has since been altered to a murder investigation.

In a call for aid, Detective Inspector Harry Harrison stated: ‘Our investigation is very much on-going and I would still like to hear from anyone who witnessed this brutal attack who hasn’t yet spoken to us’.

In paying tribute to the victim, relatives described Twist as their ‘beloved son, wonderful brother, loving partner.

‘Garry was the light of our lives. We and many others will never forget such a fun loving, gentle man’.

"beloved son, wonderful brother, loving partner."

Donations have poured into an online fundraising appeal launched to help pay for Twist’s funeral. As it passed £5,000, the campaign reached more than double the

original target set by fundraiser Peter Bevin. Bevin has also pledged to donate the remainder to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, one of the University of Birmingham’s nearest medical centres.

The murder is one of several attacks that have occurred across Birmingham in recent weeks. A wave of violence that has prompted the university to issue a statement in response to the safety concerns of students who live away from campus and university security.

When contacted by Redbrick a university spokesperson stated:

‘We would like to remind students to remain vigilant when out at night.

‘The University and the Guild of Students continue to work closely with West Midlands Police to do everything we can to try to ensure the safety of staff and students on and off campus.

‘The University security team is on duty 24-hours a day, backed up by campus patrols and CCTV. Measures include a dedicated campus police officer, a regular Police Surgery held on campus, crime prevention roadshows and safety campaigns’.

New Student Residence Planned Grace Duncan News Editor

A 290 student bedroom block is set to be built in the centre of Birmingham with the backing of Chinese investors.

The 15 floor tower block is developed by Court Collaboration on the site of the former Birmingham Nautical Club in Bishopsgate Street close to student clubbing destination, Broad Street.

This is not the first time that Court Collaboration has gained

support from Chinese investors as they previously secured financial backing for some of their other projects in the city centre including the development of new apartments in Legge Lane in the Jewellery Quarter.

The current plans for the development look to create a part ten-storey, part 15-storey complex with a mixture of both studios and shared flats with space for bike parking but nothing for cars.

While the lack of space for cars is most likely due to the desire for more space for flats, it also falls in line with the West

Midland’s Metro Mayor’s desires that Birmingham should be a car free city with Birmingham looking to provide less support and road infrastructure for cars in the coming years.

According to planning documents the reason that student property is being consider is that ‘the inclusion of a student-focused residential development will create more attractive and animated frontage to the corner of Bishopsgate Street and Communication Row.’ The same documents also shed light on making the most out of

prime Birmingham real estate as the previous build is ‘of its time and does not make best use of land in this prominent location (and) detracts from the surrounding area.’

The increase in new builds in Birmingham comes shortly after the city was declared the best city in the UK to invest money in early in the year, something that investors are clearly taking to be true with this being only one of the main developments underway in the second city at the moment.

This investment in Birmingham has been met by support from the

student population with one student telling Redbrick that, ‘it is important that Birmingham begins to receive the investment and attention that it deserves as the country’s second city. The fact that so many are willing to build here instead of London is very positive.’

Others have argued that the desire to focus on student development is perhaps undermining as, ‘while it encourages students to come to the city, it doesn’t encourage them to stay after they graduate, which is what Birmingham really needs.’

News in a Nutshell...

News Editor, Gregory Robinson, gives you the low down on the crucial national and international news of the last fortnight Welcome back to our new column, News in a Nutshell, in which one of your News Editors outlines the key current affairs that have made the headlines over the past fourteen days.

Catalonia Independence The Spanish government has now taken control over Catalonia and have fired the area’s local leaders. The decision came after the 135 seat Catalan parliament voted to declare independence from Spain on 1st October by a margin of 70 votes to 10.

Demonstrations and pro-Spain protests have been taking place throughout the day and into the night on Saturday (28th October) in Barcelona, Spain, calling for the ‘unity of Spain and the constitution’. Many have urged the jailing of sacked Catalan leader Carles Puigdemon after he was dismissed by the Spanish government.

Kenyan Presidential Elections 2017 The 2017 Presidential Elections were held on 26th October 2017 following the annulment of the results of the presidential vote in August 2017.

President Uhuru Kenyatta expressed ‘every confidence that the impasse in Kenya will be resolved by this new vote’.

However, the repeat election was boycotted by millions; the BBC reported a voter turnout of under 34%, sharply down from the first poll in August which attracted 80% of the electorate.

Voting has now been suspended indefinitely in four areas where opposition supporters have clashed with police. At least two people have been killed in the violence. Since the first vote in August, about 50 people are reported to have been killed as a result of violence stemming from the August elections, in which Mr Kenyatta was declared winner.

Rose McGowan’s Speech at Women’s Convention

Actress and activist Rose McGowan recently gave a speech denouncing slut shaming at the inaugural Women’s Convention on Friday (27th October). ‘My name is Rose McGowan, and I am brave – and I am you,’ McGowan declared during the first public address since she spoke out on social media against defamed Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, helping to spread the online #MeToo campaign and inspire many other women to share their stories. ‘I have been silenced for 20 years. I have been slut-shamed. I have been harassed, I have been maligned. And you know what? I’m just like you.

Because what happened to me behind the scenes happens to all of us in this society. And that cannot stand, and it will not stand’ McGowan said.

The Women’s Convention was held in Detroit, Michigan and attracted thousands of attendees who gathered for workshops, keynote speeches and music. The event is an offshoot of the Women’s March protests that took place in January.

Theresa May Pledges to Reform Procedures to Tackle Commons Abuse The Prime Minister has reacted to claims of harassment of staff

by MPs by calling for new procedures to tackle the issue. Mrs May said there was already a confidential phone line, an online portal and an advice service for abuse claims to be reported, but has now claimed she intends to ‘go further’.

May’s call for more procedures comes as Conservative MP and international trade minister Mark Garnier faces a Cabinet Office investigation after his former secretary Caroline Edmondson told the Daily Mail he had given her money to buy two vibrators at a sex shop in Soho. The incidents date back to 2010, before Mr Garnier became a government minister.

Disney Channel Introduces its First Gay Series Regular Character In a first for Disney Channel, a supporting character in the series

Andi Mack, which premiered its second season on Friday (27th October), came out as gay. Though the channel has previously attempted to introduce gay characters into their shows, including a lesbian couple in Good Luck Charlie, the story arc will mark the first time a coming out story will be depicted on the channel.

Disney Channel’s shows appeal largely to children, tweens and families around the world.

In a statement, a rep for Disney channel said: ‘Andi Mack is a story about ‘tweens’ figuring out who they are. Terri Minsky [series creator], the cast and everyone involved in the show takes great care in ensuring that it’s appropriate for all audiences and sends a powerful message about inclusion and respect for humanity’.

That is not all the news that has happened in the last two weeks but this column should mean that you’ll be able to sound remotely educated in current affairs. Pick up the next edition of Redbrick for your next News in a Nutshell.

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To Buy or Not To Buy?

Lucy Painter examines how the cost of course books can be reduced Lucy Painter Comment Writer

I remember when I first found out I was coming to university, one of the first things that I thought of is books: which ones I need, how much they cost, and if I can read them before the start of term.

This is the general assumption by the majority of students, and it is not uncommon for many to spend £100s each year on top of everything else that comes with university life. It may come as a surprise, then, that the University says that it is not compulsory for students to buy core texts. With this debate comes questions of: How do students feel about this issue?

How effective are alternative

solutions like the library? How can costs be kept to a minimum?

The statement from the University explains how ‘we are sympathetic to the costs faced by our students and keen to support them in a number of ways.

We understand that many students prefer to use new copies of books, but no undergraduate student is expected to buy primary texts and they are not failing by not doing so.’

The common consensus between students, however, is that it is necessary to buy books.

One example situation is that of Sophia Baker, a first-year English Literature student. She had been ‘saving up for all summer’ to get the texts before she started. Her experience demonstrates how incoming students

"London managed to breach its annual legal limit on air pollution in just five days"

assume the need to buy, with the difference in views from the University and students being sometimes unnecessarily costly and confusing.

In theory, the library is an obvious free alternative to purchasing texts; a wealth of resources offering materials for all students. A statement from the University promotes the library as enabling students to use ‘a single physical copy of a text or ongoing digital copy over a period of time’, though this does not work in practice. It is unclear whether this would cover a summer break or other extended period for students needing to borrow long-term.

What is also not explained is the provision for students to be able to borrow enough books to cover their various modules. For some, there is also a serious lack of resources available.

One case is a third-year Psychology module, where the core textbook costs £100 and there are only roughly 6 copies in the library to accommodate a cohort of over 70 students. This is insufficient and impractical and if the alternative to spending hundreds of pounds is to use the library, then the big, shiny, gold building is nowhere near suitable enough to serve every student in the University.

For the majority of students, the most effective method of accessing and using texts is to

purchase them, so it is important that we get the best value for our money. Departmental book sales provide an option to save money: with both parties profiting from these sales, it is a popular solution for students to get texts at a much lower price than elsewhere. So long as course texts don’t change, book sales work for lots of students and more promotion of these should be done by the University.

"We should try and help students access books in the most cost-effective ways possible" One initiative to help reduce costs is a petition to subsidise books for English Literature students by third-year Luke Young.

He explained to me that we ‘are consumers of the university who are entitled to a quality of product – value for money for materials’. He also felt that the ‘ability to annotate and reread’ books in owning them is vital to understanding the texts. In this respect, we should try and help students access books in the most costeffective ways possible.

The cost of books will always be topical to many students and we should be making every effort to try and keep these to a minimum. Students will be surprised at the University stance on this issue and if the library is to be a more attractive alternative, some serious resources problems need to be addressed.

For many, purchasing texts is the most effective option to understand the material, however with growing concerns over costs, the question remains: to buy or not to buy?

Prejudice in Oxbridge Admissions Lily Haugh claims that we need more representation at top universities Lily Haugh

and classical learning had me sinking lower in my chair. All at Comment Writer once, I understood the 13% of state school teachers not endorsBritish society is changing. ing Oxbridge to their students We are the land of diversity for fear that they would not fit in many ways including ethnici- in. ty, class and culture. Alongside Is it any wonder that the parthis, leftist pressures are gaining ents of 4 out of 5 Oxbridge stumomentum, in the debatably dents are in prestigious careers, unconvincing form of Jeremy such as working in law and medCorbyn, against predom icine?

So, why is Oxbridge not Efforts to fight these figures changing? Why are these world- are clearly either non-existent, leading hotbeds of innovation or flummoxing miserably, with and discovery, whose research is offers made to higher class propropelling us into the future, spective students increasing stagnating in the elitism of the from 79% to 82% at Oxford, and past? to 81% at Cambridge.

Even at a free-for-all Tottenham MP, David Cambridge Taster day, I Lammy, vocalizes our was struck squarely horror that a ‘priviby the ominous leged background is class barrier, findstill the key to geting myself surting through the rounded by the Oxbridge admisstock of private sions process.’ education.

We aren’t calling PLACES OFFERED Clearly these for a Lenin-style

BY CAMBRDIGE TO students had revolution here, BLACK STUDENTS begun their we are just talkOxbridge preening basic represenIN 2017 ing before even tation of the masses, reciting the alphamost of whom do not bet. own a Porsche.

Despite having attendIt is not only class, but ed a top south-east grammar ethnic disparity that is causing school, their intimidatingly contention. Mr Lammy, the impressive display of confidence apparent spokesman of brutal

0

truths, declared it is ‘social apartheid’ that has an unacceptable hold over places at the UK’s top universities. This radical accusation may not seem so excessive considering the 16 Oxbridge colleges, in 2015 alone, offering no places for black applicants.

"Oxford and Cambridge are not the only criminals" But, it is easy to penalize Oxbridge, whose intense publicity overshadows the shortcomings of other universities. In fact, Durham’s intake of state school students was much lower than Cambridge’s in 2017. It seems that the whole Russell Group family (I’m afraid this implicates Birmingham too) is shockingly exclusive, accepting only 6% from the most disadvantaged groups. So Oxford and Cambridge are not the only criminals.

In fact, there is a worse social criminal at large here: the education system. It is this system that creates injustice from the start of a child’s education.

Immediately, state schooling is

defined by geo-economic zone, which inevitably defines prospects by class and background, as opposed to ability. It is all too easy to let universities bear the brunt of the blame, as oppose to unlocking the Pandora’s box of wider issues.

Pandora’s box aside, to an extent, universities could be more proactive in widening their doors to mounting diversity.

They should be making a more conscious effort to receive students from every walk of life, bringing new ideas, perspectives and beliefs into the learning sphere. Not only does it benefit academia, but promotes under-

standing and acceptance between those who will go on to hold important, often leadership level, jobs. So the solution, at face value, is simple enough: universities... get it together.

However, if you peek briefly beneath the surface you will lose yourself in a matrix of wider problems, with an even more complicated matrix of solutions.

Efforts are being made, with Oxbridge investing 5 million annually to transcend class and ethnic inequities.

Can this reform the entire UK education system? I don’t think so. But it is not just universities that need to adapt.

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Friday 3rd November 2017

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Unpaid Internships Are a Joke

Kat Smith explores why companies should not expect students to work for free Kat Smith

Comment Editor

The transition between first and second year is the optimum time for fun – you still have two years until graduation, you’ve just passed a year that doesn’t count (but it’s exciting anyway), and you have a solid three whole months before you can have to think about the next instalment of your degree.

In short: this is what freedom tastes like.

I came back to university and was hit by the fact that now, the summer of 2017 is over. Second year has begun. It’s real now. I need to start thinking about my future and ensure my CV is perfect, or at least somewhat impressive.

My first inclination was to look for an internship for the

summer. However, after countless hours searching, I was shocked to see how many internships only cover their interns’ travel expenses or lunches.

How kind of them to offer to cover my £10 train journey and £3 meal deal - £13 a day on money I would have spent to merely get there and survive?

Generosity at its finest.

10 weeks of work where they give you the bare minimum payment for your time. How is this acceptable? Well, they know that students will still bend over backwards to secure an internship, so companies still do it.

As if we didn’t need to be reminded again, there is monumental pressure on undergraduates now. We are constantly told we must gain experience before setting off into the big wide world of work and ‘reality’

(many adults like to remind us frequently that we are currently in a dreamy student world where nothing can hurt us).

This leads us to doing whatever we can to get ahead, to get that extra line on our CV, or another contact on LinkedIn. A 2:1 degree, being school prefect and going to Thailand on our ‘gap yah’ isn’t enough anymore.

So, even if it means we end up losing our money and time that could have been spent with family and friends, in order to gain experience that might just secure us an interview, we do it.

"Surely companies know that the stereotype of being a financially struggling student is more than just a myth?"

Of course, this expectation transcends internships. Students are under so much pressure nowadays that we cannot afford to be complacent about getting a job. We need to demonstrate and acquire the skills, we need to show that we’ve spent our university time wisely so that employers even consider us for a job. Our university lives are riddled with stress and competition. We rarely get a break from

being reminded that our careers able to afford to complete an are only just around the corner, unpaid internship. It is hard to and there’s a lot to we must count this as fair. do to secure them.

Companies need Even though I to offer internships believe that no student with the intenshould have to work tion of training for free in order to someone to gain experience of then become a the working world, potential OF THE PUBLIC it is particularly employee/ true for those who member of a STRONGLY cannot afford to live g r a d u a t e SUPPORT A BAN otherwise. I know s c h e m e . that if I don’t have a Internships are paid internship next an investment to a summer, I’ll have to get a company and should job instead. I can’t afford to not be treated as merely not make money in the three a favour to a lucky student. months we have off of university I’m not the only one who unless I want to be scraping takes this view. Recently, unpaid through third year. And that’s a internships were likened to modvery minor case. ern-day slavery in the House of Our maintenance loans do Lords. Although attempts to ban not take into consideration that unpaid internships have been not all of us get extensive fund- blocked before, there is still ing from our parents, no matter strong public support for the their income. Surely companies bill. In a recent survey by the know the stereotype of being a Social Mobility Commission, of financially struggling student is the 5,000 asked, it was shown more than just a myth? that 72% backed at least a change Paris Lees, a Guardian in the law, while 42% said that Opinion writer, explained how they ‘strongly supported’ a ban. she ended up selling sex in order This suggests that there is at to fund her unpaid internship to least some hope for the future. get a foothold in journalism.

However for now, alongside This is not only intrinsically many others, I cannot afford to shocking, but also baffling that spend my summer not earning companies and the government money, yet the experience is can ignore such a clear sign that something I both desperately not everyone can afford the lux- want and need. ury of working for free.

I am worried that internships Following from that, employers have become a case of who can then fail to acknowledge that a afford it, rather than who has candidate may not have been earned it.

42%

The Necessity of the T-Charge

Rahim Mohamed argues that the environment needs to be back on the agenda Rahim Mohamed Comment Writer

The claims being made by London Mayor Sadiq Khan as a means to justify his new T-charge of £10 daily on highly polluting vehicles are hard to ignore.

9,000 people die prematurely each year due to poor quality air; children in London have underdeveloped lungs and adults’ conditions, such as asthma, dementia and strokes have direct links to the city’s poor air quality.

"Global warming does not feature in news headlines or in political debate as much as it should" The most striking statistic that I came across was that this

year, London managed to breach its annual legal limit on air pollution in just five days.

Undeniably, a risk to Londoners’ health exists; measures such as the T-charge show that policy makers at least have an awareness of this.

And yet the primary focus is not how this will benefit London’s air pollution levels but instead how punitive this policy will be on those too poor to upgrade their vehicle to a more environmentally friendly one.

This points to three things: first, policy makers will inevitably face resistance to any hardline approach adopted to tackle damage to the environment.

Secondly, to show that they are serious about protecting the environment, more will need to be done and these actions must involve the interests of groups other than those easiest to target (in this case, the less well-off) will have to be taken on.

Third, the measures being rolled out recently have hardly been ground-breaking, and seem to do little to address a threat

which has been around for a long time.

This third point is worth dwelling on, as the fact of the matter is, environmental damage is no longer that high up on the agenda. I remember my GCSE Geography teacher sitting us down in 2006 to watch extracts from the film An Inconvenient Truth which had just been released. It was really forcing people to take note of the impact that global warming was having on our planet. Among the claims made in this film was that rising temperatures on Earth are con-

tributing to stronger storms.

Well, fast forward over a decade and Hurricane Irma, which devastated the Caribbean and the southern states of the US, had ‘top wind speeds tied with the second-strongest maximum winds of all time for an Atlantic hurricane'.

I struggled to recall any mention of global warming in association with Irma in the mainstream media, but digging deeper I found this headline in the New Scientist magazine: ‘Hurricane Irma‘s epic size is being fuelled by global warm-

ing.’

So often used as a buzzword - and something that gave different countries a common goal to work towards - the topic of global warming does not feature in news headlines or key political debate as much as it should. It seems to have given way to other, more inward-looking issues.

Alarmingly, countries only have bandwidth for themselves.

For example Brexit, independence referenda and, most notably, President Trump’s ‘America First’ policy which has seen America announce that it will be leaving the Paris climate accord on the basis that it harms their economy.

Short-termism and nationalist sentiment has gripped the world, crowding out those issues such as global warming that impact us all. Khan’s plan offers the encouragement that at least we can be reassured that the environment is on the radar. But it is also a reminder that we are a long way from where we need to be.

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Mississippi's Mockingbird Mistake Amelia Hiller discusses why To Kill a Mockingbird should be kept in schools Amelia Hiller Comment Writer

Last week, it was announced that Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird has been removed from class reading lists in the Biloxi school district of Mississippi.

The reason? It makes people feel uncomfortable.

The issue is, this is a novel which primarily focuses on racial inequality in the 1930’s Deep South, so making you feel uncomfortable is pretty much the point of the book.

According to the Sun Herald, the concerns of some regarding the use of the ‘n-word’ has resulted in an administrative and departmental decision to completely remove the novel from the eighth grade curriculum.

I’m not denying that the novel’s language is derogatory. The

frequent use of racial slurs alongside the disconcerting tone of many characters within the novel was inevitably going to make me feel uncomfortable when I first read To Kill a Mockingbird at the age of thirteen - it still does now.However, it must be remembered that, ultimately, this is a work of fiction.

To Kill a Mockingbird is Lee’s attempt at creating realistic characterisation. She forces the reader to dwell on the inappropriateness of certain speech and attitude throughout the text which shows that she has succeeded in forming the realistic characters that she aspired to create.

That’s why To Kill a Mockingbird is so successful.

Just one year after its publication, the novel won the Pulitzer Prize in fiction, and since then has sold over 40 million copies in 10 different languages. To

me, and to millions of others across the world, this is a masterpiece of American literature.

It encapsulates so many challenging themes and encourages the reader to think about issues such as racism, drug abuse, rape and mental health, yet it is narrated from the perspective of a child no more than nine years of age.

Through the character of Atticus Finch, Lee provides the reader with many valuable lessons regarding compassion and empathy. Indeed, the novel is fundamentally didactic in its nature, making it an excellent way to breach the topic of equality within schools, assuming that children are old enough to study it.

What bothers me so much about the decision to pull the book from the curriculum is that these children, in my opinion, are definitely old enough to be reading the novel and discussing its themes within a classroom.

The average eighth grader is 13-14 years old. At this age, children are exposed to sensitive language in music, videogames and films every single day.

Current affairs are not exactly ‘soft’ at present, and there is no doubt that young people will watch or read global news which disturbs them just as much as language in To Kill a Mockingbird

might.

If the novel is studied within the confines of a classroom, they can discuss why the language in the novel is unacceptable, as well as the impact of the text’s wider themes. A lot has changed since the 1930s, and even since the 1960s, when To Kill a Mockingbird was first published.

However, many of its themes remain relevant in the US, and ultimately I believe that learning about Lee’s overall message within the novel would do more good than harm.

"This is censoring the education of young Americans" Ultimately, To Kill a Mockingbird is an American classic and I find it bizarre that it is still being challenged rather than celebrated in some American schools. Just last year, the novel was banned in Accomack county in Virginia due to a parent’s complaint about its use of racist language.

I accept that racial slurs are not what you would want your child to read. However, in my opinion, 13-year olds should be mature enough to discuss racism and racist slurs, and take away

from it the message that such attitudes should not be tolerated in contemporary society. In 2016, the NCAC pointed out that ‘the racial slurs realistically depict American history'.

Studying history does sometimes involve encountering uncomfortable language and themes, whether it be through literature such as this or an alternative medium. The point is, unless a child ceases all contact with the outside world, there is no escape from uncomfortable language, whether historical or contemporary. It is better to encounter it in the classroom, under the guidance of a teacher, than when they are alone.

America prides itself on freedom of speech and democracy, yet by banning the text from eighth grade classrooms, they are preventing young people from studying one of the greatest pieces of American literature ever written.

In short, the school district administration are censoring the education of young Americans.

This is a book that can teach young people so much about the context of 1930s Deep South racism, as well as lessons in compassion and empathy regardless of social status or race.

The fact that it has been pulled mid-term from lessons is absurd.

News Has No Gender

Elin Kaemmer-Bailey criticises the 'female' sections in popular newspapers Elin KaemmerBailey Comment Writer

The notion of a ‘female’ section of a newspaper is, to a non-gendered-newspaper-reading woman like me, totally baffling.

I wasn't sure what to expect.

I had no awareness that current affairs were gendered, that some news belonged to men and others to women. Does Redbrick fail to effectively harness a female audience by baffling women and other small-minded species with our gender-neutral news?

"I had been sat here all this time, claiming to be a woman yet having the audacity to read news written for men" I began to envision a ‘Redbrick Women’ section.

Perhaps it would feature blazing headlines - for example: ‘NHS

failing to tackle significant safety risks’ - in pink word art or a pretty handwriting font. (Lucida is a personal favourite and much more suitable for a woman’s delicate eyes, after all.)

Articles would discuss whether eating Yorkies can cause infertility, how to avoid inhaling testosterone in the workplace, and ten highstreet products to help you achieve the perfect anaemic allure.

This is, of course, a load of downright b*llocks, but unfortunately the reality is not far off.

The Telegraph has features on: ‘Why I hid my pregnancy from my 36,000 Instagram followers', ‘How to throw the perfect autumn garden party’ and ‘The messy divorce scandal tearing apart the Luxembourg royal family’.

So, The Telegraph has decided that pregnancy, parties and divorce are the real nitty gritty, newsworthy topics that any wholesome, well-educated woman should be concerned with.

I suddenly felt disgusted at myself. I had been sat here all this time, claiming to be a woman, yet having the audacity to read news written for men, and ignorantly believing that garden parties happen in sum-

mer?!

"The Guardian boasts a diverse range of features all bearing relevance to women" To any women out there reading this, you are misled.

Redbrick Comment rarely reports on domesticity, fashion, beauty, fertility, or any other genuine womanly concerns. You must immediately burn this paper, consult your doctor for oestrogen supplements, and refer to the female section of any decent paper to get you back the track to true femininity.

All jokes aside, these female sections are arguably a dangerous force in perpetrating the wildly outdated stereotype that a woman’s business is beauty and society. Fashion and beauty are addressed in these columns in the form of editorials and news reports, creating the impression that they are the most important newsworthy subjects that women should be concerned with. On

the flipside, the ‘Men’s’ section of The Telegraph featured ‘How Paras were made battle-ready for the Falklands War’, 'Everest reduced me to tears: Sir Chris Bonington on his life in mountaineering’ and ‘Jockeys and weight loss: the dark truth about the Sport of Kings’. Adventure, sport and violence; the holy trinity for all the real men out there.

Perhaps it really is a man’s world, or perhaps The Telegraph is stuck fast in the Victorian era.

In spite of every feminist fibre in my body rejecting the concept in disgust, I am pleasantly surprised by certain sections. In particular, The Guardian boasts a diverse range of fea-

tures on politics, commerce, news and art all bearing relevance to women and women’s issues, drawn from both historical and contemporary societies.

Although the notion of exclusively ‘female issues’ still seems a rather sticky marginalisation to me, The Guardian’s ‘Women’ section is a fantastic illustration of a gender-specific media platform being used to positively promote women’s opinions.

Let’s hope that the next step is to draw these exclusive ‘female’ issues and opinions into the mainstream channel of current affairs and newsworthy discourse.

2017 seems about time.

PHD STUDENTSHIPS AT LSE

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'Game-bling': Are Video Games Turning into Casinos?

GAMING Gaming Editor @GoneEFK

If you've been on any gaming website in the last few weeks, you are sure to have come across the great microtransactions debate, which has been raging online. For those of you out of the gaming loop, 'microtransactions' are small in-game purchases, which are increasingly being added to fullprice games. Several games have been attracting a lot of heat for including microtransactions this year, including Forza 7, Middle Earth: Shadow of War and Star Wars Battlefront II. In the last week, the debate has shifted over to a specific form of microtransaction, the 'loot box'.

Loot boxes are essentially crates of random in-game items, which can be unlocked through paying real money (typically a couple of pounds). The million dollar question is this: are loot boxes a form of gambling?

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, to gamble is defined as 'to do something that involves risks that might result in loss of money or failure, hoping to get money or achieve success.'

"Loot boxes can be classed as light gambling" Personally, I believe that loot boxes fit neatly into this description. The UK Gambling Commission, however, disagrees.

In a reply to a petition on loot boxes last week, the government pointed to the Commission's argument that it cannot be classed as gambling, due to the fact that ingame items cannot be converted back to cash (we'll return to this later).

I think that this is a shortsighted and lazy response to a growing problem. I believe that loot boxes can be classed as light gambling, and that regulation is needed to protect consumers. To highlight some of the harmful practices that are currently used to push loot boxes, I have compared them with techniques used by casinos to encourage gambling.

PicxaBay

How They Get You To Gamble

There are a surprising number of parallels that can be drawn between the way loot boxes are marketed in video games and the tricks that casinos use to encourage people to gamble.

If you want to play poker at a casino, one of the first things you'll do is exchange your reallife, hard-earned cash for some plastic chips. The reason that casinos do this is because the chips create a mental separation between your fake and real money. This is increasingly the case in video games, where 'game' currencies essentially distort your perception of value and potentially trick you into spending more than you would like.

Once you've bought your chips in a casino, you may face a choice of either playing at a low stakes table, where the potential rewards are low, or taking a chance at winning big at a high stakes table.

These high stakes areas are often separate from the rest of the casino, decorated luxuriously, and convey the notion that those who play there can 'win big'. In video games, loot boxes are increasingly becoming tiered in price, with the more expensive boxes being given an aura of luxury and potentially high payoff. Take a look at Middle Earth: Shadow of War, where the chests are put into three categories - 'silver', 'gold', and 'mithril'.

The silver chests are available for purchase using currency that you can earn through playing (Mirian).

The gold and mithril chests with potentially legendary items, however, can only be bought with 'gold' currency, which is generally bought with real-life money, or through completing many additional challenges. The imagery used for these is telling. 'Gold' has always been connected to the idea of wealth and luxury, while the even more expensive mithril chests appear blue and ghostly using mythological imagery to emphasize their 'legendary' content.

On top of these marketing techniques, the fact that you can buy silver chests for 'free' using non-premium currency echoes another casino technique: giving away freebies. Casinos frequently give out free spins, bets and rolls in order to get you hooked and spending your own money.

Shadow of War essentially does the same thing by allowing you to buy silver chests with non-premium currency, giving you a taste for gambling that may lead you to spend money on premium chests.

After a few turns on a casino slot machine, you may be lucky enough to win a prize. When this happens, you are greeted with loud music, flashing lights and slogans congratulating you on your win. This makes you feel pretty damn good. Casinos make

winning a spectacle in order to reward you and make you crave the possibility of winning again.

In video games, you may have noticed that loot boxes similarly have their own sound effects, exciting animations and positive messages when they are opened.

Indeed, they have become such a spectacle that loot box opening videos on YouTube have become quite popular (I'm looking at you, FIFA). The experience of opening a box and 'winning' can leave you craving the same feeling again, and willing to part with more cash to do so.

Finally, once you decide to leave a casino, you may find yourself constantly in the path of more gambling machines. This is because casinos are deliberately designed to tempt customers to gamble again - they do this by creating winding pathways through the building and by placing gambling machines in your way. I would argue that video games are starting to adopt techniques similar to this. Constant reminders and advertising about new loot boxes and items can be tempting for players. Many players have also expressed concern that they felt pushed into buying loot boxes towards the end of Shadow of War. They could either spend some money to quickly acquire the necessary high-level items, or commit to a long grind to earn them in-game. This is an example of placing temptation in a player's path: the game forces heavily invested players to either pay real money or engage in digital labour to earn the items, making the game feel more like work than play.

Still unconvinced about this point? Take a look at the patent that Activision have recently been granted. The patent describes an algorithm that matches junior players with heavily equipped expert players to frustrate the junior players into buying items.

Although Activision have not yet used this algorithm in any of their games, the patent reveals their line of thinking; in the future, the game industry may try to push microtransactions through altering game-making systems. When combined with the gambling ele-

ments of loot boxes, this appears pretty toxic and unethical.

Legal Loopholes Despite many of the dubious practices that loot boxes share with casinos, loot boxes are completely unregulated and not classed as gambling by the UK Gambling Commission. In their response to the petition, they did admit that loot boxes have gambling elements. They also argued, however, that they cannot be classed as licensable gambling, because the items you receive can only be used in-game and not exchanged for money. In their opinion, it can only count as gambling when players can trade their items for cash via third party websites.

Frankly, I cannot agree with their assessment of the situation.

It suggests that the game items have no real value, despite the fact you must use real money to buy them. Player communities also place social value on certain 'cool' items, which can encourage people to gamble repeatedly in the hope of getting the latest skin.

On top of this, in games like Shadow of War, loot box items have value in that they save you time doing hours of 'digital labour' - which, for instance, you could use to earn money from a job.

In addition to these alternative interpretations of worth, many items from the loot boxes are rendered worthless to players if they are unwanted, unhelpful, or are duplicates. This means that play-

ers can effectively 'lose' if they gain items that they cannot use or already own. Psychologically, they will still want to gamble for the item(s) that they wished to win from the lootbox.

Suggestions For Future Regulations Despite the recent outrage online about the creeping presence of microtransactions and loot boxes in full price games, it would seem that sales have not been affected.

As consumer choice seems to be failing to curb some of the exploitative practices involved in selling loot boxes, I believe that the UK Gambling Commission does need to revisit this issue. Even if the Commission does not wish to call loot boxes 'gambling' in a legal sense, the selling of loot boxes still needs scrutiny to protect consumers.

"The selling of loot boxes still needs scrutiny to protect consumers" I have a few suggestions for possible regulations. Firstly, video game producers could be made to publish the odds for each item so that players know the true likelihood of receiving the item they want (this has already happened in China). Secondly, the Commission could recommend that game ratings agencies place warnings on games with loot boxes so that parents are aware of their presence. Thirdly, the Commission could take more of an active role in rooting out exploitative practices surrounding the pushing of loot boxes within games, and make sure that prices remain relatively low.

If these measures were to be adopted, I believe that loot boxes would be less problematic in video games. At the very least, the game industry should be held somewhat accountable for how it pushes gambling. If they continue unchecked, I worry that 'gamebling' will only become more of an issue in the future.

Game Rant

Emma Kent

888 Casino Blog

Emma Kent looks at the problematic side of loot boxes

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The Importance of #MeToo

Aamina Siddiqi reports on how the rise of #MeToo brought the institutionalised exploitation and sexual assault of women into the public sphere Aamina Siddiqi Redbrick Contributor @aamina_siddiqi

When asking people about their experiences of sexual harassment and assault for this article, many preceded their encounters with ‘only.’ It was only catcalling. It was only a stare. It was only a touch. Occurrences such as these are somewhat normalised because they are encompassed within the gendered experience of women.

As musician Zara Larsson eloquently puts it ‘isn't it strange how every woman knows someone who's been sexually harassed but no man seem to know any harasser?’ As winter approaches and more hours are spent walking in the dark, we carry rape alarms with us as a precaution, we walk with keys between fingers, just in case.

‘Sexual harassment is such a big issue that gets overlooked,’ says a student. ‘I usually run in leggings and a sports bra and I can't run down the street without getting beeped at by a man in a car, which is r e a l l y creepy and disgusting. I've also been cat called on the street and had my arse grabbed by someone when I was around 15.’

When asked about why this is so prevalent, she believes that women don't feel comfortable being outside because of the fear of a guy doing something that is creepy and inappropriate. ‘People always say “you should think it's a compliment” or “it's just a joke” but normalising such behaviour then makes people think that they can go beyond that and do whatever they want with women.’

prompting many women to come forward with their stories of abuse.

Within the first 24 hours the hashtag was shared over 500,000 times on Twitter and 12 million times on Facebook. Although perceived as a recent innovation, this phrase dates back to activist Tarana Burke who has b e e n involved in the fight against sexual harassment since 2007.

She was inspired to say ‘me too’ after hosting a camp where a young girl confided in her about being molested by a family member. Burke stated ‘The point of the work we’ve done over the last decade with the ‘me too movement’ is to let women, particularly young women of colour know that they are not alone – it’s a movement. It’s beyond a hashtag.

It’s the start of a larger conversation and a movement for radical community healing. Join us. #metoo’ The importance of solidarity with women of colour is particularly poignant because in comparison, the response of women w h o have come forward with their alle-

12 million

shares of #MeToo on Facebook within 24 hours

"Sexual harassment is a phenomenon that transcends race and culture" The frustration in the knowledge that sexual harassment has gone on for too long is the sentiment that many actresses in Hollywood had when outing prominent men in the industry. On the 15th of October 2017, in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, Alyssa Milano tweeted ‘If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote “Me too.” as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem’

gations of sexual harassment and how it is received with the wider public is correlated with their racial identity.

When Lupita

N’yongo said ‘me too,’ her statement was met with resistance and scepticism. R. Kelly was charged with sexual harassment allegations recently with many of his victims being women of colour, but it wasn’t breaking news in the same way that Harvey Weinstein has been. It is not unfair to suggest that women of colour are not believed to the same degree because they are inherently seen as being sexual beings or fetishised, particularly in the hyper sexualisation of black women.

Sexual harassment is a phenomenon that transcends race and culture.

"The commodification of women’s bodies is entrenched in popular culture" Whilst shining a spotlight on sexual harassment is much needed, the virality of the campaign has stalled and it makes one wonder how much is going to change.

‘The campaign is really great in terms of awareness, but in terms of actual action, there’s been no evidence that a n y action can be

taken,’ says Holly Battrick, Chair of UoB Women’s Association.

‘The only thing I’ve seen is men posting under #HowIWillChange saying things like “I won’t tell rape jokes” or “I won’t catcall anymore” but those are things that men shouldn’t be doing anyway if they are wanting to show some basic level of respect for a human being.’ She adds ‘We already know sexual harassment is an epidemic and a massive issue.

People knew what Harvey Weinstein and Donald Trump were doing before the allegations came out and it was so normal. I d o n ’ t k n o w h o w much proact i o n w i l l come out of

However it's not just women that experience a degree of sexual harassment. Student Grayson Jones believes that coming out as homosexual in secondary school made him subject to harassment.

‘Not only was I traumatised by the physical aspect of PE, but I’m still uncomfortable with getting changed in a communal environment. People would touch me inappropriately and be affectionate toward me in front of people as a form of humiliation.’ He recounts a time in school that was particularly distressing ‘I had a class where boy took his dick out and he came up to people and started touching them with it.’ The L G B T community are a group who are vulnerable and subject to harassment.

Another student states ‘I often tell men that I do not want to go home with them because I’m a gay woman and a lot of the times they say “I don’t mind” which is so degrading and invalidating of my sexuality.’

90%

of sexual harassment on public transport goes unreported

#MeToo. It is already fading into the background.’

Holly makes an important point. The commodification of women’s bodies is entrenched in popular culture.

Social theories confirm that from a young age, the dichotomous gender roles that boys and girls must conform to are instilled in them through the language in which are spoken to and the toys and clothes that they are given. This could be a reason why it is hard for women to speak out and to be believed. When Donald Trump was caught saying inappropriate things, it was ‘locker room talk’, something that men did amongst each other.

"There has been a lot of emphasis on making public spaces safe" Another student talks of a similar experience ‘recently, I was out with some friends and I was dancing with one of them and he grabbed parts of my body - at the time I didn't think how bad it was, because I thought it was my fault

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Women's Association say: If you have any form of social media, you will undoubtedly have heard about the #MeToo campaign that has swept Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The campaign was sparked in light of numerous women coming forward to speak about the abuse they suffered working in the film industry with Harvey Weinstein, and has since gained momentum worldwide, with thousands of women using the hashtag to share their truth about sexual violence. #MeToo is, in a way, a positive campaign, as it draws a huge amount of awareness to the prevalence of sexual violence, and the complicity that perpetuates it. It has also prompted movements such as #HowIWillChange, where men state how they plan on changing their attitudes towards women, and their responses to men who mistreat women. However, no man deserves a pat on the back for pledging to treat women with the basic human respect they have always deserved, or for promising to call out his male friends when they make a rape joke. This should already be happening; it shouldn’t take thousands of women to speak

up about an issue we already know to be endemic for men to take action.

Men have abused their power so persistently, that it has become ingrained in our society and institutions; people see it as the norm.

Take Harvey Weinstein as an example; celebrities have been aware of his actions for years, but no one has done anything about it.

When abusers and misogynists are allowed to reach such heights of power, their behaviour becomes normalised, even idolised. Donald Trump is another example. Not enough people are challenging this status quo, meaning women are constantly told to change the way they behave in order to prevent sexual harassment and abuse; it is time men were told to do the same. Victims and survivors have done enough.

Another problem with #MeToo, is that the language it uses implies that the onus is on women to share their shame, when it should be men who are ashamed of the violence they perpetuate.

Shame should never be the burden of the survivor. The language paints women as accusers, putting

for getting drunk and for that happening. I don't think that women should have to go to such extremes of protecting themselves against something that shouldn't be as common as it is.’

to ‘raise awareness about sexual harassment issues and to enable students and staff to have the knowledge, ability and confidence to report and take action against all forms of sexual harassment.’

The University has a Harassment Advice Service that offers support to staff and students, as well the Guild of Students’ Advice and Representation Centre that gives free and impartial advice and information to students.

It is easy to think of consent as a black and white thing. If you did not say ‘yes’ to something with a partner then it would come under the definition of rape. However, allegations of nonconsensual condom removal are still a grey area under the law. Alexandra Brodsky in the Columbia Journal of Gender and Law calls nonconsensual condom removal ‘Rape-Adjacent’ and believes it is form of sexual assault and survivors have every right to take action. Known more commonly as stealthing, it is when men remove a condom while having sex with a partner. A student I spoke to said that it happened to her and 'when it comes to rape, the police have been shit about it’.

Brodsky says 'just naming violence can have such power' because it gives words to behaviours that should not be happening.

"The virality of the campaign has stalled and it makes one wonder how much is going to change" There has been a lot of emphasis on making public spaces safe.

Since 2013, Transport for London has put a sexual harassment campaign to encourage victims of sexual harassment on public transport to come forward. The 2017 ‘Report it to Stop it’ campaign states that 90% of instances will go by unreported and urges women and girls in particular to report any form of unwanted sexual behaviour. It is reassuring for a widespread problem to be addressed and taken seriously.

The NUS provide consent workshops to university students to 'facilitate positive, informed and inclusive conversations' about consent.

Additionally, the University of Birmingham and Guild of Student have a‘Not On’ campaign that launched in 2015

"It is reassuring for a widespread problem to be addressed and taken seriously" Sexual harassment comes in many forms. It can be physical, emotional, verbal and can even take place online – anything that makes another person feel uncomfortable or intimidated. It takes courage to share a story, and whilst there is power in numbers, those who have had an experience but don’t feel like they can share still matter.

men in a passive position as people who are the 'victims' of an accusation. This prompts a dialogue of victim-blaming, with women being accused of making 'false-accusations.' All of this protects the men who commit and allow abusive behaviour, whether that be through literal acts of sexual violence and harassment, or through undertones of misogyny in their everyday behaviour.

Finally, whilst the current dialogue is starting the conversation, it is also a difficult reminder of the battlefield we still live in, and for victims and survivors of sexual violence, this can be both triggering and distressing. Self-care is so important, and mental wellbeing shouldn’t be the price paid for speaking up when you don’t feel comfortable, ready, or able.

For those of you who have said #MeToo, and for those who can’t: Women’s Association will always be a space for you, whether you want to speak about your experiences or not; and both of these are okay. We are here for you, we believe you, and we value you.

Sexual harassment is not always physical: an anonymous testimony It someone who I have slept with's birthday. The fact I’ve had sex with this person shouldn’t matter, at all, to anyone, and is completely private between me and them.

Or so I thought.

I went online to wish this guy a happy birthday, because we are friends, and that’s what friends do. To my shock and absolute horror there were several posts aimed at and about me (and other girls) on his wall.

These posts were wildly sexist and misogynistic, implying this guy would ‘sleep with anything’ and that I was up for a shag with him once again. My name was used in these posts.

My body was shamed in these posts. The people who posted them were people I knew, and some I would consider friends.

They were asked to remove them, but I was told it was ‘just

banter’.

This was obviously an extremely degrading, embarrassing and upsetting situation. I was completely devastated. I’d been hugely betrayed by a friend and housemate who posted these things, and let his friends say awful things about me. My sexual history and misogynistic comments about that and my body were put on Facebook for anyone to see. Since this incident happened, I’ve been very depressed and anxious, and I have barely left the house. I have felt so ashamed of myself for how I look and for choosing to just exercise basic human rights and sleep with someone.

So I reported them. And I’m writing about them now, because we, as women, need a voice. The longer men like this think they can get away with such ‘banter’, the more toxic they become.

They fester in each-other’s hatred and privilege, treating women like nothing.

And when we revolt, they are shocked. They come to your door at 2am, drunk, telling you that you’ve ruined their future. They aren’t sorry for what they have said, they’re sorry that you’ve stood up to them and injured their fragile masculinity.

We deserve better, and I will shout and scream until we are heard. Men can no longer be allowed to speak to and about women in the manner they do. I have hurt and I have sobbed over this, because it was so cruel, but now I’m angry. My tears have fizzed into rage, because I know I did nothing to deserve how I was treated by them. And neither do you.

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The Powerlifting Society and Their View on the New Gym Harry Wilkinson had a chat with two members of the Powerlifting society committee, Megan Campbell and James Brean, who revealed all about their lifting ways and opinions on the new gym

Spotlight on the Society Harry Wilkinson Deputy Editor

What do your best lifters lift?

We have a female, sub-66kg, who squats 140kg, benches 67kg, and deadlifts 170kg. We have different males, all in the 93kg category, who can lift the following: bench 180, squat 247 and deadlift 307. There's also a lad in the 66kg category who can bench 140 and deadlift 251kg.

How many members do you have?

Eighty-four.

What are the aims of the society?

To encourage people into sport, safety, encourage to compete.

With our more advanced lifters the aim is to teach them how to lift as efficiently and strongly as possible and get them really strong and ready for competitions, with the focus on getting them to university championships.

sion- he lays out in a very detailed way what they need to do. The very advanced people, who have their own training programmes and don’t want them to be affected by the session, will come in and just train and give and take advice, and receive support, lovingly.

How often do you Do you normally train train- do you have ses- with others, or alone? sions?

Training for members is once a week with 3 sessions on during the week to choose from. We hire a coach- Will Jordan (Persistence Personal Training)so for the beginner sessions he’ll lay out exactly what they were doing that day, for example, today the focus was on the squat. For the more advanced sessions, he’ll outline the specific number of reps and sets they must hit that particular ses-

I used to train alone, it used to be like ‘me time’, but generally now we all train together in the main gym downstairs. It's different in powerlifting because part of the thing is that when you compete everyone’s cheering you on - so it's good to get used to having people around you whilst you train. People can help monitor your form etc, whereas when you’re doing

bodybuilding stuff, you don’t really need people around you cheering you on whilst doing bicep curls.

When do you compete?

Competitions are scattered throughout the year. We all aim to compete, and in preparation we have a mock competition between ourselves, where we hire out a facility, do things properly. This is just to give everyone a taste of competing, even the beginners. We get a couple of our more experienced alumni members to come in and referee, to make it as realistic as possible. This also helps with getting a squad together to compete in the National University Championships in March.

If you could only do one exercise for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Squat. Clean and press, because you kind of involve an off-thefloor pull, a squat motion and a overhead press motion. *I interjected by saying that I would do bench, which raised a debate on how it might ruin my shoulders, so I changed to pressups, causing a debate on whether press-up or pull-ups are better.

In the end I settled for saying I would do deadlift, which was accpeted by saying most of the society would probably choose deadlift as well.

Contact Powerlifting by joining their Facebook group: UoB Powerlifting Society

Views on the New Gym Summarise the new gym in a couple of words.

Really well equipped.

What do you think about the gym running out of memberships so soon?

Powerlifting society at Sports Fair 2017

That speaks for the fact that it was incredibly popular. I know a lot of people are upset because memberships were sold to the community members, but I have no problem with it because it’s a fantastic facility and making it just closed off to students would be unfair. Students get enough nice free things anyway.

Aspects of the gym that could be improved?

Maybe even more squat racks.

Get rid of all that disgusting cardio equipment, and just have squat racks. Everywhere.

There are a few niche bit of equipment I would really like, such as special powerlifting bars and plates that would help with our more advanced members in preparation for their competitions. Also, I feel like the bit upstairs where a lot of girls go to do their stretching could be bigger, as it would make it less likely to trip over someone. Oh, and the music sometimes is really weird.

Performance gym at the Sports Centre

Aspects that are good?

We've got a lovely little community going on, when I go train after I finish uni there’s always eight or so people I know who will be lifting, and can tell me my lifts look terrible. Also, having nine squat racks in a very small area is extremely rare. Even though it is still difficult to get on, the amount of benches there are is good - we do have quite a lot.

They are good quality benches as well. There’s also a lot of space.. for freshers to do bicep curls.

Do you miss Munrow at all?

No. But, to be fair, I quite liked the grungy feel. The new gym is almost too clean when you go in. The grungy feel has a more powerlifter feel to it. Obviously though, Munrow was just way too small, but with that you could see the same people do the same weird workouts regularly. For example, there was a guy who would take two little dumbbells and start punching the air, he was cool. It was also fun to watch some people on the Lat pull down; some people did some really odd things, like be really quick with it like they were trying to do cardio, or take-off. Basically though, no, we don’t miss Munrow.

Instagram: uobpl

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Redbrick Revisits Bryony Parsons Redbrick Archivist

The first week of November was always a busy one for Redbrick during the 1960s.

It was the designated World University Service (W.U.S) charity week, raising money for disadvantaged students across the globe. Fundraising stunts included a competition to find the ‘prettiest knees’, a spaghetti eating competition, and an attempt to break the world record for the longest ‘Monopolothon’. Most were very successful, but the world record of 150 hours of Monopoly proved too hard to beat!

But the first week of November in 1970 proved particularly interesting. On the 4th of November 1970 a special Guild Meeting was called to discuss the ongoing student protest of the case of Sociology lecturer Dick Atkinson. The Sociology Department had appointed Atkinson as a new Sociology lecturer in the summer of 1970, but the decision was vetoed by the University Academic Appointments Committee

(U.A.A.C.), who objected to his radical left wing views, and his involvement in the 1968 occupation of the Great Hall, when he had been a temporary assistant lecturer at Birmingham. Students and staff were outraged by this decision, and the ensuing controversy had even triggered a national response – the formation of CAFD, a National Council for Academic Freedom and Democracy. The British Sociological Association also blacklisted the vacant post in the Sociology Department at UOB, so no new lecturer could be hired in his place.

Following the meeting on the 4th of November, the Guild protested the decision by hiring Atkinson themselves as a guest lecturer. Over the course of two years, Atkinson gave a series of lectures in this way, in partnership with the Guild Executive, on Academic Freedom and Sociology. But his official role in the Sociology Department was never resolved, and eventually Atkinson chose to not only leave UOB, but also his academic career altogether.

Lily Hughes BurnFM Head of Arts @BurnFM_Arts

The Arts and Culture Team at Burn FM is the station’s home for all things Artsy; think live theatre, film, tv, books, food, travel, comedy and dance. As part of the team your job is simple; go out and experience stuff then report back to us, sharing your highlights on our weekly live show or as a feature on the Burn website. Particularly we focus on events and experiences local to Birmingham to give our student audience ideas and recommendations of how to spend their free time.

With just two shows down this year, we are already off to an exciting start. Our first show saw UoB students Charlie Harris, Katie Webster and Meabh Quinn visit us to chat about their own theatre company RESET Theatre founded with friends Alex Wilcox and Jacob Standbridge. Alongside their studies, the company has been working on their first original show About a Bird, a one-act farce based on the lives of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge and the composition of their Lyrical Ballads. In the studio, we chatted about the trials and tribulations which occur when taking on an exciting project like this one.

The second show, a mental health special, focused on BEDLAM festival, Birmingham's Arts and Mental Health festival at The REP in partnership with Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust and featured music from artists who have suffered with mental health issues.

Later this year, the team will be attending the BBC Winter Good Food Show at the NEC, which, having attended and reviewed the summer edition in June, is promised to be a fantastic (and incredibly

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delicious!) event.

The team attended the BBC Summer Good Food Show at the NEC this June, where we got the opportunity to watch Joe Wicks (also known as The Body Coach) cook up two of his famous ‘Lean in 15’ meals on the Supertheatre stage, chatted to independent food companies about their products and whether they would appeal to students, as well as devouring free samples at every stall we could. Later this year, we will attend the Winter Show, which is promised to be a fantastic, festive and incredibly delicious event.

The Arts and Culture Team teaches journalistic skills, improves your writing, allows you to attend events across Birmingham with a press pass in-hand, and offers the opportunity to talk on the radio and voice your thoughts and opinions on any Artsy topic. You can listen to the Arts and Culture Show every Monday at 7pm on the Burn FM website and if you want to get involved, please e-mail us at arts@burnfm. com

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CULTURE

Friday 3rd November 2017

@redbrickculture

Review: Nativity! at the REP Maddie Bourne Life&Style Editor @maddiemae_xo

Reviews should probably begin chronologically. That’s the rule of thumb when writing this kind of thing. Start from the beginning; discuss elements of the show; maybe offer constructive criticism; end on a general, rounded point. However, it is necessary to discard the formula for this review, making it a little topsy-turvy, because the audience's lasting thoughts on Nativity! utterly explain everything.

The audience left Birmingham Rep on Wednesday evening sobbing. With complete happiness.

Nativity! might just be the best thing you will ever see at the theatre, even if you've seen your fair share. If this musical isn’t on the West End next Christmas, people will be eating Santa's hat. Put money on it. It is insanely, unimaginably, unapologetically good.

It's very relevant to audiences in Birmingham and the surrounding area, as Brum born and bred writer and director Debbie Isitt wrote Nativity! about a group of schoolkids in Coventry. Paul Maddens - drama-school student turned grumpy teacher, who’s struggling to get over a girlfriend that dumped him five years ago for the bright lights of Hollywood,finds himself directing the Christmas nativity. Throw into the mix the fact that he’s joined by new, mischievous teaching assistant Mr. Poppy, and the revelation that Maddens has a very strong

rivalry with enemy Gordon Shakespeare’s private school, and it’s practically a recipe for a Christmas disaster. Maddens makes up a lie that his ex and her Hollywood crew are coming to watch the school’s nativity, and then everything goes hilariously awry.

"Insanely, unimaginably, unapologetically good" Already a major film hit, and having two sequels to its name, it’s no secret that Nativity! is a good fun story. So, it was no surprise that everybody seemed to enjoy the stage version. What really made the evening, and brought so much talent to the stage, were the kids in the performance. Only Primary School age, these children danced, sung and acted with such vivacity, energy and professionalism that they literally stole the show. They made the audience laugh, cry and marvel at how incredible they were.

One adorable moment during the show, where something went wrong, really stood out. The children were re-enacting the nativity, when one of the children’s fake beards fell off. She hastily attempted to put it back on, failed to and instead hilariously stepped out of character, and chucked it on the ground in mock fury. Her

other child co-star then proceeded to slide said fake beard under his foot so that none of the audience could be distracted by it for the rest of the scene. For children as young as them to acknowledge that something had gone wrong, and to then to ad-lib in such an authentically clever way to cover up the blip, made the audience applaud like crazy. Mr. Poppy (played by Simon Lipkin) was left lost for words, laughing at the genius of his fellow actors who are way over half his age.

The wonderful thing about Nativity! is that it doesn’t pretend to be overly polished, it doesn’t pretend to be an incredibly dramatic work of art: it wants to

represent real young people, real life problems and to pull on the heartstrings of all your mixed-up human emotions. It’s just perfect.

The adult actors, labelled as the ‘big kids’ in the show’s programme, have just as much energy as the children. They bring such humour, wit and joyous fun to life onstage. It’s a wonderful reminder for all adults to keep the inner child at heart. You can imagine these actors as real people, with lives similar to those of people living on your street. Nativity! shows life as you all want it happy, fun, carefree and gleeful.

As the last song was sung, the audience gave a standing ovation before it got anywhere near the

curtain call. They wanted to be immersed in the show forever; they wanted to let these talented kids know what joy they’d brought to them on a dull Wednesday evening.

It feels as if Debbie Isitt always intended to place Nativity! on the stage. It comes to life there. It makes sense. The film just doesn’t capture the complete happiness of watching the musical live.

The kids are now off on a tour around the country, which finishes in London just before Christmas time. These kids are living in the world that Debbie Isitt dreamt up in Coventry. Go and watch the show - you’ll want to live it too.

Richard Davenport

Podcasts for Beginners Francesca Stott Culture Critic

Over the last few years, podcasts have exploded into the mainstream. There is now so much variety and accessibility to good content that it can be hard to know where to start and what is worth listening to. I have tried to select a range of interesting, funny and relevant podcasts, to hopefully dispel any assumption that the only people who listen to them are 50-year-old retired Guardian readers. As a self-confessed regular listener (at age 20), I believe there is a podcast out there for everyone to enjoy, here's a few of my favourites.

Serial season 1 For true crime drama.

I would be surprised if you have not already heard of Serial. It is the podcast that made podcasts relevant again to anyone under the age of 50, and for good reason – it is great. In 12 episodes, host Sarah Koenig scrutinises a cold murder case from 1999 that led to the conviction of Adnan Syed for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. The podcast is gripping from the first ten minutes, as Koenig explores how the facts and evidence from the case do not seem to entirely clearly accuse Syed of the murder. I

became thoroughly absorbed in the story, as I tried to determine who was being honest, and who was remembering the facts most accurately as Koenig interviews multiple people who were involved in the case. It is fascinating listening to Koenig’s conversations with Adnan, to hear his reactions to her findings, and to attempt to judge whether he really did kill Lee. If you are a fan of Making a Murderer on Netflix, the show that kicked off a new fascination with true crime documentaries, then this podcast will not disappoint.

"A fascinating listen that quickly becomes addictive..."

The Adam Buxton podcast For comedy.

This podcast is a bit like marmite - you will either love it or hate it.

Actor, writer and comedian Adam Buxton hosts a very casual interview with guests including Johnny Marr, Louis Theroux and Zadie Smith, in which they discuss everything from politics to food poisoning. Buxton is witty and quick, which, combined with his probing yet understanding interview style, works to create a laid back

and funny listen. His homemade jingles, rambling conversations and occasionally childish sense of humour give the podcast its original touch, although this unpolished style may put a few listeners off. However, if you are looking for something funny, relaxed and just a bit different, this podcast is worth a listen.

Under the Skin with Russell Brand For philosophy and politics.

‘Under the Skin’ is inquisitive and philosophical at its heart.

Each week, Brand discusses a topic or question that falls under the broad spectrum of politics and philosophy. He features guests, mostly intellectuals, authors or activists, to help dissect issues such as ‘Is There Any Point in God?’, ‘Art and Activism’, and ‘Why Won’t America Put Down It’s Guns?’. The episodes are long (over an hour), and dense. At times, they can make your head spin as you, alongside Brand and his guest, end up contemplating the relevance of Marxism and whether we are truly free, amongst other equally deep questions.

However, despite their intensity, Brand unsurprisingly still adds his humorous charm. He is often unable to resist the temptation to take the conversation off on a tangent, and find the comedy in some bleak issues. It is this mix

of thought stimulating topics, great guests and touch of comedy that makes this podcast a must listen.

"This mix of thought stimulating topics, great guests and touch of comedy that makes this podcast a must listen..."

The Heart of It - Estée Lalonde.

For feminism, life and style.

Estée Lalonde is best known for her beauty and lifestyle Youtube channel and blog. Her new podcast The Heart of It attempts to unpick personal interests to her, with a clear focus on women and identity. Discussing topics such as feminist activism, tattoos and makeup, Estée blends humorous anecdotes and opinion, with interviews featuring various successful women. This new podcast is an easy and heart-warming listen, and my favourite episode is ‘Protest’, where Estée openly discusses her own experience with activism; from her first political protest at age 15, to her participa-

tion in the recent Women’s March in London. Her soft Canadian accent and infectious laugh, coupled with her thoughtful conversations with empowered women really do manage to strike to the heart of matters.

Our Man in the Middle East For politics and history.

If you are someone with no prior knowledge of Middle Eastern politics and history, this podcast is a great start and completely accessible. In the podcast Jeremy Bowen, previously the BBC’s Middle East correspondent and now Middle East editor, reflects on 25 years of journalism in the region. Bowen balances personal anecdotes that feature individuals he met during his time in the region, with concise explanations of the historical events that have unfolded over the last 25 years.

Bowen clearly explains, or at least scratches the surface of, the complex politics that enwrap such a turbulent area of the world.

Although it has the potential to be dry and dense, Bowen evokes intrigue, excitement and often pathos towards events and people he experienced and met. The snappy 15 minute episodes also help keep it succinct. Overall, his touching personal stories and informative history lessons make for a fascinating listen that quickly becomes addictive.

CULTURE

Friday 3rd November 2017

@redbrickculture

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Review: Acosta Danza's Debut Anna Wise Culture Critic

Carlos Acosta returns to the stage, but this time he is with his own fantastic dance company, Acosta Danza. An international icon in the world of dance, Acosta has had an exceptional career, and since his retirement has continued to leave his mark by harnessing some young creative talent emerging from his native Cuba. Acosta Danza’s Debut comes to the Birmingham Hippodrome, and consists of five separate dances, all distinct and telling a different story.

The first dance, named ‘The Crossing Over Niagara’, centers around the famous tightrope walker Charles Blondin, who crossed Niagara Falls with a man on his shoulders. Fittingly, then, the dance was comprised of slow, exaggerated movements, replicating a fragile stability, but with the dancers remaining totally balanced and solid throughout. The ‘costumes’ - literally just a nude man-thong and nothing else - certainly impacted upon the performance, allowing the audience to see every muscle, vein, and tremor in the dancer’s bodies, something which really emphasised their incredible strength.

If a photo were to be taken at every millisecond during the dance, I imagine that they would all be perfect shots; a testament to the perfect shapes that were choreographed and the dancers were able to execute. Perhaps more memorable was the closeness and affection shown between the two

male dancers. It seemed an unashamed perversion of masculine norms, portraying men as being capable of both incredible strength and genuine tenderness; two things we all too often see as being mutually exclusive.

"If a photo were to be taken at every millisecond during the dance, I imagine that they would all be perfect shots"

you couldn’t take your eyes off them. Cuban folk music and dance was also weaved into the piece, which added a distinct Cuban flair and a light-heartedness amongst the emotion.

‘Mermaid’, was a heart-warming duet that told the story of a ‘fish out of water trying to walk on dry land’, or more appropriately, a drunk woman out of a bar trying to walk in a straight line.

Genuinely funny at times, the ‘mermaid’ held an empty wine glass in her hand, and floundered around on stage in pointe shoes, capturing the essence of drunkenness whilst still managing to exude elegance. Carlos Acosta himself makes an exception to his retirement by performing in this

The second piece, ‘BellesLettres’, was a classical piece, with the female dancers showing off their range of ability in pointe shoes and with elegant balletic movements. It was certainly a beautiful overall performance, but this was perhaps the least memorable sequence.

In contrast, the third dance sequence, ‘Imponderable’, was an utterly convincing emotive piece, that told a story of loneliness, emotion, and torment. The use of torches on stage and smoke machines added drama to the piece, and at one point the torchlights were shone directly at the audience, bringing them into the on-stage chaos.

Moments when all the dancers were on stage and moving in sync were captivating; there was such fluidity in their movements and

duet, acting as the supportive partner of the mermaid, catching and lifting her as she weaves around the stage. It is Marta Ortega, playing the mermaid, who really stands out in this performance, perhaps outshining her mentor Acosta.

The final dance, ‘Twelve’, was the brilliant and climactic end to the show. Described as a ‘dancesport piece’, it followed twelve dancers throwing plastic bottles of water to each other in sequence.

This description does not do justice to the impressiveness of the piece, whereby dancers throw and catch as they dance and bottles fly around on stage, with the audience completely drawn in to the risky nature of the choreography.

Performed with an almost comical precision, ‘Twelve’ shows off the versatile abilities of the Acosta Danza dancers who perform with charisma and passion.

Acosta Danza’s Debut brings brilliant choreography and remarkable talent to a totally captivating performance at the Hippodrome. The cohesion of the dance group is a real selling point of the show, with the chemistry between the dancers noticeable throughout.

Accurately described as “eccentric and energetic” by the Daily Telegraph, Debut manages to be both poignant and fun, and I cannot recommend getting yourself a ticket enough.

Yuris Nórido

Kazuo Ishiguro Wins Nobel Prize Sophie Woodley Culture Critic

For all those literature lovers who are familiar with the renowned Nobel Literature prize, you’ll be happy to hear that Kazuo Ishiguro has been awarded this year’s winner. For those of you who are not familiar with the Nobel Literature prize, you have probably heard of the Nobel Prizes as a whole.

They are sectioned into 5 categories, with Literature being one of them, alongside Peace, Chemistry, Medicine and Physics.

The Nobel Literature prize was first awarded in 1901, and was administered by the Nobel foundation in Sweden. The award is given annually to an author from any country who has, in the words of Alfred Nobel, produced “in the field of Literature, the most outstanding work in an ideal generation”. Winners receive their awards on 10th December - this being the anniversary of Nobel’s death. So, as December soon creeps upon us, Ishiguro will not have long to wait before he receives a medal, diploma and a monetary award prize.

Those who have won the prize

in previous years include Toni Morrison and Bob Dylan. Dylan was 2016’s winner for the award and faced controversial opinions regarding this. It was argued that his lyrics could not be considered poetry and therefore literature, so he should not technically be given the award. Regardless of this dispute, Dylan had created “new poetic expressions” in his songwriting, which many would argue should not go unnoticed. Ishiguro has similarly been acknowledged for his achievements as his “novels of great emotional force, [have] uncovered the abyss beneath our illusionary sense of connection with the world”.

Clearly, the Nobel Literature Prize is a tremendous achievement and is something every author in the industry is bound to look up to with great awe and admiration. Ishiguro seems elated with his award. He claims: “I’m in the footsteps of the greatest authors that have lived, so that’s a terrific commendation”. It comes as no surprise that Ishiguro has been awarded such a lifetime achievement, as his novel Never Let Me Go was named as the “best novel in 2005” by the Times.

Never Let Me Go is one of Ishiguro’s most renowned, com-

pelling and thought-provoking novels, covering the scientifically controversial topic of human cloning. Not only was the novel a huge success, but the film rendition, released in 2010 and starring Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan, was also critically well received. A University of Birmingham student who has previously studied this text, told Redbrick it is “the most thought provoking and emotionally engaging book I have read”. Ishiguro’s reputation is certainly mirrored in him being described as “one of the most celebrated contemporary fiction authors”.

Ishiguro's works include: A Pale View of Hills (1982) An Artist of the Floating World (1986) The Remains of the Day (1989) The Unconsoled (1995) When We Were Orphans (2000) Never Let Me Go (2005) The Buried Giant (2015)

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Friday 3rd November 2017

@redbrickfilm

Review: The Party Film Critic Phoebe Christofi takes her seat at the worst 'Come Dine With Me' ever Phoebe Christofi Film Critic

A tragicomedy? A display of social behaviours? An A-List cast? The Party could be defined as a film in its absolute simplest form, so pure was it in its creation. Bells and whistles aside, all this movie needed to be great was a stellar cast, and boy does it have one. No music. No colour. Just acting. With nothing distracting you from the plot, you are nothing more than a voyeur observing the social behaviours and interactions amongst the group of friends.

With actors Kristin Scott Thomas, Timothy Spall, Patricia

Clarkson, Cillian Murphy, Emily Mortimer, Bruno Ganz and Cherry Jones all playing delightfully off each other, the plot of this delightful dinner flows with ease and no little skill.

A group of friends attend a dinner party at Janet (Scott Thomas) and Bill’s (Spall) house to celebrate Janet’s promotion to Shadow Minister for Health. At the beginning of the film, you’re introduced to the idea that Janet has a secret admirer or lover whose calls and texts constantly interrupt the chaos of the evening. As guests start to arrive the mysterious caller is not forgotten and curiosity sets in as to who it may be, and if they’re

going to spontaneously appear.

The more characters that are introduced, the more the evening starts to unravel into a chaotic mess of everyone’s issues. For an evening where the aim was meant to commend an achievement, by the climax of the film, everyone’s baggage is out on the table, or in some cases, out cold on the floor. A key element of the film is the absence of Tom’s (Murphey) wife Maryanne who is a friend of Janet’s from work.

Her absence proves to cause more problems than anyone anticipated and is essentially the base of the plot. The illusive character we never meet, is initially a subject of admiration yet

by the end is the cause of everyone’s issues. In a concoction of canapes, cocaine and cheeky charisma, the film tackles the issues of commitment, love affairs, illness and heavy philosophical ideas. You’re left wondering not if something bad is going to happen, but when.

"the evening soon unravels into a chaotic mess of everyone's issues" The film is beautiful aesthetically, its delightful patchwork of monochrome scenes complementing the film's ‘soundtrack’ perfectly. The film's conscious lack of a score is cleverly tempered within its own framework as Bill (Spall) creates the sound of the film through the crackly vinyl played on his old phonograph. This nifty trick added comedic value to the plot as whenever another character meddled with the records, the tempo of the music would not match the mood of the scene, but rather created an ironic ambience. Furthermore, Patricia Clarkson’s witty one liners were arguably one of the highlights of the film. The humour of her cynical reactions to everyone’s problems were witty and entertaining, in con-

trast to the rest of the casts hysteria. Her savage satire kept the film intellectually playful and her character easily bounced off whatever issues any other character revealed. Taking place over what seems like real-time, the film would be perfectly suited to a play, just as it fits perfectly with being on screen.

When all was said and done, The Party is a brilliant portrayal of human misconceptions and social behaviours, and of how one occurrence can impact any number of people.

VERDICT: In a world full of superhero movies, spy films and major franchises, it’s consoling to know that there is still something you can categorise as ‘artistic theatre’ on screen.

Unapologetically mundane with what is implied as an extraordinary plot twist, this Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf style film comes under the category of “Dinner Parties from Hell”, making you question what revelations could be uncovered at your next gathering.

Review: Thor: Ragnarok Patrick Box Film Editor

By this point you will know whether you’re a fan of Marvel or not. Soon it will have been ten years since this titanic franchise first started with 2008’s Iron Man, and it’s unlikely that it’ll be stopping anytime soon, with another three movies coming out before this time next year. Love ‘em or loathe ‘em, you have to at least live with ‘em. Thor Ragnarok is the 17th film to date set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and to be brutally honest, if you’re not a convert by now, this one isn’t going to change your mind.

Ragnarok is Marvel’s most unashamed movie to date: it’s loud, colourful, crammed full of jokes and CGI, but damn it if it isn’t a hell of a lot of fun.

"it's loud, colourful, and crammed full of CGI, but...a hell of a lot of fun" The third, and easily the best, Thor-centred film takes the character in a drastically different direction from its underwhelming previous instalments.

We find the mighty Thor (Chris

Hemsworth) in a fight for survival and a race against time to prevent the all-powerful Goddess of Death Hela (Cate Blanchett) from destroying Asgardian civilisation. Robbed of his hammer and banished to the gladiatorial world Sakaar, he finds himself reunited with fellow avenger Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). Together the pair must plot an escape with drunken warrior Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and Thor’s famously duplicitous brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), in order to return to Asgard and save the day.

Ragnarok has a lot going for it, namely New Zealand superstar director Taika Waititi of Hunt for the Wilderpeople and What We Do in the Shadows fame. Injecting the film with his unique humour and 80s stylised aesthetic, fears that the film will just ape the Guardians of the Galaxy films prove unfounded.

Waititi mines brilliant performances from his cast with Hemsworth emerging as the film’s secret weapon. With his infectious grin, straightforward heroic philosophy, and pitchperfect comedic timing, Hemsworth shows just how badly Marvel has been wasting him up to this point. He barrels along like a human golden retriever, clearly having the time of his life. Tom Hiddleston is predictably on-point as Tumblrfavourite Loki, a roll that he could easily play in his sleep at this point, and thankfully doesn’t

pull focus. Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie is easily the best female character Marvel has created to date; instantly charismatic, she dominates every scene she’s in and hopefully we’ll be seeing a lot more of her. Karl Urban and Idris Elba both do very well with what are effectively bit parts that maybe could have been exorcised completely. Surprisingly Hulk’s role, despite being highly advertised, turns out somewhat perfunctory to the rest of the plot. He’s a welcome presence, and the chemistry between him and Thor is great, but he disappears from the film for whole sequences.

This is indicative of the problems Ragnarok has as a film. It’s a romp plain and simple, but this means that it prioritises humour and sequences of spectacle over a sense that there is anything at

stake. Cate Blanchett is clearly having a ball turning it up to eleven as Hela, but she never feels like a real threat and is separated from the rest of the cast for most of the film’s runtime. The film continuously cuts back to her and Karl Urban’s Skurge on Asgard, in scenes that noticeably drag when compared to the rest of the film. The emotional stakes one would expect from a story named after the proverbial apocalypse are blatantly absent. Unlike the Guardians films that go out of their way to layer in emotional resonance, Ragnarok bulldozes past any potential emotional tragedy. This will irritate some, but a subtle theme dealing with character growth does percolate throughout the film even if it does only really effect the characters of Loki and Thor. Also

the film’s portrayal of certain characters potentially jars with established characterisation, Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner being the most notable. This is a minor quibble but it will be interesting to see whether this is just a product of Waititi’s style or if the franchise will accept these performances as the new norm going forward.

VERDICT: Thor Ragnarok is pure entertainment plain and simple. With hilarious performances and Waititi’s fingerprints all over it, it won’t disappoint those looking for a fun time.

However its commitment to being glib will most likely prove irksome to the die-hard franchise fans.

FILM

Friday 3rd November 2017

@redbrickfilm

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Review: The Lego Ninjago Movie Film Critic Tom Smith-Wrinch assembles his thoughts on the latest Lego offering Tom Smith-Wrinch Film Critic

Walking into the Lego Ninjago Movie I very much felt that this would be another shameless regurgitation of the previous two films, aimed more at selling plastic than cinema tickets. I had only a brief stint of playing Ninjago so the subject matter of the film (if you could call it that) was unfamiliar to me to say the least. That is not say that I was not curious. Ultimately, although this film did not surprise me as the first movie had done (originally assuming it to be a simple money-grabbing, product-placing scheme to force parents to fork out for a trip to the cinema to please whiny children) I had a lot of fun with this movie.

Granted, it may not have been as original or indeed entertaining as the previous two but I am not ashamed to admit that I actually laughed a couple of times throughout- who would have thought that those yellow blocks could still be so entertaining?

The film follows the story of the legend of Ninjago, a city within the Lego universe that’s constantly under attack from the evil Lord Garmadon (Justin Theroux). Luckily for the city it is protected by a band of plucky high school ninjas, one of them being Garmadon’s abandoned son, Lloyd (Dave Franco)- aka the mysterious ‘Green Ninja’.

The premise was rather cliched

if one has to be honest, concerning a young boys struggle with his battleground like high school whilst attempting to re-unite and connect with his estranged father in order to save his city and find true peace within himselfsounding more like the sort of laboured tripe that the SpiderMan and Star Wars franchises peddle if anything.

"who would have thought those yellow blocks could be so entertaining" That said, many aspects of the movie were particularly enjoyable. Firstly, the film and the idea itself is original. Warner Bros was taking a risk in introducing such a considerably smaller franchise to their audience (unlike Batman and the first Lego Movie) however ultimately it worked. The animation itself was still exceptional, transporting audiences to what felt like a genuine Lego universe.

The film pays special attention to presenting the audience with the unbridled joys of childhoodthe imaginative yet ludicrous ideas of those creators works brilliantly. What is not to love about having an evil villain firing both colleagues out of volca-

noes and dolphins out of guns?

"this isn't claiming to be anything more than a family film"

time, dealing with loss and selfacceptance at the same rate, something of a surprise in such a chaotic movie. The characters themselves were rather bland however and did not offer much more than their basic stereotypes allow, though perhaps that’s an unfair criticism in what isn’t claiming to be anything more than a typical family film.

That said, the film does attempt to tackle some rather serious life issues at the same

VERDICT: After my initial expectations of this film were to

prepare for the worst, this third film actually left me entertained and relieved, bland characters and cliched narratives aside. The film itself was perfectly passable. What more can be reasonably expected for a film based entirely out of Lego blocks?

Review: The Death of Stalin

Comrade Luis Freijo takes his place at Armando Iannucci's Russian re-shuffle Luis Freijo Film Critic

The best proof of cinema's essence as an art based on lies, deception and magical mutation is its ability to transform a terrible truth into a entertainment without losing the original sense of horror. Monty Python based their whole career on that idea, and it seems that Armando Iannucci second feature film as writer and director follows comfortably in their footsteps. The Death of Stalin is a satire concerning the ruthless powerplays of the top members of the Communist Party Committee, each of them desperate to stay alive after Stalin's death.

Iannucci has developed a very recognisable style over the years working in TV. Both The Thick of It and Veep are sharp, acerbic programmes filled with complicated schemes, fast dialogue and corrosive humour.

Similarly In The Loop, a feature film drawn from The Thick of It and Ianucci's cinematic debut, portrayed in subtle yet abundantly stark tones the manipulations in a post-Iraq political landscape. The Death of Stalin follows that same path, maybe with even more cruel irony in its depiction of Khrushchev, Beria, Molotov and the rest of those illustrious historical figures.

"How fitting that a film about communist Russia really is for everyone" The movie relies on an excellent script. It might seem very easy for the spectator to get lost in a film like this, with so many intricate plots outlined by different characters, especially if they are not familiar with Soviet history. However, the screenwriting really manages to avoid that by offering a clearly strucutred narrative, a bunch of crazy political figures and tons of black humour.

This is the main strength of the film: you are definitely going to laugh. The impossibility of some silly situations, a very clever mise-en-scène and some surrealist touches leave the audience roaring with laughter.

Furthermore, there is a perfect equilibrium between intelligent, acid humour (mostly displayed

by Khrushchev, Molotov and Beria) and some silly, dumb comedy (thanks to the stupid Malenkov, the violent Field Marshall Zhukov or Vasily, Stalin's son). This balance allows different types of audiences and

humour sensibilities to enjoy the movie. How fitting that a film about communist Russia really is for everyone!

Ianucci directs this kind of political comedy with energy in spades. Although most of the movie's action happens in corridors, offices and meeting rooms, the narrative always moves along using quick editing and, specifically, travelling shots following characters while they walk, talk and plot. Thus, you have the feeling of a high rhythm and constant movement, a dynamism that prevents boredom.

The director has also found some very intelligent visual ideas, like the way he presents main characters in slow motion, a trademark for epic and heroic films that mutates here into a ridiculous joke.

Of course, the cast is superb.

It would seem that skinny Steve Buscemi was not the best option, physically, to play Nikita Khrushchev, but he gives a perfect performance. After all, sneaky, slick characters have been a specialty of his throughout his long career, and he proves once again his tremendous knowledge of his trade. He is very well accompanied by Simon Russell Beale, who manages to create a despicable portrait of Lavrenti Beria; Jeffrey Tambor as simple Malenkov, who gets most of the puns in the movie;

Monty Python member Michael Palin as Molotov; and Jason Isaacs as the extremely virile Field Marshall Zhukov.

"Ianucci directs this kind of political comedy with energy" When watching The Death of Stalin, the concepts of "posttruth" and "doublethink" come to mind. It would seem that post-truth was invented in the Trump era, but these Soviet leaders were already excellent at it in the forties and the fifties.

The films tone is distinctly Orwellian, and some of the most hilarious sequences feature that kind of "doublethinking": for example, Molotov and Khrushchev are quite able to claim one thing and its opposite within seconds. Like I said, this is an ambiguous feeling: all this fun and laughter become obscured when we realise that we are witnessing events that actually happened. Authors that met Stalin and his collaborators (for example, Yugoslav politician Milovan Djilas, who wrote Conversations with Stalin) have cited the bizarre and cruel way

that Stalin ruled the Soviet Union. Characters' features are only slightly exaggerated. Beria was a true totalitarian who held the secret police in his fist.

Khrushchev really showed his rural face to deceive his political opponents. Molotov was, in truth, excellent at scheming and survived for many years as Stalin's right hand by disposing of his opponents. Zhukov really believed in violence as a political weapon, and enjoyed it. They all hated and feared their leader, and they were carefully measured, as we see in the movie, in everything they said in front of him in those endless feasts of food and vodka, because a bad joke could result in death. And this is why The Death of Stalin is excellent. It makes you laugh while forcing you to reflect on what you are laughing about.

VERDICT: The Death of Stalin is a hilarious comedy about power, history and extreme politics that no one should miss, especially if you enjoy black humour. In addition, it is a lesson about one of the darkest periods and some of the most ruthless characters in human history. Educational and entertaining, can we ask for anything else?

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MUSIC

Friday 3rd November 2017

@redbrickmusic

Essential Albums: Madonna - Erotica Although considered one of her worst albums, News Editor Gregory Robinson celebrates 25 years of Madonna's most daring and subversive record Gregory Robinson News Editor

1992 was a pivotal year for Madonna. Two years after her international smash hit ‘Vogue’ brought gay ballroom culture from the underground of New York to the rest of the world, and just twelve months after the release of The Immaculate Collection, at its time the highest selling compilation by a solo artist, Madonna’s career was on a upswing both creatively and commercially. As the world’s favourite provocateur entered the second phase of her career, her fame grew, her artistry matured and the themes of sexuality and religion which had defined her career since 1984’s ‘Like A Virgin' pushed Madonna into territory never before explored by a mainstream pop star. The world should have forecasted her fifth studio album to make seismic waves in the world of pop culture.

They did not.

It may come as a surprise to discover that Erotica is not the grossly carnal sex album you may expect, ranging from deeply personal anecdotes to disco bops, from gritty new jack swing confessions to dancehall-tinged calls for world peace.

"It is an essential album because it is incredibly bold both for 1992 and modern day" The nineties also marked an era of suffering for the LGBT community, as a result of the AIDS epidemic. Madonna has always been an outspoken advocate for the LGBT community, and was especially supportive during this period: she used Erotica as a plat-

form to discuss safe sex to the point of Sex, the coffee-table book released alongside the album, being packaged in a condom-inspired mylar wrapper. The album’s final ballad ‘In This Life’ pays tribute to two of Madonna’s close friends who died of AIDS - ‘Gone before he had his time / It came without a warning,’ she croons on the sorrowful eulogy. Much like

hop, jazz and house gives it an authentic, cinematic quality which could overlay a picturesque scene of New York’s bourgeoisie and the rebels of the clubs.

Unfolding like a journal, Erotica reflects on Madonna’s past lovers in the hip-hop tinged ‘Bye Bye Baby,’ ‘Waiting’ and ‘Words.’

‘Bad Girl’ tells the story of a drunken, chain smoking woman

Music Critic

Ever the trailblazers of indie rock, Franz Ferdinand return with the much-anticipated single, ‘Always Ascending,’ following up their 2014 release Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action.

While the melancholy piano and Killers-esque synth anticipate a transgression towards a more brooding sound, Paul Thompson’s pounding drumbeat bursts in to assert that the track is dance-rock at heart. The infectious bassline, paired with an apt electronic surge, flaunt the experimental nature of the track, veering over the border of familiarity.

The centrepiece, vocally, is the beckoning repetition of ‘Wake me up / Come on wake me up,’ which playfully winds the tempo up to a hypnotic chorus, and leaves an echo of previous hit ‘No

was Madonna’s first record not to top the Billboard chart and sold ‘only’ 6 million copies worldwide: for critics, the hits were not big enough, and the world’s biggest pop star was unable to back up her ‘gimmicks’ with sales receipts. It became the perfect opportunity for mainstream society to crucify the woman who defied everything in pop’s unwritten rulebook.

"Its blend of hiphop, jazz and house gives it an authentic, cinematic quality"

chart-topping single ‘This Used To Be My Playground,’ ‘In This Life’ shows Madonna’s emotional fragility.

According to the diary co-producer Shep Pettibone kept, detailing his studio sessions with Madonna, she wanted the record to sound ‘as if it were recorded in an alley at 123rd Street in Harlem.’ As a result, the album’s blend of hip-

whose bingeing cannot stop her dissatisfaction in a relationship with an unknown male.

Erotica, while filled with sorrow, also explores sensuality: ‘Where Life Begins’ is a slower jam, cheekily celebrating cunnilingus. Though she is not generally regarded as a powerhouse vocalist, Madonna’s crystal-clear vocals carry the melody of ‘Rain’ to

Single Review: Franz Ferdinand Always Ascending Katie LeighLancaster

extraordinary highs - the song’s turbocharged middle-eight section seamlessly leads into Madonna’s dual recital of lines through both stereo channels, further demonstrating Pettibone’s exquisite production and Madonna’s keen ear for a catchy melody.

The ‘Vogue’-sampling ‘Deeper and Deeper’ is the album’s most gleeful song, taking listeners back

You Girls’ in its wake.

"The infectious bassline, paired with an apt electronic surge, flaunt the experimental nature of the track, veering over the border of familiarity" At moments, however, the clashing harmonies and the unusually flat melody of ‘Always ascending / The opening line leaves an uncertain ending’ put Alex Kapranos’ vocals in a chokehold. The shrill backing vocals sit

uncomfortably with Kapranos’ signature baritone, not tarnishing the track overall, but certainly leaving a peculiar aftertaste. This is well masked by the heavy beat and easily forgotten among the eccentric lyricism, but detracts somewhat from the otherwise polished feel of the track.

While ‘Always Ascending’ is another gloriously experimental indie anthem, it is not quite glorious enough to ascend past the legacy of the classic ‘Take Me Out’ era.

‘Always Ascending’ is out now.

The band’s fifth album, of the same, is due for release on 9th February. Franz Ferdinand are scheduled to play at the O2 Academy Birmingham on 20th February.

««««

to the disco era as Madonna takes on the persona of a young man coming out: ‘This feeling inside, I can't explain / But my love is alive, and I'm never gonna hide it again,’ the surrealistic visual paying tribute to 1970s nightclub culture.

Despite Erotica’s lyrical and musical strength, the album was considered a flop in comparison to her previous blockbuster hits. It

Erotica is an ode to feminism and homosexuality at a time when both were controversial topics.

This is one of many reasons why it was recently listed in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as one of the most revolutionary albums of all time, stating: ‘Madonna made it clear that shame and sexuality are mutually exclusive. Erotica embraced and espoused pleasure, and kept Madonna at the forefront of pop's sexual revolution.’

When I first became a Madonna fan, it became clear that Erotica was seen as a blemish upon her hit-filled career. Yet from a modern perspective, in which every female pop star has used elements of the Madonna blueprint, the album and its visuals maintain their astonishing impact. It is an essential album because it is incredibly bold – both for 1992 and a quarter of a century later. Madonna’s free expression of sex, religion and romance is interwoven throughout her discography and is most prominent on this record. Its legacy has inspired today’s biggest pop divas: Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera et al.

But it is safe to say, none of them will ever top Erotica.

Live Preview: Jamie xx Caitlin Nash Music Critic

On Saturday 11th November Jamie xx takes to the stage of Manchester’s Store Street Warehouse for an all-day long show in collaboration with The Warehouse Project. Not only is it the show’s 2pm-Midnight time slot that sets it apart from the rest of the 12-week schedule, but also that there has been no line up announced yet: the show remains, simply, ‘Jamie xx and Friends.’

Rumours of possible guests have been thrown around social media in the weeks leading up to the show. The likes of Floating Points, Ben UFO, Joy Orbison and Jamie’s’ school friend Four Tet, have all been the focuses of fans' speculations.

Their guesswork has not been

confined to just the unannounced line up, but also questioning what Jamie’s set itself will entail. The show comes off the back of The xx's successful third album, I See You, and its accompaning tour.

Subsequently Jamie’s solo work has taken a back seat over the last two years. His last solo tour was in 2015 in support of his second album In Colour. With no new solo material, fans are left to guess what shape Jamie’s show will take. If his recent Boiler Room set in Reykjavík is anything to go by then they can expect several samples of The xx’s most recent tracks, mixed in with his usual electronica and future garage. And no doubt, knowing Jamie, a spectacular light show will illuminate an unassumingly cool daytime rave hosted by him and a cohort of his equally talented and handpicked guests.

MUSIC

Friday 3rd November 2017

@redbrickmusic

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Single Review: Dave - Question Time The political artist is back... and his name is Dave. Jonah Corren dissects a politically-outspoken single that unashamedly lambasts the government Jonah Corren Music Critic

London rapper Santan Dave’s ‘Question Time’ is the lead single from his yet-to-be-released album, Game Over, and the track is defined and encompassed by current affairs. For those who are more interested in a single for its melody, rather than for its message, this track is unlikely to appeal. Nonetheless, Dave’s lyrics are excellently written, with a tight and sometimes surprising rhyme scheme. A wide range of current political topics are explored, meaning the prospective listener is unlikely to get restless in spite of the track’s lack of significant musical variety, or conformity to conventional song structure: there is no chorus, in fact there is no vocal melody of any kind. It is doubtful fans of this track will be rapping along with Dave, instead they will be listening to what he has to say whilst nodding their heads to the beat behind it.

At a lengthy seven minutes eight seconds (giving it little chance to become a radio favourite), Dave has a lot to get through.

He first addresses the UK’s military intervention in the Middle East, citing it as unnecessary and immoral and actively questioning the government’s rhetoric with regard to why the intervention

took place: ‘And then they try to tell you it’s ISIS, it’s ISIS.’ His implication here is undoubtedly that ISIS are something of a scapegoat for the West’s financial interests surrounding the oil industry, a factor that many believe underpinned the joint American / British invasion of Iraq in 2003. He is by no means the first popular artist to make reference to this: Green Day’s 2009 anti-war anthem ‘21 Guns,’ for example, makes similar albeit more ambiguous claims with regard to the futility of conflict in the Middle East.

"It is doubtful fans of this track will be rapping along with Dave, instead they will be listening" Next, Dave draws on his childhood and his mother’s nursing profession to discuss the current NHS crisis. In this verse the rapper simultaneously praises his mother’s ability to look after him and shield him from the reality of their situation, while once again condemning the government, asking ‘Where’s the discussion on wages and budgets?’ Dave then combines his first two talking points into one compelling ques-

Live Review: Metronomy

tion: ‘How do we spend so much money on defense / And weapons to wage war when the NHS is dying?’ At times this song feels like the first section of a rap battle between Dave and the general establishment, and that really comes across in this section; throughout the song, he takes time to build up his argument and then sharply jabs home increasingly difficult questions like a musical version of the PMQs. No doubt Theresa May would have suitably vague and roundabout answers.

After a notably brief dabble with Brexit and a very quick jab at Trump (perhaps he thought that topic was best left to American rappers such as Eminem, whose freestyle video slamming the president recently went viral), Dave moves on to give an impassioned verse on the Grenfell disaster - an issue particularly close to home for the Streatham-born artist. More time is spent on this than any other issue, and you can see why; Dave is not just furious, but devastated by the tragedy. The verse is peppered by individual stories of people caught up in the blaze, perhaps most emotively a man who was overjoyed to find out that his neighbor was still alive, when so many others had perished. Theresa May once again comes under attack for her inadequate response, as do those responsible for the flammable cladding that allowed the blaze to

Tom Jones Music Critic

Metronomy are a band I have seen live only once before, when they supported Blur at their British Summer Time show in 2015. It was raining, it was muddy, the sound was pretty terrible, I was having a bad time and just wanted Blur to come on already. What I took away from the experience was that Metronomy are a great band, on record. How naïve I was; what a fool I had been; what a lesson I have learned.

The band came to Birmingham on October 21st, as part of a belated accompanying tour for their last record, 2016’s Summer 08. The support band Sons of Raphael, a promising young duo of brothers, set the tone for my evening: I was to be taken aback by almost every element. Despite being entirely bassless, the brothers, armed with a drum machine and two guitars, thrashed around the stage with Jaggerian pouts and screamed their choruses at the dazed Metronomy fans expecting an evening of synthheavy electropop. Certainly an odd choice for a support act, although the off-kilter entrée was not unpopular by any means: Sons of Raphael ended up refreshing the palate far better than a route-one, obvious indietronica opening act ever could have.

Metronomy came on at about half-past eight and, without so much as a swift ‘hello Birmingham,’ the delighted

spread so quickly. Dave outright calls for their arrest, claiming ‘They don’t deserve to be free.’

"At times this song feels like the first section of a rap battle between Dave and the establishment" The song concludes by looking first to the past, with a cutting section dedicated to David Cameron. He then moves to the future, with a plea for Jeremy Corbyn to follow through on the

crowd were whisked away into Summer 08 opener ‘Back Together.’ This typically bassdriven number established exactly the mode that Metronomy wanted – and got – the crowd into: dance.

"They drag you into a world of pulsating rhythms and synths that play unforgettable hooks" The band’s intentions did not let up as they spun the room through two more crowd pleasers from their latest offering; both ‘Miami Logic’ and ‘Old Skool,’ before digging out hit single ‘The Bay’ to drive the crowd into the night’s first moment of utter adulation and frenzy. The audience bounced with every bass note and roared along with every refuted place name in the song’s chorus; when frontman Joseph Mount reminded the crowd that ‘this isn’t Paris,’ nearly every member of the audience was in audible concurrence.

Another particular highlight of the show was the band’s riproaring rendition of ‘Love Letters,’ from their 2014 album of the same name; the room once again erupted into absolute admiration of the five-piece, each member of the band bringing something simple yet integral to

promises he has made to the British public, should he find himself in power come the next General Election. The song’s last line, ‘The small steps are way better than no steps,’ is a fittingly positive way to end an otherwise bleak picture of the current social and political climate, although it even could have been repeated during the outro for a more conventional hip-hop style. Dave is not interested in genre conventions here though - he has made it perfectly clear that he intends to stand out, and he intends to be heard. Well Dave, you have our attention.

«««

proceedings. This is what Metronomy does, I realised about 6 songs in: they come on stage and drag you into their music, they drag you into a world of pulsating rhythms and synths that exclusively play unforgettable hooks and infectious solos. A completely brilliant name, in addition - so tight are Metronomy that the five members appear to be in possession of some subconscious, magical metronome, capable of keeping them unimaginably, unfathomably in-sync with each other at all times.

The encore was impeccable, two songs in which Mount, frontman and guitarist by trade, took over drumming duty, hammering out the foundation upon which the rest of the band laid ‘Love’s Not an Obstacle’ from their latest album; distinct in its basic, fourchord, straight-forward structure; a poppy love song with a melody as smooth as any on the record.

Finally the band led the crowd into one more bout of hysteria with fan-favourite ‘Everything Goes My Way’ from their celebrated 2011 album The English Riviera.

Metronomy, I’m ecstatic to admit, are a band I was entirely wrong about. They not only live up to their incredibly tight and melodically delectable discography; they excel it. They are capable of stirring up the disco inherent in every audience member, infecting everyone in attendance with their irresistible synths and elastic basslines. At a Metronomy gig, the room is a dancefloor at which nobody stands awkwardly by the side.

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TELEVISION

Friday 3rd November 2017

@redbricktv

Stranger Things is Back

Amelia Hiller Television Writer

It’s Friday 27th October, and I have been wearing my new Stranger Things jumper all day.

After all, I have been waiting a year for the release of a second season and like so many others, I am totally invested in the Stranger Things hype. After binge-watching the first season this time last year (eight episodes just was not enough), I have been eagerly checking social media for news regarding the second season, and if the released trailers are anything to go by, it certainly will not be a disappointment.

Will it be as good as the first series? Well, I am yet to find out.

What I can say is that I certainly was not disappointed by MADMAX, the first instalment in Stranger Things 2. The episode title is very evasive, although we find out quite early on that Max is a new student at Hawkins Middle School. She immediately catches the attention of Dustin, Will, Mike and Lucas as they suspect she is ‘Madmax’, the gamer who beat their top arcade scores. Although we find out that this is true, I am

still a bit confused about why this character got a whole episode named after her. She was pretty entertaining, but a rather minor part throughout, so all I can think is that Max (played by Sadie Sink) is going to form a prominent role later in the series.

"There was an immediate sense of mystery from the opening scene" The episode began with the classic 80’s vibe which viewers know and love, and there were also a few cultural references which fit in with the set era (e.g. anxiety regarding Russian spies) making the setting even more authentic. On an side note, Nancy Wheeler (played by Natalia Dyer) really pulled off some classic vintage knitwear! Overall, I thought the theme and setting was very well-established, and the mix between reality and ‘upside down’ did not feel forced at all. If anything, they could have combined

the two slightly more without overdoing things for an introductory episode.

There was an immediate sense of mystery from the opening scene. There appears to be more characters like Eleven, as a masked crime is being carried out and a girl uses seemingly supernatural powers to prevent police catching up with a getaway vehicle. Her nose bleeds, and the number 008 is stamped onto her hand. This throws up so many questions, which will hopefully be answered sooner rather than later, and it could be alluding to a possible ‘army’ of Eleven’s. There was certainly talk of this earlier in the year, when casting calls went out for women aged 18-70 who were willing to have their hair cut short. Apart from this curveball, nothing really seems to have changed in Hawkins. The only thing missing was Eleven and her Eggos, as the other familiar and loveable characters all return – the boys are still the same nerdy, argumentative characters as last year and Winona Ryder’s character remains just as jittery about the whole Will situation.

And Joyce Byers has a right to be jittery. Things start getting

weird very early on, in a spooky transformation of the arcade into an upside-down wasteland. Of course, this is put down to posttraumatic stress by Will’s doctor, but viewers know that there is more to Will’s visions than this.

Even though the doctor assures Joyce he can be trusted, there is just something about him that screams ‘villain’. That night at the Byers’ household, the phone rings (going by last season’s event, this is very bad news), and later Will has another ‘vision’. Nothing really happens, and to be honest I was expecting more action on the upside-down front, but I would not be disheartened just yet, as I am sure there’s plenty of that to come.

"Things start getting weird very early on" While I could let the lack of demagorgans and other weird happenings slide, I couldn’t disregard the absence of Eleven. The last season left viewers unsure if

she was even alive, but after it was confirmed that Millie BobbyBrown was returning for Stranger Things 2, I presumed that by this point in the episode she would’ve made an appearance. There were literally two minutes left, and I thought I would have to wait. But when I saw those Eggo’s on Jim Hopper’s table, the episode really came together for me.

The episode was everything I was expecting, and although I did not feel like it was massively packed with action, in hindsight that is probably just me being greedy. There are eight further episodes, and these will unravel many of the questions established in MADMAX whilst also continuing storylines from the first season. Episode one had just the right amount of spooky, although arguably not enough Eleven, and there’s certainly no justice for Barb happening yet so it will be good to see if this occurs later. It is definitely going to be a thrilling series.

Are you enjoying the second season of Stranger Things? Let us know @redbricktv

Review: Taskmaster Max Marks reviews Taskmaster, the obscure yet hilarious gameshow staring Greg Davies Max Marks Television Writer

Taskmaster is a comedy panel game hosted by Greg Davies and Alex Horne which sees five comedians complete a series of weird and wonderful tasks each week in the hope of winning five themed prizes bought in by each of the contestants. The overall series winner will receive a large golden sculpture of Greg Davies face. Some examples of the tasks include high fiving a 55 year old, impressing the Mayor of Chesham and concealing a pineapple on their person. The tasks are generally accompanied by a time limit and some very ambiguous rules which leaves room for interpretation.

The tasks are usually filmed in or around the same house using generic household items which

gives the viewer a chance to quickly work out how they would complete the task, before watching how the five comedians handle it themselves. It does give the viewer an interesting insight into how the minds of these people work, as some carry out the tasks in incredibly creative ways and others do not. The idea is to complete the tasks whilst sticking to the rules, and beating the other contestants, however it largely boils down to impressing Greg the most, who, somewhat arbitrarily, hands out points.

It may sound slightly mad, and sometimes what you see is slightly mad but I think it is incredibly funny. None of the contestants know how the others have gone about completing the task in hand and so their reactions to seeing them for the first time are genuine, and great fun to watch.

The dynamic between the two presenters, Greg Davies and Alex Horne, makes the show and the willingness of Horne to do basically anything he is asked to creates some genuinely funny situations.

The format is unsurprisingly enduring, as each series comprises of five new comedians and tasks to be carried out are largely different each time, there is no sense of repetition. Even when the same task is repeated, there is enough difference in everyone’s take that it doesn’t matter.

Honestly I believe the fifth series has been the funniest yet and I hope it makes a return.

All five series of Taskmaster are currently available to watch on UKTV play which is not a great streaming service, the app certainly is slow and clunky, but as a result has very limited advertising so you will not have to put

up with four minute waiting times to watch your programmes. It is well worth putting up with the less than adequate streaming service as it is a genuinely good comedy panel show. that I am sure you could find a rerun on

Dave.

A two-part Christmas Special has been announced featuring the five current champions in a winner’s showdown which I am sure will be a good laugh.

TELEVISION

Friday 3rd November 2017

@redbricktv

25

American TV Shows Need to Stop Being So Long Kat Smith delves into the world of never-ending American TV shows, arguing that enough is enough Kat Smith Comment Editor

We have all been hooked on an American TV show: The Walking Dead, Pretty Little Liars, 13 Reasons Why, the list goes on and on.

I remember the start of all of my binge-watching sessions of these shows - I was ridiculously hooked, needing to know what happened to my favourite characters and waiting to have all of my questions answered. The initial intrigue of The Walking Dead became a laborious cycle of Rick and his ever-changing squad finding a place to stay, realising it is unsafe and moving on to another place. It is safe to say, my excitement turned to boredom and I just could not keep watching with the same enthusiasm. Something about having lots of commitments, and even more stress, makes you a lot more savage in choosing the

programmes you spend time watching. So, naturally, as a university student I am careful in the television choices I make.

Although the solitart series of 13 Reasons Why is very minimal in comparison, the promise of a second series is pointless. The story follows the lead-up to a teenage girl’s suicide and ends in us knowing all of the reasons why. It was powerful, shocking and sad. A second series would cushion the impact it had on myself and so many other viewers – it is okay to have questions and for them to be left unanswered. Anyone who has seen Lost is probably still confused, seven years on.

Pretty Little Liars is my biggest disappointment when it comes to US TV: the beginning question of ‘who is A?’ left 14-year-old me researching, theorising and obsessing over the show. Then it became: ‘Who are the other As?’, ‘Who is Red Coat’ and ‘Who is ‘Uber A’?’

It was, quite frankly, ridiculous and I did not make it past season 4

(though I did watch the ending, I have to admit).

The fundamental problem with many US TV shows is that they are just so long, without providing the storylines to justify the endless amount of seasons they broadcast.

They capture an audience and get addicted to the success – what twist can we provide next? What will shock people? How can we squeeze even more money out of a storyline that should have ended three years ago?

Of course networks need to make money out of the programmes they broadcast but when it passes into that being the sole drive, it’s obvious. It compromises the integrity of the storyline and diminishes the quality of the entire viewing experience. They do not take long enough in-between seasons to leave us wanting more or for them to create a collection of episodes better than the last.

"Quality over quantity is not a myth" And then there’s the problem of getting that all-important ending. How do you end a TV show like Lost or The Walking Dead when they have been going on for years? It’s a pretty big task and TV shows that outstay their welcome do the story they are telling and their fans a huge disservice, as the ending often falls short of hopes and expectations.

Creator of Pretty Little Liars, Marlene King, had intended for the show to run for five seasons

and once she had been told to do two more years of storylines, she had to find yet another person to crawl out of woodworks to be a villain. Pretty Little Liars had exhausted all of the options spoiler alert (not that you should watch it anyway), another evil twin? Not very creative. The amount of seasons should be defined by the story, not the other way around.

Although, it must be noted it’s not just the US that has this problem. I cannot help but feel that the ‘tradition’ of Doctor Who on BBC has become a painfully drawn out affair, so I cannot just bash American shows. Just because something has always been there and started out ridiculously successful, it doesn’t mean it is meant to last forever. My childhood memory of watching Doctor Who every weekend with my family is now tainted by the poor storylines, budget monsters and cringe scripts. I commend the creators of Game of Thrones

to acknowledge that, while it’s possibly the biggest TV show on the planet, it needs to end while people like it. Although a big part of me would want it to last forever, it would lose its appeal if it fell into the mundane repetition that the likes of Pretty little Liars and The Walking Dead have.

In 2016, HBO confirmed that Game of Thrones will end as Season 8 comes to a close.

Programming president of HBO said that the showrunners have a ‘very specific plan about the number of seasons they want to do’ which gives me joy that the final season of Game of Thrones will be neither aimless nor diluted by unnecessary episodes.

I will re-watch Game of Thrones when it ends, whereas I can’t bring myself to even watch new, fresh episodes of The Walking Dead. I really think that says a lot.

I am hoping that the showrunners and networks that are broadcasting these shows soon realise that quality over quantity is not a myth.

Review: Trust Me Ben House reviews BBC One's underwhelming new drama starring Jodie Whittaker Ben House Television Writer

BBC One’s Trust Me is a four-part miniseries centred around a whistle-blower doctor Cath (Jodie Whittaker) who gets fired after nurses turn against her and accuse her of bullying. As a result, she does what any reliable doctor would do, and assumes her best friend’s identity, taking her child and living a new life as an underqualified senior in Scotland. Trust Me undoubtedly taps into dark themes, such as underlying mental illness, abduction and, aptly enough, death – such darkness is perhaps one of the only factors separating it from the likes of Holby City or Doctors.

"Again, despite the tension it was overly predictable" Of course, the acting and scriptwriting is there, alas Trust Me fails to exploit the less-thanoriginal plot to its sinister narrative potential; the child’s father

tragically gets hit by a car and dies at the end of the last episode, with little-to-no outpour of emotion from any party involved. Sure, Cath (or Ally? She never corrected her squeeze on her actual name, even after the truth came out) ought to be happy that her lousy ex-husband is out the way, but wouldn’t you expect more than a whimper at the death of one’s own child’s father? He may have been a waste of space, but he loved his kid.

Perhaps if this happened in the penultimate episode the scriptwriters could tease out Cath’s innateability to keep going, because the final scene with her smiling down the corridor was rather antagonising. Sure, you have a promotion and everything’s going to be okay, but your child’s father has literally just died! Who cares about the child, a least you have your job!

In my opinion, it was lousy plotting. He had to die, otherwise she would have just gone back to her old life but without a job and the whole thing would have been a waste of time. A strong way to test how gripping a programme might be is to try and not get distracted. I can safely say that I was on my phone rather a lot, and didn’t need

to rewind in order to catch up on what I missed.

Of course, not every programme has to be gripping, but as a BBC drama it has the likes of Doctor Foster, Our Girl and Top of the Lake to potentially live up to.

"It is a shame, because the acting was flawless all round" The progression of the story was not paced entirely well, which really did not help. The point I , and I am sure many other people, really started to lose interest was when Cath nearly told her neighbour about her being a fake doctor but then didn’t. It screams Eastenders, but made worse because it lost a chance to properly surprise the audience.

You may laugh at this, but I found the scenes between Karen and Charlie (the two young Scottish doctors) among the most gripping of the whole series.

Charlie’s insecurity coupled with Karen’s naivety was a great match.

It was nice to see the show not bothering to hide its blatant clichés.

The production values were shoddy at times. Even I noticed the blurred spotlights from the camera crew – intentional or not, it did not look quite right. I did like how the show was able to build suspense rapidly in a typically sedate scene, such as when the police came in and arrested a nurse for stealing. Again, despite the tension, it was overly predictable.

me of Leanne from Coronation Street).

She possesses the ability to let her face tell a thousand words or none – it is as if she is ahead of the cameras, and knows what we, as an audience, need to know by the second.

What really kept me going through this very average drama is the very idea that the audience is on the side of the supposed villain.

Though I slated the glossing over of the dad’s death, it is interesting how no one on social media seemed to mind his death either. It ended with Whittaker’s character being happy, so they were supposedly happy. Fair enough. Her character itself is an alcopop version to Thandie Newton’s Roz Huntley from Line of Duty; where Huntley is cunningly emotionless in her plans, Cath is scared and anxious about what she’s done. It would have been nice to see more of that Huntley side to her, like in that smile in the very last scene. Maybe then it would be on to something.

These hiccups let the side down, and it is a shame, because the acting was flawless all round, especially of Whittaker (though her mannerisms strangely remind

What did you think of Trust Me? Let us know @redbricktv

GAMING

Friday 3rd November 2017

@redbrickgames

Dis-Kinect

Redbrick's Top 5

After 7 years, Microsoft finally killed the Kinect Roshni Patel Gaming Editor @Roshofalltrades

Once heralded the future of gaming, the Microsoft Kinect, released in 2010 for the Xbox 360, with the hopes that it too would bring the same family popularity as the Nintendo Wii. But after a slew of forgettable games, controversies and price hikes, Microsoft is finally pulling the plug on the dying peripheral.

Microsoft had hoped the addition of the Kinect peripheral would allow developers to create more exciting gameplay, but with many

developers creating great games for controllers, Kinect support was usually added as an afterthought and often overlooked by players.

However, there were some games that memorably worked better with the Kinect, namely Just Dance, where players no longer had to worry about having enough controllers. Kinect Adventure, even sold more copies than GTA 5 on the Xbox 360.

Despite having a handful of games that worked well, the peripheral could be used for more than games, with the Xbox Live

platform allowing users to make Skype calls, stream to Twitch, and to be spied on by the government and for advertising purposes.

While the latter was quickly refuted by Microsoft as a misconstrued comment, the former certainly was a possibility, especially as the advanced voice recognition and ‘always-on’ feature of the Kinect raised a lot of privacy concerns.

Another killer of the Kinect was the price. Due to the inclusion of the Kinect, the Xbox One bundles were always much more expensive than the

PS4 alone. As a result of the decreased bundle sales, future iterations of the Xbox One no longer came with the Kinect, or even the dedicated port for the peripheral, furthering the decline of the Kinect.

Though manufacture and developer support for the Kinect has ended, the technology has not been lost, with the depth technology integrated into the new Hololens. Nor has the mode of play, with Microsoft opting to support smartphones for motion controllers, allowing us to continue playing Just Dance.

Image from: Xbox

Assassin's Creed Games

Ubisoft

26

5

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Ubisoft

Review: Cuphead

Gaming Editor Nicholas Burton gives it his all to beat the dastardly difficult, yet stylish & gorgeous Cuphead

"Without a doubt, this game has perfect presentation" Even when I found myself getting stuck on a difficult boss, I knew the procedure in how to overcome these taunting beasts.

Learn the boss’s phases and moves, equip the right weapons for the job, and if all else fails, come back to the game later with a refreshed mind. Through perseverance and patience, you will succeed in beat-

ing this game, and it will be a well-deserved victory.

As I mentioned previously, you are able to obtain different weapons, power-ups and specials which will help you in your quest to defeat these dastardly difficult bosses. You can purchase these in Porkrind’s shop, using gold coins as your currency. These can be found around the map screen in secret areas (of which some of the friendly NPCs may give you clues as to their whereabouts) as well as the platform levels.

All in all, it is very tough to criticise Cuphead and its different aspects. However, there are minor annoyances that will be noticed during a normal play-through. For instance, not being able to switch your load-out from the game-over screen can be stressful, especially when you are going through your weapons via trial-and-error.

It was, however, impressive how the game gently amped up the difficulty throughout the four main isles, but I still found a difficulty spike for some bosses. Whether this is subjective to my experience, or is the case for many players, I do not know, but I am certain that it will be a stumbling block for some. There is plenty of content to dive into here even after you complete the game, as you unlock the 'expert' difficulty. A challenge only the best Cuphead players will be able to overcome.

Cuphead is a special game. A game that landmarks a specific achievement within our medium of entertainment: that it is the first hand-drawn game, with a gorgeous 1930s style, that has been brought to life. The gameplay itself could hardly be tighter or fairer, and the bosses and world of Cuphead are a joy to uncover and explore. While this is not a game for everyone, it is a game that all should try, and most will adore (especially at its reasonable retail price of £16.74). I implore you to try one of my top picks for game of the year. Its ferociousness in the face of impossible odds makes it a game that you simply cannot help but admire and, slowly but surely, fall in love with.

4

Assassin's Creed Ubisoft

tedious chore while I was attempting to defeat certain bosses over and over again (I’m looking at you Grim Matchstick). Thankfully, each boss fight only takes around two and a half minutes, so, even if you have to retry many times, you won’t be spending long periods of time waiting on load screens, or attempting to get past a bit of the game that leads up to the boss.

That being said, sometimes the load screens overstayed their welcome slightly, but this is a minor complaint in the grand scheme of things.

3

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Ubisoft

Cuphead is a truly unique game.

Not only does its 1930s cartoon style graphics and soundtrack give it a look and feel that no other game has, lying underneath this visual and audio treat is a game which plays responsively and fairly. Cuphead is a game that everybody should try, and one that not many will want to put down.

Cuphead is a 2-D ‘run-andgun’ shooter, and is the first game developed and released by Studio MDHR. You are ‘Cuphead’ (and ‘Mugman’ if you decide to take advantage of the game’s couch co-op mode). After a nasty deal with the devil, ‘Cuphead’ has no choice but to venture forth into the bright and dangerous world to defeat bounties (bosses) which owe their souls to the devil. Such bosses include ‘Beppi the Clown’, ‘Ribby and Croaks’, and ‘Captain Brineybeard’.

There are four main areas (or isles) which 'Cuphead' can explore, in a top-down style menu, and this is where you can choose which bosses or platform levels you want

to take on next. Though, you can not move onto the next area without first defeating all the bosses on the current isle. There are also two platform levels on each isle, which also offer their own flavour of challenge, giving players the opportunity to take a break from standard boss battles, and instead improve their play-style through navigating these difficult levels.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Cuphead’s visual cartoon style is unique, gorgeous, and a pleasure to experience. Without a doubt, this game has perfect presentation. Whether it’s the barbershop-quartet theme sung on the menu screen, or the various boss phases which contain creative ability within their own right, Cuphead is filled to the brim with personality, style and substance.

The colossal task, that was handdrawing each frame of this game, shines through while playing through its 12-hour story, some of which is told delightfully through a storybook.

Another obvious point to certify is yes, the game is hard.

Sometimes it can be extremely hard. But it was never unfair to my playstyle, nor did listening to its jazz soundtrack ever become a

2

Assassin's Creed: Syndicate Ubisoft

Gaming Editor @Nic_the_thinker

Studio MDHR

Nicholas Burton

1

Assassin's Creed II

GAMING

Friday 3rd November 2017

@redbrickgames

Switch Review: Stardew Valley

27

UoB a Hair Away from Qualification Roshni Patel Gaming Editor @Roshofalltrades

Sam Nason

Gaming Critic @Samjoshuanason

Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town was the first game I ever had on my Gameboy Advance. A simple title, the farming/life simulator allowed you to meet and interact with a vibrant cast of characters as you grew, harvested and sold crops. The ‘pick up and play’ nature of the title saved me from boredom on more car journeys than I could count and, while further instalments were released on the PS1, PS2, Gamecube and Wii, it’s safe to say these types of games felt most at home on portable systems.

It is amazing then that Stardew Valley, a spiritual successor to the Harvest Moon series, has only just been ported to the Nintendo Switch. In the game you assume the role of a farmer, moving into your grandfather’s old farm cottage, after quitting the city life.

From here the world is pretty much your oyster - you can meet the friendly locals and develop friendships, begin planting and harvesting your crops, or head into the mine to fight some of the monsters lurking in its depths. The game offers a myriad of activities to satisfy all kinds of gamers.

And this is, in my eyes, the best part of the game, how much there is to do. Anybody who has played any Harvest Moon games (particularly Friends of Mineral Town) will feel right at home stepping into the world of Stardew Valley. From the very first day in town, where you’ll be introducing yourself to your fellow villagers, to the festivals held throughout the year, to your neighbours’ birthdays, Stardew Valley offers much of the same as the Harvest Moon series in terms of concept and execution; farming, mining, networking and trading are all

mechanics the player will master within the first few weeks of ingame time.

Yet the prevalent thing about the game is how it works to expand upon these aspects and even add new ones. What struck me as I walked into the general store on my first day of playing was the impressive repertoire of seeds I had to work with, a small detail but certainly an exciting one to increase the variety of crops I could grow early-game. This variety made for an inspiring Spring, when my land was filled with parsnips, cauliflower and potatoes, as opposed to the basic turnips I was familiar with in Harvest Moon.

In a similar vein, the mine which opens after five in-game days - invites players to discover jewels, acquire ore (for upgrading tools) and solve lots of interesting mysteries and secrets about the valley. The mine of Stardew Valley also introduces combat, giving players the opportunity to fight the monsters you find in the depths of these areas. At first the skill is rather simplistic, simply swinging a sword and attacking little slimes à la Terraria; however, as you progress through the game, new equipment and an upgradable arsenal ensures the discipline is never stale. Without spoiling too much, this rather raw skill, flourishes into something much more complex.

That’s the amazing thing about Stardew Valley, the hidden complexities in its core mechanics.

Villagers each have their own daily routines, their own likes and dislikes, their own birthday celebrations and their own connections with each other - the town really does feel like a home. As you start to learn each villager’s traits and attitudes, give them gifts or complete quests they provide, you begin to build connections and friendships with each of them.

And, in a delightfully progressive

move, Stardew Valley allows the player to court any of twelve eligible characters - whether female or male - to provide a delightful dating experience that utilises the player’s relationships.

At the same time, however, the game is wonderfully simple, particularly the farming aspects. Just like Harvest Moon there is a system: you plant crops, harvest them and sell them on; later in the game livestock like cows and chickens will become a factor, allowing you to run a varied and fulfilling farm.

Interestingly, however, you can also choose to forego farming altogether and make your living from fishing or adventuring alone.

The wonderful thing about the game is its multitude of options for players and the many different stories you can tell: farmer, adventurer, singleton; all play styles only accentuate the fact that Stardew Valley gives the player the freedom to decide what they want their role in the game’s society to be.

"The perfect title to add to your Switch library" In-game days last for roughly 13 minutes, meaning sticking to a schedule and planning your route is integral to being as efficient as possible. Not that the game penalises you if you’re not - the nice thing about Stardew Valley is how the game allows you to take it at your own pace. Perhaps then, this is why it is the perfect title to add to your Switch library. The concise days really compliment the Switch’s portability, allowing you to progress in your spare time.

Whether you’re constantly commuting or enjoying a break from some work, the game’s easy-going and wholesome nature is sure to relax anybody who picks it up.

This is not to say the game is without its flaws; for one, it is not especially forgiving for those who are new to this type of game.

Having played Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town religiously when I was a kid, I was familiar with what the game required of me: for example, keeping a steady income in the early game and the importance of the mine and its resources. For a new player however, I can see some frustration the first time they play, had they not researched anything previously: you get given your grandfather’s cottage and that’s it, by the next day you’re fending for yourself.

The game is also one that has no ‘goal’ set in stone, it is instead up to the player to interpret; for me personally, this was great! I loved taking the game at my own pace, growing what I wanted, breeding what animals I wanted on my farm and exploring the many areas open to me. I can imagine for some, however, that this repetition of tasks may grow tiresome and deter them from coming back to the title due to its lack of a clear endpoint.

However, in the case of Stardew Valley, I feel the good far outweighs the bad, especially when one considers the game in the context of the Nintendo Switch.

The portability of the title and the console wonderfully compliments a multitude of playstyles and allows the player to progress as fast (or as slow) as they desire, from the comfort of their own flat to the drowsy train journey home.

The base game works incredibly on its own - it has, after all, been available from some time on the PS4, Xbox One and PC - but to me personally, the Switch seems to be the definitive home for Stardew Valley.

After an intense second qualifier, 5 University of Birmingham eSports teams, humorously named after Strongbow flavours, have lost and gained ground in Counter Strike: Global Offensive, as they both won and lost games to rise up the leaderboards in the hopes of becoming one of the qualifying top 16.

The first team, UoB Cloudy Apple, lost their first game 16-7, and then proceeded to beat back their opposition to win their second by the same score 16-7. They now sit on the leaderboard with 2 wins - 2 losses, inches away from the top 16.

The second team, UoB Elderflower, lost their first game after being brutally shut out on the attack, despite holding their ground well while on the defensive. Recovering for the second game, they won 16-7, with captain Robert Grainger (Robbyreload) getting a clean pistol ace to open the second half, followed by team mates Andreas and Kelvin (Linkky) performing last minute bomb defusals to help win the game. With one victory and one loss this week, the team also sit on the leaderboard with a score of 2-2, but a group lower than Cloudy Apple, due to initial seeding.

The third team, UoB Citrus Edge, won their first game 16-10, managing to gain control after a shaky start. However, when their second game went into overtime, they were edged away from victory, after a few unfortunate rounds which saw them lose 19-17. Despite this, they too join the leaderboard with a score of 2-2.

The fourth team, UoB Dark Fruit, had a much easier evening, winning their first game by default as their contenders from the University of York failed to checkin. As a result, their second game was marked as a loss by default, due to the fact they couldn't gain back crucial rounds against an opposition who didn't show up.

They now sit on the leaderboard with a score of 2-2 as well.

The fifth and final team, UoB Gold Apple, lost their first game by 2 rounds 16-14, but fought back to win their second game comfortably with a score of 16-7.

They now sit on the leaderboard with a score of 1-3.

With only one more week of qualifiers to go, the pressure is on for Cloudy Apple to make that final push into the top 16 and continue on this season.

Images from: ConcernedApe Images from: Valve

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FOOD&DRINK

Friday 3rd November 2017

@redbrickfood

Fressh Laura Burgess

Review: Sundarbon Caitlin Dickinson & Phoebe Radford Food&Drink Editors

Social Secretary

Fressh is a new, plant-based, fastfood restaurant located in City Arcade, just off Union Street in Birmingham city centre. Their menu is jam-packed with delicious- sounding vegan alternatives to classics such as burgers, a meatball sub, egg muffins and macaroni cheese. I was lucky enough to attend their opening and try a few of their dishes.

The arcade itself is cute and quirky, with Tilt, a pinball bar, just a couple of shops along. The décor of Fressh is light and airy, with white walls and pale wood countertops, as well as some truly Instagram-able succulent plants, mismatched chairs, and exposed light bulbs. The counter is diner -style, as expected given the fastfood nature of the restaurant, but this is offset by the quirkiness of the rest of the small restaurant.

I ordered the Mac N’ Cheese and ‘What the Guac’ burger, as well as some Baked Skin-on Fries.

The fries were tasty, but nothing particularly exceptional. The burger, however, was delicious. It consisted of the black bean, chia seed and sweet potato patty, topped with guacamole, salsa, jalapenos and tortilla chips for a Mexican feel. I’ve never had a burger quite like it, and it was a really nice departure from the usual fast-food burger. They do also offer the ‘Son of a Bun’ burger, which is more traditional, if that’s what you’re

after.

Now, the Mac N’ Cheese was truly a religious experience. I have only tried a couple of macaroni cheeses since going vegan two years ago, and this one blew both of them out of the water. The cheese sauce was based on sweet potato and almonds, and the whole thing was topped off with coconut bacon and almond parmesan. I have had dreams about this Mac N’ Cheese. You need to go and try it.

The pricing at Fressh is slightly more expensive than your regular fast-food establishment – between £6 and £7 for a main – but that is to be expected with a vegan restaurant. Everything is freshly made, including all of the sauces and meat substitutes, so that you know that you are paying for quality. There are some healthier options on the menu as well, including four salads, a smoothie bowl on the breakfast menu, and a chickpea and butternut squash curry. Although I did not order any of these, I did see them being delivered with the same speed as any of the more typical fast-food options.

All in all, Fressh is definitely worth a visit; inexpensive, moderately healthy, and supporting the planet through its vegan-ness.

Next time you’re in the town centre and wanting a quick lunch, this is your place!

There is one sure way to spice up your life, and that is to go for a curry. Indian cuisine has long been a British favourite for eating out or take away, and it is easy to see why, as it’s so versatile.

Redbrick Food & Drink recently went to try Sundarbon’s. Located in the heart of Selly Oak, on the corner of Tiverton Road, the restaurant is a student favourite.

Sundarbon have an eclectic menu, with nine different mains ranging from Classic Dishes, Balti, Vegetarian, Seafood, and House Specialities. With so many options, Mohammad, the owner, was kind enough to recommend some dishes to us, telling us which combinations would complement each other.

We started out with poppadoms with the classic accompaniments of mango chutney, onion relish, okra pickle, sweet tomatoes and hot sauce. For our actual starters, we shared the recommended paneer tikka and aloo chat, both from the classic appetisers section of the menu. Paneer is a South Asian cheese, and it came grilled on a sizzling hot plate. The cheese was mild, and the texture was not too dissimilar to halloumi. It had been spiced, adding flavour, but it would suit those who prefer less heat in their curry. The aloo chat was a dish of softly cooked potato, spiced, and it had tomatoes through it. This packed more of a punch than we were expecting - it was not overly hot but definitely had a kick. As Mohammad had recommended, the two dishes did perfectly balance each other out. For our main course, we firstly chose to share a mushroom rice with

crispy onions on top and a side, the tarkar dahl, which is a smooth and creamy lentil dish with spices and lots of garlic. It went perfectly with our naan breads, of which we had three thanks to Sundarbon’s tokri naan option, where you can choose three mini naans. We had a plain, a garlic, and a peshwari naan, which was a great way to share and also means you don’t have to fight about which type of naan you both want!

For mains the Bengal lamb was a speciality dish to Sundarbon., which came on a sizzling iron platter and smelt divine. The hearty chunks of lamb were set alongside red peppers and onions in a rich tomato sauce. This, however, was not for the faint hearted when it came to heat. I would suggest that this curry was around a madras level of spice, which for me was perfect, but it definitely had a kick.

Unsurprisingly, the king prawn

sagwalla can be found on the seafood menu. It was a generous portion of succulent prawns, mixed through with spinach and spices, although it was still mild. This curry would suit those who normally go for a something like a korma, but want to try out something new. It was different but delicious.

Sundarbon also offers deals, which can be found on their Facebook page. One such deal is the curry club, offering any classic starter, any classic main, and a bottle of Corona for £13.97.

Mohammad said that Sundarbon plan to offer varying deals throughout the year, so it’s worth keeping an eye out for them. We had a fantastic, authentic meal at Sundarbon, and would definitely recommend it as the next place you go for curry in Selly Oak. Whether it be with friends or with your partner, this is the best spot to spice up your life.

Review: Tamatanga Chris Burden Food&Drink Writer

Tamatanga, a Nottingham-founded restaurant, has recently branched out and opened up a second establishment in Birmingham. This absolute gem serves up amazing South-Asian delights in a relaxed setting.

Found in the ground floor unit of the striking Orion Building on Navigation Street, Tamatanga finds itself squashed between the shining lights of the Mailbox and the buzz of John Bright Street, although it is certainly making an impact. I went with my partner, but it would be the perfect place for a date, or to take the parents, or just to catch up with friends.

As we walked in, we were greeted with neon lights and exposed light bulbs in a wood and concrete setting. ‘Very Shoreditch’, I grumbled with disdain, as we were greeted by an overly chirpy member of staff, but my partner seemed to like it. The drinks were great value, with two cocktails for £7.50, and the menu was certainly extensive.

Both of us opted to try a Thali, which appeared to be similar to a tapas or a mezze in the sense that it was made up of numerous smaller dishes. We picked two curries

from the extensive menu, as well as two sides, a daal, yoghurts and chutneys, a poppadum and a naan bread.

Thinking that this wouldn’t be enough, we also ordered some bhajis and extra naan breads, which comforted us as we began to slip into a food-induced coma later.

When it arrived, we realised that we couldn’t have been more wrong about our anticipation of small portion sizes.

"The naan breads were out of this world" The prawn curry was almost faultless, packed with flavoursome marinated prawns, enrobed in a silky coconut sauce, and bursting with onions and spices. The daal , however, was slightly disappointing, as the oil-tempered spices lacked the depth which ghee would have offered, although nevertheless it was hearty and filling. My second curry was a paneer makhani which ticked all the boxes, although it was sadly certainly zealously over-seasoned with fennel.

What was special was the variety of breads. The naan breads were out of this world, with the

peshwari naan being a stand out favourite: the coconut-almond stuffing was sweet and perfectly complemented the curries.

Similarly, both the garlic and butter naans managed to live up to the high bar set by their relatively high price.

The food was next to perfect, but there were a few other problems. While ervice was friendly, it was incredibly slow. I understand that it is difficult to serve meals at the same time when they are all cooked to order, but fifteen-minute gaps are unacceptable, and if I were less intimidated by confrontation, I would certainly have complained.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Tamatanga to everyone, regardless of any dietary requirements. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free foods are available in abundance. However, it won't be making my top ten for curry restaurants in Birmingham. If you’re in town and looking for some great food with friends, jump in, but if you’re looking for authentic food at amazing prices, try out some of Birmingham’s fantastic independent balti houses in the suburbs.

In short, Tamatanga is a perfect student haunt, but might not match the expectations of a hardened, curry-loving Brummie.

FOOD&DRINK

Friday 3rd November 2017

@redbrickfood

29

Positively Jessica Ward

Caitlin Dickinson interviews That Protein's Health Blogger of the Year Hi Jessica, would you like to introduce who you are and what you do in your own words?

Hello! My name is Jessica and I am an award-winning health blogger and passionate journalist, I am an avid explorer and foodie and fitness lover. I am equipped with a first-class degree in E n g l i s h : Communications at Work and I have written for an eclectic mix of clientele.

Through my own struggles with weight, bullying and depression I have created a space (www. positivelyjessicaward.com) on the internet for motivation, inspiration and positivity - a true escape from the outside world. Also on my blog you will find my travel adventures, my approach at always incorporating a positive edge, foodie finds and recipes, product reviews, and lifestyle and student tips. The ethos of my blog is orientated around turning difficult situations into positive outcomes and always looking at life through positive eyes.

Have you got 3 words to describe yourself?

I am creative in all aspects of my life in and outside of the gym, I dream big and encourage other people to be ambitious about what they love. I am also a huge foodie: from the kitchen to restaurants. I love to experiment and eat delicious food.

What inspired you to health blog? Leading on from this, what motivates you to continue blogging?

In 2012, I created a blog to write about my memories and I used my blog to capture them in an online archive. My blog at that time was my own special space of the internet that allowed me to escape from my reality. When I was at school I was bullied and this affected my confidence, my health and my mental wellbeing. I suffered from extreme depression and became suicidal.

Throughout my school life, I was in a very dark place. However, despite my struggles, I continued to radiate positivity and I focused on making other people happy. I did this because I was suffering from depression and I did not want people to know.

Whilst focusing on my studies at school, I also surrounded myself with loved ones, and I tried my hardest to participate in positive activities to help me heal naturally. I discovered my love for baking, fitness, food and travelling.

In 2014, after taking the timeout, I realised that writing about my passion and my experiences may help other people. I wanted a place on the internet to talk about how I gained confidence, how I gained some strength, and how I

smiled again, all through changing my mindset, eating habits, my approach to fitness and mindfulness, and how I encouraged myself to travel more.

Through my own journey, I have discovered that our flaws make us unique; they shape us and they define us.

My motivation comes from my passion to help other people, and to help people realise that the mind, the food we eat and the exercise we participate in can be a great healer for many things, and that having a positive attitude towards this will help in every situation.

What do you have in mind for the future of your blog?

I will continue to spread my positive ethos. As I grow as an individual and experience new situations, my ethos will grow with me as a person. I will continue to stay honest, focused, positive and grateful.

I hope to write more about mental wellbeing and I want to produce more posts about being a healthier student. I want people to view the world through my eyes and see how I engage with the world around us.

Blogging can seem alien to some students. Have you got top 5 tips, or must-haves for creating a blog?

Firstly, be you. Do not ever try and be someone else in the industry as your viewers and readers will be able to read your content and know it is not authentic. Share your passion and write about what you love. The more passion you have, the more engaged your readers will be.

"I am a true foodie and I always eat in moderation. No deprivation, no restricting and no limits" Secondly, do not be frightened to approach other bloggers. I have met some wonderful friends through the online world and I have also learnt some amazing tips by messaging other bloggers who are extremely creative in that industry.

Thirdly, be creative! Do not be afraid to be creative in all areas, through colour, language and photography.

Fourthly, choose a free blogging platform – to begin with, you don’t need any professional equipment! Keep things simple and keep them cheap.

Fifthly, go across multiple platforms – engage with other sources of media. Create your

platform across a variety of social media websites to ensure everyone can access your content easily and efficiently.

What are the simple changes you can make to your diet to create a healthier lifestyle?

Linking on, is this challenging or can it be simple?

The first thing you need to consider is: will your diet and exercise regime be easy to maintain throughout your life? It is a common misconception that healthy cooking and keeping fit is complicated and hard work. But it is not! I started my wellness journey to enhance my life and, for longevity, I wanted to have fun and I wanted to be creative.

Plan your meals and/or workouts in advance; it makes them much easier to stick to.

Do what you enjoy and you will more likely be more motivated.

Be positive and have faith.

Sometimes things are challenging, but if we adopt a healthier mind towards our goals we will instantly be more driven to achieve them.

My top 5 tips for living a healthier lifestyle: gradually start with being active with a friend and make it fun! Get moving in a way you love; run, dance, go to the gym, attend a fitness class, do a workout at home using a YouTube video or simply go for a hike or a walk.

Whilst I was studying, working out helped me de-stress and it also helped with my concentration levels.

Stay hydrated. No coffee? I didn’t live off coffee whilst I was at university because I was fuelling my body correctly and nourishing it. Stay hydrated with lots of water (you can infuse your water with fresh sliced fruit and fresh mint for a sweeter flavour).

Another good option for hydration is green tea and peppermint tea – they are delicious and can be drunk cold or hot. Hydration allowed me to stay focused and energised.

Eat a rainbow. Yes, you have probably heard this phrase before.

Source nutrients from a variety of different sources to ensure you are having a wealth of goodness. Eat well and nourish your body with nutrient-dense foods and, on occasion, be mindful and enjoy some soul food too.

Be kind to yourself – in the depths of my exams I did become a little overwhelmed and I cried many tears through stress. Take the time out to have fun and to unwind. We are not robots, so we need to let our bodies and our brains rest to ensure we can be more productive. Also! Rest is crucial to allow adequate recovery from exercise.

Travel cheap – get walking to your next lecture, take the stairs instead of the lift and get off the bus one stop before. This is totally free and is an awesome way to keep fit and energised.

Being a student requires a tight budget - is it possible to have a cheap, nutritious diet?

Any savvy saving tips?

Yes, it is totally possible and can be extremely creative and delicious. It is time to start cooking in bulk and freezing your food.

For example, cook enough meat/veggie bolognese or curry for 4. Divide it into 4 portions and freeze each portion individually.

When you’re ready to eat de-frost, and heat the portion and simply serve with rice, pasta or salad.

This method can be done with most meals meaning you can buy larger portions of meat, veg and tinned goods (which are often cheaper) without any being thrown away.

"It is a common misconception that healthy cooking and keeping fit is complicated and hard work. But it is not!"

Equally, why not have a cooking night with your friends and cook for a group and save any leftovers for lunch the next day.

Prepping food for lunch the next day is much more cost-effective and much healthier than a prepackaged sandwich.

As for preparing food, you can also prepare breakfast the night before too – hard-boiled eggs are always a good option with a side of toast in the morning. as they provide a good source of protein and carbohydrates. Or you could make some overnight oats – porridge oats, milk or the milk alternative of your choice, 1 tsp of cinnamon and some grated apple – leave overnight and in the morning your breakfast is ready to go!

These breakfast meals are filling, nourishing, they are comforting and they are a source of brain food.

Use recipes online! Look through social media and scroll through the web for inspiration. I have gained a lot of my cooking knowledge from looking through books and browsing healthy blogs.

What are your staple, simple foods you cannot live without?

Are these easily available for students?

All of the ingredients I select are easy to source and can be used in multiple ways.

My top staple foods are oats (these can be made into flapjacks, into porridge or made into a granola – good snacks and wholesome breakfast options); tinned goods – I loved tinned tomatoes, they make a wonderful sauce

alongside some herbs and they’re a cheap way of adding flavour to any dish. I also love chickpeas and lentils. They are a plant-based way of eating protein and they keep me feeling fuller for longer.

You can blend them to make a dip, you can mix them into your sauces or you can oven bake them and make them into a crispy snack. Frozen fruit is also a good option too. Not only does frozen fruit last longer, but it tastes delicious and totally refreshing! You can blend fruit to make a sorbet, you can put it in your water for a sweet infusion or you can simply put it on your porridge for added flavour.

Describe your ideal healthy meal and drink.

I absolutely love turning my favourite indulgent meals into a healthier alternative so I can eat them daily and benefit from them.

A stir fry is always my go-to – I chop lots of vegetables and pop them in a pan with some coconut oil, some meat/fish or lentils and then I add lots of spices. 5-10 minutes later I have a nutritionally balanced delicious meal with minimal effort.

My favourite ingredient is dried spices! They add flavour, they instantly transform any dish, they last longer and they’re budget friendly.

Have you got any healthy cheat day recipes? And have you got any foodie favourite recipes to suggest for us?

‘Cheat days’ are never my thing. I do not ever view food as good or bad and I do not categorise it in that way. I just use the 80/20 rule of eating nourishing whole foods the majority of the time and indulging 20% of the time. I am a true foodie and I always eat in moderation. No deprivation, no restricting and no limits. I eat the foods that nourish my body and that keep me feeling energised. Labelling food as a ‘cheat’ can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food.

When I am craving something sweet I do love ice cream, so my go-to for a quick sugar fix is frozen blended bananas with almond milk, peanut butter and honey.

This is delicious, and much more nutrient dense than your shopbought, sugar-laden ice cream.

However, if I want something more indulgent and I want to make something a little more soul- hugging I always opt for my homemade gooey brownies and my comforting homemade curry.

Check out the recipes for more yumminess!

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TRAVEL

Friday 3rd November 2017

@redbricktravel

Travel Diary: Cuba Zoe Duncan Travel Writer

Despite the increase in popularity in recent years as a holiday destination, much of Cuba still remains untouched, dripping with culture and history. I was fortunate enough to spend some time this summer exploring this magical island and it can work out a lot cheaper than you might expect.

The easiest way to travel in Cuba is to hire a car and stay in ‘Casa Particulars’, which are rooms in people’s houses. This adds to the thrill as you really get a feel for each place and discover hidden hotspots. Cuba is very much still in its own bubble, cut-off from the rest of the world and this is by far its greatest charm. I would strongly advise investing in a good travel guide, such as ‘Lonely Planet’ before you go, as this was our saving grace, as well as a detailed road map since Sat-Navs are illegal.

Havana is definitely the place to be in Cuba, packed with a buzzing mixture of live bands, jamming street artists, and feverish salsa bars. Live music can be found on almost every corner with bars spilling out into the streets; hanging out at one of Ernest Hemingway’s old spots with a cocktail in hand is a must.

You can’t visit Havana without spending half a day cruising around the city in a classic American car, feeling like a 1950s movie star, learning about the history of the city and seeing the best sights. Then, you should hop out and wander through the cobbled alleyways, past colonial buildings and peeling paint jobs to discover the real charms of Cuba’s capital. If you fancy a challenge, hike up one the churches to discover a superb view away from the crowds. For an easier vantage point, just pick from one of the multiple rooftop bars or restaurants dotted about for a more relaxing view. Taking a short boat trip across the bay is a must, where you can walk along the old battle forts which give you amazing 360 degree views of the city. Havana is slightly pricier

than the rest of the island, but there are plenty of cute and quirky bars and restaurants where you can get delicious food and amazing cocktails for a decent price.

Then, put on your dancing shoes and salsa through the night as the atmosphere is lively and full of energy until the early hours of the morning.

A few hours’ drive from Havana lies the small-town gem of Trinidad. Filled with an abundance of history, it’s easy to get lost in a colonial daydream. Easily one of Cuba’s most atmospheric places, Trinidad has a deep colonial history and an irresistibly laid-back vibe. A bici-taxi tour of the city with a local guide is per-

fect for exploring the hidden streets, and as you rattle along the cobblestones, your guide will give you the inside scoop on Trinidad’s past, filled with sugar barons and tobacco dons. I would recommend taking a trip on an old steam train through some of Cuba’s beautiful countryside, riding through endless fields full of banana trees and lush green landscape with the view of the mountains on the horizon. You can stop off at a small village where you can purchase handmade traditional Cuban gifts, and then the train will carry on to an old sugar factory where you can wander around and peek a glimpse into the past before heading back again. Take a short drive out of the town and you’ll discover a stretch of picturesque Caribbean beaches with beautiful white sand and crystal clear blue water that goes on for miles. Trinidad has some great restaurants at even greater prices and is definitely a place where your money will go a long way.

The main square also features an open-air stage where there are live performances every night, and of course, dancing. Grab yourself a table and watch or join

in with both locals and tourists, where you can keep the cocktails flowing until the late into the night.

Heading west along the southern coastline you'll find the Playa Larga, more famously known as the Bay of Pigs. With pristine waters and an endless coral coastline, this place is ideal for snorkelling and diving or just taking a refreshing swim. You must head to Cuba’s deepest freshwater cave and spot exotic fish darting amongst the brightly coloured coral. Sendero Enigma de las Rocas is a nature trail taking you through the jungle, where you can spot alligators bathing in the pools, and caves full of bats,

alongside an abundance of flora and fauna. Surprisingly, there is no actual monument or recognition of the attempted overthrow of the Cuban government launched by the Americans that makes the Bay of Pigs famous, so there is no specific spot you should visit. If you are lucky enough to be here between April and June you'll witness millions of crabs migrate from the forest to the beaches in the annual ‘crab run’. At dawn and dusk they emerge, scuttling sideways toward the sea. Playa Larga remains rather a quiet spot despite its political past, with not much to do in the evenings and without the hustle and bustle of the towns; if you're looking for a livelier vibe then this place might not be for you.

Cayo Levisa Island is a haven of beach bliss off Cuba’s northern coast. In addition to luscious scenery, Levisa has a rich literary history: heading for the island, you’ll be following in the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway, who discovered this archipelago on a fishing trip from the next islet along. It takes just 30 minutes by boat from the small harbour, Palma Rubia, to reach this secluded island. Here, you’ll find a rustic resort situated on the spotless white beach with everything you need right on your doorstep. The island is all about taking a break from reality, where you can doze under a coconut palm, collapse in a lounger, and cool down with a dip in the bright blue sea. If you’re itching to explore, hire a kayak and paddle around the coastline, drinking in the views and sunshine as you go. Alternatively, visit Cayo Paraíso, the tropical hideout and fishing camp of Hemingway. The area around Cayo Paraíso is terrific for snorkelling and diving, so you can book a boat trip and easily lose track of time. In the evening, there is nothing better than ordering a cocktail and catching a magnificent Caribbean sunset. It was a perfect ending to a wonderful adventure on the magical island of Cuba.

Best of Britain: Kent Matt Dawson

TV Editor

After leaving my county of Kent to study in the Midlands, as well as spending some time abroad, I have discovered the overwhelming belief that the South - and sometimes England) - stops at London. But tucked away in the South-East corner, is the hidden gem that is fondly known as “The Garden of England”. While my hometown of Ashford may not be the prettiest, it is incredibly well connected via both the High Speed Rail that gets you to London in under an hour, and the Eurostar, that can whisk you to Paris in roughly three hours.

As easily the most famous city of the county, Canterbury ticks all the ‘picture postcard' features. The town centre is

made up of cobbled streets that reflect its cultural heritage. The famous Romanesque Gothic cathedral is one of the oldest Christian buildings in England, and home to the titular Archbishop and head of the Anglican Church.

As the burial site for Thomas Becket, many pilgrims flocked to the city, and was the inspiration for Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, which has inspired a fun and educational family attraction of the same name. If you have time, a great place for refreshments nearby is ‘Tiny Tim’s Tearoom’ serving Afternoon Tea complete with freshly made scones.

A little further down the road you will find another classic scene – the coastal town of Dover complete with its striking chalk cliffs.

Easily the ‘must-see’ feature here is Dover Castle. Situated on the clifftop, this English Heritage site

hosted Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, but perhaps more interestingly was the site of Winston Churchill’s Wartime Tunnels. Expanding into the body of the cliff and now open to the public, you can see

where Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsey orchestrated the now famous Dunkirk evacuation. They even host jousting events in the summer if you'd like to truly immerse yourself in Dover's rich history.

While perhaps not quite up to it's former glory from the last century, the seaside town of Margate still retains some of its charm. A lot of money has been put in to renovating its impoverished areas, with the renovation of ‘Dreamland’ being the biggest example. A retro-style theme park, it reopened in 2015 and is the perfect place to snap a shot for Instagram.

The Turner Contemporary is a modern art gallery that is currently housing an exhibition from controversial local Tracy Emin which, regardless your point of view, is bound to be a talking

point. And finally, what visit to the British seaside would be complete without Fish & Chips on the beach? With plenty of chippies to choose from along the promenade, Margate proves that it can do the nation’s favourite dish just as well as the rest of the country.

TRAVEL

Friday 3rd November 2017

@redbricktravel

31

Insight Into: Adelaide Phoebe Christofi

weekend wine tour and taste the wines and cheeses that are worldfamous. She’s proud of them, and when you taste them, you’ll know exactly why. If the countryside and greenery doesn’t appeal to you (and you’re coming from the UK, so you may be sick of it already), then there are endless beaches at your disposal. But which beach?

There are too many to choose from. Unlike Sydney with its bustling sand dunes where you’re limited to less than a square metre to relax and tan, Adelaide has nothing but space; and that’s not because they’re unpopular. The beaches stretch so far that you’re guaranteed a place on that whitehot sand for your all year-round picnic.

Travel Writer

Now the dark, autumnal nights are setting in, it’s that time of year where many students are considering undertaking a year abroad, and must contemplate their options; but how many have thought about making ‘the City of Churches’, ‘the 20 Minute City’, or ‘the Convict Free Provence’ home? When you think of Australia, I’m sure that the cities that spring to mind are Sydney and Melbourne.

However, I urge you to consider something a little more down south. Adelaide is a real beauty.

If you’re kind to her, she’ll treat you right. She understands that she’s not as popular as some of the other cities, but she doesn’t mind. That’s what makes her thrive; only people who go and get to know her really appreciate her for what she is; Australia’s best kept secret.

"Australia's best kept secret" Adelaide is one of only three places in the world where another drink (the delectable Farmers Union Iced Coffee) will outsell Coca Cola, and home to the third most expensive building in the world (Royal Adelaide Hospital).

Furthermore, Adelaide possesses the largest Christmas pageant in the Southern Hemisphere, the largest cinema complex, largest fresh produce market under a roof (Adelaide Central Markets),

and the largest glasshouse (the Adelaide Botanic Garden).

While I don’t want to brag, we also have two giant pandas in the Adelaide Zoo. Adelaide was also the only city in Australia colonised by free-settlers and not convicts, the first place to abolish both racial and sexual discrimination, the first city to recognise the land rights of the Indigenous Australians and the first to give women the right to vote in 1894 (twenty-four years before Britain in 1918).

Facts aside, Adelaide is the absolute best place to live.

According to Lonely Planet, it is currently ranked number five in the world (tied with Calgary) for Most Liveable City. Also, as previously mentioned, it’s known as the 20 Minute City; the definition of convenience.

She understands that you’re a

busy person, and she wants to make life as easy for you as possible. She doesn’t really understand what a traffic jam is, but she’s heard horror stories from other cities. At worst you’ll have to wait an hour before you get home; but on that rare occasion you know that she didn’t really mean it. From where I live, it takes me five minutes by car to get to the city (where I study at the University of Adelaide), fifteen minutes to get into the Adelaide Hills and twenty minutes to get to the beach.

If that’s not good enough for you, the student accommodation is in the city; a hop, skip and a jump later and you’re at the front doors of Bonython Hall – the Old Joe equivalent for the University of Adelaide. Adelaide loves her music, sports and arts festivals.

It’s what she’s known best for and she doesn’t disappoint.

Known as ‘Mad March’ in the Adelaide calendar, the city showcases the Adelaide Fringe (many Edinburgh acts travel the twenty-four hours for the occasion), and WOMADelaide, a cultural music festival to highlight the potential of a multicultural society, as well as the Adelaide Festival. If you’re concerned about what you can do during the other months of the year, you don’t have to worry about there being a shortage of activities; she has plenty in store for you.

Adelaide is also home to some the best wine regions in the world; the well-known Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and Mclaren Vale are less than an hour from the centre of the city. Grab your friends for an impromptu

"Don't overlook little old Adelaide.

She may be quaint, but she is anything but average" At Glenelg you can waltz up and down Jetty Road and explore the countless boutiques and cafes before taking a dip in the water, go to Semaphore and treat yourself to an ice-cream from Copenhagen, or venture to Henley Beach and indulge in an abundance of Greek food at Estias whilst enjoying a beautiful view of the sea.

When you’re planning your trip to Australia, don’t overlook little old Adelaide. She may be quaint, but she is anything but average.

How to: Pack for Southeast Asia Jack Alexander & Kevin Mak Travel Writers

From blistering 30 degree heat to monsoonal rain, packing for a trip to Southeast Asia might seem like a lot of hassle; but don’t let that stop you from exploring this classic backpackers' enclave!

You’ll also need 50+ sunscreen, and a small first aid kit. Women, sanitary towels are used widely in Asia, so take tampons if needed as they are very difficult to find. Men, remember shavers and razors as they can be expensive.

Here are some tips to pack lightly but sufficiently: Clothes The trick to tackling the hot, humid tropical climate? Light cotton clothing. Packing just a few items will certainly do the trick, as thin cotton t-shirts are notoriously cheap in Asia. So you could pick up a few outfits for your backpacking wardrobe out there and easily wash them anywhere around town for £1-2 per load.

Remember to take loose fitting trousers or leggings to maximise your comfort when travelling long distances.

Don’t forget flip-flops, hats, sunglasses and beach wear (for the countless pristine beaches) as well as a light raincoat to top it all off. Just in case it rains!

Toiletries With regards to toiletries, pack only what you need - you can get the rest there! It’s going to be sweaty, so take a roll-on rather than aerosol deodorant as it lasts longer in the heat. Don’t take huge bottles of body wash or shampoo - they will only add weight to your allowance. Buy some small plastic travel bottles and fill them up.

Extras A few must-haves are padlocks and zipties, microfibre towels, a portable charger and universal converters! Don’t fret about the tropical diseases - they aren’t that common, but get yourself vaccinated with months to spare. If you are travelling to the remote areas to see the Thai elephants or the Vietnamese rice paddies, be sure to buy a pack of Malarone anti-malaria tablets in the UK.

Packing Essentials: - 2-3 Outfits

-

Beachwear Microfibre Towel Small Travel Bottles Padlocks and Zipties Medication

32

LIFE&STYLE

Friday 3rd November 2017

@redbricklife

Nudity in Films: Why it Has a Purpose Phoebe Hughes-Broughton argues that nudity has an important place in modern film culture Phoebe HughesBroughton Life&Style writer

Even if you haven’t seen Wolf of Wall Street, you’ve definitely seen gifs of Margot Robbie crawling across the floor towards Leonardo DiCaprio, or having sex with Leonardo DiCaprio on a pile of money, or just generally wandering around very scantily clad. The point is, she wears very little clothing for most of that film.

Coming out of it, she claimed she would never go nude again. But, just like Emilia Clarke in Game of Thrones – who had it written in her contract that she wouldn’t do nude scenes, then seemingly changed her mind in order to walk through fire naked in the sixth series of the show – she has gone back on this decision.

She is reportedly in discussions with director Brett Ratner to star in his upcoming film about the late Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, in which she will play one of his wives while her Suicide Squad co-star Jared Leto will play the man himself. Undoubtedly, this role is one that will involve nudity – because people don’t actually read Playboy “for the articles” – and this has seen many slamming the actress for her sudden change of heart about this topic. But why does this matter?

Why should we care whether actors are willing to strip off for our entertainment, and since we never get to read their contracts anyway, why should we be interested in what’s in them?

"Nudity may not always be classy, or even always necessary, but it does serve a purpose and for that it should not be shamed altogether" Well, some would argue that it’s an issue of respect. Respect for the actors themselves, of course, both by their peers and their audiences. Many claim that willingly going naked for a role, particularly one that doesn’t seem to have nudity as its focal point, diminishes the power of a character and, in turn, the gravitas that an actor holds in Hollywood.

Some go further, claiming that this topic is about respect for film as a medium on the whole. By including nudity so regularly and so candidly in films these days,

are directors and actors really any better than those working in the porn industry?

The key difference here, of course, is the context. In a film, whether good or bad, there is a reason for everything that happens on screen. Sure, maybe that girl is wandering around topless because the director thought it would get a few laughs, or attract the male demographic – or maybe, hopefully, it has a deeper meaning and purpose than that – but even still, in the context of the film as a whole it serves a purpose beyond that of pure pornographic material. In the Playboy film, for instance, it would hardly be realistic to have the whole thing be rated PG, with everyone clothed head to toe the entire time, so nudity is arguably necessary for the naturalism of the world of the film. Going back to Game of Thrones, the world-famous show is an even better proponent for the benefits of nudity on screen.

Although many like to argue it used nudity, particularly in the first few seasons, simply to attract media attention and a wider audience, most if not all of the nude scenes add purpose and value to the overall plot.

The show has a medieval feel, and on many of the occasions characters go naked it is either to add to the realism of the scene – you can’t be fully dressed in a brothel, obviously – or it is used

to further a character’s own goals and ambitions, just as one might expect from the real-world scenarios the show was inspired by.

The show’s nudity covers the whole spectrum, from those in control of their own body and willingly using it to manipulate others, to far more disturbing scenes where one’s power over one’s nudity is – literally – stripped from them. And yet all of these purposes not only aid the plot, but add to the overall naturalistic feel of the characters and settings of the show, which one might not expect when the climax of the last series involved a very large, very CGI dragon.

Daenerys Targaryen – played by the aforementioned Emilia Clarke – is one of the best examples of this, beginning the first series as a meek, vulnerable character, whose body was used and abused for others’ goals, to one who can walk through fire and command an army while fully nude. She truly embodies the intentions of the show, and her character arc is one of the most profound, and without nudity I honestly don't think her actions would have had nearly the same effect on the plot or indeed the world as they have so far.

Nudity may not always be classy, or even always necessary, but it does serve a purpose and for that it should not be shamed altogether.

4

How to Budget in Birmingham: Money Saving Hacks Chris Burden offers his advice for making the most of student life in the Midlands

Swift Card and Bus Travel Students and those who have recently moved to Birmingham often fall into the trap of only using the train to get around the city. While it is a great shuttle between University and town, many of Birmingham’s best kept secrets aren’t accessible by rail. Neither Harborne nor Moseley are connected to the network, both of which are home to some of the best restaurants and cafés which the city has to offer.

Next time you’re heading into town, why not take the bus?

With buses from University

and Selly Oak to the city centre only costing £1, they’re a cheap alternative to the train, and take you right to Broad Street, the Mailbox or the Bullring. Boarding a wifi-enabled bus with charging points is far better than queueing in the rain at University Station.

If you’re tired of not having the correct change for the bus, you can also sign up for a Swift Card online or in any West Midlands travel store (Corporation Street is convenient for this). This Pay as You Go card is perfect for students.

Just load it up online or in store and you can use it when and where you need it across the county. Enjoy money off bus and tram travel, with tickets as cheap as 90p in some cases.

The Swift Card is a convenient way to ditch the cash, and save some money while you explore Birmingham. With a Daysaver costing only £3.80, you have no excuse not to explore the affluent suburbs of South Birmingham, or head into the industrial heart of the Jewellery Quarter for a fraction of the price of the train.

Independent Birmingham Card

MyBull MyBull offers a wide range of discounts in retailers across the city, with particular emphasis on Birmingham’s vibrant city centre. This new kid on the block is certainly causing a stir, with hundreds already sold despite only launching a few months ago. Enjoy 25% in Marco Pierre White’s and 20% off in the Mailbox’s Tom’s Kitchen, and as a great bonus it is also valid in a number of high end shops around the city. The best thing about the MyBull scheme is the attractive key ring it comes on. This handsome Bull, modelled on the famous Bullring sculpture, is handcrafted in the city, and would make a great souvenir of your time in Birmingham.

All cities run the risk of falling into the 'Clone Town' trap.

In London, you can’t walk a mile without encountering a seemingly endless stream of ‘Pret a Manger’ stores - though Birmingham is on a mission to preserve and enrich their growing independent culture.

This is all being helped along by the incredible Independent Birmingham Card, which offers amazing discounts in Birmingham’s best restaurants for just a small price.

The range on offer is extremely impressive, catering to all dietary requirements with ease. Buffalo and Rye is the perfect place for meat eaters, with fall off the bone smoked meats and burgers to die for, plus with your card you’ll enjoy 15% off. For something more refined, the Edwardian Tea Rooms in the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery offers 10% off the bill, and serves up a magnificent afternoon tea in grand surrounds. Invite your friends up and pretend you live the life of luxury while enjoying a crafty reduction.

But the list doesn’t stop at just restaurants. There are independent chocolate makers, cafés and gift shops where you can also enjoy money off, and make the most of Birmingham just in time for Christmas.

So get online and order your card as soon as possible.

It’s £15 for one card, or get a friend involved and grab two for £20. The savings soon outweigh the cost of your card, and you’ll discover great new places along the way. Support the locals, and help this diverse city develop its own unique identity even further.

LIFE&STYLE

Friday 3rd November 2017

@redbrickflife

Period Poverty: Why Free Periods Matter Emma Curtis explores the effects of tampon tax A survey completed by the charity Plan International this year found that one in ten females aged 14-21 in Britain cannot afford sanitary products. Considering we live in the twenty-first century, you would think the cost of periods would no longer be an issue.

However, the stigma surrounding periods and the reluctance to talk about this natural bodily function is what has prevented these concerns from being addressed sooner.

Since the UK joined the EU in 1973, there has been a tampon tax placed on all sanitary products, which was reduced to 5% in 2000.

Research suggests that women spend around £13 a month on sanitary products alone, but once you add on the extras such as pain relief, underwear, pyjamas, bed sheets and the occasional sweet treat, which are all necessary to make this monthly occurrence more comfortable and hygienic, you can quickly see how this would add up. It has been reported that the average woman will spend over £18,000 on sanitary products and other related items in their lifetime - quite simply an extortionate amount for women to have to pay.

Thankfully, the tampon tax is being abolished in April 2018 -2018, something that can now be pushed through

government due to the UK leaving the EU in June 2016.

However, it is ridiculous that women have had to be paying the tampon tax for over forty years in order to have the ‘luxury’ of having a comfortable and hygienic period every month. If it wasn’t for the 320,000 people who signed an online petition, I very much doubt this issue would have been discussed as seriously and promptly as it has been by the government who now claim that the tampon tax will be reduced to zero percent by the beginning of next year.

Nevertheless, advances have already been made this year with both Tesco and Waitrose choosing to cut the tampon tax, meaning their customers can spend less money on such an essential product. It is sickening to think that the term ‘period poverty’ is now having to be used to describe how some females, particularly young women, are turning to last resorts, such as using toilet paper, socks or back to backing on contraceptive pills, in order to escape this added expense in a society where living costs are on the rise.

Interestingly, all proceeds from this tax are donated to women’s charities; what happens to these charities when this ludicrous tax is abolished?

Gratefully, a treasury spokesperson from the BBC has made a statement that the government will donate £15 million a year to women’s charities, which is the amount of money that was being made from the tampon tax to ensure that these charities do not go without their vital funding.

Recently, the Guild of Students at the University of Birmingham have fully got on board by empathising and realising that many female students will incur financial struggles when it comes to purchasing feminine hygiene products. The Guild are showing their support of #FreePeriods by reintroducing a scheme that means free tampons and sanitary towels are now available in all toilets (male, female and gender neutral) on the first floor of the Guild as well as being available at the Advice and Representation Centre and at Reception too. Therefore, if there are any female students reading this who are struggling financially, please make use of this brilliant scheme that the Guild has put in place.

I hope that others will follow the likes of the Guild, Tesco and Waitrose by showing their support and lessening the financial burden faced by half the population.

Laura Burgess recognises the rise of tattoo art and argues that those who disapprove should get with the times in Dawn to Dusk were all responsible for tattoos gaining popularity around the turn of the century.

Now, more celebrities than ever have tattoos – Lana Del Ray, Beyonce and Wayne Rooney, are just a few. And with the increase in tabloid media, every time a celebrity gets a tattoo it gets an article written about it. The rise in social media platforms enables the tattooed and the tattoers to showcase their designs in a way that has never been possible before. Photos in the ‘tattoo’ tag on Instagram at the time of writing. With an increase in ink posts, comes an increase in acceptance; the more we see something, the more normal it becomes.

However, there are still certain professions where tattoos are deemed unprofessional. Medics are advised that ‘visible’ tattoos (below elbow, or above collar bone) are best avoided - I think alot of us would be surprised if our GP had a wrist tattoo. Partially, this is due to an older generation still viewing tattoos as something only sailors or bikers have, and therefore thinking it is incongruent for

Manthropology

by Yatin Arora As I was swiping out of the library the other evening, never did I anticipate that seconds later I would be blown away...literally! As I held myself together, I wondered, is it the end of the world? Is it a hurricane? Is it a high-powered leaf blower? No. It was Storm Ophelia, whose chilly gale force winds meant that, had I not held onto the railing, I would have been a snowman walking in the air in no time. The cold weather is finally here, and this can only mean one thing; it is time for me to go shopping for my Autumn/Winter wardrobe! So to help me stock up on my woollies and wellies, I thought I’d ask Birmingham’s fashionistas what their go-to clothing shops are, and what they believe to be their wardrobe staples.

Name: Rahul Singh Bhopal Course: Accounting and Finance (first year):

Tattoos: How Acceptable Are They?

Tattoos have been working their way into being the mainstream for at least the last decade, with a 2008 survey stating that 36% of 18-25 year olds in America have tattoos, and 1 in 5 UK adults having at least one. Since then, the boom of social media sites such as Pinterest and Instagram, and the vast number of blogs dedicated to tattoos, mean it is safe to assume that their popularity has only increased. But why?

For several centuries, tattoos have been associated with sailors and soldiers, yet, in the late 19th century tattoos became a pastime of the upper classes, with many members of European aristocracy getting inked up. But relatively quickly into the 20th century tattoos reverted to being a trait of the working classes.

‘Traditional’ style tattoos still evoke the image of a Pop-Eye like figure. It was only at the end of the 20th century that tattoos started to become something more mainstream.

Both 90s icons Posh and Becks have several tattoos, with Beckham being particularly notorious for his artwork.

Pamela Anderson, Angelina Jolie, and George Clooney

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‘professionals’ to have them.

Tattoos are also viewed as a personal thing; anyone who has a tattoo knows that one of the first questions you’re asked about your tattoo is ‘what does it mean?’, and 43% of people with tattoos think that personal meaning is the most important factor in choosing one. Therefore, having such as personal image available to be seen in a professional setting can seem like oversharing.

As young people begin to graduate, it is only natural that professional qualms about tattoos will reduce. It’s very difficult to have an issue with tattoos if every other person in your office, including your boss, has one. The rise in visible tattoos show that young people are confident in their ability to make it in the workforce regardless of where they have ink. Tattoos are not a reflection of someone’s intelligence, problem-solving, or team-working ability, and should not be treated as such.

Tattoos are here to stay, and any outdated systems telling us they’re not really need to get with the program.

“I love suits; they ooze class, so you won’t ever see me dressed informally. The most reliable and adventurous shops for fashion, in my opinion, are House of Fraser, Next and Moss Bros. I go to House of Fraser to buy the accessories that accompany a suit, i.e. tie clips, ties, cufflinks and handkerchiefs, because they have a great variety and use top materials; I expect my tie to be 100% silk or 100% wool. I go to Next to search for casual attire such as chinos, loafers, jackets and adventurous patterned shirts. Finally, I like Moss Bros to do my suits – a 2 or 3-piece that is tailor fitted and not a polyblend; always 100% wool! In addition to these, good shoes are a must – I love brogues and oxfords! I can always trust the House of Fraser or Moss Bros team to dress me up to look like a perfect gentleman.”

Name: Cameron Ram Course: Accounting and Finance (first year): “I am totally the opposite to Rahul; for me comfort is key! Tracksuits, hoodies, and trainers are my wardrobe staples. Only if I am comfortable will I be confident. My go-to stores would be JD, Foot Asylum, and Selfridges”.

Name: Jonathan Bowen Course: Computer Science (third year): “My go-to shops are Zara for Men, House of Fraser, Next, and ASOS. My staple wardrobe would definitely include jeans! I would have a few pairs for casual wear (which are more of a looser fit) that I can wear with sweaters, t-shirts, and trainers. I would also have some slim fit jeans in blue rinse and black to wear with a shirt/jumper and a trendy blazer/ jacket for a more formal look. Team this with some brogues (can't go wrong with a nice pair of leather brogues) and you’re good to go!”

Brogues, brogues, brogues! If there is one thing that our fashionistas all agree on, that is brogues. What are your wardrobe staples and where do you like to shop? Let us know by tweeting us @RedbrickLife.

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SCI&TECH

Friday 3rd November 2017

@redbricktech

AlphaGo: Zero or Hero?

Google's AlphaGo Zero has the ability to learn new information and marks an advance in AI technology, but is this good news for humans?

Katie Jones Sci&Tech Editor

Artificial intelligence (or AI), since its inception, has constantly been surrounded by suspicion and mystery. Helped along by the fantastical stories which have been created by the film and book industry, the rumours surrounding AI have certainly created an atmosphere of both wonder and controversy, which comes with these latest technological advancements. The concept behind AI is simple: it is the ability for something man-made, like a computer, to be able to perform tasks which would ordinarily be performed by the brain in humans and animals.

This includes things like visual perception and languages, speech recognition and decision making.

All of these skill sets have a really big potential when looking to

what the future holds for technology. To demonstrate this, one of the most exciting ways in which AI could have a massive impact is the area for solving problems we do not yet know the answers to; something that could really speed up the rate of scientific and medical discoveries. Unless you are a mathematical genius, the quickest way to help with complicated sums is with a calculator. If you apply this same logic but on a bigger scale, AI has the capabilities to solve some of the most pressing issues which face humanity.

Recently, Google’s Deepmind has attracted attention with its impressive premiere of the new AlphaGo Zero, which was able to beat the world’s leading players at the Chinese board game Go, which put simply, looks a little bit like chess but instead of having twenty options to play at a time, there are 200. Previous technolo-

gies, although reasonably successful at playing, have paled in comparison to AlphaGo Zero, which was able to master and win the game in a matter of three days! In previous makes, both the rules and human strategies were programmed into their system to provide them with as much knowledge of the game as possible.

With AlphaGo Zero however, a completely different approach was taken. Only the rules of the game were programmed in with no other data or strategies so that the technology was starting completely new to the game. What was really interesting, was that AlphaGo Zero came up with strategies which were completely new to the professional players who had been playing for years.

So is AI a good thing? AI makes a lot of people very nervous and for a lot of good reasons.

There are countless ethical issues

involved, a lot have already been widely publicised. One of the most realistic challenges that will be faced as AI becomes more widely used, will be job loss.

Machines do not need the same rights as people - and a countless amount of companies have already replaced many factory jobs with the more efficient technologies.

The limit has always been that machines cannot assess situations like humans can, which has protected a lot of people’s livelihoods. With the rise in AI it is not certain whether this will be a factor in the future anymore.

AI is coming and when it does, technology will change very rapidly. While this will be wonderful and exciting for all scientists and people, it is incredibly important right now to put the foundations for the people’s rights in place, and make sure that we are really ready for its arrival.

When Two Become One The merging of two neutron stars is observed using both light and gravitational waves in a groundbreaking first for astronomers Joseph McGrory Sci&Tech Writer

On Monday 16th October a press conference was hosted in Washington D.C. What was announced at the conference sparked a lot of excitement and marks a milestone for those interested in astronomical observation.

The merger of two incredibly dense extra-solar objects (called neutron stars) had been detected by the gravitational waves that were emitted by the event, and the light emitted from it had been imaged; which makes it the first ever event to be detected with both gravitational waves and light.

This amazing observation was made with the LIGO (Laser Interferometer GravitationalWave Observatory), the Virgo detector and a multitude of telescopes (around seventy ground and space based telescopes).

What are gravitational waves?

These waves were predicted in 1916 by Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, which states that when a mass moves, it produces gravitational waves that can be thought of as ‘ripples’ in the fabric of space and time. These

are similar to the ripples created by throwing a stone into a pond,for example. These waves stretch space-time in one direction and compress it in another. They travel away from their source and carry energy and information at the speed of light. While any moving mass will create a gravitational wave (so your waving hand is technically making gravitational waves), those created by anything other than massive bodies are so small as to be undetectable.

"This event ushers in a new age of astronomical observation" Predicted in 1916, the effects of gravitational waves were first observed in 1974. However, it wasn’t until September of 2015 that LIGO directly observed gravitational waves for the first time and this was a momentous discovery that changed the world of astronomy.

What are neutron stars?

A neutron star is what is left over from the core when a massive star

undergoes gravitational collapse.

When a star dies, the gravitational force- due to its high mass - is no longer balanced by the pressure of Captions go in the cornerthat of pictures fusion which means the matand to shouldn't ter starts fall in be onhyphenated itself. If the star was large enough, the protons and electrons in the core of the star are forced into each other and we are left with a neutron star.

These stars have around two times the mass of the sun, compressed into a sphere that is approximately twenty kilometres across and are incredibly dense. To put this into perspective, a sugar-cube sized amount of neutron star material would weigh about as much as Mount Everest!

What happened?

The event that was observed by LIGO and the other detectors was the merger of two neutron stars where the two dense bodies orbited around each other and emitted gravitational waves as they did so.

These waves carried away energy and angular momentum which caused the stars to move closer and closer to each other. As they moved towards each other they sped up until they collided in a spectacular fashion. The gravitational wave detection was of the waves emitted as the two stars sped up. Although this meant that

the waves emitted were larger and easier to detect, the gravitational waves were only detectable for about 100 seconds. When the two stars collided they emitted light in the form of gamma rays (these are just higher energy forms of light) which were detectable on Earth about two seconds after the gravitational waves.

This event shows that we are entering a new age of astronomical detection and, as a consequence, are beginning to learn more about our universe with gravitational waves. This observation has already proven that heavy elements are formed in these neutron star merger explosions which has been puzzling scientists for decades. As our observatories become more precise and when the first spacebased gravitational wave detectors start to appear we can only discover more about everything around us. It is ultimately believed that we will be able to use the waves to observe the birth of the universe with the background gravitational waves left over from the Big Bang. We are living in an exciting time for astronomy and we look set to learn even more exciting things in the future!

Creature Feature Tardigrades Ellen Heimpel Sci&Tech Writer

When you hear the words ‘world’s toughest animal’, you would probably think of a blue whale or an enormous rhino or even the famously durable cockroach. But no - the toughest animals on Earth are microscopic creatures called Tardigrades, or water bears.

These tiny invertebrates are found pretty much everywhere, from the tops of the highest mountains, to the depths of the oceans and even in your back garden. They cope with extreme environments by transforming into a nearly indestructible state. They curl up, switch off their metabolism and wait for the conditions to improve.

They expel almost all their water in this process and exist in a ‘tun’ state of hibernation.

Tardigrades have survived some very extreme conditions. They can survive temperatures from -272.8°C (almost absolute zero) to +151°C. They have also been known to survive without water for 120 years and even in the vacuum of space. If that is not amazing enough, they can also withstand pressure six times greater than at the bottom of the deepest oceans, as well as doses of X-ray and gamma radiation that are lethal to most other forms of life.

Scientists have recently come up with a possible explanation for these extraordinary abilities.

Evidence suggests that tardigrades act as sponges for foreign genes from bacteria and other organisms and are able to incorporate them into their own genome.

This could be a potential explanation as to why tardigrades are so awesome; they have the best parts of lots of organisms.

So, let them teach you a lesson - sharing really is caring.

SCI&TECH

Friday 3rd November 2017

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@redbricktech

Hira Protein Can Stop the Development of Viruses Ellen Heimpel Sci&Tech Writer

There are millions of viruses out there whose purpose is to get inside our cells and use them to replicate, often causing disease in the process. There are over 200 viruses alone that cause different strains of the common cold, for example.

Now wouldn’t it be great if we could find a way of stopping these viruses from developing in our cells? Well, Dr Rai and his colleagues at the University of the West of Scotland have discovered a protein that can stop the growth and development of viruses.

This protein is called the Hira protein and it is a histone chaperone complex. It has already been identified as a protein that can suppress cancer. Three years ago, Dr Taranjit and her colleagues at

Beaston cancer institute and Glasgow university discovered that the Hira protein could suppress the uncontrolled division of cells that cause cancer.

Whilst conducting this

research, Dr Taranjit discovered something exciting. In order to study cancer, she had to use viruses to introduce the mutation into

cells. Every time she did this however, the Hira protein moved to a different place. This made her think that the protein must have something to do with viruses. In spite of this, as her main priority was cancer she did not focus on this discovery.

This research was however picked up by Dr Rai at the University of the West of Scotland who discovered that this same Hira protein can also be used to combat viruses by slowing down and stopping their development.

He tested this using a special breed of mice in which it is possible to ‘knock out’ the Hira protein.

His team knocked out the protein in some of the mice and compared their response to the herpes virus with that of normal mice. The mice without the Hira protein were much more vulnerable to the herpes virus.

Sounds great, right? Where

can I get some to get rid of this permanent cold? The good news is that we already have them. Hira is present in variable amounts in every cell in our body. This provides the potential for new treatments for viral infections. Research is still very much in the laboratory stage but there are implications that we might be able to tackle viruses in the future by increasing the level of Hira proteins in our cells. The problem is that because Hira is a histone chaperone complex it is very tightly bound to our DNA. Therefore, it is difficult to access and use it. Scientists are currently researching ways around this.

Another interesting thing about the Hira protein is that the older we get, the more Hira builds up in our cells, suggesting it may have something to do with how we age and die. Further research is needed to make these connections.

Twitter Tightens Abuse Policy Emilia Rose Sci&Tech Editor

Twitter has updated its rules regarding online abuse in the forms of ‘revenge porn’, hate speech and sexual harassment.

This move has been welcomed by many, while some critics question if this is a case of ‘too little, too late’.

In recent years, Twitter has become increasingly notorious for

harbouring, and perhaps enabling, online abuse and harassment. A ‘report abuse’ button was only introduced in 2013 after an online petition was launched after women’s rights activist Caroline Criado-Perez was inundated with rape threats on her Twitter page for successfully campaigning for Jane Austen to appear on the newly released £10 note.

A lot of the worst abuse on Twitter is directed at women in the public sphere. Mary Beard,

the historian, has been trolled on countless occasions and over 25, 000 abusive tweets were sent to female MPs in just six months this year. These are just a few of the endless number of examples of misogyny and abuse displayed on this platform. However, it took Twitter far too long to change their policies, leaving many wondering whether they really cared about its users.

Twitter’s discrepancies when banning people from their net-

work is another issue, with many accounts being active even after being reported for violating Twitter’s rules.

The new rules will allow users to report abusive tweets targeted at them and will attempt to prevent banned users creating new accounts. Twitter has also introduced rules regarding hate symbols and hate speech.

Although this is good progress, for many people the damage has already been done.

Should Nuts be Banned in Public Places?

Spencer Forbes Sci&Tech Writer

The number of cases of nut allergies in the UK has been increasing in recent years with hospital admissions for anaphylaxis increasing six-fold between 1992 and 2012 and continuing to rise.

The most sensitive of sufferers can enter anaphylactic shock merely from casual contact with nuts or by inhaling fumes from nut products such as peanut butter. With the increasing prevalence of these allergies, is it time to consider a public ban on nut products?

Allergic reactions to food result from the body’s immune system reacting to proteins in food and treating these proteins as harmful substances. Nut allergies are the most common cause of anaphylaxis, a life-threatening event. Other symptoms range from an itchy mouth, to swelling of the face and vomiting. Avoiding triggers can prove difficult for many sufferers, as simply sitting next to someone with nuts can be

enough to start the reaction.

Instances of the most extreme reactions from casual contact in public are uncommon, but they still exist. In these cases, the condition can interfere with the daily routine and can make life in school or at the workplace challenging.

The question is whether changing the laws or regulations of private companies would make a great enough difference to the lives of these few, while causing minimal disturbance. Of course, there are many practicalities which must be taken into account: where to implement the ban, and to what extent.

The successful smoking ban in 2007 is a prime example of how something similar could be achieved with nuts. People soon adjusted to this change and today it is barely a problem. Locations in which a ban could be considered are areas where people are forced into a crowded space, such as on public transport and in waiting rooms. In these settings, sufferers are at risk of inhaling airborne nut particles or coming into contact with someone who has

consumed nuts. If a ban were enforced in such places, everyday activities would be much more accessible for those with the allergy and relieve their anxieties.

It is easy to see why people would support this ban, however a total ban may not be so practical.

It would be unreasonable to police nut intake; from checking the content of packed lunches to confiscating Snickers bars. Selecting which foods are permitted would

generate a lot of debate and would be very difficult to enforce. The door for further public restrictions would be open, with many groups demanding a ban of their own – who decides what gets the cut?

Perhaps a ban on nuts in public is unrealistic at this time, but it opens the discussion on equality and widening accessibility of public services to all, in ways which are often overlooked.

This Week in Sci&Tech The NHS are found at fault for not following cyber-security recommendations after the Ransomware attack on system computers in May earlier this year.

Body Clock found to affect survival rates in heart patientswith more patients surviving when being operated on in the afternoon.

Hotel booking sites are to be investigated after it emerged the Competition and Markets Authority were concerned that they do not help people as much as they should.

The fastest car in the worldthe bloodhound supersoniccompletes its first public runs.

It can reach a maximum speed of 1000mph.

The Sinosauropteryx dinosaur from China had a “bandit mask” on its face, making it one of the first masked avengers.

A smart city in China is now using AI, which tracks all of its citizens with really positive effects. These include: a quicker response time for road accidents and illegal parking, and reducing

road

congestion.

Because of its success, China now has plans to use this in more cities across the country.

Women in Scotland are the first to be allowed to take medical abortion pills at home, rather than at a clinic.

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SPORT

Friday 3rd November 2017

@redbricksport

Sparks Fly in Dramatic Goalless at St. Andrews Sport Editor Leanne Prescott reports on Sunday's West Midlands derby between Birmingham City and Aston Villa Leanne Prescott Sport Editor

The 113th meeting between Birmingham City and Aston Villa ended in a goalless draw at St. Andrews on Sunday afternoon, with both sides producing everything but a goal in a thoroughly gripping affair in the Championship.

The result sees Birmingham stay just above the relegation zone in 21st place with 12 points - two higher than Burton Albion in 22nd place while Aston Villa lie in 6th - one ahead of Derby and Norwich City.

Birmingham had the better of it in the first-half, showing good composure on the ball to work their way around Aston Villa's midfield. However, a series of half-chances weren't taken, with Steve Cotterill's side almost made to pay the ultimate price when Aston Villa had two shots cannon off the woodwork.

Despite a goalless first-half of action, there were plenty of positives for Birmingham City at St Andrews, with the home team dominating the large majority of the forty-five minutes - particularly in the closing stages.

Most of their good work came through Jota down the right-hand

side, with the attacker cutting in well on numerous occasions to get a shot off on goal. Although easily dealt with by Sam Johnstone, the manager will have been pleased to see far more attacking impetus and intent from his side on the back of a poor result last weekend.

"Birmingham had the better of it in the first half" The biggest chance came to Cheikh N'Doye, who really should have done better with his close range header. Getting up well in the air, the midfielder failed to truly test the Villa goalkeeper, with his effort going straight down the middle of the goal. A chance spurned for the hosts, who almost got lucky a few minutes prior when Johnstone's clearance bounced off the back of Isaac Vassell and just wide of the post.

It was all Birmingham in the early stages of the second-half too, with Jota again the talisman in the final third. The forward really should have capped off an impressive afternoon when he intercepted a sloppy pass out from defence. Running free on goal,

you'd have put your house on him to carefully slot the ball into the corner and beyond the reach of Johnstone. However, that proved not to be the case with the club's record signing blazing his shot well over the bar to squander another huge chance for the hosts.

The away side looked bright in the latter stages of the game with Jonathan Kodjia's bright movement allowing his teammates to feed off him and get forward. Most of the threat came down the left-hand side through Alan Hutton and Josh Onomah, albeit failing to truly test Tomasz Kuszcak in between the sticks.

side pay for their spurned chances when Albert Adomah picked out a great ball for Kodjia at the far post. The striker rose well to direct his header towards the top corner for looked a certain goal before Kuszcak got across to make a brilliant diving save.

From then on, the away side grew more and more into the game. John Terry, who scored his first goal for the club from a Conor Hourihane free-kick last

weekend, almost did so again, steering the ball just wide from a brilliant delivery. The screw kept on turning with Aston Villa having two shots cannon off the woodwork in the final 15 minutes of the match. Substitute Davis turned well in the box only to smash his shot onto the bar before Kodjia rattled the woodwork with a curling effort towards the top corner.

"Steve Bruce's in-form attack so nearly made the home side pay for their spurned chances" Villa's front three played a rather pedestrian role from then on, with Birmingham dominating the lion's share of possession.

However, Steve Bruce's in-form attack so nearly made the home

Deputy Editor and Aston Villa fan Harry Wilkinson gives us an insight into the atmosphere of the derby from an away fan's perspective Harry Wilkinson Deputy Editor

How can a goalless draw be so stressful? A Villa performance lacking in quality gives Blues a half-deserved draw, despite the boys in claret and blue hitting the bar twice, and forcing a brilliant save from Blues ‘keeper Kuzczak.

For me, Villa did enough to win the game. Blues probably edged the first half as Villa were poor, but the chances we created in the second half should have seen us leave with a victory. It took a long time for Villa to settle into the game, but that is understandable due to the hostile atmosphere, not helped by Blues fans being armed with clappers (which will be discussed more later).

Blues did have chances, most notably Jota's 1v1 early in the second half due to a careless pass from Hourihane, but that was about it as far as clear-cut chances go. Blues did knock on the door consistently throughout the game, but seemed reliant on the ball falling to someone after goal-mouth scrappiness rather than creating something via quality. It didn't fall for them; credit to the stern defending by Terry and Chester, and a battling performance by Whelan.

In the second half, when Villa started to settle, they ended up hitting the bar twice, and had a Hourihane free-kick diverted inches wide by a Terry header.

Throughout the game though, both teams lacked quality. This isn't so much a surprise for Blues, but Villa had players that could have been more threatening.

Snodgrass, for example, had a poor game. He seems to have got into a habit of swaying into the centre, rather than staying wide and being an outlet.

Throughout the duration of the match, Johnstone wasn't really tested in goal, aside from a few efforts straight at him in the first half, including a header from N’Doye. The same cannot be said of Kuszczak, who was needed to produce an unbelievable save from a Kodjia header in the second half.

"Blues did knock on the door consistently throughout the game" Strangely, it was in the latter portion of the game when Villa started to look most lively. With it being goalless, some might have expected a more cautious and tense finish from the away side, but it was the opposite that occurred.. Keinan Davis came on and instantly dominated, with Kodjia struggling with being isolated against Morrison, who seemed to be man-marking him

out of the game for most parts.

However, for the short time the striking pair were on the pitch together, they looked very dangerous. Davis rattled the bar after the move of the game saw Alan Hutton through on goal and get his shot saved, causing the ball to fall to Davis, who opted smash the ball towards the goal.

Agonisingly close. Soon after Kodjia was put into the left side

by Davis, before curling a short into the far corner, clipping the bar. Unfortunately, in this process Kodjia turned on his ankle and had to come off. Not much else happened after this, aside from a late free-kick that was hit over by Adomah.

Overall, it was a useful point for both teams. For Blues, of course, they could do with every point they can. But for Villa, it was a hard-earned point that keeps them in the play-off spots.

Claret and Blue Clappers In an idea that can only be described as idiotic, Birmingham provided each of their fans with a folded, card clapper; an ideal object to throw at players whilst taking corners and throw-ins. It should be noted that I don’t think Blues fans should really be blamed for throwing the clappers at the players - if it was at Villa Park, the same thing would have happened.

However, throwing them at players when down and injured, or using other objects such as coins and bottles, is not acceptable.

What makes the clappers even more ridiculous is that they were actually claret and blue, something the Villa fans let the Blues fans know by chanting, 'Those f***ing clappers, they’re claret and blue.' In a quote to the Birmingham Mail, the West Midlands Police described the move as "awful and naive", and said that if consulted by Birmingham before the match,

"It was in the latter portion of the game where Villa looked most lively" they would have advised against them.

Another laughable piece of marketing by Birmingham administrators was their embarrassing pre-match mosaic sign, which flipped on its side, causing the equally laughable words ‘Our City is Blue’ to be rightfully obscured. Villa fan group ‘Project B6’ demonstrated properly how to make an evocative sign with ‘Small Heath Forever in Our Shadow’ being displayed clearly before and after the game.

Trouble after the game The police had a tough day with trouble from Blues fans, with some fans actively fighting with

police on the left side of the Kop stand following full-time.

The Villa fans were kept behind after the game in order to give time for Blues fans to leave the ground. Whilst being forced away, allegedly Blues fans had been fighting and “throwing bottles and bricks” at police. Thus it wasn’t until around 3:30, an hour and a half after full-time, that Villa fans were let out. Last year, the away fans were escorted (surrounded by riot police) and walked to Duddeston station, about a mile away using the dual carriage way.

This time, however, once being let out it was more of a free-forall, with the vast majority of police presence being stationed at the Blues vs Villa: Why The Big stadium.

Deal?

When it comes to local derbies, Blues vs Villa is about as big as it gets in England. Supporters of either side would put its magnitude on a par with the clashes between Manchester clubs and those on Merseyside as well.

Based in Small Heath and Aston respectively, Birmingham City and Aston Villa are very close in geographical proximity to one another, and in the past fostered an inter-club animosity based on issues such as gang territory, socio-economic division and religious denominationalism.

Historically there has never been one club that consistently outperforms the other, and they have had their fair share of victories and defeats over the years.

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The Common Goal Initiative Sport Editor Alex Alton discusses Juan Mata's groundbreaking initiative, Common Goal, and where this kind of ambition can take football in future Alex Alton Sport Editor

One of football's main problems of late is it's inability to give back to the community that props it up.

In the new age of commercialisation in football, players, agents and clubs now earn more than a pretty penny for their trade. And for all that football gives to the world, its most fervent critics would argue that it rarely gives anything back. Perhaps Juan Mata's initiative, Common Goal, can silence these critics once and for all. Common Goal, according to it's website aims to unite the world of football "behind a shared social vision".

"What is impressive so far is the calibre of sports people onboard" For the moment, the main practice of Common Goal is attempting to get football players to give just 1% of their wages to a collective fund. From this collective fund, the money is redistributed to multiple football charities.

This kind of social movement in the football world is unparalleled,

with the main objective of this altruistic organisation to "transform the beautiful game into a powerful force for good". What is impressive so far is the calibre of sportspeople onboard. Obviously, the project was set up by Spanish midfielder Juan Mata. The man already has an incredible reputation for being an all round nice guy, and boasts 7 million Twitter followers to boot. This is a fantastic starting point. In addition, though, there are other stars with similar profiles to Mata involved.

Recent members to opt in include excellent defenders Giorgio Chiellini and Mats Hummels, USWNT star Alex Morgan and Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa. On a less notable scale, English footballers Alfie Mawson and Charlie Daniels have announced their intention to also donate 1% of their wages to Common Goal.

"This kind of social movement in the football world is unparalleled" The thing that is so exciting about this project is it's potential ability to involve many more footballers right across the industry.

Imagine if it became an accepted fact of being a footballer that it is right to donate a small portion of your wages to charities that feed back directly in the sport.

This would certainly go some way to silencing critics of football. However, detractors of the initiative may argue that footballers earn so much money that 1% is too small a sum to donate to charity and that fundamentally this scheme will not raise enough money to make any real change.

For example, Juan Mata reportedly earns £140,000 per week. If he carries on only donating 1% of his income, he will only contribute £72,800 to the fund. Although this money could go a long way for some football charities, it is a meagre sum in relative terms.

When we think of the money that is constantly changing hands in football, e.g. Neymar's recent £200 million transfer to PSG, these small sums may appear insignifcant in the long term.

Nevertheless, if the Common Goal initiative can get a number of big stars onboard, it could really make a difference. This kind of altruism is sorely missed in such a corporate game, and we should get behind any efforts to give back to the people who make the game what it is - the people.

A Second Thought On Pole Fitness Sport Writer Phoebe Cristofi reveals how undertaking Pole Fitness can change you as a person Phoebe Cristofi Sport Writer

I consider myself quite a sporty person. I’ve participated in more sports over my twenty years than I can even count, and I’ve always seemed to be able to pick them up relatively quickly. I’ve sported names through the years such as “Little Miss Soccer”, “Little Miss Irish Dancing”, “Little Miss Rowing”, “Little Miss Lacrosse”; friends and family have always encouraged and supported every sporting choice I’ve made. One sport that I never would have considered while growing up as a child was pole fitness. A decade ago, undertaking pole dancing would have been considered unladylike. I’m sure my grandparents who were born in the 1910’s in an extremely traditional Britain (where women didn’t even have the vote yet), would be appalled to know that their youngest granddaughter was participating in such a stereotypically risqué activity.

To my grandparents, I reassure you: good girls can pole dance too. For decades and decades there has been the stigma that pole dancing is highly sexualised, and in terms of erotic recreation, it is.

Strip teasing while using a pole in an erotic fashion began in the 1960’s in America. Since then, there has been an unconditional stereotype regarding the physical activity. However, pole fitness is another game entirely.

Undertaking pole fitness changes you. Physically it alters your body to become a stronger

version of itself. You use and develop muscles that you never even knew existed, and if you did know, you wonder where they’ve been hiding all these years. You learn to resent gravity and sweaty palms. You become accustomed to new bruises blooming over your skin and constantly think to yourself “how the hell did I get one there?!” You start to develop a thicker skin, and become used to the pain; pain that sometimes feels like your skin is being ripped from your bone, but you persevere. You also develop thicker skin mentally. Yes, I feel sexy and confident when a move finally clicks, and I can perform it with more ease than before; but that doesn’t mean that I feel sexualised while I do it. Instead you feel empowered and strong, because you’re not doing this sport for anyone but yourself. Feeling objectified is hard when you’re supporting all your weight on one knee and gradually spinning in a rotation guided by your abdominal muscles. I don’t judge you when you’re running on a treadmill or lifting weights, so don’t judge me when I’m performing acrobatic moves on yet another workout apparatus.

As of October this year, pole dancing has been officially granted seven pole dancing events “observer status”, meaning it is now provisionally recognised by the Global Association of International Sports Federation as

a sport. To become a fully recognised sport you need federations in forty countries and across four continents; currently the International Pole Sports Federation has twenty-five (all of which have only been developed within the past six years).

Furthermore, this means that Katie Coates, the founder of the IPSF, can apply for membership for the International Olympic Committee. Coates has strived for this goal since establishing the IPSF in 2009, gaining 10,000 signatures in a petition for the sport to be officially recognised. Since the establishment of the federation, pole fitness has become extremely popular with many gyms and recreational centres, holding classes for beginners all the way to advanced, with three thousand athletes competing globally.

"A decade ago, undertaking pole fitness would have been considered unladylike" The University of Birmingham is proud to have its own Pole Fitness society through the Guild.

I’m only a beginner and I’ve attended only several classes myself, but that doesn’t matter –

why? Because I’ve decided to try something new. Furthermore, the society is not limited to females; on the contrary. At my last session my friend and I shared a pole with a young man who had never attended a class before, but was an avid parkour enthusiast – this meant that he already had strength and agility on his side. For anyone with a desire to build up their strength and to challenge themselves, I recommend this society.

I never really had a comfort zone to begin with, but I imagine that if I had one, I would be way out of it by participating in this sport. Pole fitness, however, seems like it’s been structured and designed to break down barriers – including ones that you harbour inside yourself. Some of the sports I never tried were gymnastics and acrobatics, because the concept of throwing my body against an inanimate object made me feel uneasy - yet pole fitness has helped me change that. A sport that I’ve always loved, though, is dancing. Dancing with your feet on the ground is cute, but dancing on a pole feels like flying (every dancers goal). Pole fitness has brought a whole new meaning to the word liberation. I’m proud to say that I am now a pole dancer, but that doesn’t make me a stripper. There is a very big difference between the two, and now pole fitness has the chance to prove that to the rest of the world on (potentially) an Olympic stage.

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Sport

Friday 3rd November 2017

@redbricksport

Spotlight On: Wing Chun Kung Fu Sport Editor Olli Meek spoke to Vice-Captain of Wing Chun Kung Fu Luize Bangiere to find out more about the club Olli Meek Sport Editor @ollimeek

If you could describe Wing Chun Kung Fu to our readers in one sentence, what would it be?

Wing Chun can be a fight, a mind game or a philosophy. It truly depends on who is teaching it.

Where and when did Wing Chun originate as a martial art?

The sport originated in China.

Legend says that it was created by a nun. In the 20th century it was reinvented by Ip Man (watch the 2008 film!). Perhaps most importantly though, it was popularised

by Bruce Lee, who is arguably the

most popular martial artist in contemporary history.

How does Wing Chun differ from other forms of Kung Fu? We pay a lot of attention to how the art can be used in real life - we learn to defend against multiple assailants, fight in close quarters, and have implemented western boxing, grappling and other techniques from different martial arts into our training.

How did you get involved in Wing Chun and what attratcted you to the sport?

My interest in martial arts came from watching action movies. I researched the martial arts I saw and Wing Chun seemed the most sensible. The reasons I was most attracted to Wing Chun was because of the economy of movement. Additionally, the speed and efficiency were attractive to me.

When and where do you train?

At the moment we train at the new UB Sport and Fitness Centre, (as seen in the picture on left). We usually train at the weekend.

Currently, our sessions are on Saturday 5-7pm and on Sunday at 4.30 until 6.30pm. We're working on organising other sessions in the week, though.

Why should prospective members join your club?

There are a number of reasons to join Wing Chun Kung Fu. One reason to join is that our practice is designed to improve your self defense and reflexes. It can substantially improve your strength, too. This martial art is also less focused on the appearance of moves - instead we concentrate on their practicality. It also ties in to Eastern philosophy, which could entice prospective members. Perhaps the most important reason to join, (especially for university students) is that it can help to calm your mind and free you of your problems.

Is it easy to pick up as a novice?

Most of our members have no previous martial arts experience, so everyone is on pretty much the same level. We actively encourage people to join at any point

throughout the year. The club will also endeavour to bring new members up to the rest of the group. it is quite a complicated martial art, but don't worry, you will learn quickly. The sense of progress is very rewarding.

What forms do your competitions take?

We actually don't have competitions. Our aim is to pass the official UK Wing Chun Association gradings. We will attempt to the first grading in Term 1 and the second grading in Term 2. Our aims within the group are to increase self defense ability, confidence and strength and to also be able to do sparring soon.

What has been your favourite thing about the club since you started?

My favourite thing about the club is the commitment and excitement of the members. The specificity of the style attracts certain kinds of people. As the ability of our members grow, it becomes more interesting to train and to get to know each other's sparring styles.

The Redbrick Sport Podcast 2017

Sport Print Editor Alex Alton introduces this year's Redbrick Sport Podcast, primed for this season's football campaign full of wit, wisdom and Wilkinson Following on from last year's revelatory success, the incumbent Redbrick Sport Editors have made the noble decision to follow in the footsteps of chronicled podcast presenter Dan Steeden and have produced their own.

Last year, the podcast mainly covered the land of Premier League football, with varied amounts of emphasis on local clubs in the West Midlands, even stretching as far as National League side Solihull Moors. This year, listeners can expect more of the same. Our in-depth discussions so far have traversed Cesar Azpilicueta's leadership qualities, the Premier League's need for egalitarian reform of TV rights money and the reason why Sean Dyche deserves a fair crack of the whip at a bigger club than Burnley.

Host Olli Meek has replaced Steeden with aplomb, proving that the talent pool for podcast presenters in the Surrey area is plentiful. Regulars on the podcast include former Sport Editor and now Deputy Editor Harry Wilkinson, current Sport Online

Campus Sports Results November 1st

editor Leanne Prescott, current Sport Print Editor Alex Alton and first year Sport Writer Haydn Dupree.

So far this academic year, we have four podcasts available for you to listen to. We have discussed the notion that the title is Manchester City's to lose, that Crystal Palace are doomed to the fiery gates of the Championship, and that he top four is now a closed shop for Arsenal. Our predictions have looked good in hindsight, with City extending their lead whilst in imperious form. Although Crystal Palace impressively managed to beat Chelsea, the south-Londoners still appear to be devoid of the requisite aptitude to escape the drop.

Our second episode was simply a review of the previous weekend's action, the lowlight of which was Manchester United's bore draw against Liverpool.

You can find our podcast exlucsively on YouTube by heading to the Redbrick Sport YouTube channel. Watch this space for more quality football discussion.

Find our podcast exclusively on YouTube by heading to the Redbrick Sport YouTube channel. Watch this space for more quality football discussion

Hockey (Women's) 1sts 3-0 vs Loughborough 1sts Netball (Women's) 4ths 52-23 Birmingham City 1sts Table Tennis (Men's) 1sts 8-9 Derby 1sts Badminton (Men's) 1sts 0-8 Loughborough 1sts Badminton (Men's) 3rds 1-6 Coventry 1sts

Golf 2nds 3-3 vs Leicester 1sts Golf 3rds 4-2 vs Loughborough 2nds Hockey (Men's) 1sts 1-1 Loughborough 1sts Hockey (Men's) 3rds 18-2 Worcester 1sts Lacrosse (Women's) 3rds 10-11 Loughborough 2nds

Sport

Friday 3rd November 2017

@redbricksport

39

The Best FIFA Football Awards 2017

Sport Editors Olli Meek and Alex Alton look at the winners from the FIFA Awards Ceremony, which took place in London on 23rd October

Fifpro World XI

The Winners: Best Men's Coach

Best Women's Coach

Buffon Alves

Bonucci

Modric

Messi The rearguard of the Fifpro team of the season for 2016/17 is occupied by only two clubs. Veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon takes over from last year's choice Manuel Neuer between the sticks after 13 clean sheets from 30 appearances in Serie A last term.

Buffon was also the recipient of the award for Best Goalkeeper in recognition of his achievements.

Sergio Ramos, captain of Spain and Real Madrid, takes his place next to club-mate Marcelo having scored 10 goals in 44 appearances at club level last season, making him one of the highest scoring defenders around, and certainly one of the most successful. In August he was named UEFA Champions League Defender of the Season for 16/17, adding to the League title, Champions League, Club World Cup, and UEFA Super Cup that he had already won.

"With absences such as N'golo Kante... whoever is selected will be subject to significant scrutiny" Marcelo and Ramos are joined by ex-Juventus pairing Leonardo Bonucci and Dani Alves, having joined AC Milan and Paris Saint Germain respectively over the summer. The Old Lady powered to the league title and another Champions League final with

Ramos

Marcelo

Kroos

Iniesta

Ronaldo

Neymar

these two each playing a key role from Right-Back and CentreBack, Bonucci making 45 apps, and Alves making 33.

In the midfield we have another area of Real Madrid dominance, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric partnering with Barcelona rival Andres Iniesta. Some saw the selection of Iniesta, 33, as questionable, with some of the view that he is past his peak. With absences such as N'golo Kante from the side, whoever is selected will be subject to significant scrutiny however, so it is no surprise that there are those who disagree.

No one who follows football will be surprised at the front three, with over 140 goals between them last season. Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Neymar are the three most potent attackers in the world at this moment.

Neymar's record-breaking move to PSG over the summer, rejoining former Blaugrana teammate Alves, is potentially the end of Spanish monopoly over the world's best strikers, with Neymar maybe being the figurehead of a lively, young, new generation including his new teammate Kylian MbappĂŠ.

Also awarded were the Fair Play Award and the Fan Award.

The Fair Play Award was given to Francis Kone of Togo who performed first aid on an opposition goalkeeper in the Czech First League when he was knocked unconscious. Meanwhile, the Fan Award was given to Celtic supporters for their 360 degree card display rcognising 50 years since the side who won the European Cup in 1967.

Netball 2nds 77-26 Bedfordshire 1sts Netball 3rds 33-25 Nottingham 3rds Football (Men's) 2nds 2-1 Bedfordshire 1sts Rugby (Men's) 3rds 17-24 Warwick 2nds Rugby (Men's) 4ths 45-17 De Montfort 2nds

Zinedine Zidane has continued winning trophies well into his management career, including this latest recognition from FIFA for his achievements in the 16/17 season with Real Madrid. As well as winning the Champions League for the 11th time in the club's history, and his 4th time with the club, Zidane also set records for the most consecutive La Liga wins, and most consecutive matches in Spanish football without losing last season.

Sarina Weigman won the Best Female Coach award, as she managed the Holland squad, including Lieke Martens, to the European Championship title. The former central midfielder has taken care of the Netherlands team on an interim basis before and was permanently handed the reigns in 2017. It is interesting to note that both coach awards were given to people who manage the winners of the player awards.

Best FIFA Women's Player

FIFA Puskas Award

Best FIFA Men's Player Cristiano Ronaldo picked up another individual award, adding to the many he already owns. This award becomes the second Best FIFA Men's Player that Ronaldo has won, following his win in 2016. The 32-year-old Portuguese forward has had a stellar 2017.

Not only did he play a starring role in Real Madrid's domestic and continental double, his stats from 2017 are markedly impressive. In 48 appearances for club and country, he contrbuted 44 goals and 11 assists. Interestingly, Ronaldo's natural competitor Lionel Messi did even better. The Argentinian has claimed 50 goals and 13 assists so far in 2017, usurping the Madrid man. Perhaps these awards are simply a phony popularity contest. Ronaldo himself voted for Modric, Ramos and Marcelo. Very interesting indeed.

Dutch midfielder Lieke Martens picked up the respective women's award. The playmaker, who predominantly plays on the left wing had a fantastic 2017 which culminated in her winning of this award.

Martens led her national side to glory at the 2017 European Championships, scoring three goals in the process, whilst also picking up the Golden Ball award for the tournament. Prior to the tournament, Martens had been signed by European giants Barcelona. It remains to be seen whether she can be the female answer to a fellow Dutch Barcelonian, Johan Cruyff. Her winning of this award was mired in significant controversy, with the inclusion of 18 year Venezuelan Deyna Castellanos seen as an example of corruption on the part of FIFA by some.

Squash (Men's) 3rds 1-4 Nottingham Trent 2nds Squash (Women's) 3rds 1-3 Nottingham Trent 1sts Ultimate Frisbee (Men's) 1sts 15-1 Nottingham Trent 1sts Ultimate Frisbee (Men's) 2nds 7-11 Worcester 1sts Water Polo (Women's) 1sts 3-27 Exeter 1sts

This award is one of relative unimportance in comparison to the two aforemtioned ones, yet results are up for debate between football purists as to which individual act of brilliance was superior. The winner was Arsenal man Olivier Giroud for a wonderful backheel kick over his own head against Crystal Palace. Watching the game live, one could not fathom how Giroud had managed to put the ball in the net from such an unlikely angle. Giroud had stiff competition, though. One goal was from South African goalkeeper (yes, goalkeeper) Oscarine Masuluke. In the final moments of a game vs Orlando Pirates, Masuluke headed forward for a corner, with his side Baroka needing a goal to draw. Masuluke proceeded to score a frankly ridiculous overhead kick. It is very hard to say who deserves the win for this one.

Rugby Firsts Beat Durham

03.11.2017 Harry Wilkinson and Leanne Prescott give their take on the Second City derby last weekend

Page 36

Alex Alton reflects upon the Common Goal initiative

Page 37

Spotlight On: Wing Chun Kung Fu

Page 38

Olli Meek

reviews the big winners from the recent Best FIFA Football Awards

Page 39

For more, follow us on Twitter:

@redbricksport

Olli Meek Sport Editor @ollimeek

The Men’s 1st XV Rugby team gained a hard fought win against the Durham 2nds on Wednesday 25th October in one of the first fixtures to be played on the brand new Bournbrook 3G pitch.

It was a game of the metaphorical two halves, with the majority of Birmingham's points being scored in the first 40 minutes, and the half-time break facilitating a Durham turnaround to pile on some second half pressure.

Birmingham made a lively start, kicking off in red, and second row Jared Harvey immediately made his presence felt on the Durham receiver.

This was to set the tone for how the half was to continue, the Birmingham pack clearly frustrating any and all Durham attempts to gain possession.

This pressure was quick to show both in terms of field position, as well as in who was winning the mind games; Durham were down to 14 men after just five minutes when one of their forwards was sent to the sin bin for his part in sabotaging the break-down.

The resulting penalty could not have been in a more inviting position for inside-centre, James Chaumeton, to choose to kick for the posts. He duly converted, and Birmingham were the first team on the scoreboard with a 3-0 lead to reward their efforts.

"It was a game of the metaphorical two halves, with the majority of Birmingham's points being scored in the first 40 minutes" They weren’t left waiting long for their next set of points as well, as winger Ali Wealthall set off apace down the wing from around his own 22-metre line, and with a combination of Durham missing tackles and being distracted by Jake Attwell’s supporting run from fullback, finished off an excellent solo try

in the corner. Due to its proximity to the touchline, Chaumeton failed to convert though, pulling his effort just shy of the posts- the score remained at 8-0 with just over 10 minutes gone.

Durham were clearly keen to get back into this match, and were by no means pushovers with two scores against them in quick succession. They returned pressure on the Birmingham defence for the next 10 minutes at least, however emerged on the other side of these attacks with, other than a missed penalty attempt on 15 minutes, nothing to show for it.

It was to be the Lions who next drew blood, with another try just shy of the 25-minute mark. Whilst play was more centred around the halfway line, multiple kicks were exchanged at intervals from the respective rear-guards.

Frustrated at this, the Birmingham forwards started moving more laterally, but gained few positive yards of ground.

Their persistence did pay off eventually however, when Chaumeton was released down the right and he broke through the Durham defence to finish unperturbed under the posts for Birmingham’s second try of the match. This time, he made no mistake with the conversion, coolly slotting the 14th and 15th points of a successful half for the number 12. This was how the half ended, and with 15 points to Durham’s 0, the boys from Brum were cruising.

Maybe it was something to do with the end that they were playing from, because the Durham team made a strong start to the second half, replicating the initial surge that Birmingham had made 40 minutes previously. Possession, as well as field territory, was comfortably in Durham’s favour in the opening exchanges, and their team-talk at halftime had clearly persuaded them that they yet had something to gain from the match. It did take them a little longer to score than it had taken their opposition in the first half, nevertheless 60 minutes in a rolling maul went over the try line for Durham in the corner, although not doing a huge amount of damage to the deficit, especially without the conversion, which was now 15-5.

As if on cue to remind Durham who was in charge, Birmingham wasted no time in sending Adam Waring over the white line for Birmingham’s third try of the game, and one that looked to wrap up the spoils at 22-5 with a successful

conversion. One must give Durham credit where it is due though, as they did not give up at this latest setback.

Their reply was to utilise their pack as they had done so for their previous try, gaining a penalty five metres out and subsequently choosing the scrum.

They proceeded to push the home side back until Birmingham’s weakened discipline caused the referee to award Durham the penalty try for their efforts just seven minutes later, on the 70-minute mark. At this point the score-line was 22-12, and despite the 10-point gap, this Durham side were showing enough belief to worry Birmingham.

"The contest was by no means done and dusted, especially when Durham then added a penalty to bolster their morale" The contest was by no means done and dusted, especially when Durham then added a penalty to bolster their morale at 22-15, just a converted try away from salvaging a game that looked beyond them within the first 25 minutes. It was not to be their day, however, and the Birmingham resilience paid dividends come the final whistle. They had demonstrated their metal in the face of a couple of questionable refereeing decisions - as those on the touchline repeatedly reminded the massed crowd - and a resolute Durham game-plan.

They ended the game second from bottom of the North A league, with a challenging fixture up next of Newcastle and a less testing but equally as serious match against Bishop Burton in 2 consecutive away league fixtures. Five and six points adrift of the next teams up the league, it makes for challenging reading for Brum, however there is still much of the season remaining to build on this encouraging win.

1. Hemingway 2. Brown 3. McGinn 4. Harvey 5. Dee 6. Smith 7. Waring 8. Hayward 9. Hardwick 10. Sherwood 11. Wealthall 12. Chaumeton 13. Amadi 14. Galloway 15. Attwell 16. Haddleton 17. Piggott 18. Tapping 19. Akiwumi 20. Nota 21. Jenkinson 22. Reeman