Issue 1489

Friday 19th January 2018

Redbrick Issue 1489, Vol. 82

FREE

Tim Cornbill Photography

How Not to Balance the Books

Redbrick The Official University of Birmingham Student Newspaper, est. 1936

Bankrupt UoB Library contractor goes into liquidation page 5

Brave New Guild?

Guild of Students announces restructuring of elected Student Officer Team in preparation for 2018 Guild election season

Madeline McInnis

With election season right around the corner, the Guild of Students has restructured the Full Time Officer Team for the upcoming year. These changes will include the elimina-

tion, combination and addition of Officer positions.

In a video released by the Guild in December, the Officer Team explained how they are optimistic that these changes will help them to better represent the student body. The video also explained the positions that The Guild will be electing this season and how they differ from the current setup.

Features: The pros and cons of New Year's Resolutions

Music: A look at the BBC's Sound of 2018 poll winner Sigrid

TV: Reflect on the fourth season of Black Mirror

Food&Drink: What will the UK food industry look like post-Brexit?

Features page 14

Music page 23

Sport page 25

F&D page 29

News Contributor @madmcin

The role of the President will now also oversee governance and democracy in the Guild. On top of their current responsibilities, the position will now also be responsible for making sure that the other Officers are best representing their respective students, overseeing accountability and effectiveness of the team.

The position of Activities and

Employability Officer, formerly the Activities and Development Officer, has also been expanded to include further development on student accountability and the RA scheme, as well as commercial activities that are run by the Guild. They will still be responsible for societies.

According to Rose Bennett, current Postgraduate Officer, in the video, her position is now a ‘permanent role in the Officer Team’ after a two year probation period. ‘[The new elected Officer] will be in charge of representing over half of the student body here at Birmingham’. This role is accountable to represent the wellness and academic support of all postgraduate students while they attend the university.

An International Officer is being added to the committee, with a fairly similar role to that of the Postgraduate Officer; they will be responsible for the concerns of all international students at Birmingham, including those on a year abroad and students on international campuses. This is the newest position at The Guild and this will be the first year that there will be a dedicated full time officer in this capacity.

The Housing and Community Officer and the Welfare Officer, previously separate, have been combined into a single position to better secure the safety and wellbeing of students on and off campus. According to the Guild’s website, this position aims to ensure ‘that University services vary their approach to suit every student’ and ‘build a happy, inclusive community’.

Continued on page 3

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REDBRICK

Friday 19th January 2018

redbrick.me

Letter from the committee...

I honestly do not know how we’re already at the halfway point of our year of committee! This is the first edition of 2018, and the academic year has flown by. Before we all know it, it’ll be graduation. I feel very lucky to have been in this role last year as well, because one year on committee just wouldn’t be enough.

As social secretary, I don’t have much to do with the everyday running of the paper. I, as the name suggests, organise all of our social events, and leave the putting together of Redbrick in the far more capable hands of our print editor, deputy editors and editor-in-chief. I don’t entirely understand how they do it, but every issue is stunning, so they must be doing something right.

As I said, I’m social sec, so my main aim is to make the society as sociable as possible. Last term we held freshers’ socials for the first time, and I really hope this is something next year’s committee carries on, because it was so nice meeting a whole load of new faces and talent who are passionate about journalism. We attended two Societies Nights, held a pub quiz (Redbrick themed of course), and organised the first ever Media Ball at the end of term. We joined forces with the other fantastic media societies at the uni, includ-

ing BurnFM and The Linguist, to have a classy evening of prosecco and canapes at Fazeley Studios.

We’ve continued our friendship with Burn, and just held joint pres for Societies Night on Monday.

Keep an eye out for another pub quiz this term, hopefully another Societies Night, and, of course, our Redbrick Awards in the summer. Whilst the end of the year feels very far away at the moment, I know that with the speed last term flew by at, we’ll be dressed in our posh frocks and bow ties before long!

If you’re considering joining Redbrick, absolutely do it! I joined Redbrick in the autumn of 2016 as an editorial assistant, and became social sec within about a month.

Everyone is so welcoming, and it felt like home nearly immediately.

Of course, you don’t need to join committee to take part. One thing I love about Redbrick is that it’s completely up to you what you make of it. Fancy working in publishing, or enjoy proofreading?

Then being an editorial assistant is perfect for you! Have strong opinions on something that you think other students would find interesting? Then write an article!

Got deadlines coming up? Don’t worry about it, take some time off. And if you write a few articles, come along to a social, and

completely fall in love with Redbrick (which no-one would blame you for) then apply to be an editor or on committee!

I’m so glad that I made the decision to run for social sec in November 2016. Redbrick has been one of the best experiences of my uni life, and has completely made the last year. The people I know through Redbrick are some of the kindest, warmest, and seriously intelligent people I’ve ever met.

If you’re considering joining, or running for an editor or committee position, do it. I promise you won’t regret it.

Laura Burgess, Social Secretary

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...

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Impressions: God of War

Redbrick's Albums of 2017

Georgia Toffolo Cannot be the Face of the Tories

Redbrick Editorial Team Editor-in-Chief William Baxter editor@redbrickonline.co.uk

Deputy Editors Holly Carter Kirstie Sutherland Harry Wilkinson deputy@redbrickonline.co.uk

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Marketing Secretary Kamila Geremek marketing@redbrickonline.co.uk

Social Secretary Laura Burgess social@redbrickonline.co.uk

News Editors Erin Santillo Grace Duncan Phoebe Radford Gregory Robinson Emily Roberts John Wimperis

Music Editors Emily Barker Issy Campbell Luke Charnley Thom Dent music@redbrickonline.co.uk

Travel Editors Iesha Thomas Phoebe WarnefordThomson Olivia Woodington travel@redbrickonline.co.uk

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Comment Editors Alex Cirant-Taljaard Alex Goodwin Kat Smith

Television Editors Amelia Bacon Matt Dawson Abbie Pease

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Culture Editors Olivia Boyce Hannah Brierley Rebecca Moore Natalie Welch

Gaming Editors Nick Burton Jack Cooper Emma Kent Roshni Patel

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Food&Drink Editors Caitlin Dickinson Adele Franghiadi Dean Mobbs food@redbrickonline.co.uk

Sci&Tech Editors Phoebe Glass Katie Jones Emilia Rose tech@redbrickonline.co.uk

Editorial Assistants Beth Cole Rhi Storer Aamina Siddiqi Olivia Frankl Nicola Maclean Bethan Parry Kate Ezard Ellie Duncan

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

NEWS

Friday 19th January 2018

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03

Honorary Degrees from UoB Madeline McInnis News Reporter @madmcin

In December, the latest round of honorary degrees was announced at the University of Birmingham.

The four new recipients are Marilyn Comrie, Jeffrey Skidmore, Sir Peter Knight, and Professor Andrew Chesher.

Here at the University of Birmingham, honorary degrees are given based on nominations from students, alumni, staff, and members of honorary staff or lay members of Court or Council of the University. They can nominate anyone except themselves, current politicians, or university funders.

The four new inductees will all be receiving degrees that reflect their fields of work and study, and the contributions that they have made to the quality of life for those involved. They will be receiving their degrees alongside the approximately 3000 students who will be receiving their degrees this graduation period.

Comrie is known for her busi-

ness ventures. She is an international leadership coach and is fore-fronting the field of additive manufacturing.

"Honorary degrees are given based on nominations from students, alumni, staff, and members of honorary staff or lay members of Court or Council of the University" Along with being a former BBC journalist, she also advocates for women in motorsport, encouraging them to take part and compete in the male dominated field. She completed her undergraduate degree at Birmingham in Chemistry.

Skidmore is a choral conduc-

tor and is the artistic director of Maths, Economics, and Statistics.

Honorary degrees are designed early music at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. He is to be presented to people who at the forefront of research for have had a large impact in their music in the 1500s-1700s and is field, whether that be academialso a research fellow at the cally or in the greater world. It is suggested, although not required, University of Birmingham.

Knight is a physicist with a that the nominees are those who focus on quantum optics. He was have made their mark on the university, the city of knighted in 2005 and was Birmingham or, more president of the Institute generally, the West of Physics from 2011Midlands.

2013. Along with Honorary holding many other degrees are also prestigious posimeant to build tions, Knight is relationships heavily involved New recipients between the uniwith the Princeton versity and the University Press of honorary inductee. For this and research in his degrees reason, people who field. are currently heavily Chesher is a proinvolved in the univerfessor of Economics at sity are not often considUniversity College ered for these degrees unless London. Until recently, he was the president of the Royal there are extenuating circumEconomic Society, and he is the stances.

In the nomination package, founder of ESRC Centre for Microdata Methods and Practice. the university states that they are He also earned his bachelor’s particularly interested in looking degree from the University of at female nominees and nominees Birmingham, where he studied of ethnic minorities, as they ‘have

4

historically been under-represented’.

Nominations are accepted on an ongoing basis and are deliberated on three times a year.

"Honorary degrees are designed to be presented to people who have had a large effect on their field" If you would like to nominate anyone this semester, the deadline is 18 January. Applications and more information on nominations can be found on the university website.

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

UoB Alumni and Academics Awarded 2018 New Year Honours Grace Duncan

News Editor @gracieellen_

Academics and Alumni of the University of Birmingham were among the 1,123 people awarded New Year Honours in 2018.

Professor James Arthur, University of Birmingham academic, has been awarded an OBE for services to character and values education.

Also included in the list are Andrew Ready, a leading surgeon, and Sabrina Francis, a community leader. Mr Ready received an MBE, whilst Ms Francis was awarded the British Empire Award Medal (BEM).

James Arthur, Professor of Education and Civic Engagement, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Staffing), and Director and Founder of the University’s Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, is respected as an expert in the field of

character education.

Most recently Professor Arthur played a key role in the creation of the University of Birmingham School which opened in September 2015. Prior to that, he set up the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues in 2012 in order to improve the popular understanding of the impact of character on society.

Over the course of his career, he has made many contributions to the civic life of the UK, most notably through his charitable works such as his inputs into the national policy debate surrounding the role of character in the development of children, his contributions to the educational landscape of the city of Birmingham, and in his achievements as an educator and scholar.

On receiving news of his OBE, he commented, ‘I am very honoured to be recognised in this New Year’s Honours List. To be awarded an OBE for my work in character education is also an

acknowledgement of the incredible team in the Jubilee Centre at the University of Birmingham.’

"An OBE for my work in character education is also an acknowledgement of the incredible team in the Jubilee Centre" He is also been involved in think-tanks and has acted as a key consultant in government-level debates on how character could be part of anti-radicalisation efforts in schools. He has also

directed research on the theme of education, character and citizenship, which examined the character development of over 75,000 young people in the UK. He has also written more than 20 books advancing education and advised governments on education all over the world.

Andrew Ready completed his medical training at UoB and is a consultant renal transplant surgeon at University Hospital Birmingham and Birmingham Children’s Hospital, as well as Honorary Consultant Surgeon at Belfast City Hospital. He is also Medicated Director and Chairman of Transplant Links – an organisation dedicated to supporting renal transplantation in the developing world.

Sabrina Francis graduated from UoB in 2006 with a BA in Social Policy. She has received the BEM for her work strengthening the community at City, University of London, through

building online communities for all members of the university community. She is also a local councillor within Camden for the Bloomsbury Ward and volunteers for Crisis at Christmas, helping homeless people.

The three awardees have been commended by the university for their achievements.

Guild Officer Roles Shake-Up Continued from front page.

The Representation and Resources Role is no longer an officer position.

The Sports Officer and Education Officer are the only two positions that will not see any changes this elections season.

Respectively, they represent the health and activity of students and the way in which courses and education is run. Both positions are

also responsible for communication with offices of similar departments within the university.

"Applications for the Officer Team are due on 26 January"

The elections process for these positions will remain the same.

These positions will be elected by students after each candidate has campaigned for their position. All students are members of the Guild and can run for election and vote for candidates, regardless of the subject they are taking or their year of study.

The Guild is designed to represent all students in the university, and the changeup hopes to

better reflect the needs of the student body. The motto of “change things” is prevalent in the Guild, and they advertise that they are always looking for new perspectives to improve on their approaches to student wellbeing while studying at Birmingham.

Applications for the Officer Team are due on 26 January and voting for all positions will take place from 26 February - 2 March.

Any student can nominate them-

selves or someone else for the elections process. The results will be announced on 3 March. More information on how to apply for the new Officer Team can be found on the Guild’s website.

As ever, Redbrick will be covering the 2018 Guild Elections in print and online, so keep your eyes peeled on this publication to keep up to date over the coming months.

04

NEWS

Friday 19th January 2018

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Birmingham Announced as 2022 Commonwealth Games Host After months of deliberation, it has been announced that Birmingham will be the Commonwealth Games host after Australia Lily Wilde

News Reporter

The wait is over as Birmingham has been officially announced as the host of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

It certainly has not been a smooth road for the West Midlands city, yet preparations are already in place to set this city on the global stage. The original bid for the games was won by the South African city of Durban in 2015; however, after not complying with the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) guidelines, they were stripped of the event earlier this year. The first success for Birmingham came in September 2017 when it was chosen over its northern neighbour Liverpool, as England’s recommended city to host the games.

Yet there were delays when Birmingham was the only city to have bid by the deadline on the 30th September, triggering a later deadline to be put in place; cities from Australia, Canada and Malaysia showed their interest, yet Birmingham prevailed. This process has certainly been beset with problems, and despite announcing this golden moment for Birmingham, the city has many hurdles to overcome before hosting in 2022.

The city council’s campaign was based on Birmingham being the ‘heart of the UK’, and now the fantastic city, diverse in culture and population, has the opportunity to shine on the world stage.

The Commonwealth Games will be Britain’s most expensive sporting showpiece since the London 2012 Olympics, according to BBC statistics.

Andy Street, the recently elected West Midlands Metro Mayor, stated in the Birmingham Mail that he was thoroughly excited for this opportunity that would provide ‘the ideal showcase for our resurgent region’. With the city undergoing unprecedented levels of construction, the games will encourage not only ‘cultural benefits’ but the encouragement

of a ‘sporting legacy’.

This echoes the excitement throughout the city, bringing back the 2012 Olympic motto of 'inspiring a generation'; this opportunity holds high hopes for the vision of sport in Birmingham. However, Birmingham is not new to holding high-level sporting events, as it is the home of the Ashes test in Edgbaston Cricket Ground, regular athletics meetings held at Alexander Stadium and the Aegon tennis championships which take place at Edgbaston Priory Club.

"The University of Birmingham is honoured to have been part of this successful bid to bring such a prestigious sporting event to our home city" On the success of the city of Birmingham being chosen to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the University of Birmingham, as one of the UK’s leading sporting universities, has welcomed the opportunity by opening its sporting facilities to host some of the games’ events.

The University’s ViceChancellor, Professor Sir David Eastwood, expresses the staff and students' excitement regarding the world class athletes striving to achieve medals on campus, stating that ‘the University of Birmingham is honoured to have been part of this successful bid to bring such a prestigious sporting event to our home city’. The University of Birmingham has a reputation for providing a fantastic training environment for, not only its own athletes, but for hosting Team Jamaica prior to the

London 2012 Olympic Games part of the Commonwealth to our and the IAAF World beautiful campus and wish them Championships earlier this year. every sporting success for the The University has recently Games’. opened a new £55 million Sport The sporting facilties have & Fitness Club, including six been through further developsquash courts, which can ment, as two existing waterbe adjusted to accombased synthetic pitches modate large douhave undergone a £2 bles courts with million refurbishment room for the addiin order to meet the tion of 200 specInternational tator seats, in Hockey Federation preparation for and Commonwealth t h e Games requireUoB's Global Commonwealth Ranking for Sports ments.

Games. The Club Zena Wooldridge Science also has a 2000m² OBE, Director of indoor arena, as Sport at the University well as a second of Birmingham, as well sports hall for use duras the President of the ing the games, as a fantasEuropean Squash Federation tic setting for the entirely glass and member of Birmingham squash show court and a second- Commonwealth Games Steering ary show court.

Group, said that ‘it is absolutely The University has numerous fantastic news that Birmingham other sports facilities which can will host the 2022 Commonwealth be used by teams to train ahead of Games’ and that the University the Games. This includes a 50m has a ‘long pioneering heritage training pool, a new 8 lane 400m and passion sport’. The city is track and many outdoor pitches. delighted to present the University’s new world class facilities in honour of the games.

The excitement of the games coming to Birmingham is expressed by the Rio 2016 Olympic Champion for Hockey, and University of Birmingham student, Lily Owsley MBE who said: ‘since becoming a student at Birmingham I’ve had the benefit of being able to study, train and play on this fantastic campus, with world class facilities and support. A home Commonwealth Games in Birmingham 2022 will certainly be an incentive for me to continue playing to make the England team for 2022 and play on home ground here on campus.

I’m sure it will also inspire many other young players to live their dream of playing for England in a major Games on home turf.’

Sir David Eastwood says that The University of Birmingham Birmingham is a ‘global univer- is ranked amongst the world’s top sity and we have invested signifi- 100 institutions and has amongst cantly in new sporting facilities its students many talented sports that match the reputation we enjoy men and women. A third of the around the world. I look forward senior squad for Team GB womto welcoming athletes from every en’s hockey training towards

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"Global university and we have invested significantly in new sporting facilities that match the reputation we enjoy around the world"

Tokyo 2020 are either current University of Birmingham students or graduates. Additionally, earlier this year, the University achieved a world top ranking number 5 for research in sport and exercise sciences; the university’s students and alumni brought home 7 medals, including 4 gold medals from the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"A home Commonwealth Games in Birmingham 2022 will certainly be an incentive for me to continue playing to make the England team for 2022" The Birmingham 2022 Games will encourage a sporting ethos in primary and secondary schools, as well as having massively refurbished the University’s sporting facilities, providing opportunities for thousands of students. The Commonwealth Games of 2022 are a massive opportunity for Birmingham as an ever-developing city to showcase its ability to host a huge event on the world’s stage.

Before Birmingham’s chance to host in 2022, the Commonwealth Games will be taking place next year on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. This will be Australia's fifth time hosting the games; with under a year to go, the countdown has begun.

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

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NEWS

Friday 19th January 2018

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05

UoB Library Contractor Collapse

On the news that Carillion, the national contractor, has gone bust, Grace Duncan reports on how it will affect UoB's building projects Grace Duncan

News Editor

British-based construction firm Carillion has gone into liquidation.

The company, which employs 20,000 people in the country, has announced its collapse after running up debts of £900 million and a £590 million pension deficit.

Along with boasting work for the Royal Opera house, the company also completed a number of jobs on the university campus.

Former President of CivSoc Beth McGoff comments that Carillion was ‘the big face of civil engineering on the university campus’ in 2016.

Its most recent project was the Bournbrook residence which started development in April 2016 and was completed in September 2017. It is housing 178 students this year.

Prior to that, Carillion completed the £42 million library

which was welcomed enthusiastically by library services who said ‘the new library is transformational’, when the library was handed over to the university in September 2016. It has been less enthusiastically received by students, who have complained about the project since its opening a couple of years ago. It was also the contracter behind the Birmingham city library which opened in 2013.

When asked about what the effects could be on the university, a spokesperson told Redbrick that ‘the University of Birmingham has worked with Carillion on a number of projects in the past.

The majority of these projects are now complete, with only minor finishing touches being made.

One building has only just been completed, and we are assessing what final work is required. If necessary, we are in a position to bring in a different contractor.’

There is greater concern about what this means for the West

Midlands area with the company employing 400 people in Wolverhampton alone. While government minister David Lidington has said that employees will continue to get paid, there are still concerns, especially for small firms that carry out work on Carillion’s behalf.

"It was reckless management on the one hand that led to this but also, the government stood back and let it happen" The company is also in the process of constructing the 669bed Midland Metropolitan

Hospital, which will substantially replace emergency service currently provided by City Hospital in Birmingham and Sandwell Hospital. It is reported that NHS managers have begun talks with the Treasury to ensure that the hospital will still be able to open in 2019 as planned.

Birmingham MP Jack Dromey has said: ‘It was reckless management on the one hand that led to this but also, the government stood back and let it happen. We need to protect jobs and also the pensions of Carillion staff, some of whom have worked for the business for decades.’

Significantly the company is also involved in major national projects, such as the HS2 high speed rail line, which will connect London and Birmingham when it opens in 2026. Carillion is also the second biggest supplier of maintenance services to Network Rail.

The government has come under fire this week, as it has

come to light that it awarded eight contracts to the company after it issued profit warnings, six of which were joint ventures with other firms.

Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey has also said: ‘This company issued three profit warnings in the last six months yet despite those profit warnings the government continued to grant contracts to this company.’

What happens next depends on the actions of the court-appointed official receiver who will review Carillion’s business. It could take months until this issue is resolved.

The university has made it clear that the campus will not be affected and that all current contracts will be completed.

ValeFest Reveals Theme for 2018 Sophie Woodley

News Reporter

ValeFest is back for 2018 and claims to be ‘the best one’ so far.

Europe’s largest student-run charity festival is coming to us on Saturday 2nd June.

The festival will be held at the University of Birmingham’s student accommodation site, the Vale Village, where music, comedy and art will be promoted to both University of Birmingham students and the general public. The music and arts festival has taken place at the Vale Village since 2004, after students finish their exams in early June.

The main goal of ValeFest is to raise money for charity. In the

last five years, ValeFest has raised years, most of these occur in over £100,000 for various causes Birmingham. We are delighted by, including child poverty, mental and really appreciate, the fundhealth, cancer support and raising efforts of the ValeFest domestic and sexual team.' violence victims. In This year, ValeFest 2016, ValeFest’s will be raising money committee raised for the Digbeth based over £35,000 for charity ‘Sifa Birmingham Fireside’ and the Children’s international Hospital and ‘Shelterbox’. Both Against Malaria charities help those raised in 2016 by Foundation. who are homeless or ValeFest A charity affected by natural ValeFest supported disasters and migralast year was RSVP tion or unexpected trag(Rape & Sexual edies, such as unemployViolence Project) who said: ment, loss of close relatives ‘in the West Midlands there has and homelessness and hunger. been a 40% increase in reported Every year, ValeFest’s comsexual offences over the past 4 mittee chooses a theme for the

£35,000

festival, depending on the causes they would like to support. This year, ‘Habitats’ is the theme and so the chosen charities are ones which help those whose everyday lifestyles have been drastically affected.

The festival encourages its attendants to help raise money for their chosen charities in various ways: buying tickets for the festival, purchasing ValeFest merchandise, bringing clothes, food and other goods for donation and signing up for voluntary work at charities or companies that have booths at the festival.

Tara Goatley, the Chair of ValeFest, said that ‘ValeFest are hugely excited to announce our line-up this year, as the committee have been working hard over the

Harding Study Spaces Open Kamila Geremek

Marketing Secretary

The Harding law library first opened its doors to University of Birmingham students in 1961; it remained a favourite study space, particularly for law students, until its closure in 2016. All books were relocated to the new Main Library, which now hosts 55,000 law books that the University has available.

With the demand for more study spaces across campus, the law school promised the development of a new space that would include facilities for studying and mooting (debating of legal issues).

The Harding Space was due to

open at the start of the second term in 2017; however, it faced minor delays, but it finally opened on January 15th. There are still jobs that need completing to give the space its finishing touches, which may cause some disruptions; for instance, the main entrance is still not fully accessible.

The space features over 200 study spaces with 70 PCs and 70 PC-less work stations. There are 9 study rooms which are available for booking through the same system, as is used for the Main Library. It also includes a Translation Suite which is aimed to improve the teaching experiences of Modern Languages students. A new Moot Room was at

the heart of the project and will be highly beneficial for the law school’s mooting activities, as well as providing a different kind of teaching space.

Students are excited about the new space; one English student says that 'this will definitly be a welcome addition to campus especially as we approach exam time.'

Whilst the law library is still dearly missed, the new study space is greatly welcomed, especially amidst criticisms that there is not enough study space available on campus. It will be open between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday with food and drink being permitted in the space.

James Moore

past few months’. He claimed that they have not just been focusing on music but also on expanding the festival’s ‘range of arts performances, and engaging more with our chosen charities for this year’.

Guild President Ellie Keiller called ValeFest 'an exceptional event that sees thousands of students attend every year. Not only does it develop talent [...] but the ethos with which it does this is truly exceptional. Those involved should be proud as raising such a huge amount of money and putting on such a brilliant event every single year is no easy task.'

ValeFest is yet to announce this year’s headliners; they will be released on the festival’s website and Facebook page.

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NEWS

Friday 19th January 2018

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Cabinet Reshuffle Controversy

News Editor Phoebe Radford outlines the changes to the Cabinet following Theresa May's reshuffle in early January Phoebe Radford News Editor

Prime Minister Theresa May oversaw a cabinet reshuffle on 8th and 9th January, following two resignations and one sacking in the previous two months.

Sir Michael Fallon, the former Defence Secretary, resigned in November after allegations of improper conduct. Only a week later, Priti Patel was tracked on her flight back from Kenya, with speculation rife over whether she would be sacked or would resign over the revelation that she had held secret meetings in Israel.

More recently, May’s deputy, Damian Green, was sacked as a result of ‘misleading statements’ made to the press over pornogra-

phy found on his office computer in 2008.

Following on from these departures, May announced that she would reshuffle her cabinet.

The event proved underwhelming, with the biggest ministerial positions remaining the same.

The most dramatic moment of the reshuffle was the resignation of Justine Greening, the former Education Secretary, who is believed to have refused a position at the Department for Work and Pensions.

In a tweet addressing her resignation, Greening stated that it had been an ‘honour [and] privilege to serve in Govt since 2010’.

She alluded to possible divergences in her position and that of the Government’s, saying that

‘social mobility matters to me & our country more than my ministerial career’.

Greening was replaced in Education by Damian Hinds, former Employment Minister.

According to the website They Work for You, Hinds’ voting record shows that he has consistently voted in favour of university tuition fees, including to raise the cap from £9,000.

The Department for Education saw further change in the departure of Jo Johnson, who became Minister for Transport and Minister for London. He was replaced by Sam Gyimah, the former Prisons Officer. During Johnson’s office he oversaw the introduction of the teaching excellence framework (TEF), which

rates the teaching quality in universities. The TEF was based on the research excellence framework, which rates universities’ research, determining their funding. Johnson also oversaw the Higher Education and Research Act, which created the Office for Students, the board from which Toby Young recently resigned.

Gyimah is a former president of the Oxford Union, where he read Politics, Philosophy and Economics. He has also consistently voted in favour of tuition fees, according to They Work for You. Grace, a third year history student, said she was 'disappointed' with the reshuffle, although 'the media coverage was entertaining'.

Student Investigation and Petition Leads to Toby Young Resignation John Wimperis News Editor

The controversial Spectator columnist, who had been appointed to run the Office for Students (OfS), has stood down after a petition calling for him to be sacked gained over 200,000 signatures and a student investigation revealed his attendance at a secret conference on eugenics and intelligence.

Writing in the Spectator, Young claimed to have resigned from the OfS because his appointment had ‘become a distraction from its vital work of broadening access to higher education and defending academic freedom’. He called his representation in the press a ‘caricature’ and apologised for his previous comments which he said were ‘either ill-

judged or just plain wrong’.

He was one of six members newly appointed to the fifteenmember board of the OfS in the new year. The OfS is replacing the Higher Education Funding Council for England as the regulator of universities, responsible for holding universities to account over issues such as vice chancellor pay, free speech and providing high quality education to students.

Young originally came under fire for a number of misogynistic tweets which commented on women’s breasts on television, including those of a Labour MP during Prime Minister’s Questions, and a deleted tweet where he claimed US TV host Padma Lakshmi looked a certain way in a photoshoot with him because ‘I had my dick up her arse’. This

was one of up to 40,000 tweets dating from 2009 that Young deleted after his appointment.

"Either ill-judged or just plain wrong" He also attacked ‘inclusivity’ as ‘one of those ghastly, politically correct words’, dismissing the idea of having wheelchair ramps and special needs departments in schools in a 2012 column for the Spectator. He also once described students from working class backgrounds coming to Oxford as ‘small, vaguely deformed undergraduates [...] replete with acne and anoraks’.

Conservatives such as Foreign

Secretary Boris Johnson had been defending Young, describing him as the ‘ideal man [for] the job’ and said he would give the OfS ‘independence, rigour, and caustic wit’.

Prime Minister Theresa May highlighted his work in setting up free schools in an interview with Andrew Marr, but said that she was unaware of his controversial comments before his appointment and was ‘not at all impressed’, but did not say she would remove him.

The saga took a turn on Monday 8th January when a story was broken by Student Newspaper: London Student that reported Young had been attending secret meetings on eugenics. ‘The London Conference on Intelligence’ opened in 2014 and has held four meetings at University College London

(UCL), London Student revealed.

They claimed Young had attended alongside a eugenicist and childrape proponent, as well as white supremacists. Young resigned the following day.

Universities Minister Jo Johnson defended Young after his resignation, tweeting: ‘Toby Young's track record [...] supporting free schools speaks for itself’.

Labour MP Angela Rayner, however, tweeted: ‘the Toby Young saga has cast great doubt on the judgment of the PM who failed to sack him in the first place’. David Lammy, Labour MP for Tottenham, also tweeted, saying: ‘I thought it was New Year’s Day not April Fool’s Day’.

Young’s appointment was labelled a ‘serious mistake’ by Liberal Democrat Leader Vince Cable.

Follow Vice Chancellor Question Time on Redbrick's Live Blog! www.redbrick.me/news @redbricknews

NEWS

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbricknews

07

Sydney University Releases New Study into Sexual Harassment Findings point to a problematic university culture and show how sexual harassment continues to be a pressing issue for students Sophie Woodley News Reporter

A recent study has revealed the number of women at University of Sydney colleges facing sexual harassment, affecting one in four women at one college.

Elizabeth Broderick, a former sex discrimination commissioner in Sydney, undertook a study which revealed a culture of sex and alcohol that students feel pressured to fit into. The study was commissioned by the University of Sydney and five colleges: St Andrew’s, St John’s, Wesley, Women’s and Sancta Sophia. These colleges in particular have been known for several previous incidents, which brought them to the forefront of national news.

Broderick’s study revealed students felt intimidated approaching and reporting cases of sexual harassment. Those that did report their experiences of harassment recounted unwanted kissing, touching, and cornering, most of this occurring in their own college.

One student at the college of St John’s claimed how, ‘boys can be rough and violent when drunk’ and even ‘hearing them come down your corridor when they’re drunk is scary and you feel too

afraid to leave your room’.

The five colleges took immediate action by implementing the study’s thirteen recommendations.

These include: better control of alcohol consumption at college bars, ensuring more women are in leadership positions and having a zero tolerance policy towards hazing and sexual harassment. It is reported that there will be a review to assess the progress made in three years time.

"Broderick's study revealed students felt it intimidating to approach and report sexual harassment" The University of Birmingham’s own sexual harassment campaign, Not On, also seeks action to prevent sexual harassment and to help those who have experienced any form of harassment. The campaign encourages students to sign a pledge, aiming to ‘challenge the behaviours around us and educate ourselves on the experience of

others’. More information can be found on the Guild of Students’ website.

Redbrick spoke to Holly Campbell, the Women's Officer at the Guild, who said ‘I would 100% say that society has a long way to go in tackling sexual harassment and assault. I would also say that University campuses, as places of education, development, and progression, have a responsibility to be at the forefront of this battle against sexual harassment.

It is vitally important that all students are educated on the issues of informed and enthusiastic consent, and bystander-ism’.

Campbell also commented on her future plans for the University’s campaign, ‘I am hoping to introduce an exit survey at the end of this academic year in order to attain some form of data on how prevalent sexual harassment and assault is at our University, in the hope that this evidence can be used in the future to justify further preventative measures’.

Among the 5 colleges that were investigated in Broderick’s study, particular ones were brought to the forefront. For instance, St Paul’s, an all boys college in Sydney, made headlines previously in 2009 for having a ‘pro-rape’ Facebook page.

However, the college has recently come forward in supporting the

anti-sexual harassment measures, and will thus be subject to review in June 2018.

"University campuses [...] have a responsibility to be at the forefront of this battle against sexual harassment" As well as this, a report on St. Andrew’s college found that 23% of women experienced sexual remarks directed at them. This is significantly higher than 14%, the percentage of women that have experienced sexual harassment across all five colleges.

Sexual harassment comes in various forms: unwelcome touching, hugging, and kissing was encountered by 18% of women, with inappropriate physical contact happening to 12%. Sexually suggestive comments or jokes that made an individual feel offended was reported as affecting 11% of women, and intrusive questions about one’s private life or physical appearance that also made someone feel offended also affect-

ed 11%. 8% of female survey respondents, and 2% of men surveyed, experienced actual or attempted sexual assault.

One respondent claimed that, ‘many women at Andrew’s are too scared or uncomfortable with challenging the authority of these men’. This becomes evident when it is considered how the number of students that attend annual events at the college, has significantly dropped. The Rawson and Rosebowl college events have recently been renowned for their attack on women and the LGBTQ+ community. One student claimed how, at the events, ‘the chants that get sung [...] are derogatory about women [...] and about the gay and lesbian community’.

The Vice Chancellor of Sydney University Michael Spence stated that this recent report sheds light on the ‘embedded cultural challenges’ related to the experiences of women at college. Spence claimed that Rob Stokes, New South Wales Education Minister, is watching progress and has the ability to change legislation that governs colleges. This reform will take place if no sufficient progress is made, come the imminent review in 2018.

Fears Over 'Aussie Flu' Outbreak

Birmingham is said to be in the 'red zone' as the number of cases of the potentially deadly virus in the UK continue to rise Tom Leaman News Reporter

According to Public Health England, the number of people admitted to intensive care because of influenza almost doubled between December 28th and January 4th, which is heavily linked to ‘Aussie Flu’.

Officially named H3N2, ‘Aussie Flu’ has caused 300 deaths in Australia with 17,000 reported cases, although PHE have said it is not yet known if the UK will be hit as badly. However, on January 10th, Birmingham was declared a ‘red zone’, where people are more likely to be affected by this A-strain influenza virus.

The virus - which has caused Australia’s worst flu season in a decade - puts young children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing medical conditions at the highest risk. While this year’s flu vaccine is designed to protect against ‘Aussie Flu’, PHE estimates that it is only 40% to 60% effective, as the virus can mutate

throughout the season. However, according to the BBC, this year’s flu admission statistics are not anomalous when compared to previous winters and are considerably lower than during the Swine Flu epidemic.

"The number of people admitted to intensive care because of influenza almost doubled between December 28th and January 4th" While the reported figures do not seem too extensive, Oxford University’s Professor Peter Horley told the Daily Mail that ‘Generally H3N2 (‘Aussie Flu’) tends to be a bit more severe than

the H1N1 (Swine Flu) in 2009.'

Additionally, Professor Robert Dingwall of Nottingham Trent University warned that ‘the reports from Australia suggest the UK might be in for the worst winter flu season for many years’.

In the last three weeks, Birmingham has seen 38 cases of influenza-like illnesses, although not all of these are linked to ‘Aussie Flu’. The symptoms are very similar to the more common strain of influenza, though they tend to be more serious. This is to be expected from an A-strain flu, as it is the most serious type of the virus, with C being the least serious. However, the BBC suggest that those who are not in the highrisk groups will be able to recover without any specific treatment in about a week if they do catch the virus.

The outbreak of H3N2 comes as the Labour Party attempt to force a vote for extra funding to help the NHS cope with an ‘appalling winter crisis’. Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to apologise for the cancellation

of 55,000 non-urgent operations to free-up hospital capacities for more immediate treatments.

Doctors from 68 UK hospitals have written an open letter to the government, stating that ‘the NHS

is severely and chronically underfunded’.

08

NEWS

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbricknews

Birmingham Seeks Happiness News Writer Hiu Ng investigates UoB's collaboration with the UAE in research into happiness Hiu Ng

News Reporter

United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) has joined the new trend of researching ‘happiness’ in a project with the University of Birmingham (UoB).

UoB is working with the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Ministry of Health and Prevention with the aim to develop the UAE into one of the happiest nations in the world. This is part of the set of development goals listed in the ‘UAE Vision 2021’.

The project’s vision, indicated in the UAE’s ‘National Agenda’, is to promote happiness and positivity throughout all segments of UAE society. The government is willing to use the initiative to create an environment to suit the National Agenda.

Denmark and Bhutan were named as the happiest countries in the world. The popular lifestyle book ‘The Little Book of Hygge’, written by Meik Wiking from Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, introduced some of the elements which contribute to

the levels of happiness in Denmark. This book rose in popularity as more people expressed an interest in this particular lifestyle.

"The University is honoured to work with Dubai’s Ministry of Health and Prevention to explore new partnerships which could help develop the happiness of people in Dubai"

research (covering a range of academic fields) and has been awarded 11 Nobel Prizes. It has also been collaborating with overseas universities for a number of research projects and teaching activities.

Speaking of the collaboration, UoB Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir David Eastwood said, ‘the University is honoured to work

with Dubai’s Ministry of Health and Prevention to explore new partnerships which could help develop the happiness of people in Dubai’.

The representatives of these two institutions, including His Excellency Mohammed Albaili from UAE University and Professor Sir David Eastwood cosigned the Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU), which plays a major role in the overall project. It is said it will help to ‘integrate all segments of society while preserve the UAE’s unique culture, heritage and traditions, as well as reinforcing social and family cohesion’.

"UAE is seeking to rank in the top five happiest countries in the world by 2021" UAE is seeking to rank in the top five happiest countries in the world by 2021. Currently it ranks 21st, according to the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s ‘World Happiness Report’.

UAE had recognised the importance and influence of happiness and has therefore decided to work alongside social science experts to boost social and cultural cohesion in the country. UoB is renowned for its pioneering

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

News in a Nutshell...

News Editor, Erin Santillo, summarises the major national and international events that have developed since the last issue

If you missed Redbrick over the Christmas break, then here is your New Year 'News in a Nutshell' to get you up-to-date with the major stories that have dominated headlines this past month.

May Reshuffles Cabinet In national news, Theresa May’s New Year cabinet reshuffle proved slightly anticlimactic to those who predicted that the Prime mMinister would choose to make her top table more diverse.

Instead, many of the UK’s most powerful politicians kept their jobs, and some even had their portfolios expanded, such as the controversial health secretary Jeremy Hunt, who took charge of social care policy.

The most dramatic change came when Justine Greening reportedly refused to be moved to the Department of Work and Pensions, deciding instead to quit the government. The void in the seat of Education Secretary was filled by Damian Hinds later that day.

The Guardian Welcomes Tabloid Format After making a loss of £38m in 2016/17, the national centre-left

newspaper has shrunk its publication from a Berliner to tabloid format to save print costs. The Guardian has also taken the opportunity to redesign its logo, typeface and sections, introducing ‘Journal’ pages for comment and obituaries. ‘Welcoming’ the newspaper to the tabloid shelves, The Sun offered The Guardian ironic advice to ‘report on some exclusive, rip-roaring stories’, which they said might be an ‘alien concept’ to their rivals' editorial team. Its sister paper The Observer will also take on a new tabloid format with its first publication on Sunday 21st.

Book Causes Fire and Fury Across the pond, despite the best attempts of the White House lawyers, Michael Wolff’s controversial exposé about life in the West Wing hit the shelves . . . and the headlines.

The claims of Fire and Fury extend from a potentially ‘treasonous’ meeting of the Trump campaign with Russian agents in 2016 to the styling of the president’s famed hairdo. Speaking to news broadcasters after publication, Wolff, who acted as a flyon-the-wall at the White House

for many months (although Trump denies this), also described the US commander-in-chief as a ‘child’.

According to the author, ‘everyone’ working with the president sees him as a ‘moron’ and an ‘idiot’.

Trump Cancels UK Visit In other Trump news, the American President has cancelled a trip to the opening of the new US embassy in south London, tweeting that their previous building in Mayfair was sold for ‘peanuts’ under the Obama administration, although the deal was actually approved by George W Bush. The new $1bn (£738m) glass cube is a modernday fortress – raised on a hill and surrounded by a moat – and has been built in an ‘off location’ for security reasons, the old embassy in Grosvenor Square being too small for the installation of improved defences in case of attack. The February opening of the building is instead expected to be attended by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. There is still no date set for the controversial full state visit of Trump, offered

by Theresa May following his election victory in 2016.

Gadgets on Show at CES Also on the topic of the US, the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) – hosted this year in Las Vegas – showcased numerous technological innovations that may make our lives easier in the near-future.

Gadgets on display at the event included robots, laptops and driverless cars, although the much-anticipated maiden flight of the SureFly drone, designed to carry two people 70 miles by air, was cancelled due to a ‘light drizzle’. Additionally, although it may be a while until we see it on the street, Panasonic’s concept car was also a highlight of the show, demonstrating how the autonomous vehicles of the future might entertain their passengers with digital windows to simulate the view of driving through paradise, even if the car is actually on a motorway.

Olympian Leap in Korean Talks Over on the Korean Peninsula, the North and South have resumed diplomatic communications via telephone line after two years of silence.

This comes weeks before the

start of the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, which North Korea have recently announced they will be attending, with a delegation staying in the demilitarised village of Panmunjom. The North also plans to send a 140member orchestra to the games.

This positive communication between Seoul and Pyongyang comes despite tensions building in the region over Kim Jong-un’s expanded missile tests and nuclear programme.

Oil Tanker Sinks Finally, Chinese ships are clearing up after a major oil spill from an Iranian tanker in the East China Sea. The emergency occurred after the ship, named 'the Sanchi', collided with a cargo vessel near Shanghai and then caught fire eight days later on Sunday 14th.

Reportedly, over 136,000 tonnes of ultra-light crude oil were being carried by the tanker, which could generate an underwater slick toxic to marine life. All 32 crew members, originally from Iran and Bangladesh, were also killed in the incident. The cause of the collision is still not known.

COMMENT

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbrickcomment

09

The War on Drugs is Unwinnable Issy Campbell explores the necessity of education and decriminalisation surrounding the safe use of recreational drugs Issy Campbell Music Editor

One of the biggest life lessons we are taught in our adolescence is that our actions have consequences. We are taught the importance of staying safe in the big wide world as we grow up and become legally entitled to do what a lot of us had been doing already. Whether that is listening to talks on the need to drink responsibly, the importance of a healthy diet, or the cringe-worthy lessons on how to engage in safe sex, we are educated on real issues we may face.

But, what are we taught about drugs?

The message from school was loud and clear: drugs are bad. It teaches you about the hard drugs, such as heroin and cocaine, and how they will almost certainly kill you. But that’s it. They merely scratch the surface of a far deeper issue.

And yes, whilst it is true that drugs can have lifelong effects and taking them can put your life at risk; so can drinking alcohol, having a bad diet or partaking in unsafe sex.

So why is it that we are educated on these issues, but drug usage is so swiftly overlooked?

The criminalised status of drugs means that discussing them openly, how to use them safely, and what you should do when things do not go as planned, are made a complete taboo. This needs to change. I am firmly of the belief that as long as drugs are available, people will take them, illegal or not. Education is paramount to our safety. If we know the harm of what we are using, we can think again about what, and how much of it, we are putting into our body.

Currently, with the lack of edu- drugs means people can undercation around this in schools, we stand them more; what they do have little to turn to. Websites to your body and what the danlike Pill Report, and YouTube gers of taking them include. This channels like Drugslab are helps people to make more there if you know informed decisions and about them, but that in turn look after is not enough. themselves, leadNorway’s ing to a far better government outcome than recently voted when drugs were to decriminalbeing taken in ise drugs in concealment, December last like they are in year, showing the UK today. a forwardIn 2001, the (Office for National t h i n k i n g p o p u l a r Statistics) approach to the European holiday issue. They are destination of following the likes Portugal, decrimiof the Netherlands, nalised all drugs, who have a soft approach hard and soft. The possesto drugs, with most decriminal- sion of a small quantity of drugs ised drugs and marijuana even in Portugal is seen as a public sold in coffee shops galore in health issue, not a criminal one. the country's capital. This This has had an incredible effect approach is fuelled by the idea in enhancing safe drug usage. In that what we do with our body is 2015 the Independent reported our own choice – what we chose that there were only on average to take, or not take, is not a 3 deaths caused by drug overquestion of the government and dosing to every 1 million cititherefore not punishable by law. zens in Portugal, compared to the EU’s average of 17.3 per million. If you look at the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction’s website, the data from Portugal is far more positive than that of the UK’s.

The ‘war on drugs’ is an unnecessary one, with a solution lying in decriminalisation and education. This negative stigma attached to drug-usage is outdated and narrow minded, and we must learn to be more accepting if we want to prevent deaths Although hard drugs like and incorrect usage. cocaine and heroin are still proHaving said this, the UK hibited in the Netherlands, this does offer vital services like soft approach is far more sensi- needle and syringe programmes, ble than the UK’s complete as well as heroin-assisted treatintolerance. Allowing open dis- ment, but this only scratches the cussion and acceptance towards surface of what we should and

3,744 UK Drug Deaths in 2016

"But, what are we taught about drugs? The message from school was loud and clear: drugs are bad"

could be providing.

Key to this ongoing struggle is Loop, a charity co-founded by Fiona Measham and Wilf Gregory which strives to educate us about drugs. They work at events and festivals testing drugs brought to them, be it powders, crystals or pills, and tell you exactly what is in them.

They do not confiscate anything and it is completely confidential, with no need to give any of your details over to the authorities. This vital and forwardthinking services means, if you purchased a gram of what you thought was MDMA, Loop can test it to find out not only if it is safe, but if it is even MDMA, allowing you to make an informed and safe decision about whether you want to take it.

Even if it is not what you were expecting to find, you are still under no obligation to hand it over, although this would be highly advised. Using the dangerous drugs that are handed over to them, they can inform the police exactly what to be looking out for, which then helps authorities to warn other partygoers about a very possible and real danger. The key to safe drug usage is awareness, and Loop is here providing just that.

"The 'war on drugs' is an unnecessary one, with a solution lying in decriminalisation and education" We should not be ashamed about having a good time,

whether you use drugs or not. In the past, I did not have such an open acceptance to drug-usage, because I was convinced what school had taught me was right: that drugs were bad. I did not need drugs to have a good time, so other people should not either.

But as I have grown up, I have learnt that that stance is evidently naïve. We should not brand all drug-users as criminals - drugs can obviously be dangerous, but this is exactly why we need to be educated about them.

Issues begin arising when people do not know how to take drugs safely, but take them anyway. It might be alright the first few times, even numerous times after that, but it only takes one unknowing mistake and you can be in serious trouble, and this is what results in so many unfortunate deaths.

Decriminalisation is a difficult subject, made harder by the fact no one wants to talk about it. We should not be punishing institutions, like Fabric or our very own Rainbow, for the actions of those outside of our control. Instead we should be working with them to promote a safe environment where people can use services of charities like Loop to stay safe and stay educated. We cannot prevent deaths just by closing down the places drugs are taken, and councils must recognise that this is not the way forward. The government are fighting an unwinnable battle and until we can get mainstream education to the masses, they are going to continue to keep losing; accidents will still happen and the safety of millions of people will still continue to be at risk.

It is time we leave behind this old-fashioned approach, and follow in the steps of the Netherlands, Portugal and Norway.

COMMENT

10

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbrickcomment

Homelessness: A Right Royal Problem in Windsor Luke Atkins condemns Simon Dudley's abhorrent attitude towards the homeless Luke Atkins Comment Writer

The event is sure to be lavish, with fine food, high class entertainment, and a spread of A-listers from world leaders to pop stars in attendance. The bride and groom will be wearing clothes that will almost certainly cost more than most cars. And of course, the media will descend en masse to Windsor, flooding the place with paparazzi and film crews desperate for a stand out shot.

This momentous occasion can only really be one thing: This is the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

The tabloids have already whipped themselves up into a frenzy over the prospect of another royal wedding. The last one, of Harry’s brother to Kate Middleton, was a worthy enough spectacle to be sure. The bride’s dress alone was estimated to have cost £250,000, to say nothing of the jewels scattered around the Church and the luxury cars lounging indolently outside.

The venue for Harry’s wedding will be St George’s chapel, situated in Windsor castle, which belongs to his granny. I’m sure it will be lovely and I wish him happiness on his big day, and a long, happy marriage.

But there is a spectre hanging over the proceedings.

Guests coming from all around the world, well-wishers travelling in huge flocks to glimpse the couple and bask in the extravagant proceedings, and Windsor locals, bringing their money, are set upon by ravenous hordes of shifty, aggressive homeless criminals.

The cheek that these vagrants must have, setting such as bad example with all these tourists around. How distasteful. How can they sleep at night?

At least, this is what the Tory leader of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Simon Dudley, seems to be implying, with his letter to the police asking them to deal with the problem before the Royal Wedding, even going so far as to suggest using the powers of the 1824 Vagrancy Act. In other words, he wants the police to march in and start treating the homeless as criminals.

The reason Mr. Dudley gives for this invention is to combat ‘aggressive begging’ with tourists being ‘marched to cashpoints to withdraw money.’

Never mind that the police say that they’ve had no reports of this.

The image is all too plausible in the eyes of many; society demonises the homeless to a great extent already. Never mind

the complex and often tragic stories that lead to people becoming homeless. Once they are on the street, they become nothing more than a dirty face and a sleeping bag to ignore as thousands march past without so much as a glance.

Theresa May has stepped in to condemn the comments, seeking to distance her party from the reactionary views of Mr. Dudley. But the Tory party, and to an extent New Labour, are deeply complicit in the rise of homelessness in the past decade or so.

According to the homelessness charity Shelter, 1 in 200 people are homeless in some form, with 4,500 sleeping rough.

In Windsor, the ward of Clewer North has 14% of children at risk of poverty. The average Windsor house price is 13 times the average salary.

Despite Dudley’s assurances that the council are tackling homelessness, the council have sold off their stock of social housing; a consequence of cuts forced by national austerity, and a Conservative aversion to social housing in general.

Homelessness is a complicated global problem, but ultimately, to reduce homelessness, more houses need to be built, especially social housing and truly affordable housing.

However, the system under

which these houses are built is geared for profit, not for need.

Luxury high rise flats in London lie empty, snapped up by foreign oligarchs and princes. At the other end of the scale, cost cutting and negligence for the homes of the poor lead to avoidable disasters like the Grenfell Tower fire.

This is what happens when the roofs over our heads become just another commodity to be bought and sold; another investment to keep baby boomers get-

ting richer and the Daily Mail editorial office nicely worked up.

The action of cuts to services has a direct effect on people ending up on the streets; the amount of rough sleepers in Birmingham is shocking, and only getting larger.

Instead of the Tory view of homelessness as a failure of individuals, homelessness should be seen as our society’s greatest failure, and an embarrassment to all decent people.

@MrSimonDudley "Sadly there is an epidemic of rough sleeping and vagrancy in #Windsor " @crisis_uk "People shouldn't be targeted simply for sleeping on the street" Theresa May "I don't agree with the comments that the leader of the council has made"

Poll of the Week: Protests

Jo Johnson’s claims that universities could be fined for a failure to uphold freedom of speech begs the question of whether protesting on campus is appropriate. We asked the students of UoB what they thought...

Should students be able to protest on campus?

%

Ye s

% No 13 .7

-

.3 86

"I’m not against protesting but I don’t think our campus would be an appropriate place to do it" "Protests are an inherent element of democracy; a way of raising your head above the parapet and calling out what you think is wrong" "Not allowing this is stumping societal progression" "Either ban them all or allow them all, as long as there is no in between, either is acceptable" "University, much like the workplace, cannot be a democracy"

Take part in our polls:

@RedbrickComment

Redbrick Comment Contributors

Kat Smith

Comment Editor

To me, and according to the overwhelming response, this question has an initially obvious answer: yes. But it’s the first poll we’ve done where I’ve been relatively undecided. I am all for freedom of speech (I help to run the Comment section, after all) and I think the voices of students need to be heard as more than just murmurs on social media or complaints in our house living rooms.

I’m all for campaigning and standing up for your beliefs, but I’m unsure that protests are appropriate on a campus.

First of all, it’s a slippery slope. I think the immediate assumption is that protests would be about progressive, liberal matters and anger over the VC’s abhorrent pay, yet this is not a guaranteed reality. We cannot say that freedom of speech is vital yet stifle the voices of those with less

popular opinions, or those. These protests could turn violent or could target minorities and campus isn’t somewhere a student can avoid if they’re feeling a little uncomfortable. A lot of the ‘no’ responses highlighted how disruptive it would be. We live in a huge city where our voices would be better heard if we used them in public. There’s not much to stop us protesting in Selly or the town centre.

The public’s access to campus is also a concern – what is there to stop them joining in/staging their own? Are we going to check ID cards on entrance to the protest? I don’t see the practicality.

The response to the poll failed to surprise me. The majority of the written responses went a little like this: ‘Freedom of speech innit.’ I want students to voice their opinions and be allowed to do so, but I think protests also bring into question the safety and functionality of campus.

COMMENT

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbrickcomment

11

Celebrities and Politics: An Innappropriate Mix Gabrielle Taylor-Dowson insists that the political landscape should not involve celebrities like Oprah Gabrielle TaylorDowson Comment Writer

What started as a hashtag on Twitter, the self-explanatory #Oprah2020, has now become the relatively serious question of: What if Oprah ran for presidency?

American celebrities seem to have a penchant for politics.

Kanye West did the same thing in 2016 when he said he wanted to run in the 2020 election. Other Hollywood big-shots, as we know, already hold political office - Arnold Schwarzenegger is the Governor of California and Clint Eastwood is the Mayor of Carmel, a city within The Terminator’s state.

And, of course, saving the best until last: the celebrity business tycoon Donald Trump’s surprise 2017 presidential election win. A celebrity is the President of the United States of America. Now, another is talking about trying for the same.

Oprah and Donald Trump couldn’t be more different can-

didates.

She’s a woman who has defied odds to ‘provide hope, investment and a roadmap for women.’ She attended a historically black university (Tennessee State) and became a billionaire because she had ownership of her own show... her own career.

Her philanthropic work is vast. She bought a television network and created jobs. She’s the kind of figure who would greatly appeal to a lot of Americans, politicians and voters alike.

"Politics shouldn't be about personality, it should be about who can do the job" Trump is well, we all know Trump. We have read the news, the articles and Twitter timelines alike. I’m trying to keep this

article from becoming another Trump rant.

What this article is about is that, regardless of what an admirable and generous woman Oprah is, she should not run for President. No celebrity should.

I’m not trying to diminish the power of Oprah’s Golden Globes speech after becoming the first black woman to win the Cecil. B. Demille award, which was what started this talk in the first place. She is a great orator, and has done more than most celebrities to actually effect change. In the 90s, for instance, she helped lobby for the National Child Protection Act, which created a database of known abusers and became known as the ‘Oprah Bill.’

It is inspiring, but inspiration shouldn’t win someone the presidency.

Many people found Trump and what he stands for inspiring, so they voted for him. The skills needed for such a high position within political office are technical and complicated, requiring knowledge that any celebrity, no matter how passionate, is not

qualified for.

Politics shouldn’t be about personality, it should be about who can do the job, and who can do it well. Regardless of who you think that is, they should at least have some kind of political experience.

Beyond Oprah and Trump, there are the rest of the celebrities, the Hollywood elite who actively tell the public who they should vote for and why, and if they don’t agree, then how massively ignorant they are.

Free speech is something everyone is entitled to, but what celebrities need to understand is that they cannot be the spokes-

people for the public because they are so out of touch with the public.

Yes, a celebrity may have started from little; but now they are wealthy, live and socialise with other wealthy people, so removed from the lives of everyday people.

What celebrities are concerned and care about does not necessarily correlate with what the average person is focused on when they vote.

It is for this reason, combined with a lack of actual job experience, that celebrities should be less involved in politics.

The Illusion of Success Jadzia Samuel criticises the education system’s preoccupation with image Jadzia Samuel Comment Writer

For as long as human beings have existed in sentient societies, we have always been competing with each other for the most fashionable animal skin loincloth, or the most extravagantly decorated dining room, just to give off a good image, and we all know that this image we project to the world is only a façade that we create. The performative nature of our personal daily lives is so much a part of reality that it almost transcends the point of relevant discussion.

However, when this fixation on image translates itself into other aspects of society it becomes slightly more problematic. This incessant need for the illusion of perfection has seeped into our culture to such an extent that it even infects our education system.

How many people remember secondary school as a time of educational exploration; when teachers were eager to delve into the aspects of their subject which students found most stimulating, and limitless knowledge was at your fingertips simply for the joy of learning? I’ll wager nobody. Personally, when I rec-

ollect my experience in the education system, the phrase ‘exam factory’ is the first thing to spring to mind. Do I remember anything from the Physics I studied for five years? Of course not; I remember spending two months cramming facts into my head before my exam. While I am proud of my results on paper, if you tried to test me on the most basic concept on Hook’s law a week after my exam I wouldn’t be able to answer. The reality is, schooling is about generating exam results in order to project the appearance of having learnt something, without actually knowing anything. The illusion of success is more important than the actual success itself. Both my parents are teachers and they describe the constant pressure they are under to achieve the best possible GCSE results, to have the most impressive statistics of student progress. For my Dad, even his bonuses now depend on the results his students get at the end of the year. Many institutions underestimate students’ predicted grades just so that the progression statistics appear more impressive. What schools want is to be able to present a sheet of paper filled with num-

bers to 'prove' that they are the best school in the country.

Instead of being institutions of learning and development, schools are becoming politically-charged businesses, intent on creating a hegemonic illusion of student productivity.

"We love to project the image of a 'perfect university'" This capitalistic obsession with productivity, or rather the appearance of it, moves up the education system into universities too. Every university you look around in Year 12 will claim to be superior to all the others, and will probably bombard you with some statistic to back it up too – each place will find a different figure from a different study which manipulates the data in such a way as to confirm that their university is in fact the best for employment/ research/student experience/ insert buzzword here. At the University of Birmingham, we too love to project the image of a ‘perfect university’ – any criti-

cism of the system is shushed, because heaven forbid that students find fault in this educational utopia. Additionally, both the newly-built library and gym were designed to look impressive, yet neither actually cater to the students’ needs. This new Green Heart will, I’m sure, be very aesthetically pleasing once it is finished, and will boost our statistics about being 'the greenest university,' but ask any student whether they’d prefer more seats in the library or a jazzedup garden and I’m sure you can guess what their answer would be.

My point is: schools, universities, and colleges are being sucked into this venture for exterior perfection, and the illusion of extreme productivity, while neglecting to address the internal issues (such as available study space) which might be more relevant to the students, but are irrelevant to the statistics. Instead of working from the inside out, in order to create genuinely productive and successful members of society, the education system simply teaches students how to best convince the world of our intellect, without actually having anything of substance to offer.

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SCI & TECH

Cutting Through the Crap

Sci&Tech Editor Emila Rose denounces Gwyneth Paltrow's coffee enema and explores the damage of pseudo-scientific health bloggers Emilia Rose Sci&Tech Editor

With the new year come new year’s resolutions, most of which are based around improving your health and fitness. There is a lucrative industry that makes millions each year by giving advice on how to achieve our health goals.

Traditionally this would come from diet books or workout DVDs. However, in the age of social media, a new trend has emerged – health and fitness bloggers.

Most of these health blogs can be found on Instagram or dedicated websites and are run by young women who post filtered photographs of their workouts and carbfree meals. Their followers often aspire to their physique and use their posts as ‘inspiration’.

Now this seems fairly innocuous. You might think that if a health blogger motivates their followers to hit the gym or switch a chocolate bar for an apple that must be a good thing, right? And you would be correct if that was the full extent of a health blogger’s influence.

A huge problem arises when influential health bloggers start to dish out ‘medical’ advice to their

Gwyneth Paltrow, founder of Goop.com

followers. Although now somewhat of a laughing stock, actor Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle website, Goop.com, has made some recommendations that range from silly and unnecessary to dangerous.

"Consider whether what you are reading is supported by facts" The most recent fad endorsed by her website is the coffee enema.

The website recommends colonic irrigation to help “with the elimination of the waste that is transiting the colon on its way out.”

These claims are backed up by a Dr. Alejandro Junger who goes on to talk about mucoid plaques which can only be removed from the colon via irrigation. Most readers would assume that this advice is accurate because it is coming from a doctor using scientific-sounding terms. However, upon further examination, Junger’s claims begin to fall apart. According to gynae-

cologist and obstetrician Dr Jen Gunter, the term ‘mucoid plaque’ returns exactly zero results on PubMed – the database of 27 million citations for biomedical literature – suggesting that no researcher has ever come across them. A quick Google search for the term reveals that is known to be a pseudoscientific term used by proponents of alternative medicine.

Furthermore, a 2011 medical review advised medical professionals that “colon cleansing has no proven benefits and many adverse effects.” If we required colonic irrigation in order to completely expel waste and these mysterious harmful ‘mucoid plaques’, then why haven’t the vast majority of people had their colons rot from infections caused by these everpresent toxins? There is no research detailing any kind of benefit to taking in coffee rectally and if standard colon cleanses using water are proven to be harmful, coffee enemas can only be more so.

"There is no research detailing any kind of benefit to taking in coffee rectally" Although Goop.com may only be taken seriously by people with more money than sense, these sorts of articles can result in real harm in vulnerable people. For example, people with chronic diseases such as Crohn’s disease experience frequent pain and other digestive difficulties. Patients are understandably keen to try a new method to ease their symptoms, especially when diseases like Crohn’s have no cure besides surgical removal of the colon.

An extreme example of this exploitation is Australian blogger Belle Gibson who fabricated a terminal illness in order to build a health and lifestyle empire. She claimed to have cured her cancer with alternative medicine, oxygen therapy and a gluten free diet and launched an immensely successful cookbook and app. Although she was recently fined the equivalent of £240,000 by the Australian Federal Court for five breaches of consumer law, the damage to her followers had already been done.

Many of them saw Gibson as an inspiration and living proof that cancer could be cured without invasive therapies such as radiotherapy. This resulted in patients with genuine terminal illnesses

Australian blogger and liar Belle Gibson

swapping the advice of their doctors for that of Gibson’s products.

As recently as last November, fitness blogger and self-proclaimed health coach Olivia Budgen was compared to Gibson when she published a controversial post on her Instagram blog claiming that cancer is “not actually bad at all” and is “your body trying to save you.” Although Budgen’s post was swiftly removed from Instagram after a flood of criticism on social media, her blog is filled with lengthy posts offering advice on health and nutrition where much of her information is vague or incorrect.

For example, she claims that “processed food contains many chemicals” which the body treats “like waste”. Chemicals are not inherently bad. The body itself is compromised of chemicals and it is chemical reactions such as respiration and those involved in metabolism that maintain life. The nutrients that are absorbed from digested food are themselves chemicals such as amino acids and lipids. Although processed foods tend to be less nutritious compared to whole foods, they will still contain essential compounds that the body will utilise.

This use of this sort of unsubstantiated pseudoscience online misinforms audiences all over the world on a subject that is important to many – our health. This is particularly sinister as these health

and fitness blogs often peddle the author’s own books and other merchandise, allowing them to profit by exploiting their faithful fans.

A much more reliable source of information on health and fitness is the NHS Choices website.

It provides scientifically proven advice on healthy eating and exercise without the ulterior motive of selling you the latest fad.

"Gibson... claimed to have cured her cancer with alternative medicine" However, if you are reluctant to stop using health blogs, there are number of ways to avoid ‘fake science’. Consider whether what you are reading is supported by facts. If a Google search returns few or no results from a reputable scientific source, your favourite blogger’s tips are probably not backed up by reliable evidence.

Also, treat any health advice with a healthy dose of scepticism if it involves selling you a pricey supplement or a machine that will pump coffee into your rectum.

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Most Anticipated Games of 2018

Redbrick Gaming takes a look at the hottest releases to look forward to in the year ahead

GAMING

Red Dead Redemption 2 Red Dead Redemption 2 has got a lot to live up to.

Its predecessor was a masterpiece, which managed to weave all the charm and grittiness of Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns into a living open world and captivating narrative. The third game in the Red Dead series will act as a prequel to this epic, telling the story of the van der Linde gang and one of its members: Arthur Morgan. From a leaked image this tale appears to be set to the north-east of Red Dead Redemption’s map, and will include new environments as well as some which will be more familiar. Fans of the series should also

expect a more extensive multiplayer mode which will draw heavily on the success that Rockstar have had with GTA Online. It's likely that the current delay for the game stems from Rockstar making sure the online is ready to go for millions of people to play from launch day. One thing’s for sure: if this game’s even half as good as the 2010 release of Red Dead Redemption, it will still be absolutely fantastic.

Due for release in the Spring, this is a game not to be missed.

George Hopkins

Kingdom Come: Deliverance Kingdom Come: Deliverance, a new role play game by relative unknown Warhorse Studios, arises to do battle on the 13th of February.

Built in the technically marvellous CryEngine, the world already looks desperately gorgeous with pixel-perfect realism and plays as a detailed simulation of medieval warfare, building an epic, but still wholly real story amongst the ruins of war-torn Bohemia. Complete with solid craft-em-up armour and weapons, a slow but brutally weighty combat system and a persistent universe that rewards your patient investment, but will

carry on without you, Kingdom Come: Deliverance looks like the kind of game to keep history nerds and fans of great RPG’s (like The Witcher or ) satisfied for the next decade. If you can stomach the idea that the only magic around will be the devilry you deal out on the battlefield, this game looks like it could be an early game of the year contender, and I, for one, can’t wait.

James Honke

Spider-Man Look out! Here comes the Spider-Man. With the upcoming 2018 release of Insomniac Games’ SpiderMan, Sony look set to continue their winning streak when it comes to PS4 exclusives and Spider-Man finally looks set to join Batman in the halls of Gaming Greatness (no, I’m not including Spider-man on PS2). Set in the graphically gorgeous New York City, Spider-Man offers an original story that sees our favourite web-slinger (sorry Spider-Gwen) up against a new threat, the Inner Demons; a gang with super spooky powers.

Combining high-octane set pieces; the action-packed,

The Wolf Among Us: Season 2

rewarding combat of the Arkham series; and the fast-paced and fluid movement that made Sunset Overdrive so much fun, Spider-Man is setting itself up for greatness. While we have only seen a few trailers so far (and there has been some criticism of the inclusion of quick time events), everything we’ve seen indicates that SpiderMan is going to be fantastically fun when it launches on PS4 later this year and, if you don't pick up a copy, you'll be Green (Goblin) with envy for missing out on all the Carnage.

Jack Cooper

Point-and-click adventures are back, baby. Telltale have led the resurgence of adventure games over the last few years with The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us, and five years after the original series we finally get to see more of Bigby Wolf in gameplay form. I love the world, inspired by the Fable comics, as it tiptoes the line between whimsical nostalgia and cynical darkness.

If you’ve ever played a Telltale adventure before, you’ll know what to expect gameplay-wise. The original Wolf Among Us characters just oozed individuality due to some impressive voice acting, and the pub-

lisher’s staple of branching narrative paths, which continues to make each player’s experience that little bit unique. Hopefully this game can deliver the storytelling we’ve come to love through their many series, allowing The Wolf Among Us: Season 2 to make the most of its beautiful, fantastical world. Due to be released sometime in 2018, this is a game to look out for if you enjoyed the first season or in fact any of the Telltale games.

James Law

Metro: Exodus Metro: Exodus is the upcoming third instalment in a franchise which centres on the struggle for survival in post-nuclear Russia. From what we have seen so far, Exodus will seek to use the extra firepower of the current generation to tell the story of the gradual recession of the nuclear winter. This means that we will be able to venture further beyond the tunnels under Moscow than ever before, witnessing the scale of destruction and perhaps even the beginnings of new life. From the promotional material released so far it seems that this will allow for more intelligent enemies, dynam-

ic weather and greater weapon customisation.

Let’s hope that this greater scope does not detract from what made the series so special in the first place: the sense of trepidation and hopelessness, caused by its expertly crafted environments and excellent pacing. Although the previous games weren’t exceptional commercially or critically, this instalment looks to be the best yet. If the action and horror elements alongside the storytelling are put together with love and care, this could be a very special game indeed.

George Hopkins

Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom played the first instalment of the game, because this one is set hundreds of years after the first and with its own vast missions and objectives, where any references to the previous story will fade into the background of the well built fantasy world.

Although I have my reservations of whether the lack of Studio Ghibli direct hand in world creation, like they did the first, might ruin it, I have high hopes for such an individual game. So prepare yourself for a vast, exciting RPG adventure like nothing you have ever experienced before.

Imogen Mellor PicxaBay

Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is set to release in March of 2018, though be warned: this might change considering it has already been delayed several times.

It promises incredible graphics, exploration and battle-focused gameplay and a world full of interesting characters. Based around a story about a boyking of a cat tribe who must fight to win his kingdom back, this game will certainly be like being dropped into the middle of a Studio Ghibli film and given your own adventure to conquer, although think more Spirited Away than Princess Mononoke. Do not worry if you have not

Image Credits: Rockstar Games, Insomniac Games, Telltale, Warhorse Studios, 4A Games, Level-5

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New Year...

As we ring in 2018, it's par for the course to make a slew of resolutions in the hope that the next 12 months will be better than those previous. From getting fit to Dry January, self-improvement is the name of the game, but are they really achievable? At Life&Style we've asked some of our writers whether they make them, break them, or simply avoid the concept altogether!

Tara Kergon Life&Style Editor

Personally, I shy away from making New Year's resolutions. They're either a half-hearted and slightly tipsy embargo on bad habits (such as drinking or smoking), or an overly hopeful promise to turn over a new leaf (as with exercise or clean eating). Fuelled by the holiday binge, such resolutions, at least for me, become far less attractive a few days into the bleakest month of the year. When it's -1 outside I won't be lacing up my trainers for a run or making a kale salad, I find myself cocooned in blankets into my mouth before heading down the pub, and then I just beat myself up for 'falling off the wagon'. And besides, if I do really want to change my habits the date doesn't have anything to do with it.

That said, I do always set a few goals and aspirations for the year to keep myself motivated. But these aren't unrealistic resolutions fuelled by the festive spirit and doomed to fade away in January's dim light.

This year I'm simply aiming to graduate with the best degree classification I can achieve without burning myself out by March, to apply for my master's degree, to visit a new country, and, above all, to be kinder to everyone - especially myself!

r

Bethan Lewis Life&Style Writer

I’ve never been the type of person to make a resolution about healthy eating or going to the gym because, from what I’ve seen, those kinds of resolutions only last for a month or so and then you’re back to eating chips, having wastied your money on a gym membership that you’ll never use again. I think that making a New Year’s Resolution that’s about becoming better within yourself, whether that is trying to be more confident, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, or not putting so much pressure on yourself, can work a lot better and actually last for much longer. Especially at university, when you always have deadlines, it is important to focus on being organised so that you’re not putting unnecessary stress on yourself. So that’s what my resolution is this year - to make sure I plan my work out better so I spend less time worrying and feeling overwhelmed with everything I need to do. This way, my New Year’s Resolution won’t feel like such a huge change as going on a crazy diet would, it’s just something I can gradually improve and continue to get better at over the year, and hopefully, reduce some of the stress of university life.

LIFE&S

Sorcha Hornett Life&Style Writer

The word ‘resolution’ is one that has never appealed to me. If I wanted to change something in my life I wouldn’t wait for a shiny new year that would be the answer to all my problems to come around - I would make that change immediately. I prefer to make goals for the upcoming year, things that I would like to achieve and can put in the framework to make happen. The one goal I maintain regardless is to surround myself with positive people - I find that the people around you've have such an influence on your happiness, so you should only spend time with people that motivate you to be better.

I can’t lie - I always forget that I have set goals, but I like to make them achievable. That way, when another year comes to an end I can look back at my forgotten resolutions and realise I’ve actually achieved pretty much all of them. This year I would love to finish my second year with a 2:1, get an internship, take more time out for myself, and read more books that aren’t for university. Hopefully I can look back at the end of 2018 and realise I’ve actually achieved them all.

Ellie Silcock Life&Style Writer

There is something about New Year's resolutions that always stresses me out. It’s that sudden pressure to complete your goal, and the feeling that you have failed if you don’t. I have never been one to stick to resolutions. Going to the gym more, not leaving all my assignments to the last minute - no matter what it is I only normally last a few weeks (or days!). I get that sudden burst of inspiration and motivation, and that 'new year, new me' feeling, set my goals too high and then just end up disappointed. Yet there are always people around me setting crazy resolutions to run a marathon or write a book. So this year I’ve gone simple - I’m going to try a new recipe every week. It’s nothing too life-changing, just a desire to be more adventurous, and for once it’s actually going well. I think it’s really important to follow three things - set something that’s achievable, have fun with it, and definitely don’t beat yourself up if you fail. There’s always next year!

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New You? Lizzie Williams

Life&Style Writer

Every year without fail, I make New Year's resolutions. I love adding wild ones to my list, like making my first million or publishing a novel, but I also love making yearly goals. I find it is so much easier to make aims than resolutions. 'Read more' is far too vague, but giving yourself a target of 20 books gives you a definite goal to strive towards. This doesn't always work, like in 2015 when I challenged myself to a cup of green tea a day even though I absolutely hate it - obviously I couldn't stomach any more by February. Growing up, I've made my goals more achievable, such as 'I want to pass my A-levels', compared to childhood resolutions like 'I want to give up chocolate' (never going to happen!). While so many are anti-resolution, crying 'what's the point?', I am definitely in favour of them - you don't know until you try!

Josie Hart Life&Style Writer

Don’t get me wrong, I think New Year’s resolutions are a good idea. It’s beneficial to think about what you want to achieve in the year ahead, and challenge yourself to become the person you aspire to be. But is there really much point if they’re never actually kept?The issue is they have become far too suited to their name. They do what they say on the tin.

On New Year's Eve you resolve to kick bad habits, become healthier orspend more time on something you love, but as the festivities and clean slate of the new year drift into the past, so do resolutions. The solution is to make your targets more long term. Ironically, this can be achieved with short term goals. If you continue to set yourself a task each week, the target stays fresh in your mind as you go about your dayto-day routine, away from the contrasting calm of the New Year.

I agree that January, while still recovering from an indulgent month , isn’t the best time to renew yourself. But I also believe that challenging yourself and considering what you want to achieve shouldn’t be confined to any period of the year. You’ll see much more progress if you’re setting yourself smaller targets throughout the year, rather than expecting to achieve one larger goal long-term.

r

Charlotte Gill Life&Style Writer

STYLE

I have always been in the ‘nay’ camp as far as New Year’s resolutions are concerned. I completely understand that for those in the ‘yay’ camp, a new year brings the clean slate and the motivation needed to reassess your progress and set goals for the year ahead, but I personally find the date really arbitrary. I like the freedom to make changes throughout the year and get on with them straight away, instead of waiting for a certain time! Mostly, I find I can stick to the resolutions I make for myself and do not need a new year, or others around me setting goals for motivation. Last year I decided I wanted to be more involved in societies and that is why I have joined Redbrick. In the summer I decided to limit my use of plastic more by, for example, always taking a reusable water bottle and shopping bag out with me. I also recently decided to be more adventurous with cooking and try new recipes more often. I prefer it this way, rather than forcing something I don’t really believe in at New Year and having the pressure of looking back to January 1st as a starting point!

William Baxter Editor-in-Chief

New Year's resolutions - the annual saviour of the fitness industry. But this year, spare a thought for the thousands of pairs of trainers bought only to be tossed to the back of the wardrobe come February. As a keen and frequent supporter of Bristol Road's finest, nothing frightens me more than the idea of empty pubs struggling for atmosphere in January, so at least the inevitable breakdown of everyone's resolutions does wonders for the suffering pub trade post-Christmas.

However, I'm very nearly in support of NewYear's resolutions. Yes, they will fail, but for a brief few weeks you can really try to become a better person. I think most just set targets that are completely unachievable, which is why I've taken to setting none.

This year, keep it casual and chilled. Walk that half a mile instead of getting an Uber. Don't have that ninth pint. Offer to share that kerbstonesized block of Dairy Milk with a housemate. Not only will you become a slightly better person, you'll also be a million times less annoying than the new gym-lover. Who says resolutions have to be difficult?

So the verdict is hardly out on NewYear's resolutions, and it doesn't look like our writers will be abandoning the tradition any time soon. It seems that a small, gradual change is far more achievable than the grand intentions dreamt up during the festive binge or brought on just by the changing date. Our writers have also made it clear that what matters most are your motivations: truly wanting to improve or alter your life makes the change you aspire to far more likely to succeed! So what do you think? Tweet us @RedbrickLife. Happy New Year!

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REDBRICK, Jan. 19th, 2018 - Page Sixteen

Old Joe: Student Life 100 Years Ago

Using UoB records, Peter Vessey explains that colourful student behaviour is not just a symptom of twenty-first century university life at arrival Upon Birmingham, few if any students think back to how different student life was back when the university first opened in 1900. The world was a very different place, and perhaps unsurprisingly, student behaviour was often remarkably different to today.

It is worth remembering that until the Family Reform Act of 1969, the relation between the university and its students was on a different basis as the stulegally were dents “children” until they So, most of were 21. the students were still juveniles until their the and year, last University authorities were very much “in loco parentis”, having to keep much closer watch social their over activities than they do to obliged are today.

by Peter Vessey In many institutions this led to rules that today would be regarded as intrusive on one’s personal liberties.

Even as late as the sixties, Bishop Otter Memorial Teacher Training College, now the University of Chichester, had a rule that you were not allowed to entertain anybody of the opposite sex in your room between 22.00 and 08.00.

At Strawberry Hill Teacher Training College, now St. Mary’s University College, London, the rule was that, if entertaining a member of the opposite sex at ANY time of day or night, the mattress had to be placed out in the corridor! It’s unlikely that such a rule would be popular among firstyear accommodation on the Vale today.

The reverse side of this legal position was that student behaviour tended to be far more juvenile than today and makes the current cohorts appear very staid.

V.I.P. and official visitors to the university were

Cadbury Research Library: Special Collections often greeted by delegations of students in fancy dress.

After Stanley Baldwin, an alumni of Mason College, had been given an honorary doctorate in 1926, the students drove him round the campus in a mocked-up Roman chariot complete with costumed charioteer.

At Birmingham’s first ever degree ceremony, held in the Town Hall in 1901, the entire student body of around 400, was expected to be present.

They got rather bored waiting for the academic procession to arrive and held a singsong to while away the time, and later heckled the Chancellor, Joseph Chamberlain, during his address.

In later years the Guild produced pamphlets of songs for use at such occasions.

"The entire student body of around 400" The University even had a dress code: every student had to arrive at University equipped with a plain black gown and mortar board, with the former to be worn to all lectures, meetings with University Staff and, together with the mortarboard, on all University “Occasions”.

Today’s ubiquitous hoodies and jeans may have stood out just a little.

This ruling caused some Health and

Safety problems in the laboratories and workshops, and was eventually modified to allow individual lecturers to grant permission for gowns to be removed.

There was also an official University Blazer; they have one of the on garments “jazzy” display in 32 Pritchatts Road which houses the Heritage University’s Collections.

Not all was innocent fun and jollity howevAs early as June er.

1901, the Senate mina that record utes young lady had been caught stealing from the ladies’ cloakroom only not they and expelled her but passed a resolution that her name was to be expunged from the University’s records. And so it has been (except for occurring twice in the aforeSenatorial mentioned Minutes). I’m not disclosing it to you - if to want really you know, look it up for yourself in the Cadbury Research Library down of bowels the in In Muirhead Tower.

Discipline the 1902 Committee was asked to find means of preventing students from smoking in the corridors. reported never They back on that one.

In addition, in May 1903, the Senate heard the from report a Committee Discipline that a Medical student, one Albert Hinks had using caught been “unfair means of obtaininformation” ing (cheating) in end-ofterm exams in April.

He was suspended until the next term and had the all re-sit to affected exams in June.

He did continue; the records show that he eventually passed his 2nd exams for M.B/B.Ch. in Anatomy & Physiology.

Five years later, 1908, one Ashley Dodd was sent home to his family for being the author of various ‘scurrilous documents’ and for being the ringleader in numerous disturbances in the Queen’s College buildings, part of which the university used as a men’s hostel.

"Every student had to arrive... with a plain black gown" Discipline got so bad in the early years that in 1908 the Principle’s & Deans’ Committee proposed that they should hold a ceremony each year at which the students would be required to take an oath: “I promise to obey the Regulations of the University, to submit to its discipline, and to uphold its honour & credit to the best of my ability.”

It did not happen then, but no records indicate that it could not be enforced in the future. Only time will tell.

In February 1910, in the same Queen’s College Hostel, Messrs Underwood and Gibbon returned

very drunk from a football match at Bromsgrove and created a disturbance in the Common Room.

The Warden ordered that the relevant doors were to be locked shut at eleven p.m.

The locks were found to have been broken, so the Warden had the doors screwed shut.

After midnight the police had to be called as Francis Underwood and six other students (not including Owen Gibbon) had got back in through a window.

Needless to say the Discipline Committee sentenced him to depart.

However, the Senate reduced his sentence to suspension till the next year. His record card shows that he changed from Mechanical to Civil Engineering, and he gained a 2nd Class B.Sc. In 1913.

During the First World War he finished up as 2nd Lieutenant in the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and died on the 18/04/1917 being buried at Cayeux Military Cemetery. More details of UoB students and staff involved in the world wars can be found in the Aston Webb building.

In 1910 a medical student, one C. A. Probert holding his first M.B. from London and studying for his second M.B. at Birmingham, was exposed as a Nigerian called Oladipi Lahanmo who had been expelled from Kings College, London, for “gross misconduct”.

He was expelled from Birmingham also and, this time, his details were circulated to all other British U n i v e r s i t i e s .

Unsurprisingly, his spate of expulsions was not able to be continued.

As time has gone on, student behaviour hasn’t drastically improved. Though today we might not be reporting on costumed chariot races, I’m sure some of the antics at a Wednesday Sports Night at the Guild would appeal to students at the turn of the century. On that topic, mortarboards and gowns for next week’s theme?

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Your message here, direct to over 30,000 Birmingham students.

With discounts available for societies, sports teams and charities, isn't it time you benefited from advertising in the University of Birmingham's official student newspaper?

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Redbrick Revisits Bryony Parsons Redbrick Archivist

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the first few weeks of January are generally uneventful. New Year, new beginnings – everyone is trying to be healthier, nicer, more enthusiastic. Or they are frantically trying to finish their essays ahead of the dreaded post-Christmas deadline. In the 1960s, this week was spent looking ahead to summer frivolity, and finalising plans for the Carnival. 22nd January 1964, Redbrick was thrilled to announce that the University had secured Jimmy Saville to compere the charity cycling race. My interest piqued, I skipped ahead to June to find a report of said race, but all other evidence of Jimmy Saville’s visit seems to have disappeared from the Redbrick archives. I’m sure it is just a coincidence, but the Redbrick team and I couldn’t help but wonder whether an article or two may have conveniently been ‘lost’.

During the 1970s, that New Year optimism of many students was channelled into fighting for justice and good causes. A Special Edition of Redbrick was published on 17th January 1973, dedicated to the problem of student grants. 1973 saw the launch of a national campaign for ‘higher and fairer’ grants for students, and the University of Birmingham was heavily involved. In the Special issue, Redbrick launched the University’s involvement, and encouraged students to campaign, and garner support from local newspaper such as the Birmingham Post, and local MPs. The first page of the issue was dedicated to a

All Change For BURN FM Ben Giblin BurnFM Treasurer @BennGiblin

comprehensive report of government estimates of student spending, and its comparison to the actual cost of living. This was an age of free tuition and grammar schools – the right to free education was a fiercely guarded privilege.

Since I joined BURN FM in September 2014 the world has seen a great deal of change. The UK voted to leave the European Union, a reality TV star now resides in the White House and the old library is a pile of rubble. There’s also been a lot of change within BURN FM in this time. When I first joined the student radio station our content was primarily governed by the use of increasingly unreliable Dictaphones that were begrudgingly handed out to each member of the sports team each week, unknowing when or indeed if they would even be returned.

Since then we’ve facelifted the website, moved onto a variety of multimedia platforms and managed to increase our coverage of events such as Xplosion and BUCS Nationals, now reaching thousands of students. At our last AGM we elected Brittany Holder as our first female head of sport, who has been superb in forging links with London Wasps and hosting a live stream in a ‘featured game of the week’. Early on in the year, we continued to keep our strong links with the community by welcoming 90 schoolchildren from Alvechurch. We gave them a chance to plan a show with a chance to try it out in the studio and then a tour around the University.

This year, rivalries between the media groups have been notably friendlier than

previously thanks to increased collaboration (look no further than this very column, or Redbrick’s weekly radio show). Most notably, at the end of last term the first ever Media Ball was held at Fazeley Studios in Digbeth. The night was a great success, with over 160 people in attendance.

Finally, the most exciting news is that BURN have been given the green light to go ahead and use the £10,000 of alumni funding we gained last year to revamp the outdated studio. It’s taken a while to get this sorted but in around 4/5 weeks’ time BURN will be off air for a short period before coming back to a brand new, stateof-the-art facility for our members to produce top quality radio 9am-11pm 7 days a week.

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CULTURE

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbrickculture

Cinderella at Birmingham Hippodrome Roshni Patel Gaming Editor @Roshofalltrades

Christmas is a special time of year, for family, festive yuletide, mince pies and of course the Panto! What Christmas would be complete without a comical retelling of a classic story, with its slapstick double acts, terrible puns and the side splitting jokes.

"The entire production felt magical..."

Led by Wolverhampton born soul singer Beverley Knight as the fairy godmother and starring former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Danny Mac as the Prince, and ex-Hear'Say vocalist Suzanne Shaw in the titular role of Cinderella, the show was star studded from the beginning. Also returning to the Hippodrome for his 5th Qdos pantomime was Matt Slack, as Buttons, who was also joined by Ceri Dupree and David Dale as the ugly sisters, the comedic duo, The Grumbleweeds and Gary Watson. Only a few days into the show, it was clear

the comedy was still fresh for Knight and Slack, who frequently paused their lines for laughter, be it for one of Slack’s quick fire stand up performances, or a double act filled with adult humour and well chosen musical clips.

Performed upon a perfectly panto set, with cartoonish backdrops, humorous props and well designed stage changing additions, this year’s addition of a balcony, stairs and arched exits, perfectly blended into the stage.

Coupled with the fairy godmother’s sparkling firework aided entrance and Ceri Dupree’s hilariously designed Ugly Sisters’ costumes, and the entire production felt magical and very much like the humorous pantomimes we grew up with. Supported by The Hippodrome Orchestra, the music perfectly accompanied the panto, adding brilliant tracks to be highlighted by Knight’s talented vocals. Along with a hilarious pop parody and The Grumbleweeds’ musical comedy sketch, the music blended seamlessly into the performance.

For me however The Grumbleweeds’ made the show,

with their first sketch sending me into stitches of laughter. I love the idea that while parts of it were scripted, they could just improvise and adlib whenever they felt like it, making it more topical and funnier for every performance.

The only part of this hilarious production which I could possibly critique was their 4th wall breaking song, where they praised the Hippodrome. This song felt terribly out of place and a little awkward as it continued on and was repeated at the end, advertising the theatre further.

Overall, this pantomime was another Qdos stunner and certainly worth a watch. Beverley Knight is magical, The Grumbleweeds are hilarious, the Ugly Sisters pull the funniest faces, while still looking fabulous in their comical outfits and Matt Slack tells the best jokes. A fun filled show for all, young, old and millennial.

Cinderella runs at the Birmingham Hippodrome until January 28th 2018.

Photo Credit: Simon Hadley and Birmingham Hippodrome

Spectacular Classics at Symphony Hall Ruth Horsburgh Culture Critic

They don’t undersell the Christmas performances at the Birmingham Symphony Hall. ‘Christmas Spectacular’ is quite a billing to live up to and thankfully it did not disappoint.

Taking place on the 23rd December, this concert ensured its audience was in the most festive of spirits.

The London Concert Orchestra was the backbone of the evening’s entertainment, led by the excellent John Rigby as their conductor. Alongside the orchestra, there was the Canzonetta Choir, who sang and supported the orchestra and soloists beautifully. There were Christmas trees and twinkling lights, perfectly setting the Christmas scene as we settled into our seats. But not for long.

Audience participation was to be an integral part of the evening’s entertainment. The host for the evening was the ever-affable Alan Titchmarsh, sporting an eyecatching and seasonal purple velvet jacket. With interesting anecdotes introducing each of the choral and orchestral pieces, Titchmarsh ensured that the

evening’s entertainment flowed seamlessly. He injected warmth and humour with dad jokes aplenty and prompted the audience into joining in the singing at intervals throughout the evening. He gauged his audience well, and his jokes about the stresses of Christmas shopping, memories of childhood rivalries in school Nativity plays, and his poem about a disgruntled cracker, were all well received.

The orchestra opened with a lovely medley of Christmas tunes in Anderson’s A Christmas Festival. This was a great way to start the concert as it demonstrated the variety of music which we would enjoy as the evening progressed. The first carol with the audience singing along was 'The First Noel'. The Canzonetta then performed a moving acapella version of 'Silent Night' which provided a poignant moment in the evening as Titchmarsh acknowledged the song’s link to a brief ceasefire in the First World War. The rendition of the 'Sussex Carol' was lively and was a good forerunner to Waldteufel’s 'Skater’s Waltz', which was when the Jingle Belles Dancers made their first appearance. They definitely evoked the

swirling and circling of Parisian skaters on the minimal stage space available to them.

"A festive treat for all... something to suit all tastes" A real highlight of the evening was the performance of Puccini’s Act 1 finale from La Boheme and Verdi’s 'Brindisi (Drinking Song)'.

The operatic vocals of the soprano Anna Patalong and tenor Nico Darmanin were outstanding, combining moments of real tenderness with powerfully voiced climaxes. Their duets resounded throughout the concert hall, and, clutching glasses of wine, Anna and Nico captured the Christmas spirit of revelry to perfection with the Drinking Song. Somehow, we had to follow their stunning performances with an ensemble rendition of 'O Come, All Ye Faithful!' - we enthusiastically tried our best! There was a real feeling of community at the concert, with the relaxed atmosphere and amusing anecdotes recounted

by Titchmarsh – just what

Christmas should be.

After the interval, Titchmarsh looked like a child in a sweet shop as he managed to sneak into the percussion section to help perform the uplifting 'Sleigh Ride'. Accompanied by the sequinned and Santa costumed dancers, this was a lively and energy-packed opening to the second half. I never thought I would see Alan Titchmarsh in a Christmas cracker costume, but the game Mr Titchmarsh duly donned a rather fetching cracker outfit to recite his own poem celebrating the often-overlooked token of Christmas dinners.

Adding a touch of gravitas to proceedings, Darmanin then returned to the stage to perform 'O Holy Night', giving another enthralling performance. This was followed by Patalong’s captivating rendition of 'Ave Maria'.

Followed by the orchestra performing excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker - a must for any Christmas concert this was a classy yet familiar interlude in the evening.

As the evening drew to a close, guest singer Laura Tebbutt gave some lively renditions to such popular favourites as 'When a Child is Born' and 'It’s The Most

Wonderful Time Of The Year'.

Even the conductor couldn’t resist a quick waltz, alongside the Jingle Belles Dancers who performed increasingly daring lifts and high energy routines. From 'Frosty the Snowman' to 'Merry Christmas Everyone', the festive favourites just kept coming and had the audience clapping and tapping along. Rigby then directed different sections of the audience to each perform actions and sing along to lines from 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'. This provoked some of the loudest laughs and reactions of the evening. It was lovely to be part of such Christmas frivolity, and as a proud member of the pecking French hens, everyone entered willingly into the shared fun of the evening.

Our last ensemble carol was 'Hark! The herald angels sing'. Titchmarsh thanked all the participants of the concert and added his own Christmas wishes to the audience as the orchestra and Laura Tebbutt closed the concert with 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town', complete with fireworks.

There was no room for Scrooges at this concert. This was a fun concert with excellent and varied musical performances on stage – truly something to suit all tastes. Encouraged by the amiable Alan Titchmarsh throughout, the audience soon really entered into the spirit of all the frivolities.

This was a fantastic way to see in the final countdown to Christmas - a festive treat for all.

Photo Credit: http://www.bongovongo.com/ via Wikimedia Commons.

CULTURE

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbrickculture

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New Year, New Performances

Culture Editor, Rebecca Moore, shares five local shows not to be missed this year.

Rebecca Moore Culture Editor @MarieMoore27

Culture Print Editor Rebecca Moore shares her picks of five local shows not to be missed in 2018. Including ballet, theatre, and comedy, these are the performances that will make you cry, laugh, and stare in awe at the stage in 2018.

Birmingham Royal Ballet present The Sleeping Beauty at The Birmingham Hippodrome (Tues 13 – Sat 24 Feb) The magical Birmingham Royal Ballet return to the Birmingham Hippodrome in February with their production of The Sleeping Beauty. With a classical score by Tchaikovsky and choreography by Marius Petipa, it will undoubtedly be one of the most enchanting shows to see in the Midlands this year. The performance will see the wicked fairy, the beautiful princess, and the handsome prince brought to

life through Imperial Russian ballet, alongside a myriad of other fairy-tale characters, with costumes and a stage design (by Philip Prowse) that will leave you spellbound.

Cahoots NI and Prime Theatre Present Penguins at The Birmingham Repertory Theatre (Thu 1 – Sat 10 Feb) Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Cahoots NI, and Prime Theatre present their show Penguins at The Door this February. That’s right, a performance about penguins, you’re sold already aren’t you? Most penguins try to hatch eggs, of course, but Roy and Silo at Central Park Zoo decide to hatch a rock instead, and that proves to be eventful!

Award-winning director Paul Bosco McEeaney and international choreographer Carlos Pons Guerra present this children’s show – based on a true story - that tackles the themes of friendship, fun, and family, through a blend of theatre and dance.

Rachel Wagstaff’s Birdsong at the New Alexandra Theatre Birmingham (Mon 18 – Sat 23 June) Based on the acclaimed novel

by Sebastian Faulks, Rachel Wagstaff’s stage production of Birdsong comes to the New Alexandra Theatre in June to mark the 100th Anniversary of the First World War. This heart-breaking tale of love and courage has been marked as ‘one of the most memorable pieces of theatre you are ever likely to witness’ by the British Theatre Guide, so it’s worth trying to catch when it stops off in the Midlands on its 2018 UK tour. Book your tickets and grab some tissues to experience this stunning adaptation, it will be more than worth the tears.

The Royal Shakespeare Company present Macbeth in Stratford-Upon-Avon (Tues 13 March – Tues 18 Sep) Something wicked this way comes. The Royal Shakespeare Company present the bard’s darkest tragedy Macbeth from March until September this year. As part of the RSC’s attempt to draw in younger audiences, this production promises to combine traditional Shakespearean elements with a more modern approach to a psychological thriller. Christopher Eccleston takes on the role of the protagonist in his RSC debut, while Niamh Cusack returns to the company as Lady Macbeth.

With tickets for only £5 for 16-25year olds as part of the RSC Key (Join for Free) there is no reason not to head on over to Stratford this summer. If you don’t fancy

the train journey, however, it is also being broadcast live to cinemas on Wednesday 11 April 2018, so you can enjoy this famous murderous tale on the big screen.

Lovehard present Tales from the Elsewhere at The Old Joint Stock (Wednesday 11 April) Comedy duo Lovehard come to the pub-come-theatre The Old Joint Stock for one night only in April to investigate the series of devastating events that have been happening in Hopeville. Since graduating from the University of Birmingham in 2014, this pair have been called “comic geniuses” by What’s On Magazine, received 5 stars from Broadway Baby, Voice Magazine, and Fringebiscuit, and were finalists of the Leicester Square Theatre Sketch-Off 2017. Tickets are only

£10, so go and give your Birmingham alumni some support. They’ve been making Birmingham students laugh hard since 2011, so you won’t regret it.

Other highlights include: The Royal Shakespeare Company present Matilda the Musical at The Birmingham Hippodrome (Tue 3 July to Sat 8 Sep); Brief Encounter High Tea at The Birmingham REP (Thu 8 – Thu 15 Feb); Sweeney Todd at The Wolverhampton Grand Theatre (Tue 13 – Sat 17 March); Great Expectations at The Belgrade Theatre Coventry (Wed 2 – Sat 5 May) and Beatfreeks – Poetry Jam V Birthday Special at The Symphony Hall (Thu 8 Feb).

Photo Credits: RSC Macbeth Paul Stuart , BRB Sleeping Beauty - Bill Cooper

Culture Corner Alice Kiff Culture Critic

Culture critic Alice Kiff discusses three cultural favourites in our regular feature, ‘Culture Corner.’

Van Gogh’s Tree Roots As someone with Dutch heritage, the work of Van Gogh has been a part of my life since visiting the Van Gogh museum with my relatives as a child. However it took a little growing up, and a little suffering of my own mental health problems to gain a deeper appreciation of the Dutchman’s work. Positioned at the end of the Van Gogh Museum, Tree Roots was probably the last work that Van Gogh created. Tree Roots was painted in July 1890 in the idyllic gardens of Auvers-sur-Oise; shortly after the deeply ill artist left a mental asylum, and shortly before his tragic death the very same month. The piece strikes a chord with me and many others who have suffered mental illness; it is a deep, dark, tangled knot of roots, beginning nowhere and ending nowhere. It is a tragic piece; painted in a idyllic land-

scape; a poignant reflection of the art that this troubled artist created in his short but incredibly celebrated lifetime.

"A tragic piece; painted in a idyllic landscape; a poignant reflection of the art that this troubled artist created" “Back to Back” by Rhea Butcher and Cameron Esposito Okay - onto much happier things! Comedy duo Butcher and Esposito’s incredible stand-up show is so funny, heartwarming and weep-into-your-pillow adorable that it almost has you forgetting how utterly millenial you feel, listening to a queer comedy show on Spotify in your student house. In “Back to Back”, the married couple effortlessly bounce off of eachother; each with a unique wit and anecdotes a-plen-

ty. Even though I only listened to this show upon its release in 2017, I’m including it because it’s the kind of media I wish I grew up with. Butcher and Esposito regale the struggles and joys of being queer women; from the awkwardness of gym changing rooms at school to the butch lesbian reality of having to rent a boy’s tuxedo for a wedding. Esposito and Butcher are utterly warm and always hilarious; and should be on everyone’s to-listen list this year.

Jack Kerouac’s On the Road In the words of Bob Dylan, “On the Road changed my life like it changed everyone else’s.”

You’d be hard-pressed to find an adolescent who read Kerouac’s defining work of counterculture and remained untouched by it in some way. As a sixteen year old living in Surrey in 2013, I couldn’t be much further away from the jazzy, wild and free excitement of soaring through the States in a Hudson commodore with your best friends; but the story’s celebration of youth, travel, and adventure, hit home with me. On the Road is as relevant to young

adults who want to change the world today as it was in the 60s. It challenged core American ideals, rigid family structures, patriotism and attitudes towards youth culture. On the Road manages to do so much without being over dramatic; it’s easy-going, adventur-

ous, personable, totally genuine, and definitely had me checking when the next flight to San Francisco was on more than one occasion.

Photo credit: Creative Commons Wikimedia and Van Gogh

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FILM

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbrickfilm

Review: Darkest Hour

Film Editor Patrick Box dusts off his Union Jack for King and Country

Patrick Box Film Editor

This ground has been trod before, and undoubtably cinema will tread it again countless more times in our lifetimes. In fact casting an eye over only the previous two years The Darkest Hour can be viewed, alternatively, as a companion piece to the previous July’s Dunkirk, a prequel to June’s Churchill, and an intriguing point of comparison to 2016’s first season of Netflix’s The Crown. It is a true testament to the film that it manages to dodge feelings of familiarity and fatigue and emerge as a highly engaging drama, in its own right, anchored by a rocksolid central performance and some superb directing.

"It manages to dodge feelings of familiarity and fatigue" Set in 1940, immediately after the resignation of Neville Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup), the film follows the very early days of Winston Churchill’s (Gary Oldman) first term as Prime Minister. With Hitler’s forces thundering across western Europe, Churchill faces a battle much closer to home in the form of his own war cabinet, led by Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax (Stephen Dillane), who believe the best course of action is still to make peace with the Nazis. On top of that the PM must also battle his own doubts over how truthful he should be to the public, and combat the skepticism of King George VI (Ben Mendelsohn).

Screenwriter Anthony McCarten has made an atypical choice of the period of history the film explores, and in large part this is the reason the film still manages to surprise.

Certain facts that have been forgotten by the popular consciousness, (such as the power still held

by Chamberlain within govern-

mant after his resignation or the scale of the reservations Britain held over going to war again) are made the focus of the film.

The main draw of the film though, and also what it is seemingly most concerned with, is the central performance of Gary Oldman as Churchill. With titans such as Brendan Gleeson, Timothy Spall, Brian Cox, and John Lithgow all having recently donned the top had and chomped the trademark cigar Oldman has a lot to live up to. Predictably he doesn’t disappoint inhabiting the role completely and blowing his competition out of the water.

Oldman, aided by some brilliant prosthetics that enhance rather than distract from his performance, manages to embody all of the bluster, wit, and charisma one associates with Churchill but also manages to simultaneously capitalise on his flaws. The film makes it clear to its audience that above all else Churchill appeared as a curmudgeon and a warmonger to his fellow politicians. Dogged by a career of failure, his absolute certainty that Britain should go down fighting rather than capitulate comes across as a narcissistic refusal to accept when he is beaten rather than true patriotism.

Speeding through Westminster on light-feet, smoking an endless number of cigars, and chugging enough alcohol to fell a Rhino you catch yourself sometimes agreeing with his detractors that perhaps he is a little unhinged.

But of course his oratory abilities put these doubts to rest and Oldman has no trouble with the many speeches he is forced to make over the course of the movie.

"Oldman manages to embody all the bluster, wit and charisma of Churchill" Despite the majority of the film’s weight resting on his shoulders, the film is helped along by some equally talented performers.

Like Oldman, Ben Mendelsohn has some large shoes to fill as George VI with actors such as Colin Firth and Jared Harris having given arguably iconic turns as the King. What Mendlsohn does is bring his trademark severity to the role, in some scenes it borders on the sinister, as he doubts the abilities of his government’s new PM. The criminally underrated Stephen Dillane is ideal as Lord Halifax, Churchill’s greatest threat to both his position and his ego.

With the steely determination of a predator he spends the majority of the film running circles around Churchill, who can only indignantly bluster in defence. A political creature, Dillane still makes it clear that he has the UK’s best interest in heart; to him Churchill’s ego will ensure the destruction he believes is inevitable if Hitler is challenged. Lily James is surprisingly toned down as Churchill’s secretary Elizabeth Layton, and is better for it, whilst Kristen Scott Thomas is underserved but pitchperfect as his long-suffering wife Clementine. The warmth of their relationship is felt but is sadly

very rarely the focus. As other reviews have noticed the film does struggle to place female characters in its narrative, with so much of the film being dominated by cabinet meetings and parliamentary speeches.

Oldman’s true co-star however is Director Joe Wright. As previously stated so much of the film is dominated by stuffy interiors, that it’s hard not to be impressed by the visual flair apparent on screen. His use of framing, and lighting is spectacular and gives the film an almost Noirish feel.

This is a film where every scene is the highest of drama; the camera is at home in the closeup and the sound department is working overtime constantly. With everything turned up to such a high degree there is the constant threat of the film straying into cheese territory. For the most part the film walks this line well, but there are definitely some scenes that will cause a couple eye-rolls amongst the more cynical moviegoers. Personally, I’m embarrassed to say I did get swept up in the drama several times and con-

clude that I must had something in my eye at several key points in the story. Also given the patriotic nature of the film its inevitable that people on both sides of the current political divide will argue that there is a contemporary analogue at work in the film. But it’s best to ignore them. The film is a powerful character-study, and a enthrallingly entertaining period drama. Nothing else.

VERDICT: Anchored by potentially the best depiction of Churchill on film yet in Oldman’s powerhouse performance, The Darkest Hour also boasts brilliant performances from the rest of the cast and the best directing of Joe Wright’s career. Taken alone any one of those factors is worth the price of admission. So long as you’re not adverse to some gratuitous flag-waving and a bit of cheese.

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FILM

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbrickfilm

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Review: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Film Critic Matt Taylor reviews the latest from Martin McDonagh Matt Taylor

back to their last conversation is utterly devastating), and she carries a great deal of the film’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, more emotional beats with Missouri is the latest from Oscar- enough raw humanity to bring winning director Martin you to tears.

McDonagh, and it’s nothing short of a masterpiece. Every aspect of it is stunning, from the performances, to the script, to the cinematography, to the way it can make you laugh out loud and set you on edge in the same moment – it’s astonishing. It’s hard to pinpoint any one thing that makes it so good, as everyOpposite McDormand is thing gels together perfectly to Woody Harrelson as police chief create an absolute tour de force Bill Willoughby. All Willoughby of a film. wants to do is catch the killer, Its story is not one that sits but with no evidence and coneasy; seven months after her stant pressure from Mildred, daughter was raped and mur- he’s struggling. As with dered (at the same time, as the McDormand’s performance, film isn’t afraid to point out), Harrelson brings so much and after the police have made humanity to the role. While he’s no arrests, Mildred Hayes entirely at odds with Mildred, (Frances McDormand) takes constantly asking for the billmatters into her own hands and boards to be taken down, publicly shames the local police Harrelson makes him relatable department using the titular bill- and easy to sympathise with as a boards. family man in an awkward situLet’s start with the perform- ation made worse by Mildred’s ances: incredible, all-round. attitude towards him. Sam McDormand plays Mildred with Rockwell rounds out the main a relentless stubbornness that’s trio as officer Jason Dixon, the equal parts hilarious and nail- most thoroughly detestable of biting. She’s a mother on a mis- the characters. He’s racist, he’s sion and she’s damned if she’s violent, he’s unstable, and going to let anything stop her, Rockwell makes him utterly teryet as strong as she is, she’s also rifying, when he needs to be. incredibly emotional. Her daugh- Dixon shows the absolute worst ter’s death weighs heavily on of humanity, the dark, torturing both her and the film (a flash- underbelly that we never want to Film Critic

"Three Billboards is dark, intense, violent and extremely funny"

see, but he’s also rather funny; he’s quite slow on the uptake, making him the butt of several jokes, but he gives as good as he gets as Rockwell gets to put his excellent comedy chops to use.

The rest of the cast are solid, with Zeljko Ivanek getting some proper laughs, and John Hawkes playing Mildred’s ex-husband with a suitable swaggering malice.

For all the intensity that the performers bring, though, this is still a comedy film, and a fantastically funny one at that. Every joke is timed to perfection, and McDonagh’s whip-smart dialogue is some of the best in recent years. Everything about it feels real, and not a single laugh is out of place, even when they

come in the most intense scenes – many jokes are at the expense of others, and many more are simply insults, but in a film that pits people against each other as this does, that isn’t an issue.

The best way, I feel, to describe the film as a whole is through the character of Dixon, and the three sides we see to him; the evil, the funny, and the human. Three Billboards is dark, intense, and violent, but also extremely funny, and deeply moving. It’s the only film I can recall that’s brought me so close to tears on so many separate occasions; it’s both beautiful and haunting simultaneously (in part down to the gorgeous cinematography – wide shots of the billboards with various goings

on around them really are a sight to behold), and the end result is a hilarious, emotional film that’ll stay with you long after the credits start to roll.

VERDICT: Beautiful, funny, and harrowing, Three Billboards is a hands-down masterpiece, fronted by a powerhouse performance from Frances McDormand. It deserves all the awards it can get, and if we see one better film for the rest of the year, we’re in for a real treat.

Review: Molly's Game

Film Critic Todd Waugh Ambridge is impressed by Aaron Sorkin's hand Todd Waugh Ambridge

at night by armed FBI agents.

With the odds stacked against her, she seeks the counsel of Aaron Sorkin has had an illustri- renowned defence lawyer Charlie ous screenwriting career, having Jaffey (Idris Elba), whom she penned the 1992 hit A Few Good tells her story. Both leads are Men, the optimistic TV series electrifying, with Chastain espeThe West Wing and, of course, cially giving a career-best perthe 2010 Oscar-winning The formance. Her portrayal of the Social Network. The latter of smart, sarcastic, independent these films rewrote how autobio- Molly is as nuanced as the chargraphical films could work, lead- acter herself; her charisma ing to his equally profound 2015 undoubtful and felt in every sidecharacter study Steve Jobs. ways glance. Kevin Costner also Molly’s Game continues this plays the intriguing role of trend, while also serving as Molly’s father with a perfectly Sorkin’s directorial debut – and balanced performance of emohe proves himself completely in tion and restraint. both roles.

Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain) is an ex-professional skier who chooses a high-risk lifestyle when she begins running an ultra-exclusive men’s poker game for the Hollywood elite. Years later, she is arrested Film Critic

"Chastain gives a career best performance"

Such profound performances are built from the film’s incredible dialogue – and where Sorkin truly excels is in his dialogue.

Steve Jobs was built around only three scenes, but the careful choice of every word in every line of dialogue provided a structure of its own and had the audience constantly anticipating what was to come next. The same is true here, but on a grander scale.

Molly’s Game is not built around three scenes, but three entire time-frames: Molly’s childhood, the rise and fall of her poker game, and the proceeding events of her litigation. Each of these time-frames are made up of many scenes, which in turn are made up of the same perfectly worded lines of dialogue that Sorkin is renowned for. But despite its reliance on words, the film never feels bland or verbose – largely because whenever it’s spent a

while in one time-frame, it cuts to another and you suddenly have to pick up where you left off. In Molly’s Game you’re constantly learning, with each word, about these characters and their journey.

With all its time-frame switches, courtroom drama, slow family moments and high-stakes poker games, there’s a lot going on in Molly’s Game. The film is indeed complex, yet never feels difficult to follow; a true testament to both Sorkin’s script and his directorial skills. It’s like managing several spinning plates on sticks, but having none of them ever fall over, and shows Sorkin as a filmmaker to watch out for. However, the unavoidable fact that this is his first film does show in places. The overreliance on narration is at times frustrating and never really feels necessary, and there are a few points characters are telling you things you’d much rather be shown. But we can forgive Sorkin for these few errors in judgement, because he otherwise excels at the one factor so many directors fail at: trusting their audience. Watch any film that features poker, and it’s almost guaranteed that it dumbs the game down to ‘good hand’, ‘bad hand’ and ‘bluff’. Not Molly’s Game. Molly’s Game trusts its audience to pay attention to its few simple explanations, allowing the poker games to essen-

tially serve as action scenes.

This may not seem important to some, but action scenes are a lot more tense, a lot more powerful and a lot more meaningful when you actually understand what is going on.

This isn’t a poker film, though. It’s a thoughtful character study with so many disparate elements that have been put together in masterful fashion. Like her Game, Molly herself is complex, and I was unravelling and debating her motivations right up until the film’s ending. The questions I had were not ones the film had posed to me, but ones it had provoked I ask myself. And after all is said and done, the answers are profound. Molly’s Game is well acted, intelligently directed and brilliantly written; but above all it is simply moving.

VERDICT: Aaron Sorkin has hit the ground running with his directorial debut.

While Molly’s Game doesn’t quite exceed the expectations set by The Social Network and Steve Jobs, it matches them in every way by being a fantastically scripted character study.

This is going to be one of those films you can keep coming back to and finding more to enjoy each and every time.

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MUSIC

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbrickmusic

Essential Album: Funkadelic - Maggot Brain Music Critic James Law discusses exactly why the iconic funk outift's third record deserves recognition as one of the twentieth century's most influential releases James Law Music Critic @jamesmaclaw

George Clinton. One of the most influential figures in music and one of the most sampled artists ever. He has produced work that has shaken the entire landscape to the core. It is not a hyperbole to say that this man, and particularly his 1971 magnum opus: Maggot Brain, has done an inconceivable amount to shape the music scene as we know it today.

"Maggot Brain represents the culmination and confirmation of their sound" After failing to break into Motown, Clinton and his band The Parliaments, whom he’d performed with since 1957, changed their focus. The Beatles and The Rolling Stones had been invading the US charts, and Clinton had to go in his own direction. The band began combining the do-wop style they had been performing as The Parliaments with elements of psychedelic rock, soul, and blues; Gathering inspiration from greats like Jimi Hendrix and James Brown and elevating the funk genre to the next level. The Parliaments became ParliamentFunkadelic, developing separate sounds under these two monikers – Parliament for their more standard, old-school funk material (see Mothership Connection), and Funkadelic for the psychedelic funk-rock side of things.

Funkadelic’s third album, following their self-titled debut and the heavily intoxicating Free Your Mind... And Your Ass Will Follow, Maggot Brain represents the culmination and confirmation of their sound. Most notable members of the ever-evolving P-Funk roster on Maggot Brain are Clinton, Guitarist Eddie Hazel, Keyboardist Bernie Worrell, and the creatively nicknamed William ‘Billy Bass’ Nelson. He played the bass.

These minds combined to write, produce and perform music stemming from many types of sound, particularly the hip-hop scene, but reaching out to R&B and rock. So many different styles exist within this transcendent masterpiece that its influence, nearly 50 years later, can still be seen across huge portions of the music world, from DOOM to Prince to Talking Heads.

Maggot Brain cannot be discussed without mentioning the title track: Clinton surrounded Hazel with amplifiers, everyone in the room on LSD, and simply told him to play. He told him to ‘play as if your mama just died.’

What followed is a journey through the mind of a psychedelic virtuoso - basically, it is a 10-minute guitar solo.

Funkadelic embrace a more bluesy mood in ‘Can You Get To That’ and ‘Hit It And Quit It’.

After ‘Maggot Brain’, it is an enormous leap of styles. These tracks satisfy those of us who want more of the Parliament-style acoustic guitar funky goodness, with that little bit of weirdness that you always see in P-Funk making it that much more engaging to listen to.

‘You And Your Folks, Me And My Folks’ follows a similar pat-

tern, invoking a simple, groovy bassline and simple yet impactful lyrics with overriding themes of class conflict. Lines such as ‘The rich got a big piece of this and that / The poor got a big piece of roaches and rats’ may seem onthe-nose to some, but it concisely communicates Nelson’s anguish

Brain’ – Nelson cries for unity, whilst Clinton seems more nonchalant and jaded, having to ‘rise above it all.’

‘Super Stupid’, the first track on the B-side, is one that very strongly shows influence from Jimi Hendrix. With only a few lines of lyrics discussing sub-

and desires for the poor to unite in solidarity. The verse ‘But if in our fears, we don't learn to trust each other / And if in our tears, we don't learn to share with your brother / You know that hate is gonna keep on multiplying', meanwhile, provides a philosophical difference to Clinton’s sentiment at the beginning of ‘Maggot

stance abuse and how ‘the winner is fear,’ most of the song’s talking is done through its instrumental.

Hazel’s frantic, anxious, distorted and shaky guitar, played slightly ahead of the fast-but-stable beat, gives the listener the feeling of being both on-edge and off-balance, as the guitar track is slightly jarring as well as mesmerising

when played alongside the rhythm section.

‘Back In Our Minds’ is a far more level-headed track, living up to its title. This is something of a recovery from the constantly changing tone of the album, and has more of a gospel inspiration behind it. This track is the one in which the band are literally back in their minds, yet the lyrics suggest that this is not the state in which they want to be. They feel slightly defeatist: ‘We don't fight no more / We done close that door / This time for sure / We can't stand no more.’

This defeatism is intensified in ‘Wars Of Armageddon’, which plays like a hysterical individual fearing for their future. Frenzied and disturbed in its delivery, the vocals shout for ‘Freedom Now!’ and bemoan that ‘I gotta go to work / What kind of shit is this’, continuing the all-encompassing class battle felt by Clinton and the band, fighting racism and poverty through their unashamedly unique music – their outspoken lyrics and their cutting-edge sonic combinations. Also, there are a lot of fart sounds at 7:31. I am sure this has a deep, metaphorical meaning, but farts are inherently amusing and I will not grow up.

Maggot Brain may not be the most sampled of George Clinton’s work – partly because he was deliberately distancing himself from the mainstream at this point in his career, the pre-Bootsy Collins years – but it laid all of the groundwork for the future of P-Funk and the music world. For that, all I can do is thank the band for all they’ve done for the music I, and millions of others, love.

Single Review: First Aid Kit - Ruins Martha Bird Music Critic @marthabird98

The Swedish Söderberg sisters, known to most as softly-spoken folk outfit First Aid Kit, are releasing their new album Ruins today, and in preparation four singles have been released from the record. The duo do not seem to have strayed too far from the sound of their last albums, but it does sound as if they have had their hearts broken since the release of their 2014 effort Stay Gold, their first record on new label Columbia.

This latest single, ‘Ruins’, is almost reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Landslide’, expressing the heartbreak of a relationship with beautiful, stripped back vocals

and a simple guitar line. The Södenbergs encase their typical themes of heartbreak and lost relationships within warm, comforting orchestration and angelic harmonies, backed by a soothing mix of folk rock and country.

"'Ruins' contains some of the duo's most moving lyrics" It is the most stripped back of the singles so far released, and by far the most impressive, with others such as ‘Firework’ sounding a little too much like a mild impression of First Aid Kit’s previous work, without possessing the same unique beauty of ‘Ruins’.

The arrangement is not the only thing this song has going for it: ‘Ruins’ contains some of the duo’s most moving lyrics, feeling even more vulnerable and personal than previous works, and somehow creating an interesting, fresh sounding song that still presents with many key similarities to their older work. Their melancholy vulnerability, wrapped in a misleadingly sunny melody, is shown in the beautiful lyrics, ‘Ruins / All the things we built assured that they would last / Ending months ticket stubs, and written notes and photographs.’

This is a song full of heartbreak and dashed dreams, and it is definitely worth a listen.

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MUSIC

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbrickmusic

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BBC's Sound Of 2018 Winner: Sigrid

With only 6 songs to her name, Sigrid seems an unlikely candidate for the world's next great popstar. Music Editor Issy Campbell explains why she will be anyway Issy Campbell Music Editor @issycampbell

If you have not heard of Sigrid yet, then rest assured you will do soon. The Norwegian pop singer made waves in the music industry last year, and is set to make even more: she has just been announced as the BBC’s Sound Of 2018, taking the win over artists such as Superorganism and Tom Walker.

With this win behind her, it is high time we had a look into 2018’s most promising pop star.

"Her greatest asset is that she is normal - she sings because she wants to, not to fulfil a remit" Her debut single ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’ was met with incredible success, premiering on BBC Radio 1 as Mistajam’s Hottest Record. It was clear from the start that Sigrid was one to watch, and her accompanying EP gave us four innovative and punchy pop

songs. While ‘Plot Twist’ showed off her ability to make an upbeat catchy single, ‘Dynamite’ flaunted her truly incredible vocals. The song, released exclusively as an acoustic track, demonstrates a soothing vocal and a rare ability to capture pure emotion.

This stunning debut, alongside recent single ‘Strangers’, won her the BBC Sound Of 2018: it may not have come with a prize as such, but instead with the approval of 170 music critics and former nominees (including Stormzy and Ellie Goulding), as well as a huge platform upon which to promote herself. With previous winners including Adele and Sam Smith, Sigrid is amongst pop music royalty, an honour in itself.

Sigrid only signed to Island Records last year, but she has been creating her own material since she was 16. Now 21, Sigrid has played some incredible gigs, her favourite being a performance to around 7,000 people at Rosklide Festival, a crowd she admits she was not expecting. I was lucky enough to see Sigrid play at Glastonbury last year on the Park Stage. With her EP only released a month before the festival, it was also slightly shocking to find such a big crowd awaiting her. Having convinced myself that I had found

Sigrid before she was big (although I am not sure how I thought a girl with her talent was going to have gone relatively unnoticed), I had to watch in awe as she energetically danced around the stage, looking like she was having the time of her life.

Sigrid could easily be described as the voice of Generation Z: her lyrics delve into the fears and desires of adolescence and approaching adulthood. On ‘Fake Friends’ she sings ‘It’s better to walk away than to run with fake friends,’ a situation I am sure many of her fans have struggled with as they discover the difficulties that lie behind some friendships. On newest single ‘Strangers’ she explores the fear of ‘Falling head over heels / For something that ain’t real’ as well as the pressure to keep up appearances and hide the truth.

In a recent interview with The Observer, Sigrid was described as having ‘no trace of any makeup on her almost translucent, flawless skin’ – as if this is something we ought to be impressed by. The interview continues to emphasise this idyllic portrayal, a small-town girl from Norway who has now made a career as a pop star and yet is so ‘refreshing minimalist.’

It is exactly this that Sigrid rallies

against in ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’.

The patronising tones of those who look down at us for whatever reason they see fit: ‘You speak to me like I’m a child’ is a sentiment all of us will resonate with, whether it be a parent, boss, colleague or friend. Sigrid should not be branded as a quirky outsider, like in those cheesy American movies.

Her greatest asset is that she is normal – she sings because she wants to, not to fulfil a remit.

Instead of fixating on her looks and her ‘millennial outfits’ we

should be focusing on her talent and that incredible raspy voice, which will no doubt be taking over 2018.

Sigrid’s entire UK tour has now sold out, and she will be coming to the Birmingham O2 Institute on March 18th. If her previous performances are anything to go off, she is going to be providing high energy and dazzling vocals that will truly blow you away. 2018 has a lot in store for Sigrid, and I am ready to watch her career sky rocket.

Album Review: Camila Cabello - Camila Suraj Hallan assesses Camila Cabello's first foray into a solo career, following a messy split from former group Fifth Harmony Suraj Hallan Music Critic

Ten tracks and self-titled - sound familiar? Is Camila Cabello’s debut album designed to create a rivalry with the latest Fifth Harmony album, which is also self-titled and contains ten tracks?

Or is the title Camila intended to show that Cabello’s true identity is as a solo artist, and that Fifth Harmony sans-Camila are the real Fifth Harmony? Let’s find out.

Opener ‘Never Be The Same’ features diverse sounds ranging from a church organ to a mixture of drums and electro beats. The low opening notes resemble similarities to the track ‘6 Inch’ from Beyoncé’s Lemonade. The climax

of the song however is the prechorus, where Cabello sings ‘Just like nicotine, heroin, morphine...’ in an impressively high range that only makes you excited to see whether she can maintain these notes live. This is a strong start to the album, and its energetic feel gets the listener pumped up for the rest of the record.

‘Real Friends’ has a very 2000s sound and a deep message: Cabello in her lyricisms is heard struggling to make genuine friendships and states how she often feels let down by her ‘friends’.

Could this be interpreted as a dig at her ex-bandmates in Fifth Harmony, who have very publically shaded her? This song has the ability to resonate with listeners and provide a sense of comfort

to those who may also feel the same about friendships.

As clichéd as it might sound, the highlight of Camila is its most popular single, ‘Havana’. Not only is it the most popular song on the album, ‘Havana’ is symbolic of an important message.

Originally, the lead-single for Camila was intended to be ‘Crying In The Club’, however because of its poor chart performance the song was scrapped from the album entirely and replaced by ‘Havana’.

Looking back, even though ‘Crying In The Club’ is arguably one of the most underrated songs of 2017, it did not represent her as an artist, and this may have been why it did not chart well.

‘Havana’, though, is truly Camila, making reference to her

birthplace in Cuba and embracing her heritage with a Latin American sound. This serves a positive message, that being yourself and staying true to your roots can get you anywhere - in Cabello’s case, a number-one hit in 22 countries.

"What Camila Cabello has produced at the tender age of 20 is impressive" Camila has a very mixed range of genres, including pop and R&B. Importantly, however, Cabello blends these genres with Latin and Cuban-Caribbean flavours, most notably seen in the tracks ‘She Loves Control’, ‘Havana’ and ‘Inside Out’. It is remeniscent of Jennifer Lopez’s iconic debut On The 6, which also incorporated Latino music with mainstream pop to great success.

The sounds off Camila also fit well into the Latin trend we are currently experiencing since the chart-reign of Luis Fonsi’s ‘Despacito’, a craze arguably not seen since 1999, with Ricky Martin’s ‘Livin La Vida Loca’, Geri Halliwell’s ‘Mi Chico Latino’ and J.Lo’s ‘Let’s Get Loud’.

Camila contributes to this modern-wave of Latin-pop dominance in the mainstream.

Camila’s overarching themes

are love and break-ups, particularly illustrated in the tracks ‘All These Years’ and ‘Inside Out’.

This could arguably be interpreted as a metaphor in regards to her break-up with Fifth Harmony, creating meaningful pop based on life experiences with hidden messages. This idea can be exemplified on ‘Inside Out’, which bears some similarities to the Fifth Harmony song ‘Write On Me’, from the group’s 2016 album 7/27. The song ‘Something’s Gotta Give’ also has a very Lana Del Rey-sounding feel to it, showing that Camila has been inspired from several genres of music.

What Camila Cabello has produced at the tender age of 20 is impressive. Cabello co-wrote every song on her debut, and has expertly incorporated her Latino roots into her music. It is a turning point for her, setting in stone what should be a long and successful career - although it is unfortunate that tracks such as ‘Crying In The Club’ and ‘I Have Questions’ are absent from Camila. Nevertheless, it is accurate to say that at the end of the year, Camila will be ranked very highly as one of the best pop records of 2018 and is set to collect a whole host of awards.

Cabello on this album has truly found herself as an artist and exciting times are undoubtedly on the horizon.

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TELEVISION

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbricktv

Looking Back On 2017 Niamh Brennan reviews the The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, the show that sums up the highs and lows of each year using television's best comedians Niamh Brennan Television Writer

The Big Fat Quiz of the Year is back with the 2017 edition, and once again, it did not disappoint.

The annual comedy quiz show hosted by Jimmy Carr was the perfect way in which to reflect on 2017, a year that many view as a relative global disaster, but one provided the perfect platform comedians to tear it to pieces in a perfectly cynical yet enjoyable 97 minute stint.

Without a doubt, the highlight of the show this year was David Mitchell. Being one of the longest returning panellists, it is difficult to believe that after thirteen years he is still getting better; but he is.

His consistent mocking and witty reflections on the year was overshadowed by no other. Mitchell’s repartee provided one of the most relatable musings of the year.

Mere moments into the show

Mitchell uttered one of the funniest quotes of the night, claiming that 2017 was ‘personally adequate but internationally disastrous’, setting up the starting ground for all of his performance that would follow. To a degree it was a shame that he was paired up with Roisin Contay. She couldn’t quite live up to the comic standard of Mitchell, and at times it felt as if she was struggling for laughs.

Perhaps this would not have been the case if she were paired with a comedian that better suited her comedic style, but ultimately her presence was forgettable.

The most surprising addition to the panel this year came in Grime MC Big Narstie. It took a while to warm to Narstie. He was difficult to understand, and constant confusion in identifying his fellow members of the panel instilled little confidence in how he would progress answering questions about events of 2017.

As the episode continued,

however, it became clear why he deserved a place exactly where he was. The sheer excitement he was clearly experiencing from being on the panel was infectious.

Perhaps some may have found his jokes worn out with every ‘bong’ he shouted after getting a question correct or with continuation of his misunderstanding of the popularly known ‘Mo Farah Sign’, but his genuine enjoyment of participating made every utterance as humorous as the last.

Katherine Ryan posed the perfect comedian to pair him up with, and her often ‘motherly’ approach towards him only intensified their great team dynamic. Whilst they may have questioned his intelligence in places, Narstie is never

made to feel unaccepted by his fellow panellists, making his attitude and positivity central to the appeal of 2017’s show.

Returning panellists Noel Fielding and Richard Ayoade were paired up once again, a combination that in the past has delivered a reliably entertaining perf o r m a n c e .

Individually, they provided a light-hearted relief to the quiz, from Fielding being ‘dressed’ as the podium to the continued snacking they both enjoyed throughout the show. However, their reluctance to really get involved in the quiz became quickly irritating. The way in which they ‘played’ the game has often been a highlight of the show, by answering as irrele-

vant and obscurely as they could to very simple questions about the year. But this year it felt oddly worn out. It seemed that their comedy relied on the ridiculous nature of their performance, and although it often worked, it would be refreshing to see how this was paired alongside other comedians in the future.

Returning features of the show included Jon Snow from Channel 4 News dancing along to one of the highest charting pop songs of the year, and to see him dance along to Taylor Swift is definitely a re-watchable performance.

Charles Dance returned to narrate one of the years highest selling autobiography’s, and the children of Mitchell Brook Primary school provided an endearing take on the news of Big Ben’s restoration.

Overall, The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2017 provided a great evening of entertainment, and I am excited to continue watching the episodes to come.

Review: The Miniaturist Kamila Geremek Television Writer

The Miniaturist is a two part mini-series based on the bestselling author by Jessie Burton of the same title. As it is one of my favourite books, you can imagine my excitement when I heard about the BBC adaptation that would air over Christmas.

Nella Oortamn (Anya TaylorJoy) moves to Amsterdam to live with her new husband Johannes Brandt (Alex Hassell). Upon arrival she is greeted by Brandt’s sister Marin (Romola Garai) and the house servants Cornelia (Hayley Squires) and Otto (Paapa Essiedu) the tension is palpable.

In order to keep Nella occupied, Johannes presents her with a dollhouse as an extravagant wedding

gift. It is not until Nella writes to the miniaturist asking for certain items for her doll house, that secrets of the family begin to reveal themselves Anya Taylor-Joy does a brilliant job of portraying Nella as more than just an innocent hopeless protagonist but as a woman who demands answers. Her youthfulness is perfectly juxtaposed with Marin, the controlling and often pessimistic sister. This sets up perfectly the ongoing power battle between the two women which brings a great dynamic to the often-dull storyline. The casting in general is brilliant and the characters are just like I imagined them when reading the book several years ago.

The first episode does a good job of building up the tension and

mystery, however it falls flat, and soon you can become bored and even confused as to what is actually going on. It is not until we are about fifty minutes in that things start to heat up and the final 40 minutes feel rushed withpointless action scenes.

Whilst I am glad that the production was so adamant on doing the book justice, I could have done with seeing Nella staring into the camera with a puzzled look on her face. Furthermore, I would have liked to have seen more about the miniaturist and the events that unfold following Johannes’ big secret.

The book spends a significant number of chapters describing all the finer details of the story, something the programme fails to do. Even though it is important for the production to not stray far

from the original it is also important to keep the audience engaged.

I knew that sooner or later big things were going to happen. But ,if you have not read the book then you will spend most of the time wondering why you are wasting your time on a TV show that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Therefore, it no surprise that the viewing figures dropped by 4,000 by the second episode the following day.

The second episode is far more interesting and it is a little disappointing for it be the shorter of the two. The story is full of twists and this episode does a brilliant job of raising different themes throughout the events such as the place of women in society and racial and religious prejudice. I almost wish they had focused on these and explored

them in more detail then focusing on Nella’s obsession with marzipan. Throughout all of this, I think the core creepiness of the book gets lost, as I forgot about the doll house and it became entirely insignificant.

The confrontation with the miniaturist herself was a little underwhelming and felt disjointed from the overall storyline, it kind of just filled in the gap of the mystery that we stopped caring about half way through the first episode.

If you read the book, you will enjoy this adaptation and its true likeness to the novel. However, some things are just better left on a page.

Simply Marvellous Television Morgana Chess Television Writer

Amazon Prime’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is, true to its name, simply marvellous television. Set in 1950s New York, the series follows the Upper WestSide wife and mother Miriam Maisel whose world is turned upside-down when her husband decides to leave her for his secretary. To express her true feelings about the situation, Miriam literally drunkenly stumbles into stand-up comedy and discovers a natural talent.

To the viewing pleasure of various dingy downtown clubs, and us at home, Rachel Brosnahan delivers Miriam’s stream of consciousness with zeal and perfect comic timing. As a character, Miriam is quirky and charming,

but frustratingly tied down by the patriarchal conventions of her time, to the point where every morning she wakes up earlier than her husband in order to reapply her makeup. We see her dutifully spend her days cooking briskets to bribe club managers into giving her husband, Joel, better time slots for his own sorry attempts at stand-up, through which she attentively sits and takes notes to improve his performance.

Following Joel’s unoriginal content and self-absorption, we fist-pump when Miriam herself finally takes the stage. This is where the show shines, as we get to see Miriam go on a journey from exemplary domestic housewife to an autonomous woman making her own career. When a heckler shouts ‘go home and clean the kitchen’, Miriam replies,

quick as a flash, ‘Oh sir, I’m Jewish. I pay people to do that’.

Tackling themes of sexism and culture, the writing is both witty and warm, and the bright frocks and screenplay allow the viewer to step back into 1950s New York.

Among the show’s other characters, Miriam’s Jewish parents are particularly hilarious, as her mother consults a crooked fortune-teller to get her through the grief of Miriam’s break-up and her father laments to his daughter, ‘When I agreed to send you to that fancy goyische college [where she meets Joel], what

was the one thing I told you?’

‘They’ll have terrible deli?’ ‘The important thing I told you.’ ‘That was about deli, too.’ ‘The other important thing I told you!’ ‘Don’t marry a weak man’. We see the pair react to the news of Miriam’s break-up with utter despair and they desperately try to push the couple back together to restore domestic normality.

Alex Borstein is also brilliant as Miriam’s newly-appointed manager Susie, who runs the dingy Gaslight club downtown and sees potential in Miriam’s drunken ramblings.

Though often mistaken for a man

and when asked if she is wearing a clean shirt can only reply with ‘define clean’, Susie forms a team with Upper-Westsider Miriam and the two women bounce off each other with mile-a-minute jokes and insults. When Susie sees Miriam’s luxurious apartment for the first time she marvels ‘I had no idea you were related to fucking Charlemagne’, but the dissimilar duo work together throughout the series to craft a successful (sober) comic act for Mrs Maisel.

I started to watch this show after its recent win of two Golden Globes awards and it’s safe to say that they were well-deserved. For anyone who enjoys a feel-good, feminist hit, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel fits the bill and provides the perfect antidote to January exams.

TELEVISION

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbricktv

Review: Black Mirror Season 4 Kat Smith reviews the latest season of Black Mirror Kat Smith Comment Editor

When the fourth series of Black Mirror dropped, writing a review was the perfect reason, or excuse, to binge-watch the latest collection of twisted tales of how technology is going to ruin the world.

Having been a fan of Black Mirror since its second series on Channel 4, its change to Netflix initially filled me with disappointment.

I was worried Brooker’s darkness would be illuminated for an international audience, but I can now safely say that things have got a whole lot more twisted since the days of televised bestiality and the bringing back of dead loved ones in the form of robots.

"I wonder when, and if, Brooker's creativity will run out" In spite of the occasional fleck of hope in some storylines (telling you which ones have a happy ending would be a massive spoiler), the show continues to tread a twisted path.

Upon finishing the 6 episodes, I was particularly pleased to see the sheer quantity of female protagonists, from heroes to villains and all that’s in-between. Certainly, women stole the show in this series.

I wonder when, and if, Brooker’s creativity will run out. The fourth collection of standalone episodes is possibly the best yet, with the pressure of the show's popularity clearly not having a negative impact on Brooker's genius. In spite of some episodes mirroring previous ones, the series is just as diverse and mesmerising as when it started in 2011. Parallels between episodes, sparking discussion over a shared Black Mirror universe, have only increased my awe of this show.

Season 4 kicks off with ‘USS Callister’, opening with a clip reminiscent of vintage Star Trek

and other cringe 60s TV shows. I had my doubts about this episode when I first saw the stills – did I really want to watch an hour and sixteen minutes of scantily clad women and melodramatically misogynistic men? Turns out, I really did.

The episode follows Robert Daley, a coder at a gaming company who creates his own personal virtual reality experience based around his favourite TV show.

His real-life persona is reserved, nerdy and regularly overpowered by other members of the office. He uses his space-themed game to trap virtual versions of these people and others who have ‘wronged him’, such as the receptionist who doesn’t smile enough and the new employee who admires his code but doesn’t want to sleep with him - she soon becomes the protagonist of the episode.

It ended up being one of my favourite episodes, with its commentary on abuse of power through popular culture, virtual reality and regular humour making this one of the best episodes of not only the season, but the entire show.

The following episode, ‘Arkangel’ sees a mother momentarily misplace her young daughter, Sara, subsequently getting a chip implanted in her so she can watch the world through her daughter’s eyes, have the brutal and the sexual blurred out and keep tabs on her location. It stops her from seeing tears, blood and sex, with the mother (Rosemarie DeWitt) finally ceasing to watchher.

However, the implant remains.

When she turns fifteen, Sara begins lying to her mother about where she is going. Upon finding out about Sara's lies, her mother uses the surveillance devise to findout where she is.

It is reminiscent of ‘An Entire History of You’, which I have to say I preferred. ‘Arkangel' did not quite capture the paranoia that comes with filming your life, and the episode came to a climax all too quickly. It is weak in comparison to the usual quality of Black Mirror, yet still worth a watch. After all, anything directed

by Jodie Foster has to be decent.

‘Crocodile’ was similar, with

memories being used to piece together an insurance claim. It is not as dull as it sounds, but it definitely comes close. The similarity in the technology explored in both of these episodes is the only thing that makes me question if Brooker is running out of ideas to play with. I just hope he does not exhaust his options and then carry on with repetitive storylines to milk the series until it is dry, a problem with so many major TV shows these days.

"If you were not already terrified about the future of robots, you will be after this" ‘Hang the DJ’ follows two people who meet through a dating app which sets an expiry date on your relationship. Peaky Blinders’ Joe Cole (John Shelby) and Georgina Campbell (Broadchurch, Murdered by my Boyfriend) fantastically portray the millennial struggle of dating apps and the eternal pressure to meet ‘the one’.

I loved this episode; it was a change from the creepiness of ‘Arkangel’, ‘Metalhead’ and ‘Crocodile’ and had me feeling somewhat happy by the end (a rare feeling whilst watching Black Mirror). It is haunting, yet also sweet and probably the most relatable out of all the episodes, which is something I believe Black Mirror should always be.

In stark contrast with the remainder of the series, the entirely black-and- white ‘Metalhead’ is probably the closest to a horror film out of them all. Imagine a metal bot that wants to kill you and has just killed two of your mates. No thanks. It is a dystopian nightmare and as the sole actress for the majority of the episode, Maxine Peake carries the terror and tension expertly, despite the sparse dialogue and relatively predictable storyline.

If you were not already terrified about the future of robots,

you will be after this. It is simple yet effective and the monochrome filming is not just for a novelty effect; it really suits the episode and marks it as the standout piece it should be acknowledged as.

The final episode sees a British tourist, Nish, stumble across a ‘Black Museum’ while her car is charging. It is owned by white male Rolo Haynes, who has a range of displayed technologies that have allowed human consciousness and sensation to be shared. Most of the artefacts come from his days working at St Juniper hospital (yes, the English translation of San Junipero).

The collection of mini stories, similar to ‘White Christmas’, accumulates in a satisfying yet dark end to the season.

In spite of criticism from other reviewers, I enjoyed the creativity of this episode and the focus on the tech in relation to human life was Black Mirror at its finest.

The commentary on institutionalised racism and abuse of power was hard-hitting, making it one of the few hard-to- watch episodes of this season. The ideas explored made this episode far better than the likes of the relatively shallow ‘Crocodile’ and repetitive ‘Arkangel’.

Furthermore, technologies displayed by museum owner Rolo Haynes from previous episodes (you can even see the artist from ‘The National Anthem’ in season 1 hanging himself show that this is truly a Black Mirror museum. I wonder if this will have any bearing on future episodes.

For anyone who has never seen the series, I envy you. Despite the likes of ‘Metalhead' being somewhat predictable, for the most part the stories are never quite how they seem to be. You will want to savour every episode, yet will not be able to stop watching it.

Brooker has firmly outdone himself and I implore you to renew your Netflix subscription, start your free trial or beg your housemate for their password. When this show is recommended, it is for a good reason.

Best to Worst of Season 4

1 USS Callister

2 Hang the DJ

3 Black Museum

4 Metalhead

Review: Hard Sun Roshni Patel Gaming Editor

Driven by an extinction level event, Hard Sun is just the apocalyptic thriller we needed to start this year off with a bang.

Created by Luther creator, Neil Cross, this six episode BBC sci-fi will either keep you on the edge of your seat, or according to Twitter, send you crying back into the arms of McMafia.

Stepping into the bowels of the Met, with the latest mismatched crime fighting duo, DCI Charlie Hicks (Jim Sturgess, One Day) and DI Elaine Renko (Agyness Deyn, Clash of Titans), we follow the pair as they attempt to chase the mystery that is ‘Hard Sun’, while at the same time trying to uncover eachother’s dark secrets.

"Overall, Hard Sun is surely a show to take a look at" After her explosive entrance to the show, Renko seems to have the more interesting back story, as she joins Hicks’ team to uncover his secrets and expose a dark secret that MI5 would kill to keep quiet.

From the moment we meet Renko, it's clear she is more resilient and astute than her small frame belies.

She further reinforces this persona in your mind through proving herself as tough as Hicks; she makes logical links between given information and dishes out sarcastic retorts, much to her peers suprise.

Inspired by the David Bowie song Five Years, Cross plays with the idea that, if the world to end tomorrow or soon, how would we cherish the time we have left? He toys on this question; would we spend our time admiring what we had taken for granted? Or unite with one another at last?

Like with his past work, such as Luther, Cross ensures that Hard Sun has the same distinct style of mystery and intrigue. This distinct feeling to Hard Sun seeps into the very colour palette of the show, which is tempered with a good dose of humour and silliness. From a few sneaky references, such as the fact that Lethe Road police station is named after the river of forgetfulness and Paladin News Group after Charlemagne’s Christian knights, to humorous lines which either are surprisingly

colloquial or over explinations of things that are in fact already clear.

Overall, Hard Sun is surely a show to take a look at, and certainly one to stick with should you find yourself as enthralled as I was.

While the first episode finished with a slight deviation on the old hostage cliche, the episode itself contains a deft mixture of both predictable and surprising twists, sure to keep you interested for episode two. Available to watch weekly on BBC1 on Saturday nights, this six episode sci-fi thriller is also online, on the iPlayer, to binge at your convenience.

Have you watched Hard Sun? Let us know what you think @redbricktv

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5 Arkangel

6 Crocodile

GAMING

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbrickgames

Any game that starts with a Lego spaceship transporting the Lego Guardians of the Galaxy across a beautiful nebula to the sounds of Redbone’s ‘Come and Get Your Love’, before dropping you in the middle of a city under attack, is pretty good in my books. While this might sound like an oddly specific criterion for a game’s opening, it is exactly how Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 opens and it wonderfully sets the tone for the rest of the game: chaotic, hilarious, and, above all, ridiculously fun.

Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 is set immediately after the events of the first game and focuses on supervillain Kang and his attempts to take over the universe. Kang is in possession of the ‘Time Stone’ (of the Infinity Stones) and has been travelling throughout history, transporting his favourite locations to Chronopolis, an amalgamation of some of the greatest locations from (Marvel’s) history, ranging from Ancient Egypt to Thor: Ragnarok’s Sakaar to a 1930s ‘Film Noir’ New York City. The story of the game was written by Kurt Busiek, a goliath of the comic book industry, and is not only incredibly well-written, funny and entertaining, but also engaging in the way in which it creates a branching narrative that players can invest in, tieing the whole experience together.

With so many different areas for players to explore, it would be easy for them to feel empty or boring, but clear effort has gone into giving each world plenty to do and making each of them feel alive through all the side-quests to unlock new characters, the crazy number of collectables on offer, a n d t h e

hilarious v o i c e lines from the civilians populating these worlds; even just j u m p i n g , swinging, a n d flying

between each location is fantastically fun with activities constantly appearing around you as you travel meaning that you are never bored (and may never get around to saving the world). While these extra features aren’t always executed perfectly, with some of the voice lines being repeated often or side quest-specific dialogue not being easily locatable,

“Chaotic, hilarious, and, above all, ridiculouly fun" they are only minor issues that don’t detract from the overall experience and effort present within the game.

The amount of effort put into designing the worlds can also be seen in the design of the levels which are, for the most part, innovative, exciting, and full of character. Within each level, players control a team of heroes as they have to find, fight or fix their way through an assortment of exciting events that include gladiator fights, underwater battles and an Ancient Egyptian pyramid puzzle (my favourite level). If you do want to complete everything the game has to offer, you will have to replay the level in ‘Free Play’ after completing it, which just means that you are able to switch between all unlocked characters to solve the bonus puzzles and find the collectables that the game has put in. While it can be a bit frustrating to not be able to complete everything the first time round, all of the levels are so different and fun to play, that replaying them doesn’t feel like a chore at all and is almost as much fun as playing them through the first time.

There were some problems in the level design in the g a m e , however, which did detract from the overall experience of the game.

F o r

example, some of the puzzles in levels were confusing and required precise button prompts that the game didn’t make clear and the in-game hints offered general tips, rather than things that could help in these moments.

The tutorial was also not incredibly helpful, as I felt that it overexplained i n t u i t i v e elements of the game, while not explaining other, more confusing, features: such as how to change characters and the different ways to use a character’s ability. While these were not game-breaking issues, they did cause frustration when they seemed to come up a few times and interfered in the enjoyment of the overall game.

But, no matter how good the world or levels of the game are, what would a Marvel game be without characters? Fortunately, Lego Super Marvel Heroes 2 has these in abundance, from staple names such as Iron-Man, Thor, and Spider-Man, to the lesserknown Marvel-ous heroes like Gwenpool, Howard the Duck and

“Beating up enemies as an Asgardian frog” Throg (Thor as a frog, obviously).

There are even tons of alternate versions for some of the more popular heroes like Peter Parker, ‘Old West’ Tony Stark and Werewolf Captain America, which are mostly unlocked through entertaining side-quests. With so many different heroes on offer, it would have been easy for the characters of Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 to not feel different from each other when they are used.

This could not be further from the truth as each hero has distinct movements, fighting styles and abilities that feel unique to them.

This is evidenced not only in the fantastic voice acting that makes each character distinct and memorable, but also by the individual abilities of each character, for example Star-Lord’s ability prompt leads him to putting on his headphones and blasting out the title’s ‘Come and Get Your Love’ while sporadically shooting enemies. These individual styles, however, can be best seen in combat, with different characters having different combos and fighting styles (such as Spider-Man being a ranger web-shooter and SheHulk being a brawler) that make each combat encounter feel unique. Characters are also able to interact with each other within combat through a combo attack (that can only be done when your combo bar is full)

that lets the different fighting styles work together in unison, for example: Hulk will pick up any fighting character he is near and smash them around the stage, damaging groups of enemies; and IronMan will shoot his beams at Captain America’s shield, reflecting them all around the battle.

These combinations are a really nice break in combat that showcases the character’s individual styles working together for hilarious and effective results. Furthermore, each character also has specific abilities, like shrinking or heatvision, that allow them to interact with puzzles throughout the world meaning that your hero loadout will constantly be changing while you are exploring the world.

Not only does Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 create a fantastic experience based off the Marvel Cinematic Universe and comics, it also lets players create a phenomenally personalised experience through its drop in/out multiplayer and its create-yourown character elements. The drop in/out multiplayer is a exciting element of the game that allows players to experience the game with others, completing as many levels as they want to together and then being able to continue on their own immediately. This feature also allows players to help others out who may be struggling on certain sections or levels, by dropping in and helping complete the area and then dropping back out. The game’s create-your-own character is also fantastic in created a personal experience as it allows you to use the pre-existing abilities, fighting styles and character looks of the Marvel characters to create your own hero which you can then use to fight alongside your favourite superheroes in the game.

Overall, Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 is full to the brim with chaotic fun. Each of the missions, side-quests and collectables are hilariously engaging and keep you wanting more. While there were a few issues that take away from the overall experience of the game, they are minor enough that you can look past them and the game offers so much character that you can’t help but forgetting about them and getting swept up in everything the game has to offer.

Whether you are dancing to the hits of the 70s/80s with Star-Lord, swinging throughout Chronopolis with whichever version of SpiderMan you have chosen or beating up enemies as an Asgardian frog, Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 is a brilliant game that offers an ecstatically enjoyable experience for all kinds of players.

Image Credit: Warner Bros

5

Dennaton Games

Gaming Editor @jack_cooper8

Hotline Miami

The Chinese Room

Jack Cooper

Video Game Soundtracks

4 Dear Esther

3

Nintendo

Superhero fan Jack Cooper reviews LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2, the Marvel-ous sequel to the blockbusting original

Redbrick's Top 5

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

2

Bethesda

Review: LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

1 The Witcher III

CD Projekt Red

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GAMING

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbrickgames

Has Pokémon GO Outlived its Relevancy?

Gaming Critic @samjoshuanason

Coldhands' ESL Hopes Come To A Close

tling - the two core mechanics of since launch. From my point of Pokémon - still have yet to see the view, the two factors that threaten light of day. Sparse official the relevancy of the app are the announcements and few updates speed of updates and communicamade playing the game tiresome tion between the developers and and monotonous - if Niantic the players. Browsing over variweren’t interested in their game, ous fan forums, the most common why should we be? topic I see is that ‘x feature is broOf course, this is a rather nega- ken’ or ‘x still needs to be fixed’ tive outlook from a person who there is still lots of work to be has only dipped in and out of the done for the recognition Pokémon game within the last year or so. GO was previously given.

After all, 5 million daily active The fact remains, as previously players is still nothing to shrug stated, that Pokémon GO is a very your shoulders at. The counter to different game to traditional the absence of trading and battling Pokémon games, or traditional is, of course, that Pokémon GO is games in general. It is an app that a vastly different Pokémon is ever-expanding and has a experience to any of the wealth of new content traditional handheld in store - it’s just up to M i lli 5 . titles. While catching Niantic to realise it.

8 them all is indisputArguably very litably the core mantle substance has Peak tra of the series, been added to the one may argue this core mechanics of has taken a back the title in the year seat in recent and a half it’s Current games to developbeen up, but I’d be ing stories or the lying if I said I 5 n traditional gym chalhadn’t been intrigued M o i l i l lenge; in Pokémon GO by the new features. the entire game is catchPokémon GO will ing them all, and as such tranever accomplish the numditional Pokémon mechanics are bers it did when it launched in cast aside and, to be honest, are July. But maybe that doesn’t matnot wholly necessary. ter. It’s undeniable the game has So while I’ve said previously been an overwhelming success Pokémon GO has never matched and has continued potential going the relevancy it peaked with in forward, with an eager player base July, that’s not to say it isn’t rele- that is loyal to the title. Pokémon vant full stop. It’s undeniable that GO may no longer have wide there is still a large player base mainstream relevancy - but I enjoying Niantic’s AR adventure, always think that if a game brings and it is also obvious Niantic are you enjoyment and fun, that’s all willing to support the game the relevancy you need. through updates that are still being delivered one and a half years Image Credits: Niantic, Emma Kent

on

When released in July 2016, there was almost something transcending about Pokémon GO; amidst coursework, exams and essays, I remember running around town with friends just to catch a Pinser or the ever-elusive Lapras. It was almost like we were all kids again - suddenly social boundaries were broken and I was part of a 120person strong iMessage group chat dedicated solely to meeting up and playing Pokémon GO. Such festivities dwindled through the summer, and by autumn not a single person at my sixth form still talked about Pokémon GO myself included.

With the game recently launching in China and Generation 3 Pokémon roaming around the app, does Pokémon GO still maintain the relevancy it commanded back at its summer launch?

The short answer is - no. It was reported in April of last year that daily active users of the app had dropped by an estimated 80% since the boom in July, peaking at 28.5 million and dropping to as low as 5 million. While this data is many months old, it highlights the fact Pokémon GO, from July to April, did very little to capture and indulge the players they grabbed so easily within the first few weeks - a pattern that’s held up to this

day.

Interestingly, at face value the content provided between July and April appears to be more than satisfactory - seasonal events, the Buddy system, quality of life changes and, most importantly, Generation II, certainly imply a game that is growing. The issue here, however, is that Niantic provided too little early on, neglecting their central player base and causing many to become disinterested in the app. From July to September, the only major change to the game was the adoption of the Buddy system, which acted only as a way for players to have their Pokémon gain experience slightly quicker; conceptually not too ground-breaking, but certainly a breath of fresh air in a game that hadn’t been provided fresh content within the past two months.

By the time Generation II was released in February 2017, there was no denying the vast majority of prospect trainers had been lost elsewhere, myself included. Personally, my main grievance with the game was the lack of communication between Niantic and the players. I remember in the summer there was a period where player-toplayer battles were promised, trading was almost on the horizon, and legendaries were going to be in the game very soon. While the last did eventually come true, it’s quite telling to see that trading and bat-

2

Sam Nason

27

Roshni Patel Gaming Editor @Roshofalltrades

After battling against some of the best players in UK and Ireland, University of Birmingham’s Hugo ‘Coldhands’ Kay, progressed forward to the top 8 and the ESL Hearthstone Finals weekend at the ESL Arena in Leicester, persevering through tough challengers along the way. But as the pressure of a live crowd mounted and the everyone brought their A game, Coldhands struggled to keep pace, dropping back to watch former champions take center stage.

Beginning the finals in 5th place and immediately taking on 4th place player, Ben ‘BigBen’ Chapman, Coldhands was confident, as he entered the first match of the weekend. However, despite both players beginning with beginning with their druids, BigBen gained an early advantage, playing a deck that Coldhands’ had not foreseen, allowing him to build a board which he could not counter.

Regaining his composure, Coldhands went on to win the next two matches, before BigBen made a comeback to take the game by force, finishing the series 3-2.

Impressions: God of War Gaming Editor @Nic_the_thinker

God of War looks like it could be a game that goes under a lot of people’s radar in early 2018. My job is to make sure that doesn’t happen, because I can tell from the trailers and from the way that the developers are talking about this game, that it’s going to be a journey that will stand out for years to come amongst gamers who loved the old God of War games, gamers who hated them, and gamers who never got the chance to play them.

This reboot of the franchise will be set within Norse mythology, differentiating itself from its Greek roots. The world is beautiful but deadly, with gorgeous landscapes distracting you before realising the dangerous creatures coming to kill you and your young son Atreus - a companion who you will protect in this harsh world. In return, he will assist you in various ways throughout combat and environmental encounters.

The world still seems to be recovering from the damage Kratos inflicted upon it at the end of God of War III. However, few

mortals survive among the dangers found within the wild lands, offering side quests for Kratos and his son to partake in. Loose RPG elements have been hinted at, with location discovery being emphasized in the very first reveal trailer back in E3 2016. It’s not clear whether other humans will exist consistently in this game, or whether there are friendly creatures you will converse with – a lot of the game hasn’t been shown off. There’s a reason for this I believe.

We don’t know much when it comes to the core of the story either: why is Kratos journeying out to these dangerous places with his son? It’s not likely you’ll find deer in caves full of rock trolls.

What is the lumbering sense of regret that Kratos has looming over his shoulder? What events have occurred between the last game, and this game? Is it a total reboot, and the events of the last game didn’t happen? All of these questions will hopefully be answered in due course.

In terms of gameplay, the game is still 3rd person, but you’re looking over the shoulder of Kratos as he hacks and slashes his way through interestingly designed

enemies and bosses. The combat is much slower-paced, but I mean that in a good way. Each hit matters, and when each hit could be the difference between life and death, it introduces a sense of tension and excitement that can’t really be found in the original hack-n-slash games. Not unless you played them on the hardest difficulty.

There’s a lot of mystery and intrigue that surrounds this game, and that’s why I’m so interested and excited to play it. For a single-

player game that is apparently nearly 30-hours long, we haven’t even scratched the surface of this game. There’s so much to find, explore, and dive into when it releases sometime early this year.

I’m telling you now that I feel like this game could be something special. It might catch you off guard, and become one of your favourite games this year. Keep it on your radar folks, you don’t want to miss this next title from veteran studio Santa Monica.

Santa Monica Studo

Nick Burton

Relegated to the lower bracket, Coldhands was down but not yet out, and was matched up against Deathsie, who entered the finals in 1st place. Initially losing the first game with his rogue, Coldhands levelled the series in game 2, with his druid. Returning to his rogue for game 3 against Deathsie’s seemingly stronger druid, was when the frustration began to seep in, as he began to make mistakes under the pressure of a live audience. Losing game 3, he went on to play his Paladin against Deathsie’s, only to find the game tilting out of his favour, losing the series 3-1.

Proud to have made it to the finals at all, Coldhands, went on to watch BigBen take the tournament. After a stunning win by Kieran ‘Toastmonster’ Kane triggered a bracket reset, or another round, which BigBen went on to win 2-1, lifting the Winter Hearthstone trophy and taking home the £2,000 prize. A win which was hard fought, and well deserved as the the player with best deck line up for the strategy played.

Image Credit: Blizzard

28

FOOD&DRINK

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbrickfood

Review: The Old Crown, Digbeth Caitlin Dickinson Food&Drink Editor

In the quirky suburb of Digbeth lies Birmingham’s oldest pub, The Old Crown. This Elizabethan style building - that is terribly slanted, crumbling and dingy inside serves the best pub grub you will get in Digbeth.

Reportedly, Queen Elizabeth I stayed here on her way back to London. Who knew you could get this historical culture with a pint at lunchtime? I definitely did not when I just popped in for a quick lunch stop whilst shopping.

Inside you are greeted with black beams, darkened furniture, and small windows onto the street which really enhances the Tudor pub-style interior.

Out the back is a lovely open beer garden which hosts an Octoberfest and music events.

When you are sat inside, the bench tables and squishy seats make you feel comforted whilst you dine.

You were also surrounded by a collage of pictures of monarchy, historical figures to link in with the historical past of the pub.

The pub hosts a variety of unique ales and ciders to Birmingham, which apparently are from local brewers. It also has a popular ‘2 for £10 Burgers Night’ on a Monday, and Taco night for the same price on a Tuesday. So if you are on a budget and want an independent eat in budget this is a superb place to go.

I ordered a Kiwi cider that was flavoured with passionfruit and apple. This was a great compliment to wash down the lunch I ordered. The best thing about ordering a Kiwi cider is that the proceeds from the drink go to help preserve the Kiwi bird in New Zealand. So you can be in confience that you have a noble cause for your lunch.

As it was lunch time I opted for a small portion of the roast ham, pea and mint pesto, aged cheddar cheese and salad sandwich that came with a pot of spiced mustard.

I was surprised with the large portion size and how it came on hot focaccia which had a drizzle of garlic oil on top. There was the option to have chips or extra salad with your meal for a small cost, but I stuck with the humungous sandwich!

The sandwiches also had alternate fillings suitable for vegan and vegetarian, one of which being a mushroom and halloumi and a spicy sauce.

Overall, my meal came to approximately £7.

Find the Old Crown located just down from Cow vintage shop at 188 High St, Deritend, B12 0LD.

Review: Buonissimo, Harborne

Food&Drink Editor Caitlin Dickinson samples Harborne's finest Italian Caitlin Dickinson Food&Drink Writer

This small independent Italian that is situated in the little suburb of Harborne holds some of the most sensational Italian food I have ever tasted.

With the large blue sign outside, sat next to bay leaf trees and wicker tables, it immediately portrays the typical ‘little Italy’ image. If you want a change from greasy food and Aldi delicasies then you should try out Harborne's best Italian restaurant.

When you are sat inside the restaurant there are about 10 tables and a glass bar. This simple layout and cosy atmosphere allows you to relax after a busy day at uni!

Although it does not do student discount, and may be a splurge type place, it is definitely somewhere you need to go in order to treat yourself to Italian delicacies.

Before we ordered our food, we ordered a small bread basket filled with rosemary focaccia and wholemeal rye bread which was toasted and came with butter. It

was a surprise to know that this bread had been baked that morning at a local bakery in Harborne.

This would explain the exquisite tasting, doughy bread that was a great appetiser to our meal.

The traditional menu is changed every season to include dishes with fruit, vegetables and meat that is at its peak.

As it is Autumn, I saw leeks, asparagus and swede featuring within a large proportion of dishes. All of these vegetables come from the local greengrocer and the herbs have been grown on the premises. What is not to love about this organic feel?

As a starter, we ordered the antipasti to share. Although the menu lacked a description as to what meat or vegetable components this dish had, it was a delight to find out that there was a huge selection available.

The main component of this starter was the thick slices of parma ham, salami, and smoked ham. The meats on the antipasti all had a fresh taste, and tones of smoked and sweet flavours.

As for the vegetables we got sundried tomato salad, fresh toma-

toes that had, I think, a vinaigrette dressing, and sundried red peppers. This is not everything just yet, we also had small arancini balls with a mushroom filling, and tomato, basil pesto stuffed fried bread. I was not entirely sure what the latter was - but I did know that it tasted delicious!

"The traditional menu is changed every season to include dishes with fruit, vegetables and meat that is at its peak" For mains, I ordered a swordfish, king prawn and tomato linguini. This was one of the best seafood style pasta dishes I have ever eaten.

There was the option to have the dish with a more tradition black squid ink sauce, but I chose the homemade tomato sauce as I

knew I would love that more with king prawns. My dish came with a sprinkling of grated parmesan and basil on top. This made it look really appealing- not just taste amazing.

The pasta was cooked al dente which suited the components to the dish, and the seafood tasted fresh and not rubbery which can happen when prawns are over cooked. As for the divine sauce that the pasta was submerged it wow!

This had a wonderful balance of white wine, basil, oregano and tomato, but who was to know what was in this secret sauce recipe!

There was just the perfect amount to as the pasta had not drowned in an overload of sauce.

I would highly recommend that you go to Buonissimo in Harborne for a treat meal as this was the best Italian food I have ever had in Birmingham.

Meat Free Mondays Social Secretary Laura Burgess investigates Paul McCartney's Meat Free Mondays Laura Burgess Social Secretary

Sir Paul McCartney has partnered with Meat Free Mondays to produce a short film, One Day a Week. In it, McCartney narrates over shots of nature, animals, and cities, as well as scenes of animal agriculture and habitat destruction. The focus is very much on the environmental damage that animal agriculture causes; the film concludes with McCartney, his daughters (Stella and Mary), Emma Stone, and Woody Harrelson listing facts about the ecological impact of livestock production. For example, 2350 litres of fresh water are used to produce just one beef burger. This is a powerful technique, and, following the success of Cowspiracy, people are becoming more and more aware of the environmental impact their meat-eating diet has.

Meat Free Mondays was launched in 2009, and has been very successful. I wager that almost anyone you speak to will have at least heard of it as an idea, if not practice it themselves. Lots of restaurants will have offers and special deals on a Monday; for example, 1847, a vegetarian restaurant in Birmingham, offers 50% off every Monday. There has been a massive increase in vegetarian and veganism in the last decade, but even more so there’s been an increase in ‘flexitarians’ – people who try to eat mostly vegetarian or vegan, but aren’t strict about it. This is definitely the lifestyle the Meat Free Mondays campaign is trying to

promote. As McCartney says in the video, you can make a significant impact on the environment even if you only have one day a week animal product free.

Aurelia Liu, a fourth medical student, also highlighted the health benefits that the campaign can have: ‘Well, it’s a good way to improve your health, especially for the people who don’t want to commit to being veggie fulltime.’

Another fourth year medical student, Natalie Elsdon, agreed that Meat Free Mondays is a ‘great

concept’, but said she didn’t feel the need to assign a particular day to eating meat free, as she would quite often have vegetarian meals throughout the week. This opinion shows that vegetarian food is becoming more mainstream, and perhaps we’ll reach a point where campaigns, like Meat Free Mondays, aren’t needed.

As a vegan myself, I completely support more people eating a vegetarian and vegan diet, even if it is through the form of ‘flexitarianism’. Some vegans are

against flexitarians, because they think people should commit wholeheartedly, but I think it’s a good stepping stone for a lot of people. Traditional English cuisine is very based on meat, so it can be hard for people to even think of vegetarian recipes to start with. Through campaigns such as Meat Free Mondays, people can be introduced to recipes, and educational videos, such as One Day a Week, can help them make that transition to eating vegetarian or vegan more full-time.

FOOD&DRINK

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbrickfood

29

Brexit: What to Eat for Brexfast

Review: News Editor Grace Duncan explains the food industry post-Brexit Falafel Munch, Grace Duncan Bristol Road News Editor

A thinktank has released findings that the poorest families will not be able to eat five a day after Brexit. The Food Foundation has found that due to the triple impact of exchange rates, labour costs, and tariffs, new costs could add up to £158 a year to the amount the average family spends on fruit and vegetables. The Department of Health have released a statement saying ‘Inflation resulting from unfavourable exchange rates, the rising costs of seasonal labour and a heavy tariff bill resulting from a ‘no-deal Brexit’ scenario combine to mean that purchasing a variety of fruit and vegetables on a daily basis could become unaffordable for millions of British households.

"66 % of the nation's favourite fruits and vegetables will be directly affected" While more recently there have been suggestions that in reality, the human body needs more like 8 or even 10 fruits and vegetables a day, post- Brexit it is unlikely that many families will be able to reach 5.

The Department of Health aims to 41,000 to 1.2 million per year encourage people to eat more since 2010. fresh fruit and veg in order to As Brexit deals get closer and reduce the burden on the NHS of closer to the deadline, we recently diet-related illness, such as obesi- surpassed the half way mark on ty, although it is likely this burden the time available for negotiawill be exacerbated by these ris- tions, with fears that Britain will ing prices. have a no –deal exit from the EU However, the blow may be are becoming increasingly real.If slightly cushioned by the extra the UK does leave, the price of £6.3 billion of new funding that achieving 5 portions a day could Philip Hammond has promised rise by from £1,954 a year to the NHS in his autumn £2,067 a year a year for the budget although most average family. A figure will be going into that doesn’t take into the improvement account that health of buildings and experts recommend facilities. that we consume 7 Currently portions a day, the amount of which would cost Of adults people reacharound £2, 894 a under 24 do ing their daily year, the equivanot eat any targets is staglent of almost half geringly low of the poorest fruit or veg at even without 10% of the populaall the extra cost. tion’s entire food Only 8% of budget. children aged 11 – These problems 18 achieve government stem from the lack of protargets of consuming five duce grown on British soil. portions while only 27% of adults The Food Foundation estibetween 10 and 6 and 35% of mates that 66% of the nation’s adults over the age of 64 do. favourite fruits and vegetables The UK has the second high- would be directly affected by any est rates of food insecurity in trade rules established with the Europe with about 4 million adults EU, as almost half of Britain's struggling. The Trussel Trust, vegetables and 83% of fruit is which runs 2,000 food banks, imported, with homegrown proestimating they have 560,000 duce often dependent on EU users. migrant labour.

This is compared to that the The Food Foundation is callnumber of uses has gone up from ing on the government to invest in

14%

horticulture and increase production of homegrown fruit and vegetables such as apples, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes.

The chief executive of the foundation, Anna Taylor, has said that ‘the government faces a clear choice to boost British harvest of fruit and veg or the NHS will reap the consequences.’

So what does it mean for students? The University of Birmingham advises spending £50 a week on food to students.

If students spent £10 of that on fruit and vegetables that means that over a year students could be spending around £25 more or 5 fab tickets worth. Although it does not sound like a huge amount, it is likely to hit the poorest worst as they are forced to spend a larger proration of their earnings or student loans on the weekly shop leaving them with less disposable income.

However, a survey from the BBC Good Food magazine last year suggested that 14% of adults under 24 don’t eat any fruit or veg at all, so if that’s you, you have nothing to worry about, except perhaps scurvy.

Review: Not Dogs, Link Street Food&Drink's Rhi Storer reviews Brum's veggie hot dog haunt Rhi Storer

Food&Drink Critic

With the explosion of vegetarian/ vegan food upon our high streets, upon chance I visited Not Dogs for a quick bite to eat. It’s fast food with a difference - high quality and low cruelty. It’s all about happy animals, happy health and happy planet.

As someone who doesn’t eat meat, I really appreciate the concept of Not Dogs. I think vegetarian sausages should be offered as an alternative everywhere.

It’s great that Not Dogs offers non-meats as the only choice as an encouragement to meat eaters to reduce their consumption of animal products. The place itself is quite plain, no doubt due to being located on Link Street between the Bullring and Grand Central.

There are a few orange and white chairs arranged around tables with a couple of high-rise tables also available. The strip lighting inside makes the restaurant feel too clinical - something that could be easily fixed. What is really important is that the place was spotless and the food is done to an excellent standard.

I ordered a What The Duck 8’’ Not Dog topped with crispy shredded ‘duck’, spring onions, cucumber, hoisin sauce and crushed rice

crackers. I also ordered some Waffles Fries for a grand total of £8.50 (£5.25 for the Not Dog and £3.25 for the waffle fries).

The lady who took my order was friendly and engaging, taking pride in her work at the restaurant.

The food came within ten minutes which is super speedy.

"[The fries] are baked and not fried, which is a bonus for those of us who are of a more 'health conscious' agenda" So what about the food? The dog was delightful. You wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between real duck and their Quorn/seitan ‘duck’, it was that tasty! The hoisin sauce was beautifully made and the rice crackers gave it an extra crunch. It would be nice if the Not Dog itself was a bit more crispy however, since it’s a non-meat product and has very little ‘skin’, I’ll let that slide.

Since it had a lot of sauce, I was surprised to find that the Waffle Fries themselves were beautifully cooked. They had a crunchy exterior and were light and fluffy.

I believe that they are baked and not fried, which is a bonus for those of us who are of a more 'health-conscious' agenda. There was an option to add toppings to the Waffle Fries, but I stuck with the plain option to get a taste of the real product without being smothered by unnecessary toppings.

Although they tasted delicious - especially topped with Americanstyle mustard - I found them to be quite pricey for £3.25. This might be okay for someone without a budget but as a student, £3.25 for some fancy fries is a bit steep!

All in all, I would say that Not Dogs to be a pleasant experience.

It was lovely, and more importantly was so delicious that it didn't make you feel you were missing out on not eating meat.

I will be recommending the restaurant to my friends, both vegetarian and otherwise!

Sophie Rashley Food Writer

Falafel Munch on Bristol Road (opposite Aldi) offers some great vegetarian and vegan fast food, something that is lacking throughout the abundance of fast food places in Selly. If you don't fancy the usual fried chicken or pizza, especially as a vegetarian or vegan, then falafel munch is the place to go.

If you did not know, falafels are a middle-eastern delicacy that consist of ground chickpeas, spices and are deep fried to give a crispy texture.

Although, Aldi’s falafel is good and cheap, sometimes the non-refrigerated kind is necessary. So, when I saw that ‘Falafel Munch’ has really good reviews on Google and Trip Advisor, I had to try it.

Outside there are picnic tables and even some fake grass, adding some colour to the concrete wilderness that is Selly Oak. This also adds to the natural feel of the takeaway. The medium falafel wrap I ordered was only £3, much larger than I expected and the server did not skimp on the filling.

There was a good range of salads- lettuce, cucumber, pickle, tomato, onion, pepper, black olives- and dressings such as mint yoghurt, and the wrap was thick enough to prevent any sogginess from the sauce. There is nothing worse than ending up wearing more food than you have eaten.

The falafel itself had a good crispy outside without being dry in the centre, and the balance of spices was perfect.

Other options on the menu included salads and sides such as aubergine and pita bread, so if you’re not a huge falafel fan but want some good houmous and pita then you should still check it out.

Customer-service wise, the falafel was fried behind the counter so it did not take long at all.

Also, if you’re easily excited over food like me, watching that delicious falafel crisp over is tantalising.

I was even given a piece to try before I ordered which was really nice – I was taking a while to choose what I wanted and I think he pitied my indecisiveness.

As soon as I took a bite out of that beautiful falafel wrap I knew I had to go back; it was filling, it was tasty, and it was cheap. I’m in love.

They also do Deliveroo so if you’re really lazy, no worries.

Opening 10am-10pm on weekdays, ‘Falafel Munch’ is a great lunch spot. I will definitely be making it a regular stop.

Find Falafel Munch at 642A Bristol Rd, Birmingham, B29 6BJ

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TRAVEL

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbricktravel

Travel Diary: Pyrenees Hal Keelin Travel Writer

We awoke sometime after half past 6. The air was cool, and a pale mist had descended upon the valley, encasing the islet of our refuge in a pasty whiteness.

“We should get up” Dan said abruptly. Breakfast was at 7:30 and we had planned to pack up and leave swiftly from the refuge no later than 7:45. I agreed reluctantly with him and stepped outside, yawning, groggy from the night before and watched as a small mammal made its way down the side of the steep verge ahead. Its movements were slow, precarious, and as it came closer, the figure took full form, it was a Chamois, a distinct type to this Pyrenean hillside. I watched as it made its calculated movement, picking its traverse down the hillside before me.

We swiftly packed up our gear: compressing the air out of the sleeping mats, rolling up sleeping bags, and stuffing valuables into our elastic pouches attached to our waists. After an adequate breakfast of warm coffee and cereal, we set off sharply on the cusp of 7:45, having to round the lakes northern edge to reach the opposite end and find the path that snaked up and over, onto Bareges. The air had been cold when we first awoke, but now, rounding the lake, the sun shone through clear blue sky. It burned the sharp early mist away.

The dam was now on the far side of the lake to us, to the south, and sat between two huge faces that enclosed it like the trough formed by the letter V. In this way, the mountain sides framed the reservoir, accentuating its beauty. I was reminded of the sheer strength that concrete wall possessed, and could only begin to understand the monstrosity of the task facing those builders in 1912.

On the opposite shore of the lake we passed small bothies, tidy shepherds huts between the shore of the lake and the fern forest to our west. We were looking

for a sharp cut in the Gr10 up through this forest, and this we found and followed. A steep climb that carved parallel beside a stream and through thick ferns took us to a soft grassy plateau, a few hundred metres or so above the lake to the east.

We passed hiking couples sweating in the heat with sunglasses and safari style sun hats.

We continued to climb. Up through the grassy pasture where the path was clear now. Cap d’estoudou on our left, Soum de Monpelat our right, with the lake now out of site behind us.

We summitted Cap d’estoudou in the late morning, stopped and caught our breath, looking upon what was now beneath us. The scale of the peaks in front were intimidating sites. The taller ones neared 3000 metres in height, they’re rocky faces were jagged, casting huge shadows over the lakes, clefs, and woods in front of us. I took a compass bearing. We would head north east from here.

We traced the route on the landscape below us with our fingers: skirting round shallow tarns that glinted a deep blue in the bright sun, passing through deep woods and then ascending, up and over

those imposing faces we looked upon now and down swiftly onto Bareges. The town was still some 20 km away. It was late morning and we had barely started.

I remembered the enthusiastic young guy from the night before who had told us that we should allow for seven hours walking to Bareges. It seemed a long way off and I assumed, that while he was enthusiastic he was also probably stretching the truth a little. “I’m not sure we should take too much notice of that guy from last night’s estimate” I shouted at Dan, to be heard over the wind, as he was desperately pinning his flapping

sun hat to the side of his head with his hand. “Ha! I think he was slightly flexing his masculinity with that, there’s no way we could do this in seven hours!”

We pressed on, descending quickly, knowing it wouldn’t be much fun walking in the dark.

Our path made its steep descent through wood and we passed a family with two small children in the lead, anxious to reach the summit behind us first. “How much further to the top of d’Estoudou?” The dad panted in English”, he had a baby on his back. “About an hour maybe” I replied, aware the small kid’s enthusiasm may dwindle as the ascent through trees continued.

We reached a road, and after that two small lakes flanked us on either side. My guide told me their names: Lac d’aubert and Lac d’aumar almost islanded our Gr10 trail as we pressed on, passing swimmers and resting parties of hikers on the lake’s shore. We stopped, and I took my socks off, eager to feel the sensation of plunging them into cool fresh water. They emerged from the water; revitalised and replenished as Dan took the chorizo and bread out of his side pack pocket and

handed me slices in turn. A martial arts group, in their white gowns, practiced in the shade of the trees beside us.

After our short pitstop for lunch we continued along the flat banks of the lake until the ground began to rise and we began our ascent of the Pic de Madamete.

The path curved up and round to the first col, and, meeting huge slabs of granite rock, we picked our way round a hidden tarn. The tarn had the appearance of a deep well, cut from the mountain side and an even deeper shade of blue to the lakes we had left some 400 metres below. For now, in midsummer it appeared as an Ice-cold plunge pool: in mid-winter, it would be thickly ice-bound.

It was wild and harsh up there, the name fitting the mountains character distinctly; underfoot, snow had embedded itself to the mountain side, while the icy wind had made our cheeks raw. In quite different climate, we were relieved atop pic de Madamete. That was the high ground completed for the day and we stayed for a minute or two: savouring the moment, catching our breath, and taking pictures. Atop the cairn that signified the summit.

Follow up on Hal's Pyrenees adventure online at redbrick.me/ travel

Best of Britain: Woolacombe Ella-Jane Coxwell Travel Writer

It may be the middle of winter, however it is never too early to start planning your summer getaway. If you are considering a beach vacation, Australia or Hawaii may come to mind, followed by the reminder of the enormous price tag. The high cost of such big dreams usually brings the desired holiday plans to a screeching halt.

However, look no further because you can get this exotic getaway locally, at our very own Devonshire coast. The country’s south-west coastline has 450 miles of glorious beach to offer, with Woolacombe topping the list. Facing the Atlantic Ocean and tucked away in the north eastern corner of Devon,

Woolacombe is a home-grown gem worth visiting. If you, like

me, are from (or live north of) London then getting to Woolacombe can be quite the task, however this writer promises you this unsuspecting location will not disappoint.

There are three miles of golden sand cushioned between Baggy Point to the south and Morte

Point to the north. The friendly locals at the Surf Shack will be more than happy to help you to hire a board for £12/day so you can hit the waves. And yes, the water may be a little chilly (it is all year round sadly enough), but a wetsuit for £10/day will allow you to make Atlantic your playground.

If surfing is not your vibe you can explore the mesmerising rock pools, walk along the beach or find a tranquil spot to build a sandcastle - just watch out that the high tide does not wash your masterpiece away. Woolacombe Beach has very dramatic tides.

When feeling peckish, Woolcombe has no shortage of food. Fudgies Bakehouse is a local favourite and which has gradually gained popularity with holiday makers. They offer a large range of homemade pastries, sau-

sage rolls, sandwiches, salads, and yes fudge – lots of it, in every flavour imaginable.

If you fancy fish and chips, then the Woolacombe Fryer is the place to go.

If you are thirsty for a pint (it is always 5 o’clock somewhere in the world right?) then head to Captain Jacks Pub where you will find not only your favourite cold drink but also delicious food which you can enjoy in the pirate-themed beer garden.

There is one more hidden secret in Woolacombe. It is home to Marisco – the longest running nightclub in the U n i t e d Kingdom and can be popular with hen do’s and s c h o o l leavers.

However having been to Woolacombe for the past three summers, I have yet to see this place particularly busy so don’t go expected a Fab night out.

TRAVEL

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbricktravel

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Insight Into: New Year in Germany Matt Dawson TV Editor

Nestled between Berlin, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland, the German state of Saxony may often be overlooked for more popular tourist spots or seen as no more as a pit-stop for interrailers, but Saxony is a destination in its own right. Home to the cities of Dresden and Leipzig, the region is rich in history and culture, and is especially delightful to experience during the period of New Year, or Silvester as it’s known to the Germans. In spite of the shadow of its Cold War past (the area was a part of the German Democratic Republic, or East Germany), its people are welcoming and it offers a variety of things to see and do.

The capital, Dresden, is most widely known to Brits as the site of catastrophic and controversial Air Raid by British and American forces during the Second World War. However, the city has overcome that to rebuild, much like the country’s capital in the north, respecting both old and new architecture. You can notice this by the simple divide between the Altstadt (meaning Old Town) along the banks of the river Elbe and the Neustadt (meaning New Town), a modern area full of independent bars and cafés.

The skyline of the Altstadt is a dominating aspect of Dresden’s identity: the Frauenkirche, or Church of Our Lady, stands out in particular f r o m Neumarkt Square, h a v i n g been fully restored in 2005.

Another landmark to look out for is the Dresden Cathedral, again suffering from damage from the war, but is now back to its former glory. In the nearby Moritzburg, one of the region’s

most beautiful palaces can be found, attracting many European visitors because it was a filming location for a Czech adaptation of the Cinderella fairytale.

Not to be outdone in terms of religious architecture, Saxony’s most populous city, Leipzig, is home to the St. Thomas Church, where classical composer Johann Sebastian Bach taught as the choir director, and the majestic St. Nicholas Church, one of the largest in the region and where the peaceful Monday Demonstrations against the GDR originated before the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

But as a city, Leipzig feels much more modern, as you can see by the city centre and the university.

Just next to one of the institutions central buildings is the CityHochhaus skyscraper, that you can pay €3 to get a lift to the top for a spectacular panoramic view.

However, Leipzig’s most underrated attraction is the Museum in the Runde Ecker, the old headquarters for the Ministry of State Security – the Communist Secret Police or “Stasi” – in Saxony. The museum offers an eye-opening insight into a piece of German history that was never taught in British schools: how the GDR would spy on their own people.

Entry to the Runde Ecker is free but it is worth paying €5 for an audio guide, especially as the exhibits are all written in German and it elaborates on the displays in much more detail.

Dresden also has its fair share of museums and art galleries, notably the Alte Meister Gallery featuring works of art from the 15th to 18th Centuries. Admission is a bit more expensive at €10 (or €7.50 for students), in particular

when compared to world renowned galleries such as the Louvre or the London’s National Gallery, but the ticket grants you access to other parts of the Zwinger palace including its porcelain collection and the exhibition of mathematical and physical instruments.

But by far the most interesting museum Dresden has to offer is the Deutsche Hygiene-Museum, which is not as boring as it sounds.

Founded in 1912 to promote public healthcare, the museum today is a modern look at various aspects of science and culture.

It has some incredibly in-depth temporary exhibits (the current ones are concerning The Face and Pets), to the extent that you could easily spend the entire day there without looking at the permanent exhibit.

Dresden’s Neustadt has a cosmopolitan variety of bars that cater to all tastes, but with a lot aimed at students thanks to its reputation as a student town.

Some highlights include Bautzner Tor for traditional German beer and Little Creatures for cocktails.

Even the dingiest of dive bars has a friendly atmosphere (but if you ever find yourself in Leo’s Bierstube, try not to order the Pfeffi!).

The city also has a range of cosy cafés and restaurants, such as the Blumenau, and in particular the Curry & Co. and the Bagels Dresden are the best places to go if you fancy currywurst and, well, bagels.

Spending Silvester in Saxony adds another layer of magic to the experience, especially if you

How To: Bus Around Europe Tom Leaman

Travel Writer

Europe holds some of the most remarkable natural scenery on Earth, and without Busabout, a hop-on hop-off travel company, I would not have had the opportunity to experience Europe's hidden gems. In my experiences on Busabout’s network, the quintessentially Swiss village and valley of Lauterbrunnen is an absolute must-see location.

From exhilarating activities such as paragliding and canyoning to simply admiring the surroundings that inspired Tolkien's Middle Earth from my chalet in Camping Jungfrau, it really is a highlight of Busabout’s extensive network.

The Renaissance city of Florence presented the opportunity for some (supposedly) high-brow exploration, although

from experience I would certainly recommend advanced bookings for the Uffizi Gallery and the Cathedral. Even without seeing the iconic Michelangelo statue David, the architecture and monuments make Florence a must.

Nice on Bastille day was an incredibly moving experience given the tragic 2016 attacks in the Mediterranean city. Nearby Monaco gave a fascinating insight into how the elite live, particularly with some prior knowledge of Prince Albert’s principality.

The more modern, industrialised city of Milan is very much take-it-or-leave- it; the much-hyped Sa Siro Stadium tour was a disappointment, and the central area is not especially student budget-friendly. Comoaround half an hour by train from Busabout’s Milan hostel- is a very different story, however, as the lakeside city provides a more serene perspective of northern Italy.

My three-stop bus pass (allowing me to visit four cities on their network in two weeks) cost a very reasonable £299, and Busabout recommend suitable accommodation in safe areas of the cities they stop in. They offer fifteen-stop passes at £699 and unlimited passes at £949, which also allow for travelling to-and- from Europe throughout the season. Their discounted

excursions are another plus.

While interrail may be the more obvious choice to get from A to B in Europe, travel by bus does have some clear advantages. The buses allow for comfortable and sociable travel between locations, although the heavily promoted Wi-Fi and free movies on their coaches are temperamental to say the least. That really is the only (minor) complaint I can come up with though regarding their ‘freestyle Europe’ system. On the upside, this forces you to engage further with other like-minded individuals or groups.

The guides are not only well-informed, but experienced in travel themselves and selfdeprecating when they suffer the inevitable stumble and fall while pacing up and down the moving coach. Busabout also allow passengers to experience events and festivals such as La

manage to get a good vantage point for the fireworks at midnight. But before that, some traditional German traditions should be experienced, from the bizarre to the delicious. This includes watching an unfunny and long-forgotten British sketch “Dinner for One” that has somehow become one of the most repeated specials in TV history, to preparing raclette, a form of melted cheese mixed with various savoury ingredients.

Then, as the countdown to the New Year gets going, watch as the sky becomes filled with fire and smoke from the tons of private fireworks displays, making Saxony definitely worth braving the cold.

Tomatina in Spain; sailing in Croatia; the Berlin Lollapalooza and, of course, Oktoberfest.

Overall, Busabout provide a unique and reasonable way to experience the awe-inspiring parts of the continent, which cannot be recommended highly enough for both solo travellers and groups.

While slower, the system does have some advantages which means it rivals the more trusted interrail.

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LIFE&STYLE

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbricklife

Hollywood Calls Time on Gender Inequality Life&Style Editor Tara Kergon discusses the visual statement at the Golden Globes in support of Time's Up Tara Kergon Life&Style Editor

While it’s hardly as good as the festive cheer of December, awards season gives January some muchneeded red carpet glamour, and whether you’re watching the nominations, rooting for your favourite actor, or just living vicariously through the high-octane style (like me), the Golden Globes is always one to watch.

This year, however, gave us more than just the typical 'best dressed' rundowns as the iconic awards show became the site of a seemingly strong political statement. The actors and actresses in attendance wore black and invited activists to join them on the red carpet in support of the anti-harassment initiative Time’s Up. In the wake of the sexual harassment scandals of last year, this movement calls time upon harassment and inequality within the workplace and their open letter (read the statement at timesupnow.com) is signed by 300 prominent film, TV, and theatre workers including Amy Poehler, Jennifer Aniston, Laverne Cox, and Meryl Streep. The movement's goals include, but are not limited to: hearing (and far more crucially, believing) the voices of the victims when they speak out; providing accountability for those who exploit, abuse, or harass women, especially in the workplace; and ending the monopoly of male domination.

It’s no secret, and it’s certainly not breaking news, that Hollywood presents the paradox of sheer glamour with a dark underbelly – just think of Judy Garland or Marilyn Monroe – and 2017 saw an almost constant slew of scandals and accusations against highprofile actors and directors, as well as leaders in other fields such as politics.

The Hollywood studios constitute a system frequently called out for a lack of diversity, for prioritising money over well-being, and for the erasure of minorities in my opinion, it is a wonder that the floodgates didn’t open sooner.

That said, it was wonderful to see the actors and actresses themselves criticising and protesting against the very studio system of which they form a part. In order to create a real change, the movement and motivation must always come from within.

But I can’t be entirely positive about the statement at the G o l d e n Globes.

The Time's Up movement's goals all s e e m sound, ethical a n d admirable, but I have to wonder if this type of 'celebrity activism' is a little bit too easy. The combination of the bold, stark, almost funureal black, and the presence of activists on the red carpet spoke volumes certainly made for a very bold visual statement. However, wearing a gown and saying a few words about diversity and harassment does not necessarily equate to activism.

The effort required to wear a slightly different version of the usual awards show attire can’t have been overwhelming, especially with stylists to do all of the sourcing and legwork. Even more so for men, whose suits are almost exclusively black at high-profile events anyway.

Certain actors and actresses have been already been called into question for participating in such a stand against the exploitation, harassment and abuse of women while still praising directors like Woody Allen. There seems to be a disturbing propensity to gloss over accusations when the alleged perpetrator has talent. In my opinion, the career and reputation of someone who exploits others shouldn't be the priority - creativity and success are not 'get out of jail free' cards.

Blake Lively claims that the director is 'empowering to women', and her husband R y a n Reynolds has also been singled out for saying it would be a dream to work with Allen, whose own daughter has levelled accusations against him for molesting her as a child. A little bit of me is wondering: is this just good publicity now? Feminism, activism and equality have almost become commodities to be exploited or trends to be adopted in name only – so does this statement in front of the media circus really equate to a protest against the system?

Then again, perhaps I am being too cynical. After all, the personal is political and the actions of individuals working collectively can make a real difference on a larger scale. And of course these celebrities are taking their stand in front of the cameras - they have the attention of the

'Does this statement in front of the media circus really equate to a protest against the system?'

eyes of the world. Celebrities have a certain platform and it is their right and their responsibility to use it well. Even within the open letter, the original signers recognised their privilege.

In support, Alianza farm workers wrote of their own genderbased exploitation, proving it extends to all workplaces and walks of life. The Time's Up movement expresses solidarity with them, acknowledging that their suffering of similar abuse and inequality is perhaps worse for taking place out of the spotlight.

The motivations of most seem clear and clean, and so many of the stars have previously spoken out against marginalisation of women in the workplace, and the unfair culture of victim-blaming.

Perhaps this stand at the Golden Globes is only the beginning, and Hollywood itself is finally going to clean up its act. With so many leading figures behind the cause and the global attention it has now attracted, perhaps, as Eva Longoria has stated "it’s not a moment...it’s a movement". And to paraphrase Meryl Streep in a 2017 interview with Vogue's Anna Wintour, we can't go back now we've got our foot in the door.

And on a personal note, I’m also glad this was yet another proof that fashion is far from simply a frivolous affair detached from the world around it. Our clothes can be as engaged and employed politically as our words or our actions, and we can still enjoy it sartorially.

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

LIFE&STYLE

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbricklife

A Guide to: Glossier

Manthropology

By Yatin Arora

Life&Style Writer Yasmine Kennedy reviews Instagram's new favourite make-up brand In an era of intense ‘Instagram’ makeup, Glossier is a breath of fresh air, introducing an effortless and minimalistic approach to beauty. Glossier derives from the beauty website ‘Into the Gloss’ and has absolutely nailed social media promotion. With extremely aesthetically pleasing products packaged in pink bubble wrap, covered with emoji stickers and girl power quotes, it wasn’t long before Glossier was filling our Instagram feeds. CEO Emily Weiss focuses on what is missing from the existing billion-dollar beauty industry after interviewing supermodels, magazine editors, actresses etc. and creates simple, effective products that can become the backbone of everyone’s beauty regimes.

Glossier’s Instagram is a dreamy destination - their models created an accessible and achievable image, who are often not professionals, but Glossier employees and social media fans. Not only is the packaging screaming to be photographed, but the products prove to have substance as well as style.

Fairly affordable prices and minimalistic products appeal to the large audience who opt for an easy routine.

The ‘no makeup makeup’ look is perfectly encompassed - it is definitely not designed for the full-coverage glam girl. Their base products include the Perfecting Skin Tint and Stretch Concealer. The skin tint is extremely sheer in coverage yet does supply a lovely

even glow, however it is not for anyone who is looking to cover acne or redness. The stretch concealer is also not exactly supplying tons of coverage, however is beautiful for the under eyes with a moisturising and creamy texture, which when set with a powder should not crease. Again, it would not be recommended for those with extreme dark circles or blemishes they wish to cover, your freckles will still peep through!

'It is a go-to brand for those who like the dewy, minimal make-up look' The shade range for both skin products is in some ways limited, however the low coverage means shades can be applied to a wide range of skin tones. In terms of cheek products, Glossier has the Cloud Paint blushers and the Haloscope cream stick highlighters. The cloud paints are cream/liquid blushers that come in a variety of shades, and due to their consistency and packaging could also be mixed to create your own personalised shade. Again, they are sheer in pigmentation, however I find they create a beautifully natural flush to the cheeks to leave you with a seamless, dewy result.

Everyone’s favourite prod-

uct at the moment is a good highlighter, and the Haloscope range is no disappointment.

They come in a cream stick form which means they are incredibly easy and efficient to apply. They also come in three shades and at least one should suit almost every skin tone and preference - there is a pink tone, a more pearl tone, and finally a bronze tone. All of these are fairly universal; videos on the Glossier website demonstrate use of the products on different skin tones, which is an extremely innovative and useful tactic for customers.

The Glossier skincare line, although streamlined, is incredibly inclusive. Their Milky Jelly cleanser has become an absolute staple for me - it is incredibly soothing and perfect as a second cleanse after your makeup has been removed. It can be used either on dry or damp skin, though I find it to be suitable for all skin types, as it deeply cleanses, yet soothes - your skin never feels tight afterwards.

Glossier also has two moisturisers, the original priming moisturiser, which was labelled

by Teen Vogue as a game changer, and the priming moisturiser rich, which is essentially the same thing yet even more moisturising, therefore geared towards dryer skins.

Having combination skin personally, I have only tried the original and it’s a nice lightweight moisturiser that I use in the mornings, as the priming properties make it a great

base.

There is also a multipurpose skin salve named the Balm Dot Calm which is a really fun product that comes in a variety of scents and shades, some tinted with glitter, some unscented and clear - there is definitely one for everyone. However, I find it quite pricey for a glorified Vaseline at the price of £10, and I do not think it is an essential product. In contrast, a must have item from Glossier is the Boy Brow which is their best-selling product and for good reason.

The Boy Brow is comparable to Benefit’s Gimme Brow with its similar tiny wand designed for precision and ability to capture every hair, creating a full and voluminous look. The formula is more like a pomade, and therefore supplies a flexible hold in comparison to a stiff crisp finish, coming in a variety of universal shades as well as a clear one.

There are still products I am yet to try from Glossier, such as their masks, serums and body products, however from the ones I have tried thus far I have high expectations.

It is a go-to brand for those who like the dewy, minimal makeup look, and I feel there is something for everyone, even if it’s just for the pretty packa ging. I am so excited that Glossier is now available online in the UK, and with a mid-market price range it should happily hold a place in everyone’s collection.

Top Trends for 2018

Josie Hart predicts the top trends for the year to come

Josie Hart Life&Style Writer

Moving into the New Year means turning over a new leaf, and with that comes new fashion trends. What the upcoming seasons might look like can be predicted by looking at the catwalks, what celebrities are wearing and the major events happening this year. With all the heavy workloads and deadlines that also come in January, it’s time to get a bit of retail therapy and start making additions to your wardrobe to get ahead of 2018's upcoming trends!

At the end of 2017 and continuing into the new year, messages of female empowerment have been abundant in the world of fashion. For instance, the Golden Globes'

red carpet was painted with black clothing in recognition of the ‘Time’s Up’ campaign.

But even if, like mine, your red carpet invitation got lost in the post, you can still show your solidarity with this important message, and translate it into everyday clothing.

Tailored suits and flat shoes for women will be all the rage in 2018 - we are already seeing tailored trousers hitting all the high street stores.Many designers have been inspired by ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ which was recently adapted for television.

This means high necks and long skirts with structured silhouettes, or sheer panels to bring new dimensions to usual conservative dress.

On everyone's lips is one major event likely to impact what we’ll be wearing this year - the Royal Wedding.

Looking to Meghan’s wardrobe, a trench coat will be a good investment. In terms of her wedding dress, if her engagement photos and the rumours that she’s considering Inbal Dror as the designer are

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anything to go by, we’ll be graced with a tight-fitting but elegant dress.

Another major influence for 2018 is last year’s Versace S/S 2018 show, marking 20 years since Gianni Versace’s death. It was so highly publicised and spoken about that celebrity stylists will be fighting to get their clients seen in the looks. This means 80s fashion is likely to be a trend - bright colours, bold patterns, chunky belts and shoulder pads will be back in the shops.

But whilst womenswear takes a trip to the 80s, men’s fashion will see influences of the 70s in 2018. You should get your hands on some wide collared shirts, a polo neck and a patterned suit.

In terms of more casual looks, athleisure is also going retro. Expect logos on everything, baggy and colourful sports jackets, and maybe the return of the velour tracksuit?

It's 2018 - anything could happen!

I was flicking through the TV guide the other day and happened to catch a quick glimpse of BBC’s Newsround.

Here our ‘favourite’ male celebrities were, quite aptly, being asked about their New Year’s resolutions. One Direction’s Liam Payne stated that he wanted to take “fewer naps”, whilst Matt Terry of X Factor fame wanted to become “more organised”. Given that Birmingham boys are no less than celebrities, I thought I'd ask them their own resolutions!

Name: Ashok Balasubramaniam Course: Sociology (second year) “Lectures, lectures, and, guess what, lectures! I finished 2017 with about 43 hours of Panopto to catch up on, so my New Year’s resolution is to attend every single lecture, be it 9am or 9pm. Rain or shine, storm or snow, I'll be there.

Although it's been a while since I walked the red carpet into Haworth 101, I believe a new year is a new start.

However. I'm supposed to be in a lecture right now so my plan definitely isn’t going too well!”

Name: Alex Mann Course: Medicine & Surgery (second year) “I don't usually make New Year’s resolutions but after the over-indulgence at Christmas, January is a good time to revisit my diet and start eating healthily.

I usually begin with a good detox: I drink smoothies, eat my 5-a-day, and drink a lot of water. This year, however, the diet has gone out the window! Due to numerous assignments, I've had to choose food that’s convenient rather than healthy.

Gone are the days (literally) when I used to be a health-freak, Domino’s is now my second home!”

Name: Nigel Clough Course: Political Science & International Relations (third year) “Lots of people are quite cynical about New Year's resolutions - I might have been one of them in a past life, but I've reformed! There's something cleansing about a new year, a fresh start that motivates me like nothing else. My resolution is to prioritise what I enjoy. Studying is crucial, but when I'm worked to the bone the first thing to go is fun, like going to the movies or a good concert. This year however, I want to prioritise what makes me happy, recognising the psychological & emotional benefits on all areas of life - I encourage everyone to do the same.”

The word is out! Some are dedicated, others have dismissed their resolutions altogether. Nonetheless, it is nice to see that Birmingham’s boys have kept their resolutions for longer than an empty chair in the new library! As for me, I was set on hitting the gym this year; ’. Much to my dismay, I am munching a chocolate digestive and have one hand in a packet of Doritos as we speak. Oh well, maybe next year!

Tweet us how you're getting along with your resolutions @RedbrickLife

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SCI&TECH

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbricktech

Debunked: Revision Tips Emilia Rose

Sci&Tech Editor

You might not want to be thinking about revision a mere two weeks into second term but it is common knowledge that the early bird catches the worm (the worm here being a decent grade).

With so much to do and so little time, it is important to be prepared. There is plenty of advice available on the ‘best’ way to study but a lot of it is contradictory and based on weak or no evidence. In order to save you time, stress and tears here are the revision tips that work and the ones that do not.

Caffeine: Caffeine is a stimulant. It speeds up the transmission of signals

across nerve synapses, increasing alertness and concentration which makes it a good revision aid.

However, over time, it is possible to build up a tolerance to caffeine which makes its effects shortlived and less pronounced.

Because of this, along with its ability to increase the stress hormone cortisol, it is important to regulate your coffee intake.

People tend to vary in their reaction to caffeine but as a general rule, experts recommend you avoid it at least six hours before bedtime.

Listening to Music: Music can help with concentration, especially when you are working on a task you don’t particularly enjoy. This is because, according to neuroscientist Dean Burnett, we seem to have two attention systems – a conscious

one which focuses on the task at hand and an unconscious one which is constantly working in the background checking for senses such as sound that may be significant. Playing music in the background can help increase the focus on studying because it provides unobtrusive noise which can stop the unconscious attention system from distracting us.

However, the type of music you play is important. Most importantly, it has to be something you like or it will be more of a distraction. Upbeat music tends to be more motivational than sad, slower tunes whilst instrumentals are preferable because the brain pays extra attention to human voices.

across in school – the idea that everyone has one of several particular learning styles that can be utilised to study better. The most common learning styles are auditory, visual and kinaesthetic. For example, visual learners are encouraged to take notes in the form of diagrams whereas auditory learners are advised to listen to recordings of their notes. Despite being a popular technique, prominent neuroscientists have previously stated that there is no scientific evidence to support it and it may even have a detrimental effect on a student’s ability to learn. This is because it discourages flexible approaches to learning and incorrectly attributes difficulties with learning with the format of the material.

Learning Styles: This is a tip you may have come

The Link Between Alcohol and Cancer Will Nunn Sci&Tech Writer

A recent study by the Cambridge based MRS Laboratory of Molecular Biology has shed some light on the mechanism by which alcohol increases the risk of seven types of cancer.

One of the chief causes of cancer is damage to DNA, so the

direction of much of the research in this area has been to determine the link between alcohol and this damage. A previous study demonstrated the link using cell cultures, but the team of Professor Ketan Patel has investigated the mechanism in the body itself using mice.

The body breaks down alcohol in a number of steps, forming different intermediate chemicals along the way. One of these, called acetaldehyde, can cause “doublestrand breaks”, permanently fracturing the DNA sequence and disrupting its function. This can trigger uncontrolled cellular growth, and the subsequent development of tumours.

Ordinarily, the body will neutralise the effects of acetaldehyde by breaking it down using enzymes called acetaldehyde

dehydrogenases (ALDH). In their study the researchers genetically modified mice to remove these enzymes and allow the chemical to accumulate in the blood. The team gave the mice diluted alcohol and analysed the impact on the chromosomes and DNA sequences of blood stem cells.

They found that enzyme-deficient mice suffered four times the DNA damage when compared to those with normal ALDH. This evidence suggest ALDH enzymes are among the body’s first line of defence against alcohol. Following damage, numerous DNA repair mechanisms will kick in to attempt to fix any disruption but often damage can be irreversible. Serious issues occur when alcohol has been consumed in such quantities that these defences cannot protect and repair DNA

fast enough. The risk this poses is significant and often permanent.

Patel’s team observed permanent damage to DNA in blood stem cells, which can go on to give rise to cancers including breast and bowel.

For most people the simple solution is, as always, to avoid drinking excessively. In some demographics however, there is a somewhat higher risk. People of East Asian ancestry are genetically predisposed to an inherited deficiency in ALDH enzymes, so it has been suggested that this may explain the higher incidence of oesophageal cancers in places like China.

The AI Increasing Our Chances of Finding Alien Life Captions go in the corner of pictures and shouldn't be hyphenated

Sonal Tandon

Sci&Tech Writer

On 14th December, NASA announced the discovery of a new planet around the star Kepler-90, making this the first solar system to be found with as many planets as our own. The new planet was found using Google artificial intelligence.

The new eighth planet, named Kepler-90i, is the smallest of the planets orbiting the star, but is a third larger than Earth. The solar system is 2500 light years away, and while it has a similar layout to our solar system with rocky planets close to the sun and gas giants further out, the planets are much closer together.

All of the planets in the Kepler90 solar system were detected by the Kepler telescope, and the previous 7 planets were discovered by astronomers spotting signals in

the Kepler data. However, Kepler90i was found using Google artificial intelligence technology.

This was achieved by Google researcher Christopher Shallue and astronomer Andrew Vanderburg, when they trained machines to learn algorithms, a technique where computers learn, to spot the patterns in the data.

First the Google AI was shown 15000 previously checked signals, before it was allowed to analyse unchecked data.

These signals are produced when a planet passes in front of a star, causing a reduction in the amount of light coming from that region of the star. By registering these light reductions, and looking at properties such as its speed, we can find new planets and objects in solar systems. Kepler has gathered a huge amount of data containing these signals.

Artificial intelligence has the benefit of being both quicker than humans and able to spot signals that are too weak to be easily

spotted by the eye.

It is hoped that the same technology can be used to analyse the remaining data Kepler has given, as there could be many more signals hiding in the data we already have. This technology can also analyse any new data provided by Kepler as it continues to roam the universe. It is possible that our solar system, or Kepler-90’s solar system, have more planets that we

have yet to find. This also means there could be many more exoplanets than initially expected, improving our chances of finding life.

So with a little more patience, maybe more Earth-like planets will be discovered. With the help of artificial intelligence, the task of finding them seems a little more achievable.

Creature Feature Bonobos Ellen Heimpel Sci&Tech Writer

Bonobos are one of our closest primate relatives and are often referred to as ‘hippy chimpanzees’ because they are less aggressive than other chimpanzees and are known to share food and look out for each other.

Researchers have recently discovered that Bonobos will not just help those that they know, to seek food, but will also help strangers access food resources. They will do this even if no personal reward is provided and without being asked!

Research was carried out with wild Bonobos at a sanctuary in the Democratic republic of Congo. They suspended apple pieces above an enclosure in a way that the bonobo in the enclosure couldn’t access it. The apple could be lowered to them if a second bonobo in an adjacent enclosure climbed the fence and pulled a wooden peg to lower the apple. Screens prevented the second bonobos from accessing the apple so there was no reward for them whatever. However, they always released the fruit to their neighbour, even if it meant putting down their toys.

This xenophilia (sociality towards unfamiliar individuals) was likely developed as an evolutionary strategy.

When female bonobos reach adulthood, they move to a different social group. Being able to get on well with strangers enables them to quickly integrate into this new group.

So, there you go, learn from these Bonobos and be nicer to people you don’t know (as well as the ones you do).

SCI&TECH

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbricktech

Women in Science

The women, who despite the odds, accomplished the impossible

Laura Bassi

Rosalind Franklin

Ellen Heimpel

Katie Jones

Sci&Tech Writer

Laura Bassi was an Italian scientist who became the first woman to have a professional science career. She was born in 1711 in Bologna, the ‘City of Learning’.

Her father, a wealthy lawyer, believed that Laura should get the best education possible, so she was tutored at home. Laura became something of a child prodigy and excelled in Latin and French. Her tuition was then taken over by her family doctor and she developed an interest in physics and philosophy.

In 1732 Laura Bassi received a degree in Philosophy from the University of Bologna. This was the second degree to ever be awarded to a woman. In the same year she was appointed professor of Anatomy at the University, making her the first women professor to be appointed at a European University. She was also asked to become the first female member of the Academy of Sciences of Bolonga Institute.

However, despite these remarkable achievements Laura was still not happy. Her positions were considered honorary positions and Laura was not expected to take part in day-to-day academic life and was not allowed to teach publicly. This was because the University was worried it would set a precedent to encour-

Sci&Tech Editor

age other women to teach.

To overcome this gross injustice Laura opened a domestic school from her house in 1749.

Here she offered courses including an 8-month course in theoretical and experimental physics that was more comprehensive than anything taught at the University of Bolonga. She was also fundamental in introducing Newtons physics and philosophy to Italy, with her course on Newtonian physics running for 28 years.

Laura’s courses soon became renowned and students came from all round Italy and across Europe to attend. In 1776 she was given the chair of experimental physics at the institute of Science established by Marsili. Over the course of her lifetime she presented 31 papers, inspired thousands of students and she continues to inspire us today.

Laura Bassi’s accomplishments demonstrated that women could be educated in scientific disciplines and go on to be successful teachers and share this knowledge with others.

Women of Nasa Sonal Tandon

Sci&Tech Writer

A matter of years ago, very few people were aware of the contributions made by female mathematicians, computer programmers and engineers to the early space missions. Yet Margot Lee Shetterly’s book ‘Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race’, and the film that followed, highlighted the careers of Dorothy Vaughan, Katherine Johnson and Mary Jackson to the world.

Initially they all began their careers as bright mathematicians and scientists, and were all teachers before eventually joining the West Area Computing section at Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory. This section was a group of segregated AfricanAmerican women who acted as ‘human computers’.

Dorothy Vaughan took a temporary war job at the laboratory during WWII, which became permanent after the war ended as the laboratory started hiring black women to process their aeronautical data. She was promoted to lead the West

Although Rosalind Elsie Franklin only had a short life, living to just 37, her massive contributions to multiple areas of science have been the foundations for many scientific breakthroughs and her research is still relevant today.

Born in London, in 1920, Franklin went to one of the few girls’ schools that taught physics and chemistry. This enabled her to really excel at these subjects and she was regularly awarded various academic prizes for her school work. Wanting to be a scientist, she enrolled at Newnham College, Cambridge, in 1938, despite her father actively discouraging this, in favour of more acceptable workplaces for women.

After graduating, Franklin, was awarded a graduate research position at R.G.W Norrish’s lab.

However, Franklin dropped out of this after just one year to work at the British Coal Utilization Research Association (CURA), studying the physical structure of coal. This was because Norrish did not show any enthusiasm towards her, for her work as a woman.

With her work for CURA, she wrote several papers on the structure of coal and gained a phd.

After this she was appointed as a researcher in Paris, where she learned about X-Ray diffraction techniques- this would become very useful, later, for her work in finding the structure of DNA. When she moved back to England to work at King’s College London, she was an expert in X-Ray crystallography and started work finding out the structure of DNA in Randall’s lab through these methods. There, she worked alongside Wilkins, in separate research

3,744 UK Drug Deaths in 2016 (Office for National Statistics)

35

This Week in Sci&Tech A study of around 3000 British women (In Lancet Oncology) found that women who have the BRCA mutation are equally as likely to survive breast cancer in the first ten years as patients who do not have this

groups. Although considered superior in many aspects to Wilkins in her field, Wilkins presumed that she was an assistant of sorts. This was not entirely unusual, as women were rarely in these positions at universities and his mistake was not helped by the fact that all the researchers went to male-only dining rooms and pubs. The mistake was the beginning of a very rocky relationship between him and Franklin.

At the same time they were working there, Watson and Crick were also working on the structure of DNA in a separate lab. Although they were close to working out the structure, it took Wilkins to show them Franklin’s work for them to have the proof they needed to publish their papers. It is seriously debatable whether Wilkins had Franklin’s permission to share her work- but many agree that she did not get the credit that she deserved for it. Later on, Watson, Crick and Wilkins would go on to win a Nobel Prize for this work and she would not get anything. Franklin continued working on viruses even after her diagnosis of ovarian cancer and two years later, she died. It is thought that her work with X-rays might have contributed to this. Franklin’s scientific journey was filled with controversies and adversities; it was a true testament to her character that she managed to achieve things others can only imagine.

particular mutation. This finding is especially important because it means that young women with the BRCA mutation do not need to consider a mastectomy until at least twenty years after their diagnosis, rather than immediately after as is now the case.

Flu rates are at a high with many people being admitted into hospital throughout this week. This is due to the fact that there are many types of flus circulating the UK at the moment, including the new Aussie flu outbreak.

Theresa May has put forward a long term plastic waste plan which will last 25 years.

Jeremy Corbyn has spoken

Area Computing unit, and acted as head for nearly a decade until it was abolished to be incorporated into NASA. This made her the first African-American supervisor at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.

After joining the new Analysis and Computation Division in NASA Vaughan became an expert in FORTRAN computer programming, which was the language used to communicate with the IBM computers. These computers were used to advance missiles and see the Soviet Union’s progression with Sputnik, the first satellite. She also contributed to a satellite launching rocket called the Scout Launch Vehicle Program.

As one of the leaders in her field, she helped to pave the way for other women to advance in their careers, interfering on behalf of women who deserved pay rises to ensure that they received it.

Katherine Johnson showed a large amount of potential from a young age. As a child, she loved

mathematics, and said herself that ‘I counted everything. I counted the steps to the road, anything that could be counted, I did.’. At Langley, she started doing calculations on flight-test data. She liked to ask questions and attended meetings to learn more about projects, despite women not being allowed to.

Johnson then began doing trajectory analysis, initially for Alan Shepard (who was the first American in space). Trajectory analysis involved calculating where and when the launch must happen to reach a given place at a given time. She was very well respected, with John Glenn requesting her to do the calculations for his mission to orbit the Earth, due to the unreliability of the computer calculations. She also used calculations to synchronise the Apollo mission’s Lunar Lander with the moon orbiting Command and Service Module, in order for the moon landing to be a success. In 2015 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Mary Jackson left the West Area Computing Section after 2 years of work, in order to work for engineer Kazimierz Czarnecki in the Supersonic Pressure Tunnel (a wind tunnel), where she conducted experiments. With Czarnecki’s encouragement, she decided to do courses to become an engineer as opposed to a mathematician, and in 1958 became NASA’s first black female engineer at a time when female engineers were a rarity.

Jackson wrote many research reports, and specialised in the behaviour of airflow around aerospace vehicles at supersonic speeds. However she struggled to get promotions to managerial positions, and ended up taking a demotion to become Langley’s Federal Women’s Program Manager, recruiting the next generation of women in science.

With the achievements that Vaughan, Johnson and Jackson made, we can only hope that their stories of struggle inspire a new generation of women to pursue science.

against the nature of this plan, stating that action needed to happen more urgently.

The discovery of a fossilised butterfly scale the size of a speck of dust has revealed that butterflies have existed for 70 million years longer than previously thought. This rare discovery will aid researchers in conservation efforts and help them to predict how insects will cope with climate change.

36

SPORT

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbricksport

Redbrick Sport's New Years Football Predictions

Redbrick Sport offer their thoughts on what the rest of the 2017/18 season holds for the beautiful game Olli Meek Sport Editor

Top Four Manchester City Chelsea Manchester United Liverpool At the time of writing, Manchester United and Chelsea are a point apart in 2nd and 3rd with the same number of wins and goals conceded. In the long run, there is still a way to go until the end of the season, and given Chelsea’s recovery from the teething problems that created the initial gap, I think the Blues will come out on top. Neither will challenge for the title unless City suffer a catastrophe of biblical proportions. They do not match City for quality, tactical substance, and now fear factor as well. City will win it because teams are now scared to play them in the league, and even if a team is holding on for a credible draw as some have done so far, it is in the back of their minds that City have proven their worth at winning games in the final minutes. As for fourth place and the final Champions League spot it is challenging - neither Tottenham Hotspur nor Liverpool are wonderfully consistent, nor streets ahead of the other, and I do not feel Arsenal will regain a place at the top table this season either, especially with Alexis Sánchez seemingly on the way out (again, at the time of writing he remains a Gooner). Whether or not Philippe Coutinho’s high-profile departure

to Barcelona for an eye-watering fee will have a dramatic impact on Liverpool’s season remains to be seen, but what can be said is that Spurs will face no such loss unless the likes of Kane or Eriksen get injured. What I will say is that Spurs are behind Liverpool with Kane firing on all cylinders. Also, Mohamed Salah hasn’t lost any of the sparkle that has, so far, taken the Premier League by storm and surprise, following a grand total of 13 appearances and 2 goals on his previous outing in the Premier League with Chelsea.

Relegation Swansea City Stoke City Newcastle United At the time of writing, there are six teams at the bottom of the table all within 6 points of each other, so who will go down is a challenging call to make. Swansea haven’t given their supporters much to cheer about for a number of seasons now, and managerial change has not, as of yet, yielded the turnaround necessary to unsettle the dendrites that are rooting them to the bottom of the table.

Stoke City are in a similar predicament: they have mustered a result here and there but, amongst other results, their collapse in the FA Cup which triggered the sacking of Mark Hughes does seem to imply a rot of some sort has set in at the Bet365 Stadium. Finally, a bit of a wild card in Newcastle, but a lack of experience combined with the speculated rocky relationship between the owner and

manager means they will have a tough run-in until May. Currently, they have Rafa Benítez at the helm, who I would put money on to keep them afloat, but the transfer window and imminent takeover of the club is likely to be make or break.

FA Cup Manchester United José knows how to win trophies, is experienced in the cup final atmosphere, and the squad have nothing to lose in the FA Cup so I would wager they will put their eggs in this basket. The squad has many of the same players who won it in 2016, and City can’t win everything, can they?

Carabao Cup Manchester City Even if they rest half of their squad for what is, on Pep’s terms, a minor competition, I still think they will win it. The other significant contenders are Chelsea and Arsenal with no disrespect to Bristol City, and they are battling it out in the other semi-final taking through a 0-0 draw from the leg at Stamford Bridge. Echoing Chelsea’s haul in the 2014/15 season, I think City will falter in Europe but domestically they are easily capable of a double of some sort.

Alex Alton Sport Editor

Top Four: Manchester City Chelsea Manchester United Liverpool First place obviously has to go Manchester City. This season they have proved an omnipotent force in the league, going unbeaten and set to break the points record after 22 games. Second place for me goes to Chelsea. Until the recent war of words between Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho, Chelsea had remained largely out of the limelight, too good for a battle for fourth place but not quite consistent enough to challenge for second. At present they lie one point behind Manchester United. The reason that I fancy Chelsea for second place is because of one thing. With United all but out of the title race, their hopes lie in the pipedream of a Champions League win. The pressure on Mourinho is certainly hotting up with many fans bored by the turgid style he employs. As a result, United will look to prioritise European competition rather than the league.

For that all important fourth spot, there are three teams vying for the place. Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs are all realistically eyeing

up the final Champions League place. Spurs have fallen off the horse slightly this season, and I do not expect them to make fourth spot despite the ongoing form of their talisman Harry Kane. Their North London rivals Arsenal will also struggle to make top four in my opinion. This season has been another tumultuous one for the Gunners, with contract disputes over Alexis Sánchez and Mesut Ozil yet to be resolved. If Sánchez leaves Arsenal (which looks likely), they should consider their top four hopes as good as over. That leaves Liverpool as my favourites for fourth place. Despite Coutinho leaving, Jurgen Klopp has strengthened his side where it needs solidity, at the back. Virgil Van Dijk promises to improve Liverpool’s side exponentially with his towering presence and long passing ability. This should provide Liverpool with the all important stimulus to clinch the last Champions League spot.

Relegation: Stoke City West Bromwich Albion Swansea City There are plenty of sides in the running for relegation at this stage, with Swansea, West Brom, Stoke, Southampton, Bournemouth, West Ham and Crystal Palace all in an uncomfortable position at this point.

However, I think there is a definite argument that two of the current bottom three (Swansea, West Brom, Stoke) will go down this season. All three sides have been solid Premier League outfits for considerable amounts of time, usually epitomising stability.

This season though, the three have epitomised inconsistency and poor decision making throughout. All three have sacked the manager they started the season with. Both Swansea and West Brom have made very odd managerial choices, appointing untested Carlos Carvalhal and serial failure Alan Pardew respectively.

Stoke are yet to appoint a manager after sacking Mark Hughes. There are other reasons besides managerial changes, such as lack of goals in the Swansea side, lack of inspiration at West Brom and the loss of the Bet365 Stadium as a fortress for Stoke. Therefore, these three are my choices to go down.

FA Cup Liverpool With holders Arsenal out at the first hurdle following a humbling loss at Nottingham Forest, most of the big contenders for the trophy remain. Personally, I doubt the ability of any of the poorer sides in the Premier League to go the whole way in the competition.

Both Spurs and Manchester United luckily find themselves facing League Two opposition in the fourth round, with Manchester City facing up to Cardiff.

However, my hot tip for the FA cup this season is Liverpool.

Although the departure of Phillipe Coutinho may hamper the side, they have the ability up top to go the whole way. Although most would expect Manchester City to dominate this competition as well, I think they may well slip up whilst chasing an unbeaten title win.

Carabao Cup Manchester City It’s down to the last 4 in this competition, with usual suspects Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal left in at this stage. The surprise package is Bristol City, who unfortunately lost their first leg against Man City after taking the lead. As for the Chelsea vs Arsenal game, you would have to be rather optimistic to think Arsenal can get through this tie/ Therefore, you would assume an interesting 'El Cashico' final between Manchester City and Chelsea. In a one-off tie between the two you would assume that Man City will come out on top.

SPORT

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbricksport

Top Four

Leanne Prescott Sport Editor

Manchester City Manchester United Chelsea Tottenham Hotspur

Top Four Manchester City Liverpool Manchester United Chelsea Man City are walking away with the league already and they're head and shoulders above the rest of the teams in the league when it comes to quality. As for the rest of the pack, Liverpool stand a very good chance of coming in second despite currently being behind Spurs, Chelsea and United.

Chelsea haven't been anywhere near top form this season and their inconsistencies will give Klopp's side a opportunity to pounce.

Albeit without Coutinho, Liverpool still have plenty of firepower in the form of Salah, Mané and Firmino with the trio's unpredictability proving a menace for defences this season. Should they keep all three fit and firing, they're in with a great chance of a high finish.

As for United, we've seen some great goals scored at Old Trafford this season but I think Mourinho's dull style of football will prove a real hindrance to their bid of coming second. That being said, I still think Chelsea and United will quite comfortably finish inside the top four. Spurs are the closest challengers, with the attacking duo of Harry Kane and Dele Alli hitting good form at present to close the gap on their rivals.

Arsenal however, look set to miss out on Champions League football for another year to add further pressure on Wenger's shoulders.

come in and steady the ship, The Potters are teetering right on the edge. I think they may just sink this time.

West Brom are in real trouble, having lost three of their last five games, drawing the other two, and I can't see where the goals are going to come from in their current side. 16 goals after 22 games is a worrying statistic despite their defence holding steadier than those around them and unless they can get the motor running soon, they may just find themselves in the Championship next season. Likewise, Swansea have failed to show any real attacking verve this season with the worst goals tally in the league, and their appointment of an unproven manager hardly screams of a good decision from the board.

FA Cup

Relegation

Manchester City

Stoke City West Bromwich Albion Swansea City

There's been a good few twists and turns in the competition already, with Arsenal crashing out and Chelsea being held to a replay.

While Conte's side will probably come through unscathed, it's another indication of the sub-par nature of their season and I can't see that changing unless some serious business is done in January. That leaves United, City, Spurs and Liverpool as the big hitters in the competition. City will undoubtedly be the favourites and are head and shoulders above the pack. If they can maintain their current momentum, I think people will find it very hard to stop them from taking all the silverware this season. Liverpool and Spurs are my tip for their closest challengers.

At the start of the season and up until a few months ago, West Ham would've been my favourites for relegation. They were so bereft of confidence in possession; Javier Hernandez was isolated up front and the defensive structure was in disarray. Yet, David Moyes has come in and really got things going for The Hammers, picking up 8 points in the last five games.

They're only two points from danger but with rumours of January signings to come in, the former Everton manager should be able to move them clear of any trouble come the end of the season.

Bournemouth should survive too, despite being just one point clear from the danger zone. They don't necessarily have the quality of the teams around them but their team cohesion and ability to all pull together makes them a stronger outfit. Eddie Howe's done a fantastic job over the last few years and he should see them through.

Stoke, however, look a far more obvious bet for the drop, having really come undone under Mark Hughes. The hope will be that his recent sacking can spark some life back into a side with enough quality in the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri to escape relegation. However, their goal difference of minus 24 highlights the stark issues they've got in their own third of the pitch. Conceding 47 goals, the most of any team in the division, has to be a huge worry and without a manager to

Carabao Cup Manchester City Bristol City performed admirably at The Etihad in mid-week, but with City coming back from behind to maintain their unbeaten run, it seems all too much for the League 1 outfit to turn the deficit over in the second leg. Arsenal and Chelsea have endured very mixed campaigns thus far and with worries about the future of Alexis Sánchez, I can't see Wenger's side getting past Conte.

Chelsea have enough quality in the final third to hurt City but they'll have to be on top form defensively to stand a chance against Guardiola's in-form side.

Harry Wilkinson Deputy Editor

FA Cup Peterborough United This is not entirely a joke.

Peterborough currently sit 9th in League One, playing out a pretty standard season for them. But in the third round of the FA Cup they deservedly beat Aston Villa 3-1, in a quite incredible display at Villa Park. They bossed possession in the times it mattered, created loads of chances, and were quite simply the better side on the day. Villa, admittedly, were playing in a unrecognisable starting 11 from the one they use in their league campaign, but it was a decent side nonetheless.

Peterborough deserved to win, and 3-1 as a scoreline did not flatter them at all.

The London Road based side have drawn Fleetwood/Leicester in the next round, and I’m sure either tie will satisfy them. If its Fleetwood they will seriously fancy their chances against a side in the same league, and if its Leicester they will be fearless playing them on home turf.

There’s always a few surprises in the FA Cup, but for a League One side to lift the trophy would be the ultimate ‘magic of the FA cup’ moment. Stranger things have happened in football.

I won’t even talk about the top two because they get so much coverage already. I feel most people would predict Chelsea to finish third, which makes sense since they are probably the third best side in the league. After a pretty amazing season last year, it is understandable Chelsea have found it difficult to repeat such a feat. It almost feels though that this season has already gone a bit stale for them. With the title being 18 points away, that is understandable too for a side that still reigns as champions.

Between them, Liverpool, and Arsenal, Spurs are marginally the best side. It’s true that Liverpool have the magic and flair up top with Salah and co (although recently weakened substantially with the outgoing of Coutinho), but Spurs have more of a balance between attack and defence, which should see them accumulate more points in the long run. Kane is now indisputably world-class, and on current form Mo Salah is as well. but who comes fourth will come down to much more than individuals, which is why I think Spurs will come out on top. There's also the well-documented matter that despite Liverpool's addition of Van Dijk, their defence is critically lacking. Tottenham's defence is far superior. Liverpool are currently fourth, but with the two teams still to meet next month, and the whole second half the season to go, I’m pretty confident Spurs will end up in that fourth spot.

Relegation Swansea City West Bromwich Albion Stoke City I honestly think that the current bottom three are the most likely to go down. Swansea have not got a good enough team, it is as simple that. Fabianski is a top-rate keeper, but he is probably the only player that I would strongly object to being Championship standard.

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Unless The Swans make some serious additions this January, they are in real trouble. Relying on players like Jordan Ayew is a dangerous game to play, no matter how much talent they may possess. To succeed in the league it is all about consistency, and Swansea have no inkling of that at the moment.

West Brom have only won two games this season: the first two. Pulis’ reign has since ended and the Baggies were left with the unveil position of hiring Alan Pardew. Pardew’s, out of all the similar managerial appointments thus far (Moyes, Allardyce, Hodgson) has been the only one that hasn’t had an instant affect.

Like Swansea, it is hard to see a talisman for West Brom to rally behind; they too have a lot of substandard players starting for them.

However, if Chinese owner Guochua Lai offers some pocket change of his alleged 2.8 billion fortune, then maybe the Baggies can save themselves the embarrassment of going down whilst their rivals Wolves go up.

The last relegation spot is obviously very difficult to speculate on, since there are so many teams in contention as is the closeness of the table this year. Only 5 points separate 18th from 10th, (interestingly with the promoted sides sitting in 11th, 12th and 13th). Stoke just seem the most likely candidate to go down, however. Although they do have some quality players like Shaqiri, Butland and Peter Crouch, they currently do not have a manager to mobilise them. Rumours are that former Watford boss Chico Flores is in the running, which wouldn’t actually be a bad appointment. I’m sure Stoke fans would have rather had someone like him than Pardew. Overall though, it feels like Stoke will go down, but a lot can change in the coming months. For example, Bournemouth have a February that sees them play Stoke, Huddersfield and Newcastle. This is just an example, but the point is all it takes is a team like Bournemouth to have a disastrous month, and the tides can turn completely.

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SPORT

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbricksport

Getting Into Gear: Tour Down Under and 2018 Cycling Preview

Editor-in-Chief William Baxter previews the first race of the 2018 pro circuit, the Tour Down Under, and looks ahead to a mouth-watering year of racing William Baxter Editor-in-Chief

The middle of January. Outside, it’s freezing cold, windy, dark at half four and usually raining.

Naturally, it’s time for the start of the professional cycling season.

2017 proved to be one of the more explosive of the current era.

Doping scandals have tarred some big names both past and present Bradley Wiggins’ 2012 Tour victory has been clouded by TUE abuse, whilst Chris Froome is still under investigation in relation to high levels of salbutamol at last year’s Vuelta - with many also losing out thanks to unlucky crashes in both the classics and the Tour.

Most remarkable perhaps was Peter Sagan’s third consecutive World Championship victory in Norway at the back end of last season. This never before achieved feat is highly impressive in itself, though for a rider of Sagan’s calibre it of course in hindsight seems hardly surprising. Hopefully 2018 will be the year Sagan really proves himself as one of the very best of all time by taking another major monument victory, in addition to his 2016 Tour of Flanders win, as the centrepiece of a strong classics campaign.

Of course, Sagan isn’t the only rider looking to prove himself this year, with Richie Porte keen to settle the score after missing out thanks to a crash in last year’s Tour de France. Nairo Quintana,

"Hamilton should be seen as the best Formula One driver ever"

perhaps this generation’s ultimate unfulfilled potential, needs to take a Grand Tour victory this year, whilst Froome will also be looking to add his name to the list of five-time Tour de France winners.

Among the sprinters, expect to see Mark Cavendish chasing hard for victories in what surely must be one of his last years at the top of the field. He’s already lost some of the explosive power that saw him dominate races in his younger years, but has gained a huge amount of racecraft and tactical nouse that gives him the chance to challenge in races five years ago he would not have dreamed being a contender.

Elia Viviani will be feeling positive after joining veteran Belgian outfit Quick-Step Floors, a team that suits his sprinting skillset far better than GC-focused Sky. 2018 could be a very good year for Irish talent Sam Bennett, who has spent the last couple of seasons gradually making a name for himself with some very positive results including top ten results in stages at the Tour.

This time of year is also the first chance the fans will get to see all the new teams for the season.

Tom Boonen and Alberto Contador, two major names of the last fifteen years, have both hung up their wheels for 2018 as Team Sky’s Mikel Landa moves across to Movistar. This move will see him directly face former team leader Chris Froome at this sea-

son’s Grand Tours – Froome has already announced plans to head to the Giro in May meaning that July should see a very good fight for yellow in France. Sponsors have inevitably changed for a couple of teams, with Orica-Scott becoming Mitchelton-Scott and Cannondale-Drapac swapping argyle green for pink following a last-minute change to EF Education First-Drapac.

The first race of the 2018 World Tour season is the midJanuary Tour Down Under in Australia. Sagan has already opened his 2018 account with a victory in Adelaide’s People’s Choice Classic, taking the victory in a closely fought bunch sprint.

The race, contested on the Sunday before the start of the TDU on Tuesday 16th January, usually acts as a quick demonstration of which teams have organised their sprint trains effectively over the winter break. It was interesting to see Bora-Hansgrohe, Sagan’s squad, animating the front of the peloton in the closing stages.

Sagan can certainly take a lot from the victory, beating pure sprinters such as Griepel and Viviani. Mark Renshaw, the long term lead out man for Britain’s Mark Cavendish, impressed with a solid tenth place, especially considering Dimension Data’s lessthan star line up for the race and his change in role. Last year’s winner Caleb Ewan could only manage third in what must have been a disappointing season debut for the rider who seemed to win everything with a fast finish at this time last year. Chris Lawless made a promising debut in his first race for Sky finishing in sixth despite a last-minute tumble for his lead out man Kristoffer Halvorsen who struck a protruding advertising banner in the closing metres.

The rest of the week promises a race that usually serves as a good if slightly predictable start to the calendar. Featuring at least a little more variation in terrain than the pancake flat airstrip-style stages of the tours in the Emirates and Oman in a few weeks’ time, the TDU has a decent mix of flat finishes the guarantee a bunch gallop alongside the annual summit finish decider atop Willunga Hill.

Being mid-January there will of course be a few in the pack content to just roll around getting their first tan lines of the season, but the race still promises some excitement.

My predictions? Sagan, buoyed from his People’s Choice Victory on the Sunday, to take at least one more stage of the week, either in a flat-out sprint or, hopefully, in a more exciting lastminute breakaway - stage two would probably be my pick. If so, he would be a decent shout to take the overall as well, as the climbs are never long or demanding enough to allow the true GC men a chance to properly dominate.

Saying that, few would bet against another win for antipodean Richie Porte, last year’s overall victor.

He will almost certainly wait until Willunga Hill to pounce on the bunch, but I doubt this year he will be able to escape so easily.

Elsewhere, expect a pretty serious battle between the sprinters, with Mitchelton-Scott’s Ewan most likely to come out on top against Lotto-Soudal’s elder statesman Griepel.

For traditionalists, the classics kick off with the back-to-back Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne at the end of February. Full start lists have yet to be announced, but Michael Matthews has already announced the weekend as a target. Being one of the only serious contenders in the style of Sagan, the classics are certainly shaping up to be good. Cavendish has mentioned that he intends to target a top ten result in April’s Paris-Roubaix after missing last year’s race due to an ankle injury ahead of a cobbled stage in the Tour in July.

The Abu Dhabi Tour is the first stage race after January’s TDU and usually serves as a good opportunity for sprinters. Last year saw Caleb Ewan, riding high after four victories in Australia, take the final stage ahead of Cavendish, with former World Champion Rui Costa winning the overall. Expect similar racing this year.

More important is the ParisNice at the start of March. The annual ‘race to the sun’ has long been a favourite of many riders with big ambitions for the season, and a win here is certainly one of the more prestigious entries in a rider’s palmares. Sergio Henao took an impressive victory here last year against Alberto Contador as home favourite Julian Alaphilippe struggled to stay in contention. This year, with ‘El Pistolero’ Contador out of the picture, the race should be an opportunity for a rider like Alaphilippe to shine.

2018 is certainly shaping up to be a year to remember. Saying all that, Australia could deliver a sting to the start of the season; one big crash after this article goes to print could take out Sagan or any of the other pre-season favourites.

Whilst that would render most of these predictions completely out of date, it would lead to some unexpected results over the first part of the year.

Every rider in Australia has a reason to be there, and while for some that may be as simple as gelling with a new squad, some will certainly be on the hunt for scalps. With the cocktail of powerful sprinters, fast finishes and tight city centre finish loops, it’s likely that come next weekend, it won’t just be sprinters’ egos nursing bruises.

SPORT

Friday 19th January 2018

@redbricksport

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Hall's Haul: Brit Eddie Wins World's Strongest Man Alex Alton Sport Editor

Stoke-born strongman Eddie Hall finally became victorious in the 2017 World’s Strongest Man competition, held in the fiery heat of Gaborone, Botswana.

The competition has fallen out of favour with the nation’s sport fans of late, following on from a period in the 2000s where the sport was dominated by the Pole Mariusz Pudzianowski for a number of years. This year’s competition promised to be a real battle between some of the best competitors that 'Strongman' has ever seen.

There were four main contenders vying for the ultimate alpha male role of the World’s Strongest Man. Firstly, we have Hafthor Julius Bjornsson. Better known as The Mountain from Game of Thrones, the Icelandic giant stands at 6ft 10 inches tall.

The former basketballer has never managed to win WSM despite holding records in many of the lifts involved. Next up is American Brian Shaw. Standing at a height of 6ft 8, he is another giant who defies human belief with his sheer strength.

Shaw is considered by some to be the Strongest Strongman of all time, holding 4 WSM titles in addition to holding the indoor 100m rowing world record at a time of 12.8 seconds. Following Shaw we have the Lithuanian beast Zydrunas Savickas. 'Big Z'

as he is affectionately known is a true icon of Strongman. At the veteran age of 42, Savickas held out little hope to win this year's competition after a severe struggle with a back injury. Still, like Shaw he is the holder of 4 WSM titles and is one of the strongest men to ever exist.

"Shaw is considered by some to be the strongest Strongman of all time" Finally, we have Englishman Eddie Hall as the other main contender for the prize. Hall, who holds the deadlift world record at a staggering 500kg, stands at a relatively small height of 6ft 3. He credits his ability to lift so much weight with the anaerobic training he undertook whilst breaking Mark Foster’s junior swimming records in his youth.

So all in all, a field of multifaceted and skilful strongmen ready to demonstrate that. The competition quickly heated up, with a clear rivalry between Hall and Bjornsson emanating from the first few events that took place.

The first event, the tire flip was won by Brian Shaw. He followed his win with a magnificent celebration that demonstrated his sheer happiness that he had won the event. As expected, Hall was

victorious in the second event, the squat lift, leaving four men tied for second place behind him. His superior leg strength shined through in this event.

Perhaps the most controversial event of the competition came next. The Viking Press, in which competitors have to lift above 150kg above their heads. As the resident Viking in the competition, many expected Bjornsson to be victorious, and he did show excellent strength. However, the technique of the lift requires competitors to not 'double dip' when lifting. This means that they are only allowed to bend the knees once during each lift, as to not gain a physical advantage through the legs. Thor’s fifteenth rep was not counted, and as a result he failed to gain an extra 0.5 points that may have seen him go on to win the competition in the end.

torious, with few of the big guns showing their form. The next event was the Deadlift, which Eddie Hall unsurprisingly won.

At this stage, Hall was on 44 points, 4 ahead of both Thor Bjornsson and Brian Shaw.

The final event was the Atlas Stones, in which Eddie Hall only needed fourth place to seal the win. Bjornsson was victorious in this one, with Shaw coming in second after tearing his hamstring prior to the deadlift event.

All in all, Eddie Hall was victorious in the 2017 World’s Strongest Man, finishing a single point ahead of Thor. In an emo-

tional outburst following his win, Hall dedicated the win to his grandmother, who he had promised he would eventually win the event. This emotion was something you would not expect of a typical alpha male strongman.

Hall then announced to presenter James Richardson that he was retiring from Strongman on the spot. An interesting to way to bow out from a sport that the Midlands man has conquered in 2017.

"Eddie Hall only needed fourth place to seal the win" Day two of the event quickly followed, with the first event of the day the Plane Pull. Taller competitors are somewhat disadvantaged in this competition as there is a mechanical assistance to being closer to the floor during the lift.

As a result, the relatively untested Mateusz Kieliszkowski was vic-

Virgil's Record-Breaking Fee

Alex McDonald questions whether van Dijk is really worth £75 million Alex McDonald Digital Editor

It has been a tumultuous road, but Liverpool FC have finally secured the services of Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk for a whopping £75 million. Fans of the club have been clamouring for manager Jurgen Klopp to sign a centre half given the defensive woes that the Reds have suffered in recent years.

Most recently Liverpool dropped two points against Merseyside rivals Everton after conceding a clumsy penalty and against Arsenal after five minutes of madness which saw the Gunners score three to take the lead.

Unsurprisingly then, despite the hefty price-tag which doubles the club’s transfer record (Mohamed Salah joined the side in the summer for around £37 million), the mood among Liverpool fans has been generally positive.

As a fan myself, I see van Dijk’s arrival at Anfield as a good move for the club; shoring up the defence with Premier League calibre players is always going to be

a good thing.

But then again, the same sentiments were shared when Dejan Lovren, another former Southampton defender, joined the club in the summer of 2014. His story was not too dissimilar to van Dijk’s: Liverpool began courting the Croatian after an impressive debut season with the Saints.

"Don't get me wrong, I love Jurgen Klopp and I have complete faith in him" With the club initially reluctant to sell, Lovren took matters into his own hands and tried to force a move with a transfer request. In the end, his protest worked and he arrived at Liverpool, the fans welcoming him with open arms.

Until the mistakes crept in.

Now Lovren is on the receiving end of more than a few Twitter rants from the Anfield faithful. He certainly isn’t the only one subjected to fan criticism; left back Alberto Moreno and goalkeeper Simon Mignolet are also no strangers to a post-match tongue lashing. While Moreno may be an exception, on their day, Lovren and Mignolet can put in great performances. However, the errors that creep into their game and test the fans’ patience.

But Virgil van Dijk has been heralded as the saviour of Liverpool’s back four. But what is to say that he won’t go the way of Lovren? Mistakes could always rear their ugly head. One thing that van Dijk has in his favour is that he is very confident on the ball, a feature that undoubtedly drew Klopp’s attention. He is particularly strong at playing out from the back which, while it is a valuable trait for Liverpool’s style of play under Klopp, could be incredibly costly if a pass is misplaced.

Teams that like to attack from

the first minute to the ninetieth will always be vulnerable at the back. While I’m not arguing that a centre back partnership between Lovren and Ragnar Klavan will win you a title, Klopp’s attacking mentality certainly doesn’t help.

With both full backs and midfielders encouraged to push forward and join the attacks, centre halves can be isolated as a result.

"Virgil van Dijk has been heralded as the saviour of Liverpool's back four" The free flow passing of Liverpool’s aptly named 'fab four' upfront aims to draw defenders out and prey on those left isolated.

By constantly pushing up, they’re doing the same thing to themselves.

In my opinion, what Liverpool

really needs at this point is an enforcer in the midfield, someone who will hang back and help out the defence at all times. At this point, Emre Can, Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum are not that player. They are good all-round midfielders but they are ultimately masters of none. A deal for RB Leipzig’s Naby Keita may be exactly what Liverpool need to truly challenge for the title, but it is coming one season too late.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Jurgen Klopp and I have complete faith in him as the right man to take Liverpool forward in the future. But a greater emphasis on leaving players back to help defend against counter attacks would likely reduce the number of goals conceded and provide more protection against costly mistakes. van Dijk will be a good addition to the side, but I would hate to see his phenomenal potential marred by errors because of a lack of defensive support.

Oh, and £75 million is a ridiculous amount of money.

The FA Cup: Playing With the Big Boys 19.01.2018 Redbrick Sport give their thoughts on the rest of the 2017/18 domestic football season Pages 36 and 37 William Baxter previews upcoming cycling races in 2018 Page 38 Alex Alton discusses Eddie "The Beast" Hall's World's Strongest Man win Page 39 Alec Knowles discusses the transfer window so far Page 39 For more, follow us on Twitter @redbricksport

Olli Meek Sport Editor

Some say it is the greatest weekend in the football calendar, and whether or not this ends up being true for one’s own team is subject to the result, but we can be sure that, somewhere in the football league pyramid, FA Cup 3rd Round weekend causes upsets that are only dreamt of throughout the rest of the season.

A more modern introduction amongst the tradition and ceremony of the biggest domestic cup in English football, Friday 5th January was the starting point with the Merseyside derby at Anfield and Manchester United hosting Derby. The former caused the predictable fireworks, with an FA investigation already implemented into the conduct of Roberto Firmino and Mason Holgate, as well as Virgil van Dijk giving 'what for' to those who dared to question his ridiculous price tag, with a late winner on his debut. It’s safe to say that there are worse ways to introduce yourself to the Kop. Manchester United were less dramatic in their dispatching of Derby, with in-form Jesse Lingard stealing the show. The contest was preceded by José Mourinho’s latest instalment of "Press Conference TrashTalk" this time with Antonio Conte. If it didn’t already, this made it feel like a boxing match, José in the red corner, and Conte in the blue. With Chelsea drawing 0-0 in a distinctly unremarkable Saturday tea-time fixture at Norwich, it ended up being more KSI vs Joe Weller than McGregor vs Mayweather.

"Sunday made up for the drama that was lacking the previous afternoon" Elsewhere there were wins for Manchester City with a 4-1 home win against Burnley, Southampton taking a 1-0 at Fulham back to the south coast, West Brom winning against Exeter City 2-0, and Newcastle winning 3-1 against Luton Town.

Amongst the run-of-the-mill premier league results throughout the rest of Saturday came a significant upset from League Two Coventry City who consigned Stoke City to a 2-1 defeat at the Ricoh Arena. This was to be the last match in charge for Stoke's manager, former Chelsea and Manchester United striker Mark Hughes, who was sacked hours after the defeat after a poor run of form including 5 defeats in 7 games, and Stoke lying in the relegation zone.

Sunday made up for the drama that was lacking the previous afternoon, with multiple upsets, many goals, and a couple of red cards thrown in for good measure.

The first of the day was Newport County, who played Leeds in a lunchtime kick-off at Rodney Parade.

With the away side in the Championship, and Newport only avoiding relegation from League Two on the final day of last season, when Gaetano Berardi put Leeds ahead in the 9th minute, it looked like the match would be a long afternoon for the hosts. Naturally, when Leeds defender Conor Shaughnessy turned the ball into his own net, the hosts were in dreamland, and a trip to Elland Road beckoned.

This wouldn’t be the final twist of the afternoon, as Shawn McCoulsky then headed home for the Exiles in the final minute of normal time, triggering delirium, a 2-1 score line, and a fourth-round home tie with Premier League heavyweights Tottenham Hotspur. To add insult to injury, Leeds were reduced to ten men in injury time to seal a famous win for Newport.

Shrewsbury were next up to make life difficult for a side significantly higher than them in the footballing pyramid, holding West Ham to a draw at home, and, despite the Hammers struggles in the league this season, one can only imagine it will be difficult for them at the London Stadium.

However, anything can happen in the cup.

The weekend though, in my opinion, saved the best until last, with Nottingham Forest’s stunning win over an Arsenal side whose only titles in the last 14 years have been the FA Cup, unless one counts the Community Shield, but I feel that would be a little insulting to them given their stature and prestige in English football.

Forest’s young side took the lead

through Eric Lichaj poaching the knockdown from a free-kick on 20 minutes, only for the Big Friendly German Per Mertesacker to equalise mere minutes later.

However, just shy of half-time, an absolute pearler of a volley from man-of-the-moment Lichaj went sailing into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area, David Ospina rooted to his line. A cliché it may be, but this goal certainly changed the team-talk from then Forest manager Gary Brazil filling in as caretaker manager.

"Sunday made up for the drama that was lacking the previous afternoon" Man of the Match Ben Brereton then slotted a penalty in the second half, and Forest fans started letting the dream of a fourth round tie enter their minds. Danny Welbeck did put the brakes on this dream with a goal on 79 minutes to keep Arsenal in the game, but the aforementioned dreams were front and centre with five minutes to go when Kieran Dowell put away another penalty to make it 4-2. Joe Worrall, the home side’s defender, was evidently so confident in his colleagues’ ability to hold onto the lead that he was sent off for a nasty challenge before time to round up a weekend of considerable drama.

The only game to take place on Monday night was Brighton against Crystal Palace, a rivalry that despite much hot air, very few people can actually put their finger on genuinely why it exists. A heated grudge match in the cup, under the lights, on a blustery weekday evening on the south coast - where better to trial Video Assistant Refereeing for the first time in English football, or so we thought.

The match went without incident until the final minutes when ex-Palace striker Glen Murray bundled home to make the score 2-1 Brighton, but even then, there was minimal reason to use the VAR for a fairly innocuous poachers finish.