Redbrick
23rd October - 5th November 2015 Vol. 80. Issue 1463. www.redbrick.me
Est. 1936
Students Not Suspects:
Anti-Prevent NUS Roadshow eyes up anti-terror policy
Redbrick Investigates:
Crime on the Selly Canal
Bike thefts most common crime Three violent attacks a month News / Page 8
Matt Moody
Keah Joseph meets the first mental health shadow minister
Paige Tracey quizzes The Hoosiers on their newest album
Sophie Neal cooks up scary snacks and dangerous drinks
James Lentschner on the wicked appeal of MOBAs
Comment / Page 11
Music / Page 20
Features / Page 13
Gaming / Page 26
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Letter from our Local MP
Photo of the week: Old Joe by Chris Austin
Why I'm calling for safer student housing in Selly Oak by Steve McCabe MP
As the Member of Parliament for Selly Oak I’ve seen the quality of privately rented, accommodation deteriorate in this area over several years; at the very time when others involved in student accommodation are rightly demanding higher standards. That’s why I’m calling for a crackdown on rogue landlords and cowboy builders. My office is inundated with complaints about planning arrangements. The more I’ve looked at this, the more convinced I’ve become that we need tougher enforcement rules to tackle rogue landlords, especially those that abuse permitted development rights to create unsafe multiple occupation housing. This relaxation, introduced in 2013, has exacerbated the problem with many neighbourhoods now blighted by hideous additions designed to exploit the permitted development guidelines. As an area, Selly Oak has been particularly affected and I’m concerned not only with the aesthetics but that the quality of some extensions poses a serious safety risk to students attending the University of Birmingham.
"I'm calling for a crackdown on rogue landlords and cowboy builders" Unscrupulous developers are buying up family homes in droves and tacking on unsightly extensions in an effort to cram in as many students as possible, so as to maximise profits. Many of these extensions don’t have planning permission and there are no proper checks to ensure these houses are safe to live in which is why I intend to take this fight to Parliament. On November 24th I’ll be bringing forward the ‘Protection of Family Homes (enforcement and permitted development) 10 Minute Rule Bill.’ It will:
Redbrick Editorial Team Editor Matt Moody editor@redbrick.me Deputy Editors Lucy Moseley Shannon Carey deputy@redbrick.me Digital Editor Mason Cusack digital@redbrick.me Lead Developer Roshni Patel
developer@redbrick.me
Marketing Secretary Hannah Coles marketing@redbrick.me
News Editors Sabrina Dougall Danyal Hussain Isma Azad Sophie Dober news@redbrick.me
Music Editors Hannah Coles Blaise Radley Matt McCrory music@redbrick.me
Sci&Tech Editors Ellie Patten Rachel Taylor Amy Thompson
Comment Editor Daniella Bassett
Film Editors Jess Ennis Tom Swinford Gurnesha Bola film@redbrick.me
Food Editors Sophie Neal Gemma Allport Sophie Milligan food@redbrick.me
Travel Editors Daisy Holden Nadhirah Syalin Ally Head travel@redbrick.me
Sport Editors Will Robey Rosie Twells Dan Brett Nicola Kenton
Television Editors Matt Dawson Ella Downing Harry Turner tv@redbrick.me
Gaming Editors Mason Cusack James Lentschner
comment@redbrick.me
Culture Editors Charlotte Spence Lucy Mounfield Imogen Tink culture@redbrick.me Life&Style Editors Bethany Barley Ayshea Baker Giulia Bardelli Carys Allott lifestyle@redbrick.me
tech@redbrick.me
sports@redbrick.me
gaming@redbrick.me
- Set out the requirement for extensions built under permitted development to be independently checked against building regulations to ensure they are safe to live in - Require the Department for Communities and Local Government to produce clearer guidance for Planning Authorities on when enforcement action should be taken and will make it compulsory for local Planning authorities to publish a detailed enforcement plan. - Introduce a right of appeal to an independent body when a planning authority decides not to take enforcement action against a breach in planning law. - Introduce new powers for planning authorities to fine developers who breach planning law as a deterrent when enforcement action is not considered ‘expedient’ I recently met with Guild President Jack Mably and Housing Officer Roberto Sorrentino to discuss some of these issues. We agreed on the need for more licensing and I welcome the work of SHAC and the Community Wardens and we’re on the same page when it comes to dodgy housing. There are many pressures on students, they shouldn’t have to worry about ending up in sub-standard conversions, at the mercy of unscrupulous landlords. Birmingham City Council also needs to take more action to ensure that building standards are adhered to but this of course can only be achieved if robust legislation is put in place by the government. I'm determined to keep pushing this issue both locally and in Parliament and I would welcome hearing from students that have been affected by poor quality student housing, you can email me or tweet me using the hashtag #protectourhomes.
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Editorial Assistants Hannah Bell Imogen Lancaster Britanny Moster Sophie Kesterton Helena Ojakovoh Redbrick is printed through www.mortonTara Kergon sprint.com Kate Gooding 01507 523 456 Molly Tuesday Fiona Larcombe To advertise with Redbrick, get in touch Chloe Taylor with marketing@redbrick.me or visit Gabriella Marcucci www.redbrick.me/advertise-with-redbrick tech@redbrick.me for more details, and to see our rate card. Designed and typeset by Redbrick Copyright (C) Redbrick 2015 The views expressed in Redbrick do not necessarily reflect those of the editors, the Guild or the publishers. If you find an error of fact in our pages, please write to the Editor. Our policy is to correct mistakes promptly in print and to apologise where appropriate. We reserve the right to edit any article, letter or email submitted for publication.
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23rd October - 5th November 2015
03
'Students not Suspects' opens terrorism debate Aamina Saddiqi News Writer
@aamina_siddiqi
Ian Rogers News Writer
National Union of Students and the Federation of Student Islamic Societies hosted the ‘Students not Suspects’ tour at the University on Thursday 15th October in the Arts Building. Prior to other controversial campus events, this workshop did indeed take place; however, there were several security guards placed inside and outside of the lecture theatre. Aman Ali, spokesperson for FOSIS, tells us that ‘the tour is designed to highlight the impact that the Counter Terrorism and Security Act is having on students in the UK. The tour, according to Ali, will ‘empower students to critically view the government’s current anti-terror legislation and provide the platform for questions and further enquiry.’ Ali believes that since Prevent, a counterterrorism strategy, became a statutory requirement ‘it has had the negative effect of normalising Islamophobia and forcing public servants to act as informants.’ He adds that the policy is problematic and it has led to ‘unfair discrimination’ on university campuses across the UK. Prevent was implemented in 2006 by the old Labour government following the 7/7 attacks in London. Amendments have been made to the strategy since its initial launch, including training university lecturers to spot radicalisation in students. David Cameron has publicly said that the latest additions to the counter-terrorism gov-
ernment policy is ‘to defeat extremism head on.’ Some feel that the new guidelines of Prevent directly targets Muslim and BME students. The Student Not Suspects event featured a panel discussion where representatives from Defend the Right to Protest, CAGE, Campaign 4 Justice 4 Kingsley Burrell, Y-Stop and the NUS Black Students Campaign gave speeches about their experiences and relating it to how damaging they feel the government’s Prevent scheme is. The NUS Black Student Officer, Malia Bouattia, states that the Students Not Suspects event ‘was never intended to be an ‘anti-terror demo’. Instead, Bouattia believes that the event is a tool to critically discuss and deconstruct counter-terrorism agendas, and ‘equip students with an understanding of their rights under the law through a range of workshops.’ She highlights how all-encompassing Prevent is, telling Redbrick: ‘Prevent has been embedded into every sphere of life: public, private and civil – essentially, everyone's affected by Prevent in some way or another, and that's what makes it so insidious; there truly is no escape from this programme.’ To conclude, the NUS representa-
"Students not Suspects was never intended to be an anti-terror demo" tive stated that they would ‘support protests against the new Counter-terrorism and Security Act, and will be coordinating actions in future.’ Nina Power, a philosophy lecturer, told the audience how a wedge was being driven between students and lectures, since the
Prevent strategy now expects lecturers to perform an ‘abhorrent duty’ reporting ethnic minority students who take part in strong debate. The philosopher lecturer believes that lecturers’ would ‘boycott Prevent’ in the future. Kadisha Brown-Burrell, representative of Campaign 4 Justice 4 Kingsley Burrell and sister of Kingsley Burrell, a victim of police brutality, told us that ‘getting the
"Prevent is an assault on BME and Muslim people throughout the UK"
mobilisation of the students nowadays is immense’. Brown-Burrell added, ‘if we don’t get a change from the students [in terms of attitude towards the ethnic minority and terrorism], then we’ll never get changes in the future.’ Star-speaker Moazzam Begg, who was held in Guantanamo Bay for almost three years and released without charge in 2005, had concerns about where terrorism against the west originates. He pointed to the US and British involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, saying ‘terror breeds terror’ and ‘torture breeds terror’. Begg, who was also detained in an airport after being invited to speak at the European Parliament of Legislation, challenged the use of the word radicalised. He argued that having radical ideas does not mean you are a terrorist. He said ‘what’s wrong with being radicalised? Just look at the film Suffragette – they were radicals’. Redbrick exclusively interviewed Moazzam Begg; his advice to students was to ‘challenge [the government counter-terrorism strategy]’. He added, ‘Prevent, and
the way that it’s implemented into schools, universities and colleges is a spying scheme, which essentially targets one community. As the prime minister has said, the Muslim community is incubating within it, extremism. Nobody likes a spy and I think students are not exempt from that.’ After the event, Redbrick spoke with a number of students to get their opinion on Prevent and the Students not Suspected workshop. Community Action Officer for the Guild of Students, Lewis Addlington-Lee, told Redbrick he found the evening ‘incredibly enlightening’. He went on to say Prevent was ‘an assault on BME and Muslim people throughout the UK’ and suggested students ‘mobilise and fight’ against the initiative. The University of Birmingham Islamic Society stated, we ‘firmly believe that this event opened the eyes of many people to the reality of Prevent and the wider capacity of citizens that it can effect.’ Shuheb Ahmed, a postgraduate International and Commercial Law student, felt that the event ‘cleared up some misconceptions’ he previously had regarding the Prevent strategy. He continued, ‘it helped me look at it from a different angle, and now I take it more seriously because I realise that there is a genuine prospect of the innocent falling within the scope and remit of Prevent.’ Since the event on campus, David Cameron has announced a £5 million funding for Muslim communities who are tackling extremism, which would ‘build a national network of grassroots organisations’, according to Downing Street. The Muslim Council of Britain told the BBC that there is need for better ‘clarity’ in government antiterror policy.
High security and parallel protest for Israeli Ambassador visit Chants of 'free Palestine' greet Eitan Na'eh as he arrives to deliver keynote speech Anna Griffiths News Writers
@AnnaPhoebee
The event, run jointly by the Politics and Debating Societies and entitled ‘The Road to Peace in the Middle East’, was originally planned as a debate. However, the format was changed to a keynote speech, as the booked opposition speaker had been preparing to speak in support of Na'Eh's position. It was attended by students, as well as a local rabbi and university staff members. Mr Na’eh’s presence at the university did not go unnoticed by the Friends of Palestine Society, who organised a protest outside of the event over the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Protesters waved Palestinian flags and chanted ‘Free Palestine’. However, the protest did not continue into the lecture hall, and despite rumours, there was no ‘die in’ (where protestors pretend to die) during the main speech. Security was a visible presence around and inside the lecture hall, with members of the Metropolitan Police, university security and the ambassador’s own security team attending. Bags were banned from the lecture hall, and student IDs had to be shown to get in. The Debating and Politics Societies in part funded the security, with ticket prices contributing towards the costs. Jamie Hicks, a member of the politics society committee said that ‘security felt necessary’ and that it formalized the event. Eitan Na’eh has been the Deputy Israeli Ambassador since August 2013, and currently serves as Chargé d’Affaires. Mr Na’eh is a sixth generation Israeli and the son of
Holocaust survivors. The first part of Mr Na’eh’s speech was about Israel’s technology, medical and innovation skills, trade with the UK (which he stated had doubled since 2009) and some of the domestic problems Israel faces. He cited the Israeli-built cyber security software used in the UK, and the fact that one in six medicines used in the NHS is Israeli-developed. Mr Na’eh stated that the greatest satisfaction he gets from being an ambassador and diplomat was seeing the impact of the international aid projects Israel sponsors, such as giving internet to remote Kenyan villages. 'They can access education, information and connect with the world, all using Israeli technology and satellites,' he said. The domestic issues he mentioned, such as the lack of affordable housing (‘Sound familiar?’ he quipped), health sector issues, and the cost of living all seemed to pale when Mr Na’eh began to talk about Israeli security issues. He spoke about being a ‘small country in a turmoil-stricken middle east’, with Syria and Lebanon as neighbours. He frankly stated that Lebanon had ‘more missiles pointed at Israel than NATO put together’ and that ‘no one wants to live near countries with such problems’, referencing ISIL and other militias. However, the ambassador did speak of the relatively good relations with Egypt and Jordan. Speaking only briefly about the conflict in Syria, Mr Na’eh praised the Israeli government’s efforts to help the Jews of Syria, arguing that were it not for the appeal they made to the Syrian government, many more Jews would have been killed. Mr Na’eh set aside half of his speech to talk about Palestine, the topic which then
dominated the subsequent Q&A session. Mr Na’eh backs a two state solution to the ongoing conflict: ‘A state for the Jews, a state for the Palestinians’. He referenced one poll which held that 70% of Israel’s population support the policy advocated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. ‘We did what the International Community wanted us to do in 2005: we withdrew from Gaza, and went back to 1967 borders. One year after, rockets were thrown into Israel, killing citizens; suicide bombers entered Israel, killing citizens.' Mr Na’eh reasoned that Israel’s reaction to increase security by putting in place naval blockades and border checks was a legitimate response. The premise of his argument was simple: it is the responsibility of the government to protect their citizens. He condemned Hamas, the far-right Palestinian Islamic organisation that has control over much of Palestine. ‘The issue is not whether Palestinians have a right to selfdetermination, because they do’, he contended, ‘It is their right’. However, Israel does not recognize Hamas as an organization fit to run Palestine. ‘We don’t find it acceptable to ask Israel to withdraw from the West Bank, which we did, and then to ask us to absorb all the Palestinian refugees’. The ambassador affirmed that Israel wants to continue negotiations with Palestinian delegates. In the meantime, Israelis live in a climate of ‘terror and fear’, ‘afraid to walk the streets, sit on a bus, go to the pub.’ The floor opened up for questions after his segment on Palestine, with questions ranging from the excellent relations with the USA (‘Israel’s greatest ally’), Israel’s oppo-
sition to the nuclear deal with Iran (a country which poses ‘an existential threat’ to Israel), and the extent to which Na’eh can voice his own opinions as a diplomat (to put it simply, he can’t). President of the Debating Society Caley Routledge praised the ‘poignant and sensitive questions’ of students. Mr Na’eh was asked if he thought Israel has an obligation to absorb Palestinian children and offer them aid. The ambassador reiterated the problems Israel face as a small nation with high levels of immigration. He explained that Israel already supplies some of the power and internet to Gaza, and that family members of Hamas leaders were under Israeli protection. It was only the final question of the evening that Mr Na’eh’s cool and calm approach seemed slightly rattled. He was asked whether he could understand why an outsider might see the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as unfair, when there was such huge disparity between the number of casualties in Palestine and in Israel. ‘Conflict is not a game of cricket’, he replied. ‘You don’t recognise what is right or wrong by the result, but by the intentions. The intention is ill, you don’t judge things by how many people are killed – this is recognised by international law. Killing people is not a sport’. The ambassador concluded his keynote speech with a plea for students to promote peace: ‘Everyone can do their part to promote understanding and peace, to build bridges. 'I ask you students not to take sides, but to build bridges of peace – to make people sit together, talk to each other, and see the human being in the other.'
04 23rd October - 5th November 2015
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News
Student Staff Battle Guild Over Pay Sarah James News Writer
The Guild of Students have changed the way they pay student staff, with a shift from weekly to monthly pay occurring at the start of this academic year. Student employees at the Guild used to be paid every Friday, but will now be paid on the last Friday of each month. The Guild explained the change in a document sent to student staff on 27th May 2015, saying: ‘Student staff are paid on a weekly basis - whereas core staff are paid each month on the 15th’ with the reason for the change given as: 'to increase the efficiency of our Finance department and improve our service when dealing with your enquiries.' However, many of the staff impacted by the change are unhappy with the new pay structure. Senior Bar Assistant at Joe’s Bar, Andrew Duncan, argued, ‘weekly pay suits student needs and budgets much better.’ Senior Bar Assistant, Adam Field, added, ‘the main issue is tax or payment problems. In a weekly pay structure, if problems occur then the issue can be corrected for the next week’s pay-slip, rather than waiting a potential 7 weeks in the new monthly pay structure.’ The Guild did invite students for consultation regarding the change. However, Duncan said that many of the student staff felt that, ‘Consultations were held at a time when responses were likely to be minimal.’ A petition refuting the change in pay structures circulating on change.org gained 146 supporters, nearly half of the number employed by the Guild, but was rejected on the grounds of the form of the petition. However, those heading the student appeal against monthly pay have been campaigning regardless, attending meetings with Human Resources and Sabbatical Officers to try and secure a change back to weekly pay. The meetings are continuing, and student employees seem resistant to backing down. Only time will tell if they will be successful.
UoB is 100th out of 128 in Green University League Tables Anna Griffiths News Writer
The University has been ranked 100th out of 128 universities for its environmental sustainability, according to findings from campaign group People and Planet. The areas where University of Birmingham performed best in are as follows: Key Impacts, Environmental Staff, Auditing and EMS, Environmental Policy and Energy Sources. The areas with the worst performance are: Ethical Investment, Sustainable Food, Education, Carbon Management and Water Reduction. The full break down and score card of the university’s ranking can be found online at peopleandplanet.org. Despite the low ranking, some positive findings emerge. For example, the University is accredited to an external environmental management scheme as well as being a certified Fairtrade University. However, the University scores 0% for the ‘Ethical Investment’ category, with researchers noting that UoB ‘has funds to invest and was marked as such’. UoB also received a rating of 0% in the ‘Sustainable Food Policy’ category. The annual list, which is currently preparing for its 2016 rankings, is compiled by the campaigning network People and Planet. Founded in 1969,
the organisation is the largest student network in the UK with the campaigning aims of ending world poverty, defending human rights and protecting the environment. People and Planet’s campaigns are vast, engaging over 20000 young people supported by 2000 volunteers across the country. People and Planet started compiling a ‘Green League’ in 2007, and do so by asking universities set questions about their ‘environmental and ethical commitments and actions’. The score and ultimate ranking of the university is based upon university answers to the set questions, and publicly available information and data (much from the ‘Estates Management Statistics’ published by HESA). The league asks over 100 questions about different sustainability topics, including ‘carbon reduction, student and staff engagement, sustainable food, workers rights, ethical investment and education for sustainability’. The University of Birmingham this year ranked 100th out of 128 universities who passed People and Planet’s requirements (a further 32 institutions failed, including the University of Liverpool, Warwick and Aberystwyth University). Coming in top of the league was Plymouth University. Our Birmingham neighbours Aston and Birmingham City University put UoB to shame, ranking 12th and 39th respectively. The organisation stated that ‘People & Planet regret that University of
Birmingham did not provide us with the full information needed to hold them accountable to their students and the public and would encourage them to do so in future years’. This could mean that University of Birmingham’s ranking is skewed and not truly reflective of the real environmental and ethical impact the university has – we could rank much better or even much worse. The Guild part-time Ethical and Environment Officer, Sam Benson, was reached for comment about the University’s poor ranking but has so far been unavailable for comment. The University told Redbrick: ‘For the past five years we have been a “Zero waste to Landfill” University. All of the general waste from campus goes to a waste incinerator. ‘Recycling rates from campus are c55%, and c50% from student accommodation, and our skip contractors achieve a 98% recycling rate. More than 85% of our hazardous waste is reused and all of our clinical waste is incinerated at Energy From Waste facilities. ‘Cleaning Services has over the last three years moved to a microfibre cleaning system, which has significantly reduced the volume of chemicals used to clean the campus, and the few chemicals they do now use are environmentally accredited. ‘We are currently set to exceed our target of a 20% reduction in our carbon footprint over the next five years.’
UoB Migrant Report is First of its Kind: Highlights Failure to Meet Standards Emily Young News Writer
Last week, University staff published an independent report into the conditions in the Calais migrant camp. Their findings confirmed the severity of conditions and the failure to meet the standards recommended by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Sphere project. The report, ‘An Environmental Health Assessment of the New Migrant Camp in Calais’, was authored by Dr Ashad Isakjee, Dr Surindar Dhesi and Dr Thom Davies. Their research was supported by Doctors of the World (Médicins du Monde) and funded by the Social Research Council (ESRC).
The researchers visited Calais and found that the camp’s poor conditions are contributing to ill-health and injury of the residents. Dr Isakjee argues that the situation has now progressed to a humanitarian crisis; ‘The situation in Calais requires far greater resource than has been provided to date by state agencies.’ Some of the key findings include: - Migrant residents routinely report hunger – they are only provided one meal a day. - There are reports of migrants being physically assaulted by police officers in Calais and also by other groups along the camp periphery at night. - Inappropriate water storage containers, some previously used for corrosive chemical storage, have levels of bacteria above permitted EU safety
standards. - No more than 40 usable toilets for a population of up to 3000 – far below any minimum standards for refugee camps. The UNHCR recommend a minimum of one per 20 people. - Tents and structures used for sleeping are overcrowded – allows for the spread of communicable diseases such as lice and scabies. The academics argue that the unsatisfactory conditions of basic human rights are likely to have detrimental long-term health consequences for the refugees. Dr Dhesi explained, ‘investment in infrastructure including toilets, hand-washing facilities, and stable and secure accommodation is urgently needed as the winter approaches.' Dr Davies explained that the public health issues within the camp can only
be resolved through political agreements between EU members. Davies states, ‘only a broad solution on this scale can ensure the long-term health and security of residents of the camp.’ Leigh Daynes, Executive Director of Doctors of the World, stated that the refugees in Calais are not experiencing the internationally agreed living standards for this type of situation, which is ‘a blight on the reputation of European States, who should and can do better, as they often do in refugee crises elsewhere.’ Daynes further supported the report, adding, ‘this study exposes the awful truth about the Calais refugee crisis: that it is a humanitarian emergency of the first order in one of the world’s most thriving nations. It confirms that we can no longer turn a blind eye to the dreadful humanitarian disaster on our doorstep.’
PRESENTS
AT THE VALE VILLAGE: Funfair from 7pm / Entertainment from 7.30pm Fireworks from 9pm* *All times are approximate and subject to change
THURSDAY 5TH NOVEMBER ONLY AT THE
Tickets: £5 from
, more on the door. (No entry after 12am)
Strictly no admission after midnight. Guests must provide ID on request. Usual Guild rules apply to this event. R.O.A.R. E.&O.E Think Safe, Drink Safe - Don’t Binge. Please arrive early to avoid disappointment.
06 23rd October - 5th November 2015
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News
What's New About the University of Birmingham's New Library?
James Moore News Writer
Redbrick news writer James Moore toured the new library, taking a look around the new building. The construction work has been ongoing since early 2014, the tour showing exactly what the outcome of the building project will be. A concern for many has been the building's exterior, which is not made of the University of Birmingham’s well known red bricks. When asked why this decision was made, Director of Library Services, Diane Job, told Redbrick that ‘Joseph Chamberlain himself chose the brick for the Aston Webb building’ because it was ‘the best material at that particular time’. She said, ‘if Chamberlain could be a part of constructing this new library building right now, he would want it made out of the best materials possible’. A section of what the completed exterior will look like is on display near the site office behind the Munrow Sports Centre. Each window will be flanked by gold fins which will act as sun shades to help keep the building at an ambient temperature, but it will also mean that as you walk past the building its appearance will change and seem to shimmer. Also the
windows will have vertical shutters to help block more light when needed. Some sections of the building will have vents to regulate airflow more efficiently; some of these will be controlled automatically while others will be operated manually. The new library should self-regulate its atmosphere, but with manual vents as well there is an option for human intervention if needs be. The library will also generate its own power, via photovoltaic solar panels on top of the building. The new library is aiming to be rated BREEAM excellent. BREEAM is the leading design and assessment method for sustainable buildings. Next, the entrance to the new library will be on the ground floor at actual ground level. The current structure of the library isn’t as accessible for disabled students. The new library has gone beyond the legal requirements of accessibility. Every floor is completely flat and there are four lifts. Doors will be coloured in contrast to the door frame, carpets will have walkways highlighted, all to help visually impaired students. Likewise the floor will be textured differently to help designate zones: one area might be carpeted, another vinyl. There will be a fire-safe lift in case of emergency. A refurb of the old library, which would update the utilities to allow more
electronic devices, was tested for feasibility, but it was deemed far too costly and time consuming. Updating the utilities alone would cost more than £20,000,000 and would take more than six years to complete. Such a refurbishment would also require the section being worked on to be shut down completely, and areas around it would be rendered unusable due to the noise pollution. This was a key factor in the decision to build a new library. There would be some minor disruption, but significantly less than the alternative. The contractors have had access to the exam timetable and have been planning the work to avoid disrupting students. The tour made it clear that there will be major differences from the current library. The secure line, which requires a student ID, is going to be much further back. In front of it will be the new café and a social space – which will serve as overflow for the café. The help desk also will be before the secure line and will combine all the help desks in the building: library services, IT services and more. New book returning machines will be installed into the walls. The size of the book collection will also be maintained. At the new library there is an infrastructure in place to allow the building to expand and a commitment has been made that there will be a plug at every
desk. On top of that there will be at least 300 fixed desktop PCs. Across the whole building there will be approximately 1570 work spaces in total, so you should never be unable to find a place to work, or be without access to a power outlet.
"There will be a plug at every desk" Care has been taken to ensure that there are a variety of work environments available; some areas will be designated quiet work spaces, some silent. There will be computer clusters, loanable laptops, places where you can bring your own laptop. Bookable study spaces will return. There will be rooms where you can listen to music immediately next to the music collection. There will be areas you can watch a video together with a group of friends. There will be rooms with trackpads as well as computer mice for students that need them – and will be large enough for at least one student and one helper. Each floor will be similarly laid out with the toilets, photocopiers and printers all located in the same place on each floor. The building works for the new library is scheduled to be finished in March of 2016 and the transition over of books will start as soon as the collection can be moved over the summer.
New Universities Centre to Encourage Links with Small Business Grace Duncan News Writer
Small and moderate enterprises, SMEs, will get the chance to work more closely with five Birmingham universities if plans for the new Universities Centre go ahead. Innovation Birmingham, a community of technical entrepreneurs and growing business, have just submitted planning permission for the University Centre, the second of five new developments on the Innovation Birmingham Campus. The investment is being supported by £2.49 million from the Local Growth Fund. The first building, due to open in March 2016, is the £8 million iCentrum
building, and will create 400 high-value skilled tech jobs and should generate £25 million to the local economy each year. The University Centre, set to open in August 2016, aims to improve the connection between the students of Birmingham’s five universities and
"Should generate £25 million to the local economy each year" SMEs (small to moderate enterprises). Over half of the centre’s space will be dedicated to working space and the rest is specifically designed for training sessions and events. The proposed space will have state-
of-the-art communications equipment and every university in Birmingham will be equipped with a high-definition video conferencing suite. Innovation Birmingham chief executive Dr David Hardman MBE said ‘While Birmingham's five universities already run a range of initiatives to engage with business, we will promote more active engagement.’ The building intends to reduce the barriers, whether perceived or actual, between universities and early-stage businesses, which in the long term should promote the formation of SMEs and improve business growth. Michael Carr, programme delivery director for the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP, added: ‘having a dedicated, neutral centre where SMEs and research-
ers, staff and students from the five local universities can meet and collaborate on projects will be a new asset for the city region.’ The initial student response seems to be favourable, with first year student,
"We will promote more active engagement"
Alex Carmichael telling Redbrick that the University Centre ‘sounds like a very interesting venture’. Sophia Dilley, another first year student, is ‘looking forward to seeing the effect that it has on the relationship not only between businesses and students but also between the students of the different universities.’
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23rd October - 5th November 2015
07
Large Number of Hate Crime Victims Don't Report Offences Gregory Robinson News Writer
The vast majority of hate crimes in the West Midlands go unreported, due to many victims deciding not to speak out. Therefore the number of hate crimes committed is likely to be higher than originally reported to police. Each year over 3,000 people in the region are deliberately targeted just because of who they are. Last year, officers investigated such crimes believing thousands more were committed but unreported. Chief Superintendent Chris Johnson said, ‘sadly, national research shows that a large number of people who are targeted because of their race, religion, impairment, sexual orientation or gender identity don’t actually report offences to police’. He continued, ‘this means that the number of the offences we actively investigate is the tip of the iceberg to what is happening. This is different to crimes like burglary or robbery which people almost always report’. The West Midlands police encourage victims of hate crimes to speak out
against crime, as minor offences can quickly escalate into more serious crimes if unreported. The Chief Superintendent states, ‘all of the evidence – including that from the gay rights group Stonewall – suggests that when an offender’s behaviour isn’t challenged early on, minor offences can escalate into major violent crimes.’ Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner Councillor Judy Foster echoed Superintendent Johnson’s plea for victims to come forward. ‘West Midlands Police take hate crimes incredibly seriously. If you are a victim of hate crimes or a witness of it, I would urge you to report it, safe in the knowledge that it will be handled sensitively’. Reporting incidents of hate crime, of all severity, is a way to tackle hate crime collectively and stop more victims experiencing hate crimes; ‘we’ve got to break the walls of silence which surround hate crimes. If we’re unaware of incidents we can’t intervene. And if we can’t intervene, people’s agony won’t end’. One reason for why victims of hate
crime decide not to report offences to the police is that they may feel embarrassed, ashamed, or a nuisance. Or victims feel that their story won’t be taken seriously. As part of the National Hate Crime Awareness week, which launched on Saturday 10 October 2015, officers from across the force hosted a range of events to help people recognise the seriousness of hate crime and offered advice on how to report offences. The event also demonstrated that such behaviour is unacceptable and won’t go unpunished. Chief Superintendent Chris Johnson commented on the event saying ‘we want to talk to as many people as possible and tell them that they’re not ‘bothering us’. If they speak out, they will be believed, they will be supported and they will be treated with dignity and respect.’ Experiencing or witnessing a hate crime is a traumatic experience, which is why bringing perpetrators to justice is a priority for the police. Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner Judy Foster continued ‘people can report incidents of hate crime directly to the police or via the many different groups
who provide specific support to the victims of these crimes.’ Foster concluded, ‘people shouldn’t have to put up with crime full stop, but especially if that crime is because of who they are as a person or their beliefs.’ Last year officers investigated 3,092 such crimes with senior officers believing thousands more were committed but unreported’. Below is a list of hate crime statistics for the past two years: Disability- 2013/14: 101 2014/15: 21 Racism- 2013/14: 2,320 2014/15: 2,469 Religion Involved- 2013/14: 103 2014/15: 127 Sexual Orientation- 2013/14: 181 2014/15: 231 Transphobic Hate Crime- 2013/14: 23 2014/15: 21
Controversy as the Government Changes Student Josephine Cooke News Writer
Student funding has come under enormous scrutiny in the few past months. A recent Government report has suggested that in 30 years time the increase to student loans could leave the budget with a debt of £330 billion. Since winning a majority in May of this year, the Conservative party have made some very controversial changes to student loans. How do these changes affect students? As of 2016/17, all means tested student grants will be become loans; this does not affect students who have already started their course. The Guild of Students told Redbrick in a statement, ‘we utterly oppose the scrapping of maintenance grants. We believe this move directly targets less – advantaged students who are forced to depend on loans during their time at university to meet their basic costs’ Peter Heaton Jones, Conservative MP for North Devon, publically said ‘these are difficult decisions and I completely
understand why people are concerned.’ However, Jones highlights the unsustainability of using taxpayers’ money to cover the cost of higher education. He told Redbrick, ‘the Labour Government did nothing to address this, so the coalition had to take action after 2010’, thus Jones explains the fact that the current Government are having to make tough financial decisions in order to improve the country’s economic state. Another change to the student loan is the planned increase of maintenance support from £766 to £8,200 for those studying away from home and outside London. This will offer students more funding through their studies but it is also argued that students will be left with even more debt once they leave university. NUS research has found that 35% of students would have chosen to go to university without the help of a maintenance grant. The Guild has been supporting the NUS ‘Cut the Costs’ campaign, by meeting with local MPs and councillors. A 19 year old Law Undergraduate,
who would be affected by these changes if she were to join university in 2016/17, told Redbrick ‘the changes would not have stopped me from going to university as I would still have been able to access financial support in the form of a loan, however some people may be put off by this change.’ Mr Heaton Jones stated, ‘despite predictions that higher tuition fees and student loans would stop people from less wealthy backgrounds going to university, the exact opposite has happened.’ Students currently do not have to start paying back their loans until they are earning £21,000 and after 30 years any left over debt will be written off. The Government’s decision to freeze the £21,000 threshold and to not move this figure up inline with inflation has come under a lot of criticism. Stephen McCabe, Labour MP for Selly Oak, stated that these changes to student finance are a clear breach of a government promise; ‘it amounts to a fraud perpetrated on those who took out loans in good faith, effectively the government are changing the terms and
conditions retrospectively.’ Mr McCabe told Redbrick ‘It is not the fault of students that the government can’t do its sums and a change of this kind is simply
"Clear breach of government promise" another betrayal of students.’ A report by the Sutton Trust found that the recent changes would make the cost of going to university rise significantly. Specifically, freezing the repayment threshold would cost the average borrower £2,800 more over 30 years. Those most affected would be women and students from poorer backgrounds. The argument over tuition fees and student loans will most likely continue until the next general election. Jeremy Corbyn, the newly elected Labour leader, publically spoke of a £10bn plan to reinstate maintenance grants and scrap tuition fees. In response, the Conservative MP Heaton Jones, said ‘it’s not easy, but we are trying to be as fair as possible to everyone: taxpayers, students and the nation’s economy as a whole.’
Report Suggests HS2 Could Attract 750,000 Extra Passengers to Birmingham Josephine Cooke News Writer
A new report published last week by 'The West Midlands Aviation Opportunity' suggested that HS2 could help attract 750,000 extra passengers to Birmingham airport, creating £52 million a year and 1,300 jobs for the UK economy. Of that, the West Midlands's share would be approximately £34 million and 950 jobs. The report also found that by cutting air passenger duty in England, Scotland and Wales it would bring 2.9m more passengers to the airport and create £331m and 7,650 jobs by 2025. Expanding longhaul connections would also create £248m
and more than 5,000 local jobs. Airport boss Paul Kehoe said: ‘this report clearly demonstrates the vast potential of Birmingham Airport as an economic driver, not only to the West Midlands, but to the UK as a whole. The impact of the airport is in the same bracket as the positive impact HS2 will have on our region and, as a region, we need to do everything we can to make as many of these scenarios become a reality.’ There are a number of opinions on HS2. These include the fact that HS2 may only benefit a small section of the population who use trains between major cities. The counter argument to this is that it will relieve congestion on
the road and therefore not only benefit rail users but also drivers.Also, HS2 will provide jobs in the building and running of the scheme and the report has already pointed out the benefits to Birmingham Airport. Furthermore, the £17bn cost will be spread out over 15-20 years, therefore the country can afford the development. However in an era of budget cuts, this money could be spent on education and healthcare. An official document has suggested that the construction of HS2 would cause the loss of hundreds of acres of green belt. In response to the proposed environmental impacts, supports say that HS2 will in fact lower the country’s carbon footprint by reducing short-distance
air travel Emma, a second year Geography student said ‘I think it is necessary to connect our two largest cities as this makes going home an easier option for students who live in and around London, as well as those who need to commute between the two cities for work’ She also feels it is an easier way to connect the north and the south. However she told Redbrick that despite it being necessary for the growth of our economy, it would have a large impact on the environment. ‘HS2 will be running directly through where I used to live in the Chilterns, it is a huge shame on the beautiful countryside there’.
08 23rd October - 5th November
redbrick.me/news
News
Redbrick Investigates: Violent Crime by the Canal Sabrina Dougall
the Vale and iQ student accommodation sites, and the southern half by those living in Bournville and Selly Oak.
Emily Young After reports of violent bike thefts along the canals in Birmingham, we decided to investigate patterns of crime along the canal towpaths local to students.
Between September 2014 and August 2015, violent and sexual crime was the joint second most common type of reported crime, along with anti-social behaviour. A total of 38 incidents of each category were reported along the canal path in question, making up 16% of total reported offences respectively. The most commonly reported crime for the period was bicycle theft.
This report looks at the frequency of reported crime in an underpass used regularly by students on their way to and
Violent and sexual offences include common assault, grievous bodily harm and attacks of a sexual nature. The data shows
News Editor
News Writer
place in Selly Oak. The low point for this crime was January 2015, when no attacks of this nature were reported. The most recent data available is from August 2015, in which three violent or sexual incidents were reported (see panel, top right). The data distribution map shows that these attacks occurred in close proximity to the University. Data is also available on the outcomes of all crime in this geographical area. In approximately half of all reported crime (48.29%) there was no suspect identified, and therefore no arrests can be made. Our research found that for violent and sexual crime, most cases are ‘dropped due to insufficient evidence’. Redbrick also found that the West Midlands police force has been reduced by 17% since 2010 compared with a 14% national reduction.
from the main university campus. Redbrick compared crime data available on police.uk from the past 12 months to see what trends emerged. We restricted our research to the canalside walkway from the Raddlebarn Farm Drive stairway to Five Ways train station – this is the blue shaded area on the map (see main image, left). The northern path is used frequently by students from
Steps are being taken to gradually increase the safety of the canal paths. A 98m series of overhead lights was installed in a dark tunnel beneath Church Road, situated between the University and Five Ways, at the beginning of October (see image, below). Crime map from © OpenStreetMap contributors and police.uk.
that there are between two and six crimes of this nature each month. This amounts to three attacks per month, on average. The peak for these incidents are in June and May, when five and six offences were reported per month respectively. Attacks during the summer tended to occur closer to the Edgbaston University campus, with those in winter more commonly taking
28 police stations in West Your campus police officer Here to make you feel safe at university Midlands face closure Megan Stanley News Writer
Recently, in the effort to save £8.5 million, West Midlands Police have announced plans to close 28 police stations within the next two years. According to Tom Cuddeford, West Midlands Police Federation Deputy Chairman, the closures ‘are a direct consequence of the government’s cuts programme’. Cuddeford added that the closures will force officers and other West Midland’s employees to go ‘further away from the communities they serve’, which means ‘they will be available to the public for less time’. Despite the concern that these cuts will remove officers from the community, West Midlands Police have said that the reduction in stations will not ‘impact on service.’ In the past few years the crime rate in areas such as Selly Oak and Edgbaston
have decreased, especially concerning crimes such as burglary. For example, burglary in Selly Oak fell from 44 incidents in January 2012 to 17 occurrences in January 2015. This improvement in crime rates could potentially be threatened by these West Midlands Police cuts. Some students have expressed concern, despite the fact none of the closures directly target the University area. Those who reside in Selly Oak fear that the change in buildings will impact on service and will potentially result in a rise in criminal activity. One student told Redbrick, their belief that the budgets cuts ‘should not be a reason for a lack of police presence’ on our streets. However, without the closure to buildings, it is suggested that police front-line work would have suffered even more due to budget cuts. Only time will tell whether the closure of the 28 police stations around the West Midland area will be detrimental to the safety of the general public.
David Dargie is on campus regularly to keep an eye out for crime against students. He was awarded an MBE in 2013 for services to policing and the sea cadets. He holds drop-in sessions every Wednesday between 12pm and 3pm in the university police office by the Appleby Hairdresser in the University Centre. Any concerns about crime can be reported to the police line on 101. Go online for more info: http:// saferstudents.west-midlands. police.uk/your-local-officer/
redbrick.me/comment
23rd October - 5th November 2015
Comment
09
Bake off is Great; is it British?
Aamina Siddiqi Commentator
I’d like to start off by unashamedly admitting that I sobbed at the final of the Great British Bake Off. A television series, which is essentially about baking cakes under a time constraint, reduced me to tears. GBBO, the catchy acronym that those who religiously follow the show will be familiar with, is cleverly designed to get the viewers emotionally invested in a group of people who, a few weeks before, they may have passed on the street and not given a second glance – except maybe at Tamal (who wouldn’t look at him several times?)
"When GBBO first started, the bake off was a true reflection of home bakers."
I’ve been watching GBBO since series one and have seen the evolution of Mary Berry’s penchant for floral blazers grow, wondered if Paul Hollywood only wears a blue shirt to bring out the evil twinkle in his eyes, and fear every time Sue Perkins offers to ‘help’ because there is a strong likelihood of something falling or breaking when she
is around; Sue was in the vicinity of ‘Bingate 2014’ after all. You’ll have heard Paul and Mary say that the standard of baking has increased dramatically and that is because when
"This series consisted of the most diverse range of bakers that the BBC has ever had." GBBO first started, the bake off was a true reflection of home bakers. They would bake something that was a little bit lopsided, a little bit cracked, and it would still be deemed as a good bake. Fast forward five years, and in comparison to the vastly over decorated and, at times, rather ostentatious cakes, the cakes from series one would be scrambling for a piece of icing to cover their un-iced tops. The application form for GBBO is nothing short of the terrifying UCAS process; they want to know a history of your bakes ordered by category with pictures and testimonials from friends and family. This series, Ian made his own moulds for cake, Flora created a biscuit cutter, Tamal injected his cakes and Nadiya had a
special powder that would allow her to extract flavours from almost everything. Are the different types of meringue instilled in their minds or do they swot up before entering the tent? Where has the typical home baker gone? Is the Great British Bake Off an accurate reflection of the type of bakes people do at home or is it a collection of people who became addicted and entered the tent as rehab?
"It’s quite ironic, and increasingly concerning, that a baking programme is more representative of the United Kingdom than its parliamentary body." This series consisted of the most diverse range of bakers that the BBC has ever had. There was a 50:50 split between males and females, an Eastern European from Lithuania, four people of colour, including a Muslim woman. If this isn’t British then what is? It’s quite ironic, and increasingly concerning, that a baking programme is
more representative of the United Kingdom than its parliamentary body. Figures from the BBC state that 14.5 million viewers tuned in to watch the GBBO final. That’s more people than who voted for David Cameron, which makes Nadiya Hussain our unofficial prime minister. However, as expected, there was a huge backlash from the press. An ‘Daily Mail’ article even wondered if Flora had built a chocolate mosque in the semi-finals, she might have made it into the final three. This kind of attitude was disgusting to see. Not only were people unhappy to finally see a true social reflection in the media, but they were adamant on marginalising an already minority group.
"People are quick to label contestants of other ethnic origin as 'not British enough'"
People are quick to label contestants of other ethnic origin as ‘not British enough’ while forgetting that their British identity of drinking tea and eating fish and chips is an amalgamation of colonial history.
Edward Snowden
Daniella Bassett Comment Editor
In 2013, Edward Snowden leaked classified documents from the U.S National Security Agency because he believed that the world should know about the NSA breaching their privacy. Such documents included information about the extensive access that the intelligence agency GCHQ has to our mobile phones. The information revealed that they could essentially hack mobile devices. using different 'Smurfs' as code for different hacking actions. Dreamy Smurf: Turns your phone on/off, Nosey Smurf: Can listen in on your conversations, Tracker Smurf: can track your exact location etc. Some call him a traitor, as his actions have allegedly "alerted the terrorists to the way the NSA works" (BBC3 Documentary)
and provided them with loopholes through which to communicate; others call him a hero and a whistleblower to the injustice of the mass surveillance of the public. Redbrick Comment asked our readers to share their opinions on Twitter, asking them "Edward Snowden" Traitor or Hero? This is what we found out!
"He's a hero. People need to hold their government to account, particularly when said government infringes their basic human rights"
Next week's Comment On Topic is Marajuana Legislation. Should Britain legalise it? Tweet us your thoughts! @RedbrickComment
Traitor
Hero
10
redbrick.me/comment
23rd October - 5th November 2015
Comment Anyone remember Yanis Varoufakis? Greek guy, wore a leather jacket, really annoyed the Germans? Yeah, Voldemort. I wonder what he is up to these days? Probably running from town to town trying to dodge Angela Merkel's hitmen, or more likely, relaxing on a luxury Greek island. While he was enjoying his moment in the spotlight he spent most of his time railing against the 'neoliberal agenda' and gathered quite a following for it too, but what is neoliberalism, and more importantly, why should you care? To answer the second question first, you should care because it is the most powerful ideology shaping the world today. Neoliberalism is the driving force behind austerity, TTIP, and why you have to pay higher tuition fees.
"Neoliberalism is the driving force behind austerity, TTIP, and why you have to pay higher tuition fees."
At its heart, neoliberalism is the belief that the markets are always right and this leads to two main policies. The first is privatisation – the idea that private companies, driven by the profit motive, will always deliver better public services than governments. Anyone that has had a job will know that this is definitely true. Definitely. Bosses are always very smart and always do what is in everyone's best interests, so they should be in charge of providing things like healthcare and electricity. The second policy is deregulation – the idea that regulating the market is not only impossible but that it stifles creativi-
GET YOUR VOICE HEARD!
Political Dictionary is a column designed to make politics easy and accessible. We take the big words that politicians use and cut them down to size, so that you can understand the big issues you see on the news
This week Josh Hill tackles
NEO-LIBERALISM, n. ty and growth and that government interference should be eliminated. Making sure those super-smart bosses do things like pay minimum wage or don't overcharge customers for essential things like water is a bad idea, because, erm, they might get bored if they don't make enough money? Something like that anyway. By rolling
"In a stroke, neoliberalism became the dominant ideology in the UK, America, and later, Europe." back state power, businesses grow and because the government is no longer trusted to run things like hospitals and universities, taxes are lower – everyone benefits, and everyone gets richer. The idea became popular in the 1980s under Reagan and Thatcher as a response to the slowing British and American economies. By attacking trade unions that
"It is the belief that the market is always right, and that companies should be allowed free reign to do as they please." Even more worrying is the TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) agreement which gives corporations the ability to sue governments (read taxpayers) for interfering with the markets, and would also sweep away massive amounts of regulations designed to protect us. So, in summary, neoliberalism is the belief that the market is always right, and that companies should be allowed free reign to do as they please. Unsurprisingly, the rich and powerful benefit disproportionately from this arrangement, and yet people are unwilling to challenge it. When they do, they are hounded out of office like Varoufakis or branded a grumpy old socialist like Corbyn.
Back to Black: Ingrained Sexism at Westminster Elizabeth Longhurst
Commentator The meteoric rise of Mhairi Black, twentyone year old SNP leader and youngest member of Parliament, has been truly thrilling to witness. Black’s emergent career has already demonstrated the Scottish politician’s credibility as a political force to be reckoned with, and her Maiden Speech has shown her to be a formidable voice within the Opposition. Indeed, Black’s speech, described as ‘barnstorming’ by the Guardian, was powerful; Parliament was hit by a passionate and informed address in which Black exposed the harrowing repercussions of housing and benefit cuts in Britain at the same time as emphatically demanding that the Opposition club together in order to effectively champion common goals and needs. Not bad for the current ‘Baby of the House’ and a former chip shop employee.
"It is clear that to be a woman in politics is to be under constant scrutiny which does not stop at casting a critical eye over everything from your social life to your sartorial choices."
Redbrick Comment @redbrickcomment comment@redbrick.me
drove up worker's wages, slashing worker protection and getting rid of regulation on the banks, the economy began to grow. The experiment was a success, and in 1994 Tony Blair – famous for his faultless decision making – made it a central part of his 'New Labour', replacing socialism as the party's primary ideology. In a stroke, neoliberalism became the dominant ideology in the UK, America, and later, Europe. The problem was, neoliberalism failed to deliver on the promise to make everyone richer, with only those that were already rich benefiting. From 1979 to 2005 average Americans saw a wage increase of just 13%, while the richest 0.1% saw their wages increase by 296%. Named the 'Great Divergence' by Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman, this trend of rapidly growing inequality was mirrored around the world, including in the UK. There are more problems too. Markets are fickle and incapable of long-term planning, just like Donald Trump and
many other wallstreet bankers. With no regulation to keep them in check, banks began borrowing recklessly, generating massive profit for themselves in the short term but causing the 2008 Financial Crash, which we picked up the tab for. Markets also have no morals, just like Martin Shkreli, so they have no qualms about, say, raising the price of essential medicine from $13.50 a pill to $750 a pill. Here in the UK, the current government's policy of austerity has much more to do with their aims to roll back state powers than a desire to manage the economy, with public services being outsourced to private companies that often do a worse job and cost significantly more than the departments they replace.
However, if one was to cast a sweeping glance in the direction of the media, a different story emerges. Black, we are told, is a party-mad broad who enjoys nights out in Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street. Britain's redtop rags scrambled over selfies of the talented ex-student of Glasgow University in The Garage nightclub. The Financial Times commented on Black’s typical ‘uniform’ of Black slacks paired with boxy black power jackets. It was all very reminiscent of Maygate which saw the Media relentlessly push-
ing the image of Theresa May as a vixen purely on the basis of the leopard-print kitten heels which she wore to the 2002 Conservative Party Conference. A quick google of ‘theresa may heels’ is enough to demonstrate a media fixation focused entirely around May’s footwear choices. It is clear that to be a woman in politics is to be under constant scrutiny which does not stop at casting a critical eye over everything from your social life to your sartorial choices. But that isn’t all. Black has described an ingrained culture of sexism which glides the halls of Westminster, greasing the ‘old boys' club’ system that persists even as the world moves forwards. She speaks of being downgraded from a political equal to ‘honey' or ‘sweetheart’, and the ‘subtle sexism’ which has seen her patronised by fellow politicians. The Media’s interest in her clothes and hair, typically thought of as ‘female’ concerns is also an annoyance, with Mhairi considering it irrelevant to her political career and not
useful information for the public at large to digest. Her experiences seem to echo those of another Scottish politician, Nicola Sturgeon who has previously spoken about the media's fixation with her clothing choices and style.
"Parliament needs to address the issue of how its women are treated" Mhairi speaks about her own encounters with the dinosaur world of politics with nonchalance and flippancy, but through the very act of speaking about her experiences to the Media, she is telling us that Parliament needs to address the issue of how its women are treated. Perhaps it is time for Parliament to be welcomed into the twenty-first century along with the rest of us.
redbrick.me/comment
23rd October - 5th November 2015
11
Redbrick Comment Meets: Luciana Berger MP able and alone. Corbyn is stressing the importance in tackling mental health in a way no other party leader has done before, appointing Lucianna Berger as shadow minister for mental health.
"If 1 in 4 people are suffering with mental health issues within the United Kingdom, why are the government cutting back?"
Keah Joseph Commentator
Jeremy Corbyn is changing politics in many ways, but mainly by wanting to create a ‘kinder politics and caring society’ This type of politics completely contrasts that of David Cameron who, during the election period, made promises which he had no intention of keeping. Yvette Cooper argues that the ‘Tories won on a series of lies’ and is urging the British public to not allow him to get away with his lies.
"Mental health is among the most wide-spread health issue, yet, despite this, it does not recieve enough attention." Mental health is among the most widespread health issue, yet, despite this, it does not receive enough attention. Unlike physical health issues, mental health problems are not as easily noticeable but are equally distressing. With cuts being continuously made to the NHS it is becoming harder and harder to help those who are
suffering. Labour is introducing a fresh, new way of thinking about how to tackle the challenge of mental health within our society. Jeremy Corbyn is the first Party Leader to place mental health centre stage and recognise how much it affects so many people’s lives. This was demonstrated on his first day which he spent attending a fundraiser for mental health. 1 in 4 people within the UK suffer a mental health illness such as depression, bipolar, anxiety, panic attacks and so on. That’s one quarter of our population being affected. The most common of these being a mixture of anxiety and depression. Around 10% of our population are diagnosed with depression each year. With such a vast amount of the population being diagnosed with a mental health illness and so few members of society
"Labour is introducing a fresh, new way of thinking about how to tackle the challenge of mental health within our society."
How do you feel about being the first shadow minister for mental health?
When Jeremy Corbyn said 'things can and must change' what did this mean to you?
The new responsibility is overwhelming given the vast amount of people undergoing mental health issues, but it is clearly something which is needed. I want to make a change and do a good job.
Jeremy dreams of a day when mental health patients are treated equally and not discriminated against.
How do you plan to improve the lives of mental health patients while the Conservatives continue to make cuts to the NHS? As shadow minister, my job is to hold the government to account – going backwards to exposure the true crisis of mental health Jeremy Hunt what was said is not actually happening. I plan to develop Labour’s plans to improve the lives of people with mental health issues.
What do you think needs to change about the way the general public treat those suffering with a mental illness? Raising awareness, people within workplace especially need to understand the implications for those suffering with a mental illness. For example granting leaves of absence for those suffering.
actually understanding what this truly means for the individual, people suffering with a mental illness are often left vulner-
This shadow cabinet is not only a first for specifically serving those with mental health issues but it is also the first shadow cabinet with a majority of women working on board. There have been many cuts to mental health trusts over the past five years and, under the Tory government, these cuts are not over yet. 41 mental health trusts are preparing themselves for an upcoming bleak five years as the plans of the Tories have revealed an 8% cut in funding to the trusts. If 1 in 4 people are suffering with mental health issues within the United Kingdom, why are the government cutting back? Why are the Conservatives not investing in mental health trusts and providing them with the facilities and things needed to help those vulnerable with mental illness. Jeremy has informed voters that they do not have to accept inequality and injustice as thrown upon them by the Conservative party, ‘things can and must change!’
GRADUATE OPEN EVENING 4 NOVEMBER 2015
LSE offers taught and research graduate degrees across the social sciences. Come to our Open Evening to meet our eminent faculty, explore our central London campus and discover where an LSE degree could take you. Book online now at lse.ac.uk/ OpenEveningRedbrick
12 23rd October - 5th November 2015
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Features
Redbrick Meets: Laura Bates of Everyday Sexism Laura Bates is a revolutionary voice ‘shouting back’ against sexism in today’s society. The founder of the feminist internet sensation that is the ‘Everyday Sexism’ project, she has given many people around the world the courage to tell their stories, and a platform on which to tell them. Laura’s own experiences of sexism in early 2012 “including [her] being followed home, aggressively sexually shouted at in public and groped on the bus” led to her questioning society’s attitude towards women and sexism in general. Bates tells Comment “when I stopped and thought about these [events] I was shocked to realise that, had they each happened in isolation, I never would have thought twice about them. It made me realise just how much I was putting up with because it was a 'normal' part of being a woman and I was used to it.” In the short space of four years, Laura’s
courage to question and challenge sexism has turned into a worldwide online phenomenon. Beginning life as a “simple website”, everydaysexism.com now houses over 100,000 anecdotal accounts of society’s international struggles against sexism; and the collection is still rapidly growing.
"Although around two thirds of the audience was female, men were still well represented"
Last week, Laura Bates delivered an incredibly potent and inspiring speech during the University of Birmingham’s annual ‘Book to the Future’ event, and I had the privilege of attending. As I sat
down, the Howarth 101 lecture theatre thrummed with a hopeful and excited chatter. The atmosphere was certainly more upbeat than it had been when I frequented this room last with two dozen other zombie-fied Literature students awaiting a Critical Practice lecture at 10am on a Monday morning. Whilst around two thirds of the audience were female, there was by no means a lack of representation on the men’s side, with a large handful of boys scattered about the audience. It is clear that this movement reaches out to ‘people’ as opposed to women specifically, something that Laura stresses throughout her talk and in her definition of feminism as just “thinking that everyone should be treated equally.” Welcomed with great warmth and admiration, a relaxed and genial Laura Bates opens her talk with a reference to
Orwell’s room 101, openly appreciated by the literature students in the audience: “I feel like it’s a really good sign that we’re in room 101, because that’s where you’re meant to put those awful things that you hate, like sexism, right?” Throughout the talk Laura takes us through the birth of the project, shocks us with astounding statistics and anecdotes, and emphasizes the need for change, particularly in the education sector: “It’s crazy that compulsory sex and relationships education is not on the national curriculum.” Laura spoke with astonishing eloquence throughout the talk, truly captivating her large audience, and her calm, intellectual presence continued to inspire and impress when I asked her a few questions about the project and her views on current affairs.
On Jeremy Corbyn and women-only carriages
Daniella Bassett sat down with Laura Bates, founder of Everyday Sexism to discuss her views on sexism, activism and education
"It feels very regressive to me. The big problem is just how closely it aligns with victim blaming ideology. If you have a women-only carriage then you’re saying, essentially: ‘This is innate. Men are like this. They can’t help themselves, they’re always going to harass and assault women, so all we can do is put a kind of barrier around the women. We need to change women’s behaviour.’ It suggests that this is something that men can’t control; it completely lets the perpetrators off the hook, and I’d much prefer to say that this behaviour is illegal and outrageous, let’s take the hard line on it, let’s really tackle it, let’s deal with it.”
On The Benefits of Online Activism
On the Suffragette film premiere protest
On the success of the Everyday Sexism project
“I think it was great - it is inexcusable in 2015 that we live in a country where on average two women a week are killed by a current or former partner, 85,000 women are raped and 400,000 sexually assaulted every year and there's a phone call to the police every minute about domestic violence. The protesters were raising awareness of these vital issues and calling attention to the fact that many frontline domestic and sexual violence services are struggling to survive because of funding cuts.”
“Many women have reported an assault, or an instance of discrimination, for the first time as a direct result of the project”, schoolgirls have been “empowered... to start their own feminist societies and lots of men have written to say that it’s opened their eyes, or prompted them to start a dialogue with their sons about consent and healthy relationships. Lots of schools, universities, businesses and politicians have responded really enthusiastically, which is great because it means we can use the project entries we’ve collected and take them offline to create concrete change”
On sexism at university "Much like elsewhere I think there is a wide range of issues at university - we have received reports from young women in higher education which range from verbal harassment in public spaces to sexual assault and victim blaming, as well as cases where sexism intersects with other forms of prejudice, like racism, homophobia, transphobia, disablism etc. There can also be issues that are more specific to universities, such as sexually coercive initiations, sexist event themes or dress codes and Facebook pages which encourage (implicitly or explicitly) sexist abuse of students."
"The Everyday Sexism Project would not have become what it has without the online presence of feminism” but, Laura admits, “it is a double edged sword”. On the one hand you have an innate network of feminists creating “online solidarity across borders... and turning an international spotlight on issues overseas” but on the other hand you have cyber bullies, and internet trolling that can be extremely harmful."
On responding to everyday sexism in public There's no right or wrong response - the point is that we have to focus on perpetrators and stop it happening in the first place. Having said that, for those who do feel frustrated and want to respond, there are lots of techniques that might help. One is to name the behaviour and describe the perpetrator (eg. 'Man in the blue hat, stop touching my leg'). This is effective because it is easy to remember, doesn't require you to come up with a 'comeback' and signals bystanders to step in. Another often successful technique is to report the behaviour to a supervisor or employer (for example if it is coming from somebody in a branded van, or a particular building site). This avoids confrontation but ensures they get the message.
redbrick.me
23rd October - 5th November 2015
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Crispy Pumpkins For a sweet but scary treat, melt the butter and marshamllows, then Stir in the vanila extract and add colouring. When cold, mix with the rice crispies and roll into small balls. Set aside on a greasproof tray to sett and add decorations.
3 Tbsp. butter ½ tsp. vanilla extract Orange food colouring 5-1/2 cups mini marshmallows 6 cups crispy rice cereal mini tootsie rolls candy for decorations
The team at Redbrick Food have put together some inspiration for a spooktacular spread this Halloween ... cook if you dare! This blood-sucking worthy punch will most definitely get you and your friends into the halloween spirit! Combine the rum, orange, pomegranate and lime/lemon juice in your punch bowl (or whatever deep item you have to hand) and refrigerate until serving. For an extra creepy effect, fill a rubber glove with water and freeze for 12 hours. To keep your punch chilled, add the hand to the bowl. Scary!
CREEPY CANAPES
Vampire's Punch 4 cups of white rum 4 cups of orange juice 6 cups of pomegranate juice 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice 1 litre of soda water
Devil's Eyes 6 hard boiled eggs 1 tbsp mayo 1 tsp chilli flakes 1 tsp paprika olives and chilli sauce
These dead mans fingers are cheap and easy to make and look incredibly effective. Simply slice a little bit off the end of the sausages so it looks like a nail bed. Serve the fingers in the mini bread rolls and splatter the ketchup on top.
Dead Man's Fingers Small frankfurter sausages Mini bread rolls Ketchup (or chilli sauce!)
These will be a spicy and spooky addition to the table! After boiling the eggs, peel off the shells and halve. Scoop out the yolks and add to a bowl along with the chilli and mayo. Mix into a creamy paste. Spoon the mixture back onto the eggs and then top with the halved olives. Squeeze the chilli sauce onto the eggs so they look like eye balls. Gross!
14 23rd October - 5th November 2015
redbrick.me/music
Music
MERCURY PRIZE NOMINEES 2015 Roisin Murphy Hairless Toys
Wolf Alice My Love Is Cool
Benjamin Clementine At Least For Now
Ghostpoet Syro
Although not part of the old guard that Gaz Coombes and Aphex Twin belong to, Murphy has been around a few years now having released her debut in 2005, so is well known in the music industry despite never really hitting the highest heights of the scene. A Mercury Prize win would change that, however, potentially introducing Murphy’s ambient electronic pop to the masses and turning her into a crossover star à la Jamie XX. Electronic music is well represented this year, but Murphy is ready to compete with the best of the rest.
Wolf Alice have been a buzz band for a while now, finally releasing their long awaited debut album at the start of the year, and boy was it worth the wait. The album is arguably the best debut of the year, showcasing the band’s eclectic style of blending elements from everything, from grunge and hip-hop to pop. Whether the album is ‘interesting’ enough to win the Mercury Prize remains to be seen, but the panel have put their faith behind buzz bands in the past, giving the nod to Arctic Monkeys in 2006 and The XX in 2010. 2015 has been Wolf Alice’s year and a Mercury win would be the icing on the cake.
Benjamin Clementine has a similar eclectic vibe to Ghostpoet, but with the backing of major industry figures as his secret weapon. Paul McCartney, David Byrne, Bjork; you name them, Clementine’s been praised by them, and for good reason. His mix of classical, chamber pop and breath-taking vocals make Clementine a real standout performer and it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to see him taking the prize. Receiving four and five star reviews from all sides has raised the gravitas of the album and a Mercury Prize win could cement its place as a modern classic. It would certainly mean more than giving it to the old guard of Coombes and Aphex Twin.
Aphex Twin has been around the block a few times and so probably does not need the prestige of the Mercury Prize. He’s proven himself time and time again on a variety of electronic records and is a legend in that field. Syro is up there with his best, and along with In Colour shows the artistic merit of house music. However, the album is quite a grower and not as ground-breaking as some of the records on this list. Giving the prize to Aphex Twin would be a nice way to recognise the renaissance of an icon, but the opportunity to give a leg up to a deserving new act would be lost in the process.
Jamie XX In Colour
SOAK Before We Forget How to Dream
Eska ESKA
Florence + The Machine How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
After the soft ambience of The XX, you'd be forgiven for doubting the ability of one of their members to produce an album of house bangers. And yet, that is exactly what has happened, with Jamie XX giving dance music a kick up the backside and making the most prominent house crossover album of the year. In Colour demonstrates how dance music can work in an album format and shows it has as much artistic credibility as any other genre. After nominations were announced, Jamie became the bookies' favourite to win the prize, but Everything Everything were favourites to win and they weren't even nominated.
The first record from Irish performer SOAK is an emotional one, living up to singer/songwriter clichés but not hiding from them. A standout performance on Later... with Jools Holland (and interview with Redbrick) helped to raise the artist’s profile and this Mercury nod certainly won't do anything to harm her career. With an interesting singing voice and a likeable persona, SOAK looks to be onto something with her act, even if she’s arguably only got an outsider’s chance at winning the prize this time around.
ESKA infuses a Lorde-esque minimalist style into her work, using her music to highlight the power of voice and the emotion of her lyrics. Competing with Florence and Benjamin Clementine for best vocals of the shortlist, the raw emotion of ESKA’s work is what helps it stand out from the rest of the list, bringing virtuosic-like vocals without ever venturing into self-indulgence. ESKA is an Aretha Franklinlike modern artist and is looking to take Adele’s crown as the modern British diva.
Florence is another artist who’s had quite a special year. Stepping in for an injured Dave Grohl, Florence brought a tour de force performance to Glastonbury's Friday night and proved her credibility to her doubters. Her newest record is probably her best, but is it worthy of a Mercury nod? It’s no doubt a good album, but - critics might argue - simply not groundbreaking enough to make the cut and take the award. Having sold way more than all the other records, it might also be considered too safe for the judges.
redbrick.me/music
23rd October - 5th November 2015
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Although it's still a while until the winners are announced, the Mercury Prize has already managed to get us talking about it for another year. Take last year’s winners Young Fathers, a relatively unknown Scottish hip-hop group who gained a whole horde of new fans and drew massive crowds in the summer after their win. With that in mind, Phil Jones takes a look at each of this year’s nominees, and Conrad Duncan tells us why this year's shortlist is "an appalling selection"... Slaves Are You Satisfied?
Ghostpoet Shedding Skin
C. Duncan
Gaz Coombes Matador
The lovable Tunbridge Wells punks have been one of the most refreshing acts of 2015, performing angry punk songs with a pop sensibility. Their debut is all killer no filler and is a delight to those into the style of music, but does not offer much in the way of variety and so may alienate members of the Mercury Prize panel who are not into punk stylings. Like Wolf Alice’s debut, Slaves’ record has injected some real fire back into the UK guitar scene and acts as a benchmark for up and coming bands to strive towards. Giving Slaves the platform provided by the Mercury Prize could be the next logical step.
Shedding Skin is Ghostpoet’s second Mercury nomination, after being nominated for his debut in 2011. In a list full of debut albums, the maturity of Ghostpoet’s sophomore effort shines through, and the eclectic and interesting sounds on the record make this album a real contender for a prize which is often given to innovators. The album is also the biggest representation of rap on the list and so is fighting for a whole genre. The win from Young Fathers last year may limit the chances of hip-hop acts this year however, although Ghostpoet has the talent to rise above this.
C Duncan is a very interesting songwriter, merging classical and modern traditions, acoustic and electric sensibilities, low-fi and harmonic depth. With harmonies to make Brian Wilson weep and chord progressions to bring a smile to Paul McCartney’s face, Duncan seems to be a real talent. The Mercury Prize was designed for someone exactly like Duncan, who was pretty much unknown to most parties before his name appeared on the Mercury ballot a few days ago. The lack of prior knowledge about Duncan could spur the panel on to giving him the nod, or could cause him to be overlooked in favour of more established acts.
In 1995, Gaz Coombes' former band Supergrass were nominated for the Mercury Prize for their debut effort I Should Coco, eventually losing out to Portishead. Can second time be the charm for Coombes? The record has been getting solid reviews across the board, but whether it can compete with the other efforts on this list is questionable. Like Aphex Twin, Coombes does not really need the nod, but it may be reassuring for him to show he can be successful on his own terms. With a more acoustic-based sound Coombes does venture into solo album cliché however, which may limit his chances at winning a prize supposedly based on originality.
Op-ed: Are the Mercury Awards really that progressive? Conrad Duncan Music Critic
Like the Oscars or international football, getting angry about the Mercury Prize is generally more fun than the actual event itself. Maybe more so than any other music award, the prize has been derided as often as it has been admired but not without good reason; lest we forget that this is an award that tried to claim that M People’s Elegant Slumming was a better record than Parklife. The Mercury has never been quite as progressive as it likes to think it is – its failure to properly honour albums from metal and classical music has been well documented, but last year’s nomination list felt like a step in the right direction, especially with a band as wilfully strange as Young Fathers taking the top prize. However, no matter which way you look at it, this year’s crop is pretty appalling selection; one that fails to showcase the quality and variety of British music over the past year. It’s a list that fails at the Mercury’s primary objective, ‘to provide a snapshot of the year in music’. Were these really the sounds that defined the past 12 months? I highly doubt it. If anything, the list argues that British music today is pleasant in a very uninspiring way – a symbol of a country that specialises in afternoon tea and
awkward, bumbling politeness rather than the one that pioneered punk, grime and much of dance music’s revered history. Nevertheless, in an attempt to be a proper music journalist, I did go and listen to all 12 records again so let’s not be too harsh and start with where the panel got it right. Firstly, Jamie XX and Wolf Alice are hard shouts to argue with; two debut albums that have catapulted their creators towards the mainstream without resorting to cheap tactics. Both records have their detractors - it’s fair to complain that neither album tears up the rulebook, but they were both big talking points this year. Whether you liked them or not, these were the alternative albums that people were listening to in 2015 and for that reason I feel they deserve their places on the shortlist. Elsewhere, in more left-field territory, Aphex Twin’s long-anticipated Syro earns its spot by proving that he hasn’t lost any of his talent for producing strangely beautiful and intricate electronic music, and Roisin Murphy’s Hairless Toys is an impressive oddity that, at the very least, does dare to be different. Unfortunately, that’s pretty much where the positives end. Sure, it’s nice to get mentions for Ghostpoet and Soak’s promising debut, but neither of them feel like complete, year-defining records, ones that we’ll look back on as the sound of 2015. More importantly, neither feel like the sort of record that would inspire someone who has grown out of touch with modern music; an
effect that the Mercurys make no secret of wanting to create. As for the rest of the nominees, it’s a seemingly randomly picked collection of albums that range from the decent but unspectacular to ‘Oh god! Please make it stop!’ (hi, Slaves!), which begs the question: is this really the best we can do? There are no prizes for guessing that my answer to that question is a resounding no. I’m not alone in thinking that 2015 has been a notably strong year for music across most, if not all, genres, and that British music has fared as well as any country in that respect, so it’s disappointing that the prize seems to deliberately ignore the prevailing trends across the UK.
"However you look at it, this year's crop is a pretty appalling selection" For an award that rightly honoured Dizzee Rascal’s seminal Boy in da Corner back in 2003, the list is sadly lacking any mention at all of the growing success of grime in the past year. Understandably, it’s a genre that specialises in singles over albums but a mention for JME’s hugely enjoyable if silly Integrity or rising stars Section Boyz’ Don’t Panic would have been greatly appreciated. Similarly, the list makes no attempt to acknowledge the undercurrent of political unrest that’s defined much of the past 12 months, unless you count Slaves’ directionless ‘fight the man’ routine. In that respect, Sleaford Mods' breakthrough Key Markets or even 2014’s winners Young Fathers, who improved on last year’s Dead in almost every conceivable way,
would have made worthy nominees. However, these complaints are the sort you could level at the award every year. The Mercury Prize isn’t a controversial award, at least not in a way that would matter, and part of their aim is to bring attention to albums that the general public would enjoy. With that in mind, it seems especially baffling that Everything Everything, the frontrunners before Friday, failed to even get a nomination, meaning that the band have now twice improved on their nominated debut without recognition. They were quite clearly the best candidate to win the whole thing and one of the few acts in the country that could have genuinely used the publicity to further their cause. For anyone who’s still of the belief that the UK can no longer produce exciting, intelligent guitar music, they’re a strong counter-argument and their absence feels like a missed opportunity. All of this brings us to the crucial problem with the Mercury Prize in 2015. If it doesn’t know what it’s meant to be, how can it fulfil its brief? Is the prize meant to kick start the careers of promising young acts? Is it meant to honour those artists that do not receive adequate exposure in the mainstream? Or is it simply meant to showcase the 12 best albums of the year? I think most people would agree that this list fails to achieve any of those aims to a satisfying level. Instead, the panel has attempted to cover all bases and found itself left with a list that feels inessential; you could swap out over half of these albums with like-for-like replacements and find that the reaction would be the same. What we end up with is a list that'll sell a couple of CDs to your mum and dad - and precious little else.
16 23rd October - 5th November
redbrick.me/travel
Travel
Stockholm: Islands of Splendour Travel Editor Ally Head shares her love of the traditional and up-and-coming Swedish capital. Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and lies at the very heart of Scandinavia. Stereotypically, it’s renowned for three things; it’s 60’s music sensations Abba, it’s traditional delicacy of meatballs and it’s bargain homeware store/gift from the gods, Ikea. More culturally, tourists visit the islands for a peek at the winding bridges connecting its infamous archipelago, its cobbled backstreets and an insight into its fascinating Viking heritage. Although perhaps arguably overlooked in favour of some of Europe’s more frequent city break destinations, it is by no means less brilliant. Described as ‘the world’s most beautiful capital’, it’s fair to say that the prospect of visiting was exciting; and it certainly lived up to all expectations.
"Stockholm is undoubtedly a city defined by its islands; each with their own character and individuality." Stockholm is undoubtedly a city defined by its islands; each with their own character and individuality. Take Sodermalm, the Swedish equivalent of London’s Shoreditch; brimming with trendy second hand shops and immaculate vintage stores. Spend the day rummaging and you’re sure to find some absolute gems for a complete bargain. With a vast array of independent food stores and cafes, be sure to stop by Drop Coffee on Wollmar Yxkullsgatan 10. Stealing first place at Sweden’s Coffee Roasting Championship for the last two years in a row, the relaxed ambience and delicious muffins provide a coffee with a difference. Browse their intriguing range of literature whilst you enjoy your break. Another “happening” island is Ostermalm, with streets of glitzy, glistening designer outlets and innovative, interesting food halls. Even the Urban Outfitters is located in an old 1920’s cinema, complete with retro light up banner and projectors. For a mouth-watering burger, head to Vigarda Burger on Norrlandsgaten 13. Expensive but exquisite, it offers a range of high-end burger options, from salmon to lamb to chickpea. With a comfy, chic interior, you can relax comfortably and admire the passers-by for hours. An island across, you have Djurgen, home to the Moderna Museet, or Modern Art Museum. Full of classical works from all genres, the museum was the first to hold an Andy Warhol exhibition back in 1969. It’s chronological order and impeccable organisation makes the museum a thoroughly enjoyable and interesting experience. With traditional works from Matisse, abstract works from Picasso and Duchamp and contemporary masterpieces from Warhol and Lozano, there truly is something for everyone. Alternatively, if modern art is not your thing, be sure to pay a visit to the Vasa Museum, a 17th century warship brought up from the depths of the Stockholm harbour 300 years ago, and a sight not to miss. One of the most unforgettable islands is Gamla Stan, the infamous old town. Walking along the winding old streets and peering into the shop windows, you feel transported back in time. During the day, you can visit the Royal Palace and gaze in awe at the hand painted ceiling of the Royal
Chapel. The 18th century baroque, rococo interior offers an unforgettable insight into the history of the Palace, including the great fire in 1697. To take a break from the culture overload, enjoy the twinkling fairy lights illuminating the old streets and visit one of the raucous Irish Pubs, offering delicious portions of traditional Swedish meatballs and a wide range of independent Swedish ales. Walk along the water edge from Gamla Stan for five minutes and you reach the Fotografiskia, or Photography Museum, looming high above the river. In the evening, you get a glimpse of the best view of the city twinkling beneath you. With the most recent exhibition coming from the renowned photographers Inez & Vinoodh, “Pretty Much Everything” showcases a range of stunning images and offers an alternate form of art than most contemporary museums. The restaurant on the top floor also offers a dining experience of it’s own kind, sourcing fresh, seasonal produce and serving vegetables as their main dishes with the aim of offering meat as purely a side option. In the Museum district, alongside the Vasa mentioned above, you have an array of museums for any kind of weather; The Abba museum, for the Super Trooper fanatic amongst you; The Nobel Museet, for those interested in the history of Stockholms infamous Alfred Nobel, and his invention of the Nobel prize; Skansen, the worlds first open air museum; and many, many more.
Everything is accessible by foot if you are willing to walk and explore the sights. If this doesn't appeal, there are many free or predominantly inexpensive bike tours, which help you to get a feel for the city. Perhaps not for everyone, but there is also a running service available where you are paired with a friendly sporty local who will take you on a running tour of the surrounding area. This overwhelming willingness to help others is evident throughout Stockholm in many different forms, and it truly makes it an overwhelmingly wonderful, happy, friendly place to visit. Even the main commercial square in Norrmalm is stunning in itself; towering buildings filled with every retail store imaginable. It stands as a strong reminder that despite the quaint cobbled backstreets of Gamla Stan and the quirky, European feel of Sodermalm, Stockholm is a fast growing capital with plenty of potential to become a go to tourist destination over the coming years. Stockholm, intoxicatingly, is the delicious mixture of being small enough to feel as if you’re still discovering, rather than merely being shown. For tourists and travellers alike, it is discovered enough to make the beautiful spots accessible, yet not quite transformed into full blown, overwhelming tourist attractions.
"Despite the cobbled backstreets of Gamla Stan and the quirky, European vibe of Sodermalm, Stockholm is a fast growing capital with plenty of potential to become a 'go to' tourist destination." For a night out, join the Stockholm Bar Crawl for a tour of the best bars and pubs in the Old Town. With a 30% discount off all drinks with the crawl wristband, it’s really the cheapest option for a night out in the capital. If you just fancy clubbing, hit up the Café Opera, located behind the famous Opera house. Open until 3am, this is the place to go if you fancy dancing the night away to pop anthems and chart bangers. Alternatively, the Pet Sounds Bar is great for cocktails and live music if that’s more of your thing. Don’t expect to be able to do a night cheaply though – beers average around £7 for a pint and as with most things in Stockholm, you can spend an awful lot of money (or kroner, as is their currency) very easily. Stockholm is really one of a kind in it's relaxed, almost altruistic feel; brimming full of independent artists, quirky stores and independent cafes, there is something for everyone in the stunning Scandinavian centre. The freethinking, individualistic attitude of its inhabitants hangs in the air, inspiring your own attitude and your aspects. A country distinctive enough to have it’s own language and it’s own currency should truly be an inspiration for all. The perfect balance of asleep and awake, lost and found, if you find the capital half as magical as I did, it is bound to steal your heart.
The 3...
Best Travel Instagrams
Travel writer Carys Bedford reveals her favourite Instagram accounts giving her wanderlust through the winter months.
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@tuulavintage:
@muradosmann:
@chrisburkard:
Jessica Stein is a travel blogger, originally from Sydney, who travels the globe. Her Instagram feed will cause you constant travel envy as you sit in your 9am lecture scrolling through her daily posts from exotic locations. Despite her home being 1000 miles across the globe, her main area of travel is in fact Europe, making her feed slightly more relatable. Some of her best Instagram shots have been of the Italian coastline - a favourite location of hers. For some serious Wanderlust, check her out.
Murado has created a very unique and ever growing travel Instagram account. He takes stunning pictures of his girlfriend leading him by the hand with the most spectacular backdrops from the countries they visit. He adds the hashtag ‘follow me to’ to each post giving a distinctive touch to his account. He includes such a range of locations going from beachside settings to cities to iconic landscapes. His crisp photo quality and perfect editing produces some incredible shots such as one taken outside the Taj Mahal.
If you are a lover of a ‘good view’ then this account is for you. Chris, a professional photographer, snaps some of the most exciting landscapes in action. He moves from mountains to coastlines, from summer to winter between each Instagram post. However, his heart is clearly in the mountains with majority of his posts being from different mountain ranges around the globe. Even if you’re not a lover of the great outdoors, I can assure you Chris will convert you in seconds.
redbrick.me/travel
23rd October - 5th November
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Norway: Two sides of the Fjords Travel writer Ellen Smith contrasts explores the rich, contemporary culture of the Scandanavian paradise. A Nordic holiday would be, for many, characterised by fishing, arctic air and trolls, as well as perceptions stimulated by a recent successful Disney movie, in which all these features were not sparsely used. Indeed, ‘Frozen’ captivated us with its mystical settings, namely the imaginary world of ‘Arendelle’, which beautifully depicted mountains, fjords and ice. However, uncovering the reality of the Norwegian fjords and their adjoining towns is a difficult task, chiefly because each one has its own identity, design and atmosphere. There is certainly not a homogenous ‘Arendelle’ model that may be assumed of them all. Most striking is the contrast between the very stylish, bohemian city vibe of Stavanger in the south, near to the Lysefjord, and the truly arcadian village of Olden, located on the Njordfjord. In Olden, the colour green completely overwhelms the scenery whereas ambling through Stavanger will let your eyes indulge in a multitude of colours.
"Uncovering the reality of the Norwegian fjords and their adjoining towns is a difficult task, chiefly because each one has its own identity, design and atmosphere." A rich contemporary culture sweeps through the streets of Stavanger crammed with quirky bars, cafes and an array of both artisan and high street shops. Be sure to bear in mind the necessity to ‘window-shop’, as Norway, alongside its other northern European counterparts, is renowned for its hefty Krone price tags. Quite easily described as Norway’s ‘Eden’, Olden is the evocation of natural beauty. Olden may be painted as a rustic settlement scattered across the backdrop of a mountainous landscape. Yet to be in Olden and to walk along its winding trails and inhale what seems like a microclimate of clean air will trigger a whole sensory experience that is just about indescribable in text. A variety of houses adorn the slopes of the towering
mountains in Olden village. From charming little wooden beach-hut-type structures situated along the rim of the fjord, to minimalist chalets with roofs encrusted with moss, it seamlessly blends the natural haven around it and reinforces Olden’s identity as an idyllic retreat from the city. Stavanger is Norway’s fourth largest city but has all the qualities to be hailed as the most charismatic. The coffee shop ‘Bøker og Børst’ or ‘Books and Booze’ screams eccentricity through its orange panelled exterior and invites drifters to linger amongst the pink chairs, cushions and bursting book shelves. Appropriately situated along ‘Øvre Holmegate’ to which locals refer ‘The Colourful Street’, this intriguing little café is an ideal setting to jazz up the mellowing moments of an autumnal afternoon. A postcard of Olden would consist primarily of its natural hues of green forest, turquoise water and blue sky, rather dissimilar to the synthetic colours injected throughout the city of Stavanger, but both fjord designs are equally as pleasing to explore. After admiring the views from Olden village, visiting the ‘Olden Old Church’ is essential to really appreciate the antiquity of this tract of Norwegian countryside aside from the obvious indication of age through its amusing but nonetheless, alluring name. Dating back to the Middle Ages, around 1300, it was originally a stave church; gothic Christian buildings which were dramatic features of Norway’s architectural history. In 1759 a white church was built in its place. Entering ‘Olden Old Church’ decked entirely with wood, visitors are met with a certain tranquillity, evoked by its simplistic design. It is clear that Christianity has been stripped back to its most basic form in keeping with the modest provincial values of the village. Looking more closely at the furniture, a keen eye will spot the names of the families who were regular visitors to the church inscribed on the benches. The seating area is also gender specialised, as indicated by the hat stands crafted using birch twigs for the men of the parish on one side of the church. A visit to Olden’s oldest church is a treat for any history student. Rather than reveal its history through wood carvings and birch twig hat stands like the parish of Olden village, Stavanger expresses its current status as a hub for the
A Postcard from... New Hampshire Travel writer Beckey Bulman explores the picturesque American haven. I’ll be honest. When I got placed at a summer camp in New Hampshire, I didn’t even know it was a state. It’s definitely one of the small and forgotten states in America, often overshadowed by the likes of the famous California, Florida and New York. However, from what I saw, and after travelling through 6 different states, I can honestly say it's by far one of the most beautiful. Bordering Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts, New Hampshire is a gorgeous landscape of mountains, trees and lakes. You don’t even need to go to the coast to get to a beach – just go to one of the lakes and sure enough, you’ll be on a stunning beach. Try Lake Sunapee, for example where I felt like I was sunbathing in the Caribbean on my days off. The surrounding forest of pine trees only partly brought me back to reality. The capital of New Hampshire is Concord, which has everything you could ever possibly need; shops, cinemas, shopping malls, and plenty of entertainment. However, and
perhaps controversially, I don’t think you really need any of these things if you ever find yourself there. The nature in itself is simply breathtaking – and for me, it was entertainment enough. From seeing chipmunks scurrying everywhere, to spotting a family of deer ambling down the road, to trying (in vain) to spot a bear, there’s so much to see, even in the middle of nowhere. A diverse and varied paradise, New Hampshire is enjoyable both in spring, summer, autumn and winter. In the colder months, the mountains become a skier’s paradise with perfect slopes and off-piste galore. The lakes freeze over for ice skating as the snow just keeps on falling. Instead of a green paradise, now you’ll get an equally beautiful white haven. Although it may not be somewhere you’ve even considered visiting, if you want a gorgeous, natural and clean getaway, then New Hampshire could just be the place for you.
Norwegian oil and gas industry through its playful nod to a history of buoys, pipes and oil rigs in the interactive oil museum and playground area on the waterfront. Whilst climbing through the large orange bouncy buoys surrounded by multicoloured walls of graffiti, it is easy to be overcome by the sheer vibrancy of the city. A bonkers playground represents a productive past making Stavanger’s interpretation of history utterly unforgettable. Further evidence of Stavanger’s eagerness to reveal its unique personality is noticeable by the snippets of artistic expression dotted throughout the city. Most curious is the entertaining life-size caricature of an aloof butler, squeezed between the window and entrance to the Museum and Art Gallery by local illustrator Hilde Thomsen. Also worth mentioning is the rest of Thomsen’s portfolio which should be strongly recommended for fans of wacky illustrations. Stavanger is very much about celebrating its own contemporary culture making the city a utopia for those wonderful unconventionals.
"It is easy to be overcome by the sheer vibrancy of the city... making Stravanger's interpretation of history utterly unforgettable." Back in Olden, although the village lacks quirky art displays, its dramatic environment more than makes up for it. Don’t forget to visit Europe’s largest glacier, Jostedal, which is only a thirty minute drive from Olden valley. Its majestic white peaks contrast the quaint farming community and showcases Norway’s impressive variety of landscape, it would certainly be a shame to miss such a spectacle of nature. Stavanger and Olden provide a snapshot of life around the Norwegian fjords, from a city which heralds individuality to a rural idyll, both with irresistible personalities. Try not to assume that all the Norwegian fjords have the same to offer and can be experienced through watching Disney’s ‘Frozen’, however enjoyable the soundtrack might be.
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23rd October - 5th November 2015
redbrick.me/careers
Careers
Alumni Interview Matt Moody Editor
@mattmoody17
What course did you do and when did you graduate? I studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Birmingham and graduated with a First Class Honours Degree as a Bachelor of Engineering in Summer 2014.
What extra-curricular activities did you do? I’d played rugby from the age of 6 and fancied a change when I got to University and a friend recommended American Football. I played running back for the UoB Lions for all 3 years of my degree and thoroughly enjoyed being part of the team. In my second and third year I took up doing security work for the Guild. I was also a Bursar through the Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme (similar to UOTC but specifically for potential technical officers and tri service).
Second Lieutenant Michael Franklin of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers I received up to £5,500.00 each year which I’m sure you’ll appreciate went a long way, especially paying for rent so my student loan could be used for more enjoyable activities.
Explain a bit about what your job involves now. At the moment I am in the second and final phase of my initial training. This has many components ranging from specific engineering management training to learning how to command variations of the army’s armoured fighting vehicles. After the final phase of my initial training I will start my first posting in Germany which for me means being a platoon commander at one of the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (REME) battalions. I’ll be directly responsible for roughly 30 men and women ranging from 16-17 year olds fresh out of training, to sergeants who will have served for over a decade.
because it’s not really a job, it’s a lifestyle. It takes a large amount of commitment and should not be taken on lightly. That being said, it’s an extremely rewarding career and offers job security unparalleled by the vast majority of other graduate jobs. You see steady career progression upon commissioning and there is a plethora of jobs, sports, travel opportunities and adventurous training to be taken part in, with most of it paid for. The opportunities are there and the best part about it is that you are given the responsibility to plan and organise it. The Army now offers lots of civilian transferable qualifications at high levels; in the REME I can become a chartered engineer after 8 years of service simply due to the nature of my job. This would take a lot longer in a commercial job and you would also be required to find a sponsor to pay for the qualification, whereas the army does that for you.
What's your favourite aspect of What's it like to work for the your job? army and why do you think other The people. You form a close bond graduates should consider it? with those you work and live with that The army is unlike any other career
I’ve not found in any other job I’ve had. I also really like the adventurous train-
Lucy Moseley outlines the application process for the army, with quotes from a current student in the process of becoming an officer 1. Create an online account at www.army.mod.uk. If you are unsure, use the role finder to see which position would best suit you.
No as to whether I had experienced any of the listed mental or physical health problems.”
2. Fill in and submit an online application
4. Passing this, you will be invited to your local Army Career Centre for a 30-minute introduction to the army, followed by a one-hour interview with one of the recruiters.
“I submitted my online application in July, which was all quite factual about my work and educational history and I had to provide a referee.”
“I was interviewed by a Major who was extremely friendly and asked me all about why I wanted the role I was applying for, 3. Once your application has been approved, you’ll be sent a what I do in my spare link to complete an online form time and how I keep fit. about your general health. I got a mental maths question which threw me “This was in the form of a bit but I managed to a questionnaire and I pass despite this! was asked to tick Yes or
ing opportunities, I’ve been lucky enough to go skiing in Chamonix and scuba diving in Cyprus in the last year alone.
What should current students be doing to improve their chances of success with the army? Have a look at what Regiment or Corps pique your interest, I’m sure there’ll be one for you and take the responsibility into your own hands! Make sure you’re in good shape and can pass the basic fitness standards, get yourself involved in as many leadership opportunities as possible and get in touch with your local recruiting office to start the ball rolling.
' The army is unlike any other career because it's less of a job and more of a lifestyle'
Application Walkthrough
5. After passing this stage of the process you will receive call from one of the recruiters detailing what was to come.
running and going to the gym a few times a week.
Next you'll need visit your GP and ask them to get together all my medical history, which is then sent off to the Army Medical unit.
If you are successful in all this, you will then be offered a job in the army. Throughout the process you are graded, and this will affect your starting date, alongside the availability of places in your chosen position.
6. You'll then be invited to visit to discuss your medical background and complete simple tests for my eyesight, hearing, and heart rate.
The army website is packed full of informa7. Next, you are invited to spend tion and they have tips two days at an Assessment Centre to carry out physical and mental on how to build your tests to judge your suitability to fitness, such as practhe role. ticing the number of sit-ups/pull ups/press “I am awaiting this next ups and squats you can stage so in the meantime do in a minute.” I am just trying to keep my fitness levels up by
23rd October - 5th November 2015
redbrick.me/careers
19
Spotlight: The British Army Editor Matt Moody sat down with British Army Senior Careers Advisor Major Jo Fitton to discuss graduate career opportunities in the Armed Forces
In an increasingly uncertain world, a career in the Armed Forces offers things that are only becoming harder to come by in the graduate job market - almost unparalleled job security and promotional opportunity, and plenty of opportunity to travel. But what can you actually do in the army? We sat down with Senior Careers Advisor Major Jo Fitton to shed some light on what graduates can expect. ‘The Army is known to the public by its infantry - the soldiers in the field defending the UK at home and abroad. What less people are aware of is the huge potential to specialise - almost any career you can think of in a civilian capacity, you can do in the army. Finance, HR, intelligence, even chefs, musicians, bomb disposal teams, all kinds of things are available.
'All this investment
in the future has made the construction industry an attractive prospect for graduates' ‘In terms of the army as a whole, we’re known mostly for our most recent campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, but we’re stationed in more places than you’d expect - we have humanitarian and peacekeeping roles all over the globe, supporting NATO and the UN.’ So there’s plenty of chance to see the world? ‘Oh absolutely, I can’t think of
any other job with as much potential for travel, except maybe airline pilot! As well as the campaigns and peacekeeping roles, we run adventure training across the globe - we’re in Canada, Belize, Kenya at the moment, hot and cold climates’. So if there are so many careers with the army that aren’t on the frontline, can you join without ever having to use force? ‘I don’t think there’s any getting around the fact that being in the army can be a dangerous job - it’s less of a 9 to 5 and more of a lifestyle. Everyone who enters the army at officer or infantry level is given basic training, learning how to defend themselves, but after that everyone goes on to learn a trade, whether that’s how to be an engineer, vehicle mechanic, logistician etc’. Can you use these qualifications and training outside of the army? ‘Definitely - the minimum term with the army is four years, but everything you learn is fully transferable o the civilian world. For example, geotechnicians will often go to work for forestry or oil companies after their army careers.’ How competitive a salary can the army offer new graduates compared to other industries or careers, and how future-proof is a career with the army? 'The army is competitive on base salary and benefits - all graduates start as officer cadets, where we train them as future leaders for a year at Sandhurst. Straight after that, aged 22 or thereabouts, you're earning just over £30k a year - there are few careers that can offer such a good combination of responsibility and salary so early on. 'In terms of benefits, there's all sorts... there's free gym membership, subsidy for things like skiing, as well as the unoffi-
cial benefits you get as part of the actual job like travel, and perks like dental and medical care included. One thing the army is known for is its structure and discipline - Major Fitton
'There's really no limit to how far you can climb the ladder'
sees this as a good thing for career progression. 'The clear progression plan we have is definitely an advantage - you can see how you've progressed and improved and you can really plan where you want to be in the future, both in terms of responsibility and rank, and financially. 'There's really no limit to how far you can climb the ladder - the key is how quickly you can do it in your 20s. Within three years you can be a Captain, earning between £39k and £46k before you're 25. So how has the army weathered the storm of austerity and government cutbacks over the last few years? Is it a good time to be joining? 'There are loads of vacancies at the moment - the army is definitely in hiring mode. There were redundancies a couple of years ago, but no more are planned. The fact is, although the face of the army is changing, it will always be around, and demand will increase in different areas. We're definitely seeing a surge in demand for graduates with digital and IT knowledge and training, but really there's always a need for specialised professionals, both in terms of us hiring, and the skills we give So how best to get involved and pursue
an army career? 'You can find all the information you need by searching "Army Jobs" online, but if you'd like to speak to someone directly, we have a recruitment centre in Birmingham city centre on Corporation Street.'
Army officer benefits An annual salary of £30,817 after training plus pension 30 days of annual holiday on top of bank holidays Opportunities to travel overseas for operations, training, sport and peacekeeping Access to free gym and sport facilities with fitness and nutritional advice Skills and qualifications that are transferable to civilian life All medical and dental procedures required are paid for by the Army A clear promotion structure, with each level bringing extra responsibility, pay and respect World class leadership and management training
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23rd October - 5th November
redbrick.me/music
Music Redbrick Meets: The Hoosiers Paige Tracey
Music Critic Having never been to Alfie Birds or its sister venue The Oobleck before, the venue’s quirkiness immediately protruded from within its setting in Birmingham’s alternative core, the Custard Factory. The journey from within the eatery into the Oobleck is one of confusion, until one realises it is through a set of doors, ingeniously disguised as a bookcase that you must travel through - as if CS Lewis himself designed the ergonomics. What better place, then, to have met with one of the most eccentric and amusing talents to spring out of the latter end of the noughties: The Hoosiers, returning with resilience from a period of mainstream hiatus after the success of their 2007 breakthrough album, The Trick to Life.
"... have positioned themselves firmly within the noughties zeitgiest" The lead singles from this first album, ‘Goodbye Mr A’ and ‘Worried About Ray’, have positioned themselves firmly within the noughties zeitgeist. The band’s latest album, The Secret Service, retains much of that nostalgic adolescent house-party vibe; lead signer Irwin Sparkes accepts fervently that even so, the content on this album is a lot more mature. ‘We’ve matured in all the right places’, he laughs, ‘not just in terms of music, but as people as well’. The content of songs is a feature in particular that the band believes has ripened in their latest record. Irwin selects the album’s first single release, ‘The Wheels Fell Off’, to exemplify the aim to ‘bridge the gap between the grittiness of real life, and the accessible fun style of our music’. One album track in particular stands out
as being more aggressive than the rest: ‘Runs In the Family,’ with its expletive, ‘I wish I was the son of a bitch who didn’t give a shit/ who’s busy kicking ass, not busy being hit’. Irwin remarks, somewhat mysteriously, the inspiration for this dissatisfied outcry is ‘life itself’. ‘Life itself,’ and the gravity of the experiences this can bring is a poignant nugget of inspiration for the band to reflect on, considering the difficulties they’ve faced since 2007’s breakthrough. After their second album, 2010’s The Illusion of Safety went largely under the radar, they broke their contract with Sony and embraced self-management. Then in July this year long term bass player Martin Skarendah left; Sam acknowledges he and the remaining members came ‘to a different point creatively, as all bands do’. However this departure seems to have been embraced positively by the group. ‘The whole reason this new album exists is because he left,’ exclaims Al, ‘recording became a very slow process with him; there was no pressure to go into the studio and put an album into momentum’. ‘He took control of engineering, everything- the whole creative process,’ Sam continues, ‘He called the shots. It just wasn’t working with him in the line-up anymore’. The remaining three all admit however, there needed to be a new figure brought in on their work; ‘so we brought in a friend of Al’s,’ says Irwin, ‘who had worked with Mumford and Sons. It was brilliant to get a new aspect of musical perspective in our work’.
"It's our way of saying thank you for sticking with us" Irwin concludes by saying that since the group’s departure from Sony, and everything that has happened in between, they definitely have more freedom to go where
they want creatively. ‘It’s like a block of wood,’ he inspires, ‘we keep chipping away at the block with every release, and in doing so are getting ever closer to what The Hoosiers really are. That’s not to discredit the work we did with Sony, and tracks such as ‘Goodbye Mr A’ which were, at the end of the day, the reason we got signed. However one of my gripes with the music industry is that it is so fiscally orientated, and by the second album, that was all our label cared about. That puts a distance between you and the fans, and they are the whole reason we keep doing this.’ The Secret Service is a
Halloween Playlist Moaning Lisa Smile Wolf Alice
Right on, Frankenstein! Death From Above 1979
Night and Day Hot Chip
Tomorrow Comes Today Gorillaz
Nail In My Coffin The Kills
Phantom Justice
Zombie Jamie T
She Wolf Shakira
Death (Chase & Status Remix) White Lies
No One Knows Queens of the Stone Age
Heartless Kanye West
Heads Will Roll (A Trak Remix) Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Sympathy for the Devil Guns N' Roses
Disturbia Rihanna
Thriller Michael Jackson
project very much driven by the fans' demand; this year the group originally released a line-up of EPs, starting with ‘The Wheels Fell Off,’ and then ‘Up To No Good’. ‘But then the fans said they wanted an album!’ laughs Irwin, ‘and though it was always our intention to make one again, this was very much brought forward by them. We recorded it as our way of saying thank you for sticking with us; I know everyone says that, but in our case it’s a lot more sincere, because we wouldn’t have survived without them, and be here today playing at the Oobleck’.
23rd October - 5th November
redbrick.me/music
21
Tweet of the Week
@charli_xcx: Just left my bra in the uber. oops.
Single Review: The 1975 - Love Me Matt McCrory Music Editor
It has become almost fashionable to dislike The 1975. Their debut album was received with indifferent critical reviews but yet peaked at number 1, spearheaded by a couple of bland, pop-y singles like ‘Chocolate’ and ‘Sex’ - as a result gaining them an expansive fanbase. So when The 1975 went quiet on the social media side of the business, a lot of people were left wondering what had happened to the band. At least the silence from The 1975 had given people something decidedly more interesting to listen to than their paint-by-numbers tirade of singles. Suddenly, Twitter sparks into life and the four boys are talking about splitting the band up and continuing on to (hopefully) more interesting projects in the future. It is revealed, two days later, that it had all been one big publicity stunt and that the band were back with a second album and
a lengthy UK tour. Radio 1, confused fans, and the band’s (I assume very numerous) marketing executives are all seen jumping for joy.
"The 1975 go for a whiney kid on ritalin trying to emulate acidassisted Bowie." Which leads us up to their present and latest single; ‘Love Me’, cut straight from the new album. You are immediately greeted with a Bowie-esque guitar hook, sporting all the personality of a Ken doll and none of the catchiness of their previous album-seller ‘Chocolate’. If you can imagine the acid-assisted psychedelia that David Bowie projected into his career, The 1975 go for a whiney kid on Ritalin trying to emulate that. I’m of mixed opinion on the vocal per-
Album Review: Kurt Vile b'lieve i'm goin down...
formance. Some of the harmonised group vocal parts work effectively and Healy provides some passionate voice work on the bridges between verse and chorus. Other than that, the vocal melody provides to be generally uninspiring. The lyrics range from relatively witty: ‘Caught up in fashion / Karcrashian panache’ to obviously awful. What about the instrumental side of things? If you go back and listen to ‘Menswear’ or ‘Me’ from their previous works, The 1975 are actually very successful in building up a tense and mopey atmosphere with their synth and guitar work. However, on ‘Love Me’, all subtlety has been left aside. Instead the rhythm guitar jumps back and forth between having little intrigue and being actively annoying, and the lead guitar provides some nice but understated guitar counter-melodies in the chorus, before bursting into one of the most reluctant guitar solos ever. As a band that have built themselves on their moody aesthetic, slipping a guitar
Hannah Coles Music Editor
Known for being a former member of War on Drugs, Kurt Vile already has heavy indie credentials. His sixth studio album, B’lieve I’m Goin Down, does his reputation justice with a collection of mesmerizing tracks that are all at once anxious, despondent and revelatory. He captures the stream of consciousness that occurs in between lucidity and mental decay; the white noise in the darkest modules of the mind where sex, loneliness and fragility reside. Time is also manipulated throughout the album, with some five and six minute tracks that lock you in with repetitive melodies and a sense of ketamine tranquillity. The first track, ‘Pretty Pimpin’, is a perfect looping depiction of amnesia. It’s the first of a few tracks that show a sense of self-awareness – there’s something in this song that is composed to reflect the overall meaning. Here, the repetition of a simple guitar, drum and tambourine melody echoes the sentiment of the lyrics where Vile sings of an unrecognisable self, the actions of whom are detached from the mind and vocals. It’s exceedingly clever, and the morbidity of this depersonalization is darkly humorous with Vile commenting on how his outfit is at least ‘Pretty Pimpin’. ‘Dust Bunnies’ follows, and is more engaged than the opener. More animation in Vile’s vocals draw attention to a flatness which is reminiscent of Bob Dylan’s drawling delivery. As he coils a melody around a subdued instrumental, there is something sexy about the abandonment of conventional rhyme and pitch. This same feeling exudes from the final track, ‘Wild
solo into one of their songs seems forced, unappealing and conjures images of The 1975 floundering in the deep end of the pool, their inflatable water wings floating sadly away and abandoning the four drenched boys far outside their comfort zone. The bass guitar manages to pick up a bit of groove as the track goes on, especially in the transition between chorus and verse. Unfortunately this is totally overshadowed when Matt Healy sings a sticatto and unattractive vocal part in tandem with the bass guitar that follows the bassline around, unable to find an identity for itself. Some of the extra instrumentation on the track allows for a bit of much-needed personality, with horn parts making an entrance in the chorus and some nice production work livening up the guitar solo and bridge. So I guess it’s pretty clear that I don’t think much of the new track from The 1975. It sounds like a bad homage to 70’s Bowie and an under-thought, under-inspired plastic pop hit.
Imagination’ where the suggestion of fantasy and voyeurism, paired with softer vocals and a bohemian, slow-hip-swaying drum beat creates something not obvious, hazy and seductive. Although there are moments of humour and sensuality to the album, tracks such as ‘That’s Life, tho’ cut to the point of something more insular and soul-stirring. Vile depicts the inner narrative of the depressed, where the brutality of life demands a masking of darker emotion. His lyrics are like prophecy, underpinned with analogy and metaphor.
"Vile depicts the inner narrative of the depressed."
It would be madness to review every single track on this album, and there is some filler, but not one track deviates from Vile’s unique lyrical intensity. ‘All in a daze work’, like ‘Pretty Pimpin’, is the other song that is self-aware. Through gentle acoustic fingerpicking, there is a hesitancy at the end of each line which is particularly noticeable as the lines of most other tracks trip onto the next without significant pause. The sense of effort that this creates corresponds with grinding through the gears and getting through the day. It’s not the best track of the album, but it’s the thought that makes it so intriguing. There is plenty more to cover here. Kurt Vile has created something so sensitive to deeper, darker emotion that it would take a long time to decode just why this album is so hypnotic. If you’re feeling low and like it, this is the soundtrack to your self-pity.
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redbrick.me/food
23rd October - 5th November 2015
Food
Fresh hell for the big four
Amazon looks set to take the grocery delivery market by storm with their new venture Jennifer Cook Food Writer
This month marks Amazon’s entrance into the ever-growing grocery delivery market within the UK. In what appears to be an attempt to repackage the company’s US service Amazon Fresh, a few select postcodes in Birmingham and London will now be able to receive a variety of frozen and chilled products as part of Amazon Prime Now, a service that promises delivery within one hour. Ben and Jerry’s, Kingsmill and Birds Eye are among a few of the numerous established brands available on the trial. In addition to coffee and bottled water, Amazon currently offers products such as baby food, international foods and specialty dietary products.
"A few select postcodes will now be able to recieve a variety of products" A spokesperson for Amazon explained: "Prime Now customers already benefit from ultra-fast delivery on everything from essentials like bottled water, coffee and nappies to must-have products like the latest video games and devices. We are excited to be adding a range of chilled and frozen items to this selection."
It appears Tesco have also attempted to jump on the fast delivery bandwagon and have filed for a trademark on the name Tesco Now, a move described by analyst Augustin Eden as “keeping up with the Jones’”.
"The entrance of Amazon can only spell bad news for the bruised big four" Clear steps have been taken to pave the way for a national program with Amazon already signing the leases, extending for up to a period of ten years, on three large warehouses. One of these sites was previously used by retailer Waitrose and is located in a region known as the ‘Midlands Golden Triangle’, a title given in relation to the logistical dominance of its positioning at the meeting of the M42, M6 and M1. The entrance of online giant Amazon into the grocery delivery market couldn’t have come at a worse time for the sector’s big four - Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrison’s and Asda, with the latter three stores failing to keep up with the sector’s growth during the last quarter. Sainsbury’s was the only store to register a growth in sales during their second financial quarter, with online sales up by 15% and total retail sales growing by 0.3% during the 16 weeks to September 26. Sainsbury’s Chief Executive Mike Coupe hinted that such positive figures were a response to the company’s renewed focus on
increasing the quality of own brand ranges, with lower regular prices also being favoured over promotional material. This consumer preoccupation with lower prices has driven the sales of discounters such as Aldi and Lidl with the stores both maintaining double-digit growth (17.3% and 16% respectively) in the face of online competition. Retailer Ocado is currently the
biggest online-only outlet in Britain and analysts predict that a basket of daily essentials including items such as butter, cheese and bread could cost up to 20% less with Amazon’s new service. Whilst Amazon’s future plans are unclear, the entrance of a new player into the already saturated grocery market can only spell bad news for the bruised big four.
Brum restaurant ranked New room for world class Byzantium Adam's restaurant has been ranked number one in the UK for fine dining Phoebe Radford Food Writer
TripAdvisor has recently ranked a Birmingham restaurant to be the best for fine dining in the UK, and fourth in the world. Adam’s restaurant specializes in British fine dining, and is no stranger to success. Within the first six months of opening in 2013, chef Adam Stokes, who runs the business with his wife, Natasha, was awarded a prestigious Michelin star. They also have a triple Rosette award from AA. TripAdvisor’s acknowledgement of this eatery is just the most recent of achievements for this Birmingham restaurant. Adam’s success comes from simplicity, with modern approaches to British dishes. The chef himself says, “My aim is not to baffle, but to excite and enthuse guests with the accurate cooking of quality ingredients”. The menus include the ‘Tasting 9’ option, or the ‘Tasting 5’, and a lunch menu. The food has been a hit with customers, who have given Adam’s over 700 full ratings on TripAdvisor. Prices range from £32 to £80 for set menus, but if you have an Independent Birmingham card there is 10% off food (except the ‘Lunch 3’ menu) between Tuesdays and Thursdays. Currently, the restaurant is based in the
centre of Birmingham, in Bennett’s Hill, but as Adam’s originally opened as a pop-up venture they plan to move to a permanent location in the New Year.
We explore Byzantium's shiny new upper room ... Alisa Renk and Chloe Marchant Food Writers
With the recent influx of tapas restaurants in Birmingham, it is clear how fashionable such cuisine is becoming. However, what makes Kings Heath’s Byzantium so unique and wonderful is its extensive variety of all Mediterranean tapas. Indeed, the menu is far from limited to just Spanish cuisine, as on entering the ornate golden doorway, one departs on a culinary journey around Italy, Greece, France and even Morocco. We were kindly invited to attend the restaurants opening of its new Upper Room on 13 October. This expansion comes as a result of having to turning away up to 15 to 20 people on a weekend evening. Such popularity is perhaps unsurprising when considering this hidden gem of a restaurant has achieved Trip Advisor ‘Excellence’ ratings five years in a row. Enthusiastic waiters circled the new Upper Room, boasting trays of Italian prawn and salmon arancini, Grecian halloumi souvlaki and Southern French chicken ballotine stuffed with black olives and chorizo. The courgette fritters topped with creamy feta and sharp pomegranate seeds were particularly delicious. If the tempting smell and gorgeous taste of exotic flavours is not enough to transport you to the Mediterranean, the quaint Grecian
interior will certainly do the trick! The warm atmosphere created by the passionate Byzantium team and their evident love for food and hospitality makes for a delightful evening. We will definitely be taking the whole flat along for a Mediterranean treat very soon!
redbrick.me/food
23rd October - 5th November 2015
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Digest more at www.redbrick.me/food
Cadbury World: A carefree, choc-filled day out!
Chocoholics, Rhiannon and Felicity spent the afternoon indulging themselves at Cadbury World Rhiannon Stickley and Felicity George Food Writers
Cadbury World is situated in Bournville, a short two mile drive from Selly Oak or a quick half an hour walk if you’re feeling guilty about all the chocolate you’re about to consume. It boasts fourteen delicious, factual zones which includes a surprising 4D chocolate adventure finale. Feeling the buzz of National Chocolate Week we set off for our adventure with high hopes. Wearing our loosest fitting trousers in preparation, we were ready.
"The most memorable thing was the mouthwatering scent of warm chocolate" The tour began as we entered the Aztec Jungle, one thousand years back in time, where we learnt about the origins of the cocoa bean and the role it played in the culture of the Mayan Indians of Mexico. After this, there was a series of mini theatre presentations in small booths. Here a projection of a Spanish man, named Hernán Cortéz, told us about the arrival of cocoa in Europe as he brought the valuable bean to our continent. A large part of Cadbury World focuses on the historical development of the company. The educational element to this trip was more interesting than we expected, particularly learning about how the Quaker morals of the Cadbury family influenced the building of Bournville. It made us appreciate living so close to a village with such a unique history. Felicity, whose grandparents used to work in the factory, really appreciated this learning curve as it gave her an idea of what would they would have experienced working for the worldwide company. Up next was a chance to live through the journey of a cocoa bean through the production process into a sticky pulp called cocoa liquor. This took the form of a special effects cinema presentation, probably aimed at kids, but nevertheless we were in stitches through-
out the whole thing. Being the keen beans that we are (pardon the pun) we took a seat in the middle of the front row. If you don’t like kids I would advise against this, but for me the childish giggles that surrounded us only added to the delight. Without ruining the surprise, you might want to hold on tight for this part, which simulates the revolving drum of an important factory machine called the continuous roaster. However, we found this section of the experience a bit sickly sweet. The sugarcoated (oops, another pun) presentation of the benefits of chocolate to the children was a bit hard to swallow and we couldn’t help but wonder if the parents were thinking the same thing. After half-an-hour of hard chocolate education, it was time for another chocolate fix in the tempering section. Here we received a small pot of melted chocolate with a choice of two sweet toppings. Firstly we went a mixture of jelly babies and popping candy which was a surprisingly pleasant combination of chewy textures and a sudden crackling every few mouthfuls. We then opted for a white chocolate and crunchy honeycomb topping, with the creamy chocolate contrasting well with the crisp, almost bitter honeycomb. Next was a demonstration of how the female workers would have shaped the chocolate when the factory first began. This was fascinating as it revealed they simply used an aluminium mould and cold marble to set the chocolate into its distinctive shapes and really illustrated how far the company had come since its founding in 1824. Wanting to make the most of the experience, we even went on the Cadabra ride, which took us through the wonderland of ‘Beanville’, inhabited by all the familiar Cadbury characters. This is definitely aimed at kids but is entertaining for all ages as the decorations are both adorable and, at times, weirdly trippy. There was a chance to buy a photo of us on the ride but, being on a student budget, we felt this was an unnecessary expense. The most memorable thing from the afternoon was the mouth-watering smell of warm chocolate which filled the air, intensifying as we grew closer to the heart of the factory. Imagine what the chocolate river, in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, would smell like in real life and you’re getting
close to the scent that had us salivating all afternoon. If your chocolate tolerance is as impressive as ours, then you’ll be pleased to know that the tour finishes at the gift shop where you can either buy your friends a chocolate treat, or more likely, stock up for your own personal stash!
"The famous Cadbury Hot Chocolate is heaven in liquid calorific form" We would also recommend hitting up the Cadbury Cafe. All the cakes and drinks have that distinctive Cadbury taste and the portion sizes are humongous! The signature rocky road is an absolute must try. The famous Cadbury Hot Chocolate is heaven in liquid calorific form, and is loaded with whipped cream, a perfect warming treat for the upcoming winter months.
But that’s not all ... We went to check out the brand new addition to Cadbury World; the 4D Chocolate Adventure. This was another special effects cinema, only much, much better than the first one. This time it wasn’t just the children and us appreciating the spectacle, the whole room shrieked as we were flung about in our seats and parents and children alike giggled as Freddo the chocolate frog lead us through the chocolate maze. This was definitely a highlight of the trip, even if the rollercoaster simulation did make us feel slightly queasy after consuming such an obscene amount of chocolate! As we walked away from Cadbury world we were overwhelmed with emotion, disappointment that the day was over mingled with the relief that we wouldn’t have to eat any more chocolate. In short, despite the fact that we still feel like a toddler after eating one too many smarties, and our rooms are littered with dozens of chocolate wrappers we really recommend for anyone looking for a fun and carefree day out.
This fortnight's foodie highlights ... Birmingham Beer & Cider Festival 28-30 October The New Bingley Hall
Bite Street Food Market 30 October Fort Dunlop
Halloween Food Festival
31 October (Fancy Dress is necessary!) Kings Heath Village Square
Autumn Market
31 October The Bond, Digbeth (£1.50 entry)
Find out how you can create some creepy canapes on page 15
24 23rd October - 5th November
redbrick.me/lifestyle
Life & Style
What makes a BNOC?
Life&Style writer Zoe Screti shows us what it takes to become the next Big Name on Campus. Everybody knows a Big Name on Campus. It's that one person that you've never met but immediately admire; whose very name is enough to insight both awe and intimidation in you. Do you lust after the status that comes from being a BNOC? Do you dream of being a trendsetter - the most in-demand person on campus? Check out our handy guide and you'll be famous in no time!
Do something outrageous
Wear something unusual
The quickest way to get your name out there is to be remembered for something. Get your name in the history books by doing something so unbelievably outrageous that it will insight awe in your peers for years to come. But remember, to be truly outrageous, you must do something that has NEVER been done before. When in doubt follow the three Os; original, outrageous, outstanding.
Whether you choose to rock army pants and flip flops or something other than pink on Wednesdays, make sure your style defines your desire to be known. Go crazy and break the rules - you will soon find people turning your transgression into a trend. Why not match garish prints, turn PJs into an outfit or risk a crazy colour clash (in the best possible way)? Just remember, what really carries off an outfit is confidence - act like it is the most natural thing in the world and people won’t bat an eyelid.
Run for president We're not suggesting that you pack up your things and head on a plane to the White House. Instead start small and set your sights on becoming President of the Guild. Cover campus in you-themed cardboard cut-outs, put out social media pleas, give out freebies, make unattainable promises, do whatever it takes to run a successful campaign and win! Job's a good-un.
Befriend EVERYBODY A BNOC can never have enough Facebook friends and Instagram followers. Being connected with everybody will make sure you never miss a hot party, a great night out or the latest gossip. The more people you know, the more people will know you. Simple, effective and incredibly fun.
Throw the Party of the CenturyTM Everybody loves a good party so throwing the party that everybody will remember is a sure-fire way to become a BNOC. Invite the entire university, have a more-thanfully-stocked bar in your fridge, play the best tunes and maybe even persuade a Z-list celebrity to come (got to love the power of Twitter!). Everybody knows the recipe for a good party, just make sure you add some special sauce to make yours stand out!
Always be on the move
Always look on point
Take yourself seriously
Whether you're dashing to Aldi for the weekly shop or off to Roosters for a post-Fab fry-up, make sure you're looking no less than an 8 out of 10. You've got a reputation as the campus eye-candy to uphold.
Nobody will assign the status of BNOC to you if you don’t walk around like you own it already. Becoming a godly figure on campus is not to be taken lightly. Believe in yourself, pursue your goal and people will not question you. You’ll become a world-renowned BNOC in no time!
A BNOC always has things to do and places to be. Your friends should be aware that you might not always have time to fit them into your busy lifestyle. Not everyone could balance being the President of Carnival Rag, captain of the first rugby team and an editor of Redbrick, but you certainly can!
The Kardashians...Ranked Life&Style writer Sophie Cunningham ranks Hollywood's most talked-about family. Who's your favourite? It’s all too easy to judge the Kardashians and Jenners as ‘famous for being famous’, but nobody can deny that the documentation of their lives is a definite guilty pleasure which becomes all too hard to resist in a vulnerable, rough-from-the-night-before state. Keeping up with the Kardashians is a perfect pick-me-up for you and that lingering hangover.
5. Kylie Jenner
4. Kendall Jenner
3. Kim Kardashian
2. Kourtney Kardashian
1. Khloé Kardashian
Down on paper Kylie is unbelievably faultless. Unfortunately, she reeks of fakeness & falsity, and feebly denied that her ever growing lips hadn’t gone under the knife. It promotes unhealthy lessons to young girls who need to know that beauty is not only skin deep. If only she spent five minutes away from the mirror, she’d notice there is more to life than lip liner and her front camera!
Sorry - we know the girl is incredible! The unstoppable Kendall models for Chanel, has drool-worthy eyebrows, and can genuinely call Cara Delavigne her best friend. On the surface, this Jenner prodigy is perfect, but her slightly too serious personality seems to suffer under the shadows of the other girls, who are by no means shrinking violets! Apologies, Kendall.
The dream girl with the dream husband and little girl, who loves her family almost as much as taking a selfie. The one that broke the internet and supposedly the most photographed celebrity EVER, Kim is undeniably stunning. However the girl really needs to stop uploading photos of her pregnancy boobs onto Instagram - a selfie, or rather ‘belfie’: we can modestly draw the line at!
Kourtney has always been known for being Lord Scott Disick's other half. But having recently ended what was a very rocky relationship, Kourtney is now starting to be seen (for the first time) as a powerful and independent woman, ‘who don’t need any man to complete her’. Sending out positive vibes to all the singletons out there crying into their Ben and Jerry's! Go on, Kourt!
It’s got to be said...here at L&S we're in love with KoKo! In her hardest times, Khloé has had immense heartbreak and has even been branded the ‘ugly’ Kardashian! But after a miracle life-makeover, currently it cannot be denied that she is staggeringly beautiful on the outside as well as on the inside. Everyone is a sucker for a ‘most improved’, and out of all five girls, Khloé comes out on top!
redbrick.me/lifestyle
23rd October - 5th November
'Think Pink' for Breast Cancer Autumn isn't just for dark colours! Travel editor Daisy Holden gives us her favourite pink pieces after the success of 'Wear It Pink Day'. Breast Cancer awareness day this year falls on October 23rd and you can show your support for this great cause by wearing pink. The ‘wear it pink’ campaign is back this year and is aiming to be bigger and bolder than ever, so show your support in style! Wearing pink doesn’t mean you have to channel your inner ‘Mean Girl’, it is the colour of the season - from pastel shades to fuchsia brights. Prada has opted for ladylike shades, Christopher Kane has chosen glittering magenta and Burberry is offering various frothy tulle layers. By choosing to wear pink, you can show your support for this worthwhile charity. Wear it as a subtle pinky-pop or a head-to-toe Elle Woods statement...whatever your style, there is something for you! Pink is a really easy colour to wear, believe it or not! It doesn’t have to be overthe-top and garish. Other pastel shades such as lilac or pale blue compliment pink tones. Metallics always add a shine. Or you could opt for a punchy orange to contrast. Show your support this year and get donating to this amazing cause! This Zara blouse for £29.99 fits perfectly in with the Seventies trend this season, and is a beautiful blush colour – great for pink phobes!
A staple lipstick for day and evening, Mac’s £15.50 'Velvet Teddy' and 'Shy Girl' shades are the perfect pinky nudes for any season!
For a chic and sophisticated pink look, check out these belted peg-leg trousers from Topshop for £40:
25
Fierce
Suffragette The new film starring Meryl Streep, Carey Mulligan and Helena Bonham Carter is most definitely one to watch out for this autumn. Grab your popcorn and go get your feminist game on! Out October 23rd.
Hot Chocolate No one can resist a little bit of warm chocolatey goodness to help beat the cold weather. With a Costa round every corner on campus, the temptation is even harder to resist. If your budget doesn't stretch that far, instant hot chocolate is perfect for cosy movie nights in.
Halloween It's October, which means it’s time for scary films and spooky costumes. Start carving your pumpkins and investing in creepy make-up, but steer clear of the black cat costume - totally unoriginal!
Freshers' Guide to Uni Dating
You thought you had your love life sussed, but then you hit university. Life&Style writer Lara Billington breaks down the world of dating: from Freshers' flings to long-term things. You’re a fresher. You’re single. You’ve finally left secondary school behind, along with the people you grew up with who have seen you struggle through the puberty phase of spots and mood swings. You friend-zoned the majority of your year back in year 9, so the dating scene has been pretty dormant for the past four years. But university equals fresh meat. The perfect time to untag yourself from all of your Facebook photos from years 7 to 10, and present yourself as a smooth, mature, not-half-bad looking adult. It’s all well and good having a new set of gals and guys to flirt with, but if you don’t know how to approach uni dating then it may all crash and burn before you’ve even made it through the first term. Here’s a few things to bear in mind as you battle your way through love at university... Words that are going to earn a firm spot in your most-used vocabulary at uni include chirpsing and grafting - both are terms which basically mean flirting. For the southerners, you may know it as ‘chirpsing’, northerners - a ‘graft’. Males in particular tend to be renowned for attempting a ‘cheeky graft’ on a night out, so prepare yourself - get your chat up lines ready and your cock-blockers out in full force - you’re going to need them both! An especially important term for those freshers who have just moved into a new flat (and have their eye on the fittie living in the room opposite) is flatcest. Flatcest is ‘getting together’, in whatever form that may be, with a fellow member of your flat. This is generally unadvisable, as although at the time it may seem like a good idea, just remember - if it all turns sour you'll still have to live with them!
"Males in particular tend to be renowned for attempting a 'cheeky graft' on a night out, so prepare yourself!" Not recommended if you don’t want to be hibernating in your room for the rest of the year due to your fear of having to look them in the eye again. A common occurrence when you live at the top of The Vale and the guy you’re getting with lives in Jarrett Hall is the textlationship. There’s only so many times you can meet up on campus and go for a
Costa, so the relationship becomes pretty virtual, and remains on text basis only until one of you spends your student loan unwisely and can’t afford a phone bill anymore. That’s the end of that one. Another thing to consider is the possibility of dating a fellow coursemate. Yes, you have SO much in common and you spend most of the lecture making eyes at each other so surely it’s meant to be? But don’t
"A trip to Joe's bar is NOT the place for a romantic first date. Stop being lazy - get the train to the Bullring and grab a cheeky Nando's!" fall into the trap of spending every waking moment with them, walking to lectures, sitting together in lectures, doing work together, eating together, going out together. Try and split your time evenly between flat friends, friends from home, course friends and any other people you may meet, rather than committing yourself to your ‘course crush’, who is, as hard as this may be to hear, unlikely to be your future husand. Third years may look all mature and attractive, but before you get attached, remember that this time next year they’ll be off in the big wide world, living outside the ‘Brum bubble’. As much as he loves Netflix and chilling with you, as dissertation deadline creeps closer and closer, your chances of seeing him other than in the library, typing frantically on his laptop, are unfortunately quite slim. A quick one to finish - a trip to Joe’s Bar is NOT the place for a romantic first date. Stop being lazy, get the train to the Bullring and grab a cheeky Nando's! Other than that, enjoy yourself - dating at uni should be fun. And who knows, maybe the guy living opposite, or the girl making eyes at you in your 9 o’clock lecture will end up being your future soulmate! If not, don’t worry, there are plenty more fish in the sea.
Lip Gloss When it comes to windy days and long hair, adding lip gloss to the mix is a recipe for disaster. Instead we would recommend lipstick as the way to go preferably in a dark berry colour to really bring out those autumnal shades.
The winter cold An annual time of sniffles, painkillers and coughing so loud through lectures you can hardly hear a thing.
Pre-Christmas blues The Advent calendars are already on sale, but isn’t it just a little too early to don our Santa hats? We haven’t even got past Halloween yet! If everyone could hold back o n the Christmas songs for just a little longer, we'd appreciate it.
By Katelyn Ryder Life&Style Writer
Finished
26 23rd October - 5th November 2015
redbrick.me/gaming
Gaming
MOBA Madness
James Lentschner talks about one of gaming's biggest growing genres
MOBAs (Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas) have risen to prominence over the last decade, going as far as to now be selling out international capacity stadiums and offer million pound prize funds. With the shift in focus within the gaming industry towards online gaming, MOBAs have become increasingly popular as a way for players from all over the world to compete for fun, fame and glory.
"MOBAs are free to play, but not pay to win." The likes of League of Legends, DOTA and Smite have begun to eclipse the largely completive FPS and Strategy games of Counterstrike and StarCraft as the go-to competitive games of the generation. MOBAs are free to play adding largely to the reason they’re so popular, as you don’t have to pay anything to try out the game, as well as not having to pay a subscription should you become hooked. They offer instant access to competitive online action, whilst still adding purchasable add-ons to those who want them. These add-ons however, don’t give players an edge over the players who choose to pay nothing. Simply put, MOBAs are free to play but not pay to win. MOBAs are also synonymous with the growing interest in Esports, as the games offer one of the largest and most competitive platforms for gaming on the internet, whilst providing entertaining viewing. You may be sceptical as to how fun it is to watch other people play a game, I agree as I was too at first, however, there’s a lot of entertainment and knowledge to be drawn from watching a professional gamer play a MOBA, as you can simply admire their skills, or closely inspect their character builds and style of play to try and improve your own game to get better. Games such as DOTA and Smite are simple to play but complex to master, as the better you get at the game, so do your opponents, keeping the game interesting and challenging the better you find yourself becoming. The mechanics of the game also result in a large amount a variety, as the champions and items that worked so well for you one month may not the next, due to constant patches in the game to keep them
balanced and competitive. Despite MOBA’s change in order to stay competitive, the basic map and play style of the game remains largely the same, meaning that although it may be disheartening to find that the god or champions you invested so much time into isn’t as good as they used to be, you are not starting from square one and that characters time will eventually come again. The results of playing a MOBA are apparent to those involved in them, whether it be you rise up the competitive leagues or simply learn a new way to play or build a character, the more time you invest, the more appeal and rewards the games offer you, and therein lies the real hook. MOBA also now offer a real opportunity to rise to fame and fortune, as at the upper ends of the competitive community there is real money and success to be found. The prize pools for the professional MOBA tournaments number in the millions, and along with Esports deals and sponsorships, professional gamers and finding MOBAs an increasingly lucrative business. If that’s all well and good, and MOBAs are just a bit of fun to you, people have still found widespread fame and success through the likes of YouTube and Twitch streaming, meaning you don’t have to be a professional to appeal to others in the MOBA community. Although offering a high level of competition, there is
popularity, with League of Legends being declared the most played game in the world as of 2015. The popularity of these game
"There's a hell of a lot of appeal in playing these games."
seems only likely to increase, so despite not having been around long, they won’t be going anywhere for a long time to come.
"The more time you
invest, the more appeal and rewards the games offer, and therein lies the real hook." still a large part of the community wishing to play simply for fun, and they’re able to, due the fact that they’ll be matched with largely likeminded individuals, allowing for two separate player styles within a larger community. Mess around with your friends or set your sight on the world stage, both paths are open to you. Add that to the fact that the game should you wish to, could remain free forever, there’s a hell of a lot of appeal in playing these games. Despite the fact that MOBA’s are, by gaming standards, a new genre; it has done nothing to slow their huge rise in growth and
Need for Speed: A Return to the Underground?
Matt Capaldi recounts the fast franchise The Need for Speed franchise is one of the longest running brands in the video game industry today, starting back before many University students were even born in 1994, and having produced 23 different titles under the IP up to this day. The franchise became a one game a year series with the launch of the Need for Speed: Underground in 2003. In the first few years of this spree the games were really quite good, Need for Speed: Underground 2 launched in 2004 was probably my second favourite game of my childhood (just behind MW2), Need for Speed: Most Wanted sold 16 million copies in 2005 with the new addition of police chases to the series, and Need for Speed: Carbon took the series into the seventh
generation of consoles (Xbox 360 and PS3) with reasonable success (although not quite up to Most Wanted’s sales standards). However, with the launch of ProStreet in 2007 the series started to slip in both terms of quality and sales, and it didn’t get any better, in my opinion the games just kept going downhill from there, with ‘The Run’ (2011) and ‘Rivals’ (2013) being notably dodgy. The franchise even took a break from game development and tried to produce a movie last year, which received a score of 22% on Rotten Tomatoes! So by the end of 2014, the brand was in a pretty sorry state. In the usual rush of game announcements earlier this year something caught my eye, a game simply titled ‘Need for
Speed’. I was intrigued and subsequently followed the first few announcements about the game and it turned out to be just what I had been hoping, a re-boot of the series back to its early/mid 2000s roots! Whilst this idea did get me excited, I was still fairly sceptical, could the studio that produced the Need for Speeds of recent years really do justice to an Undergroundesc remake? But still, I kept watching the trailers, expecting to see something to confirm those doubts in my mind, but (as yet) I still haven’t. The trailers have all looked good, and what’s more I was lucky enough to get invited to the closed beta of the game a couple of weeks back, and although I can’t comment on the game specifics, let’s just say I went to place my pre-order the following week! Only time can tell if this will turn out to be the Underground 3 Need for Speed fans have been waiting over a decade for, but I for one am feeling hopeful, I just hope EA and Ghost Games deliver! Need for Speed releases on 5th November 2015.
redbrick.me/gaming
23rd October - 5th November 2015
27
Impressions: Star Wars Battlefront Beta Ben Musgrove fills us in on the biggest Beta in EA's history I have a school-friend called Anthony, who is one of the few people from that time that I still regularly game with. I’ve known him a few years shy of a decade, and together we’ve travelled from the plains of Planetside 2 to the galaxies of EVE Online, swearing far more than necessary and shamelessly baiting anyone who tries to heckle us in a foreign language. It’s right and proper behaviour for a gamer. This seems like an odd way to start a review, but bear with me. When you know someone a long time you pick up on nuances on their behaviour, and they give you insight as to their feelings on things. When we are gaming, for example, Anthony has a genuinely world-class ‘stress-shriek’, a squawk that emerges rapidly from his staccato chant of ‘nonononono’ when under serious pressure in combat. It’s got vibrato, it’s got emotion, it’s got poise and shape. Imagine the reaction of a cat on a rollercoaster as it is swung round a particularly sharp corner and you’ll get the idea. When we were playing Battlefront, this scream was happening all the time. What I am trying to capture with this recollection
Details
"It's a gorgeous
spectacle."
is just how brutal Star Wars: Battlefront is. We are talking 40 player plasma-charged carnage complete with AT-AT stomps, force-chokes and bullshit kill-steals. The initial impression one is given when thrown into a game is a Battlefield game with a very good Star-Wars reskin. This is the origin of the brutality: grenades look as beautiful as they are deadly, vibra-
tions and camera shakes give you a real sense of being fired upon (particularly in the Hoth trenches), and there is generally a sense of being at war rather than being in the meat-grinder of the old Battlefront multiplayer. The graphics are very sharp, and we get to see some real next-gen power being used when the battle heats up, and plasma and laser fire starts streaking across the map. It’s a gorgeous spectacle. However, basing my review off the initial impression would be an injustice to the flexibility that Battlefront allows you. You start in first-person mode, with all of the brutal aspects that Battlefield’s influence has had, but holding down on the d-pad zooms the camera out to the classic third-person view of PS2 Battlefront. Holding the aim button just zooms the camera rather than steadying any shaking or making you more accurate, so there’s no advantage to using first-person. Suddenly you feel like you’re back in an arcade, particularly in conjunction with the big neon power-ups dotted across the map, turning you into anything from Darth Vader to an X-Wing to ‘that dick on our
team who can’t use artillery’. The beta comes with both online and offline gameplay, with two online modes: a Star-Wars skinned ‘Zones’ mode, capturing drop-pods in team-based combat; and ‘Walker Assault’, the Star Wars derivative of the objective-based game mode Battlefield has been rocking since the days
(balanced, long-range); the Enforcer (heavy, medium range); and the Infiltrator (light, close range). Finish your design, pick the character you want to run with, and you’re dropped into a free-roam mode from which you can search for matches on your iDroid. Having used all three classes for similar amounts of time, I find it hard to spot major disparities in what you’re able to do – the quality of a player is far more impor-
price as TPP. Revisits to Afghanistan, Zambia, and Cuba don’t offer huge variety but are a satisfactory start-point for battles that are largely stop-start and fast paced. The music gives you far greater freedom to soundtrack these duels, with a back-catalogue spanning the vast majority of the Metal Gear series. Game modes are, currently, the standard assortment with a Metal Gear twist. Bounty Hunter is the TDM of the game, only with the reward of extra lives if you can capture enemies with the Fulton Extraction System, which consists of literally tying them to a balloon. Comm Control has you fighting for control of a set of zones a la Domination, fighting to retain them or to take them from the initial holders. Cloak and Dagger is the most spiritually pure Metal Gear Solid game-mode - as well as the most unusual: a Search & Destroy/CTF hybrid where one team uses non-lethal means to extract one of two data disks from an opposition armed with lethalonly gear. Once you’re eliminated, that’s it for the round. Of course, to be eliminated, you actually need to be able to make it into a game. Whilst version 1.00 will doubtless be built on in the coming weeks and months, for now the player has to fight to get a game, particularly at peak times. Host disconnects are extremely common, and rather than a new host being allocated, the player is simply booted out and asked to try again. When you do get a game, lag can make it unplayable, although I must say this has been a rare concern for me. By and large, once you’re in, you’re safe, and an improvement in stability in anticipated in the coming weeks. This is scant consolation for people unable to play, but at least there is hope for progress.
"Multiplayer bread and
butter."
of Bad Company. The latter is where you get to relive the glory days of BF2 by tying up an AT-AT with your little snowspeeder before it can blow up the rebel shield generator. The narrative gives you a real sense of purpose as to your objectives, and it's easily the most popular game mode available on the beta. 'The former acts as a useful grinder for experience points and, as a result, the cash you can use to unlock the various guns, power-ups and perks one can equip to their character. As we’re coming towards the end
Review: Metal Gear Online 3 Ben Musgrove talks cardboard boxes vs the world As a youngster back in the days where you got demo disks glued to the front of PlayStation Magazine, I remember watching a theatrical trailer of Metal Gear Solid 3 on a crappy TV in a Butlins apartment. It was probably the most exciting thing I’d seen on a screen up to that point. It was so real. It wasn’t just that Snake was in a beautiful environment that he could interact organically with, it was his ability to use this to trick seemingly intelligent guards that he evaded completely. I loved the idea of making dangerous people look that stupid. Fast-forward eleven years and the entire Metal Gear series later, I find myself playing Metal Gear Online with the hope of capturing a similar elation. And despite currently poor connectivity and drawing on a narrow set of resources, "MGO" has proved it can give me that fix. You begin by being presented with an avatar who defaults as your first character in MGO, one that you design in the prologue of The Phantom Pain. You’ve got two other character slots, with the obvious divide being one for each class: the Scout
"Lag can make it unplayable." tant than which grenade they start with. All three allow a relatively flexible play style or to specialise in a manner you prefer. It’s more personal ability than strategic rockpaper-scissors, which can lead to extremely fluid battles. These encounters take place in settings taken from both TPP (The Phantom Pain) and Ground Zeroes, the hour-long prologue that you could initially buy for the same
of the beta, the majority seem strongly kitted out, but there’s enough balance in the game for a user to wield any blaster of their choice and do serious damage. The offline modes don’t seem to use this cash, as you have access to all the gear available in the demo already. Again, there’s nothing truly unique about the modes on offer: you’re stuck in a valley and you shoot the stormtroopers as they come searching for you. It’s multiplayer bread and butter, but it’s also bloody good fun. If it ain’t broke, don’t innovate - just ask any iPhone designer. Trying to conjure criticisms to make this review seem a little more balanced leaves me purely in possession of nitpicks. It’s very easy to get killed straight after spawning, but then that’s more my fault for mindlessly mashing the ‘spawn on partner’ button when they’re grenade-duelling in a corridor. Guns seem too accurate over long-distance, even pistols, but then that applies to me too. Bashing on EA is one of the safe options in modern-day gaming journalism, and as a regular FIFA player I am no stranger to incompetence from the company, but this is a superb beta debut - especially combined with the recent announcement that the game will not include micro-transactions. They seem to have found our lack of faith disturbing. I would be saying all of this in retrospect, as the Beta’s initially scheduled closing has been pushed back to October 13th. There is still time for you to download the client, get onto the battlefield, and be very disappointed that you didn’t do so sooner. Star Wars: Battlefront is vicious, fast-paced, gorgeous, and a major step in the right direction on EA’s part.
In light of this, and considering they don’t affect your experience points or score, victories seem something of an arbitrary detail, other than meaning you get more Gear Points with which to kit out your characters with new equipment (which is purely superficial – no headshot-deflecting helmets for you, scrub). When you have to fight to even enter a game, it can take the satisfaction out of a ground-out win when you’re booted straight after it, or when it’s the sixth ‘win’ you should’ve had that hour. Whilst the causes of this are a concern, victories should not matter: the heart of Metal Gear Online is in its intricacies. With no trophies or story, mostly people are not playing MGO for the game modes or to complete it. Rather, they’re playing it for the feeling of elation when laying camouflaged as three real people shoot past you, leaving a path clear to the data disk
"No headshotdeflecting helmets for you, scrub."
you’re trying to steal. Or for the outrage as you get sniped in the head from across the map with an enemy in a chokehold. Or for the hilarity of strapping a balloon to someone you’ve just knocked out. What we are left with, therefore, is a good starting point for a game that needs to be built on. With relatively few maps, poor connectivity and little innovation in the way of game modes or classes, MGO needs to ensure that these criticisms do not have an effect upon those playing the game for the process of playing it, for the beauty that video games can bring and the emotions that they can evoke.
28 23rd October - 5th November 2015
redbrick.me/film
Film
Review: Steve Jobs
Review: Pan
Critic Matthew Robinson explores the man behind the machine. In 1984 Steve Jobs, founder and CEO of Apple, introduced the world to Macintosh. It didn’t set the world on fire as much as he had hoped. Macintosh, in fact, led to Steve Jobs being fired from the company that he founded. In 1988 Steve Jobs, founder and CEO of NeXT, introduced the world to the NeXT Computer, commonly called the cube. It didn’t set the world on fire as much as he had hoped. The computer which had been designed to revolutionise education cost $12,000 dollars, a price far too high for most. In 1998 Steve Jobs, founder and CEO of Apple, introduced the world to the iMac and asked us all to ‘Think Different’. We did. Steve Jobs was both a man and a god. Worshipped by millions of people a round the globe for his forward thinking, singularly focused mind that placed Apple at the top of the computer industry and placed a computer in each of our pockets. So how does one write his biopic? You ‘Think Different’. The three events mentioned at the top of this piece were major events in the history of personal computing. They were major events in the life of Steve Jobs. As such they are the three events which make up the film about the man, at least the preceding forty minutes of each event does. Aaron Sorkin has thrown the textbook out of the window. He has written a film about a real man and created pure theatre. In interviews Danny Boyle, Sorkin, and the cast have repeated that this isn’t a biopic. The facts have been played around with, time has been muddled. Yet what appears on the screen is a portrait of the man each of us recognise but never knew that is more vivid and revealing than any cradle to grave story could ever be. None of the cast look particularly like those being played. But you almost forget
while watching what these people looked like. Fassbender is on terrific form, showing us the complexities of the man who adored simplicity. In his hands Jobs becomes both incredibly human and an inspiration to us all. The performance acts as a foundation stone, the characters fly in with grievances and arguments and leave just as quickly. Sorkin creates a maelstrom of words for the actors to play with. A great risk was taken in this three act structure. It is a dialogue heavy film. The visuals, though, the pictures that Boyle builds around these words are stunning. Jobs’ vision leaks in to the screen. In a scene in which Jobs’ explains the future of NeXT to Joanna Hoffman, his story is visualised on the very walls. It sounds cheesy but some how, and I have no idea how, the whole scene is incredibly affecting. Together writer and director have created a film that acts as both iconoclast and god builder. Steve Jobs is not a nice man. He gets on with seemingly nobody. So singular is he in his vision that he pisses off the very people that can bring it to life. Yet you gain a sense that these people, Steve Wozniak (a superb performance by Seth Rogan), Andy Hertzfeld, even John Scully the man who fired Jobs and whom Jobs never spoke to again in real life, had a sense of unbreakable loyalty to him. Because Steve Jobs, the tech genius, couldn’t write code, he couldn’t build a computer but he ‘played the orchestra’. While he may have been a visionary, he was a flawed man. He denied the paternity of his daughter even after a judge ruled that he was the father. Strange for a man seemingly so obsessed with his own adoption, or abandonment as he saw it. In each stage of the film we see this relationship between him and his child. It is this relationship that is the most fascinating. There is no point when Jobs will admit he is wrong, except to his daughter. In painting this relationship
upon the screen they have cut to his very humanity. Those interactions between daughter, father, and mother are heart wrenching. Fassbender and Katherine Waterson (playing Chrisann Brennan) lash at each other, accuse, attack, threaten, it is a difficult thing to watch, and in-between them each time is his daughter. His daughter who just wants to be able to talk to her father. This Steve Jobs film is not the film for those who worship the man. Nor is it there to give you the straight facts. But I think, in watching it, you gain a tiny sense of who he was, what made him tick. It is s spectacular film, visually, verbally, and in the performances.
Details Release date: 13th November 2015 Director: Danny Boyle Cast: Michael Fassbender, Seth Rogen, Kate Winslet Running time: 122 minutes IMDB rating: 7.3
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Matthew Robinson Critic
««««« James Cox
Critic Much like Alice in Wonderland, the Peter Pan story has been a fertile inspiration for cinema. Its fantasy and allegorical nature makes it perfect for interesting and entertaining adaptation. Pan – directed by Joe Wright – acts as a reworked prequel to the classic tale. This version tells the tale of an orphan, Peter, who is kidnapped by Pirates and taken to Neverland. There, in the pursuit of his mother, he befriends James Cook and uncovers a prophecy that could change his life forever. We begin in WWII London. Young Peter is living in Oliver Twist’s orphanage. The decision to set the prequel forty years into the future of when the original story was set is a bold one. Are the filmmakers trying to draw parallels between the two worlds, resulting in an interesting and thought provoking allegory? No! It’s because the filmmakers wanted a scene with a pirate ship fighting a spitfire! When we do get to Neverland, the Pirates and their slaves are singing ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. Here, I clocked out of caring about what happens. Young Peter (Levi Miller) is a capricious, sulking little twerp with a bad cockney accent and is about as likeable as diphtheria. Captain Hook is not a pirate in Pan; he is in fact Indiana Jones. Garrett Hedlund manages to get worse as his bizarre performance progresses. It’s either bad acting or worse directing, but every line comes out as if he’s playing to the cheap seats at the back of the theatre. Tiger Lilly’s casting as Caucasian rather than Native American proved controversial. Whilst Rooney Mara does an okay job as a character, she is not Tiger Lilly. It just seems like the casting directors went out of their way to get every single decision wrong. It’s almost impressive. Hugh Jackman plays Blackbeard whilst chewing a lot of scenery. Whilst the opening action sequence of the spitfire and the pirate ship looks quite well rendered, it appears they blew the $150 million budget and instead quickly deteriorate into poor green screen and ropey wiring. This reaches a head when we are introduced to a monster that has such poor CBBC level CGI. The plot is nonsensical and features that annoying juxtaposition of having too much plot to care, but not enough to stay engaged. The dialogue is laughable, with puns and reference so forced you thought the actors might break saying them (“The boy is lost”/ “So he’s a lost boy?”). We do not know these characters – other than their names they bare almost no characteristics to the originals we know and love. My only guess is that this didn’t start out as a Peter Pan prequel, but somewhere along the production process a “bright spark” thought they could make an easy-buck by slapping Pan onto it. Pan has the aesthetic, performances, set pieces, and sensibility of a bad pantomime. This film is not a prequel to Peter Pan, it needs to very quickly and very quietly dig a hole and die in it. The worst film of the year, in my opinion.
redbrick.me/film
23rd October - 5th November 2015
29
Film News Rosie Kelby Critic
20th Century Fox is looking to take the Die Hard franchise in a new direction with a prequel featuring the young John McClane. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Len Wiseman, director of Die Hard 4.0, are allegedly searching for a writer to bring their undoubtedly controversial conceptualisation into being with a script that combines the iconic Bruce Willis with his younger incarnation as a 1970s cop.
Warner Bros. have confirmed that they will be producing the ambitious feature Kong Vs. Godzilla, in which the two epic monsters will finally meet in what one can only imagine will be a colossal collision, or perhaps more intriguingly, a colossal collaboration. The film is scheduled for release in 2020 after the release of Kong: Skull Island in 2017 and Godzilla 2 in 2018.
Review: Crimson Peak Critic Jane Barker reviews Del Toro's latest love letter to gothic horror...
Details Release date: 16th October 2015 Director: Guillermo del Toro Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain Running time: 119 minutes IMDB rating: 7.2
««««« Jane Barker Critic
From the very outset of Guillermo del Toro’s latest work Crimson Peak, it is suggested by the leading heroine Edith played by Mia Wasikowska, that this is not to be mistaken for a ghost story but rather a “story with ghosts in it”. Audiences need not look into the movie too much to understand that del Toro himself personifies this ethic as ghosts in more than one way are held in reserve. Although the film oozes extravagant visual displays with gorgeous set designs and periodic costumes the plot itself is painfully predictable, with blatant spoilers that offer far too much from the very start. Edith on more than one occasion is cautioned by her dead mother “beware of Crimson Peak”, which although offers chilling and unsettling moments is in itself far too clear, forcing the rest of the film to break this unpredictability with a deeply embedded mysteries plot, yet to a great degree Crimson Peak falls short in
doing so. The fact the film would stand alongside sub genres of gothic romance and mystery is undermined from the start when we are presented with the knowledge that the primary relationship between Edith (Wasikowska) and Thomas (Hiddleston) is one of fraud and dishonesty. This makes it an extraordinary task then for its audiences to invest in the pair’s relationship throughout the film as we are completely aware of such forged circumstances, making the eventual marriage of the pair and the re locating to the secluded strange mansion, all too foreseeable. However, the detachment and eeriness that Allerdale hall holds is completely heightened against the contrast of the fast paced civilized back drop of America. The ghosts scuttle through the hallways and eerily watch innocent Edith. Red clay seeps up from decaying floorboards which provides a forewarning of all the gruesome violence to take place
"The ghosts scuttle through the hallways and eerily watch innocent Edith.." within the mansion. As violent acts unlike the ghosts in this film are not by any means held sparingly, with certain scenes depicted as disturbingly graphic. The mansion features a deteriorated roof causing the outside weather conditions to engulf the house, offering a splendid aesthetic picture but also demonstrating the darker side of nature as if the “howling wind” is almost attacking the house and its inhabitants inside, a feature most distinguished with the genre of gothic romance. I doubt many critics would disagree with the claim that Crimson Peak is aesthetically and visually marvel-
lous and rich. Performances such as Chastain portraying the cold sinister yet beautiful Lucille matches this rich standard. She holds a disturbing glare with evil secrets behind her masquerade, her
"She holds a disturbing glare with evil secret behind her masquerade..." sudden violent outbursts and unflinching persona make it quite obvious for the audiences that she delves quite convincingly into the territory of madness and insanity. A scene where she feeds porridge to a weak and sick Wasikowska, loudly yet intentionally scrapping the metal spoon against the bowl as she reminisces over her abusive father’s actions, is one of the many previews into this unhinged character. The film moves at a steady and yet at times slow pace, del Toro’s way of allowing suspense and horror to build up. However, this pace is propelled forward at once when Edith has eventually caught up with the audiences and is now aware that her world holds much darker truth that she first suspected. That in mind the finale feels particularly rushed and frantic, almost squeezing in as much violence and drama at once, with little if any controlled sequences. Both protagonists hysterically running around with weapons and chasing one another to each other’s deaths in their nighties, almost tempts certain viewers to see the final scene with a degree of parody. Although the overall tone would argue against such interpretations. Overall Crimson Peak does capture viewers’ attention and imagination however, this is mostly due to the way the film looks on a visual level rather than its invention and telling of a captivating plot.
Marvel are planning to feature Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk in 2017's Thor: Ragnarok. The sequel, which appears to be in the hands of What we do in the Shadows director Taika Waititi, will presumably revive the hulk from his uncertain fate at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron to fight alongside Hemsworth’s Thor. Given the imminent appearance of Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark in Captain America: Civil war, it seems such crossovers may mark an emergent theme within Marvel’s cinematic universe.
Neil Morritz, founder of Original Films, has announced that he will be taking up the mantle in the conversion of South Korea’s hit game, Crossfire, into a movie. The 2007 Microsoft FPS game charts the global conflict of two vying groups of mercenaries, and seems reasonably safe in the hands of the producers of the Fast and Furious action series. Only time will tell if it will garner the success of its classic predecessors and initiate a new surge in game adaptations.
30 23rd October-5th November 2015
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Culture
Review of Benedict Cumberbatch in Hamlet Daniella Bassett lets Culture into her experience of the latest production of Hamlet Doubt thou the stars are fire; doubt that the sun doth move; doubt truth to be a liar; but never doubt I loved Lyndsey Turner’s adaptation of Hamlet. For my birthday, my brilliant mother wrangled tickets to go and see the latest adaptation of Hamlet at the Barbican Theatre, starring the one and only Benedict Cumberbatch. I had high hopes for the well publicised production, which was directed by Lyndsey Turner and featured a star-studded cast, and it did not disappoint! Cumberbatch was captivating; the sets and attention to detail, breathtaking; and the overall performance, bewitching. Set against the backdrop of the First World War, Turner took Shakespeare’s tragedy and turned it into an enthralling spectacle, lacing it with beautiful metaphorical production choices and the weight of a thousand emotions. Some method must be applied to my madness of thoughts here, though, lest we be forever lost in my superfluous praise of the masters of the performance and the production team. Let us begin with the production team. I have to say, they really outdid themselves. I certainly did not expect the detail and scale of the set to be as magnificent as it was. Obviously I expected it to be well thought out for such a largely publicised and planned production, but the production team went above and beyond in every aspect of the set, lighting and audio design. Each scene was scrupulously lit by a series of well thought out lighting sequences, and as a result the mood was never broken as the audience were transported through the performance, eternally enthralled in Shakespeare’s and Turner’s worlds. The set itself was incredibly grand and detailed. As the curtain rose after Hamlet’s first exchange with Horatio, a marvellous staircase positioned upstage right and a magnificent set of double doors centre back
revealed themselves, and positioned in the centre of all of this was a great, long dining table, decorated with animal skins, taxidermy and the grey branches of trees wound with snowy flowers. The same style of branches hung imposingly from the ceiling, almost forcing happiness on the scene, beautiful but haunting at the same time. The innovative use of the vast dining table as a dramatic centrepiece throughout the performance was one aspect of the set design which I particularly liked. It was used to emphasise tension between the happy wedding-goers and Hamlet in the opening scenes, transformed into a podium on which Hamlet tragically voiced his despair at his mother’s fickle dismissal of his father’s death in Act One, and hilariously utilised in Hamlet’s scheme of ‘madness’ as Cumberbatch pranced atop the raised space dressed as a toy soldier. Each scene utilised it in a different way, and the harmonious family images conjured up by the idea of this dining table rang with subtle irony throughout the action and added a new layer to Turner’s adaptation. The whole thing was just the right balance between decay and grandeur. A second set design element which I loved was the use of rubble from a bomb explosion in the second half of the performance. Immediately before the interval, the windows of the grand house had been blown inwards, as though a bomb had been dropped on the home. For me, this set choice symbolised the demolition of a family, a mind and a life. The rubble is an extremely haunting and poignant symbol throughout the whole of the second act, and when Ophelia, driven mad with grief for her late father, walks across it barefoot, there is no denying that she is truly broken, and Sian Brooke’s performance was outstanding. Ophelia’s madness, leading to her eventual suicide, was made even more hard-hitting through the use of the emotive back-
lighting employed when Ophelia walked slowly across the rubble to her death. The way in which the stage was softly lighted caused her silhouette to stand black and harsh against the light, her absence from the world already tangible as it appears she has already left this life and only the hole where she stood remains. But enough about the production team; what about the incredibly talented cast of actors? It goes without saying that Benedict Cumberbatch was enchanting. I could not take my eyes off of him. He skilfully dragged my soul through every emotion on the face of the earth, and his performance only confirmed his celestial status in my mind. I can throw nothing but praise in his direction. However, nearly stealing the show from Cumberbatch was Karl Johnson, who played both the ghost of Hamlet’s father and the gravedigger. The latter of these two roles was by far my favourite. The range he showed in switching from this incredibly haunting, serious and intimidating king character, to the hilarious, bumbling and loveable common personality of the gravedigger was phenomenal. His deliverance of the lines and aptitude for comedy were riotous, and he had the audience damn-near crying with laughter during his short appearance. Other notable performances include that of Sian Brooke (Ophelia), mentioned above, and Ciarán Hinds (Claudius). Although I could have done without Brooke’s singing, I loved the reprise of Bowie’s ‘Nature Boy’ from Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge throughout the performance, not only because I love that song and film, but because it somehow fit very well with the mood of the performance and was adequately forlorn and haunting to work as a unifying motif throughout. Overall, the company have done a capital job with this production, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you haven’t already been to
see the production, I would highly recommend you try to get tickets to either the live production or the National Theatre live screening at a cinema near you.
Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet. Photograph: Johan Persson
Aeschylus’ famous trilogy The Oresteia comes to life for a modern audience James Tyson got to experience one of the greats of Ancient Greek tragedy and is left unimpressed
Katy Stephens as Clytemnestra. Photograph: Robert Day
If you are looking for an authentic Greek tragedy experience, then this is not the play for you. With a mixed-sex cast, no theatre masks (apart from a brief moment in the second play), modern dress and the constant noise from the overhead flight path, this if very far from what I imagine a theatre experience in Ancient Greece would have been like. Director Adele Thomas did, however, decide to keep the ancient Greek tradition of not showing death onstage, with four deaths happening offstage. Perhaps she wanted to have the ‘shock factor’ of bringing out dismembered limbs, as she appears to like the gore of things with multiple characters
"There appears to be little continuation when it comes to the costumes for the characters..."
"If you are looking for an authentic Greek tragedy experience, then this is not the play for you."
herself with the death of her daughter, murdered by her now-sacrificed husband. Her screams of victory after this murder fill the Globe, showing her to be worthy of such a demanding role. There appears to be little continuation when it comes to the characters' costumes, with the herald and returning soldiers in
appearing covered in blood. The staging for this production is very basic with a few lit torches and a raised platform in the middle. The altar, which was brought out for the death of Agamemnon, is identical to the one that supposedly had Clytemnestra’s body on it. The limbs hadn’t even changed positions, showing the lack of thought that has gone into the staging. Katy Stephens, who played Clytemnestra, the evil wife of Agamemnon, delivered a
powerful first speech, confirming her role as a character not to be reckoned with, and this continues throughout the first play. This is especially shown after she murdered her husband and Cassandra, and she is justifying
although not in completely modern clothing – would have looked perfectly normal in the 1950s in their suits. The most logical explanation I could come up with for this is that it may be to symbolize that the people of Argos have moved on during the war and that things have changed, where the soldiers have been stuck in a time period, unable to move forward whilst fighting. Although this play certainly had some positive attributes – mainly the actress behind Clytemnestra – overall I have to admit that I was slightly disappointed in the overall production of one of my favourite pieces of ancient literature.
"If you are looking for an authentic Greek tragedy experience, then this is not the play for you." Ancient armour. This is in stark contrast to the modern clothing of the chorus, who –
Joel MacCormack as Orestes and Rosie Hilal as Electra. Photograph: Robert Day
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Q&A with Exhibition Manager Sophie Parry at the V&A Daisy Holden got the chance to have an insightful interview with Sophie Parry from the V&A How did you get into this job? I have been an exhibition manager for three and a half years but started as an exhibition assistant at the V&A four years ago. It was the second time I had applied for the job after being rejected about a year beforehand. At the time I was working as a project assistant in the Architecture, Design, Fashion department at the British Council and I managed to work on projects that I knew would give me more relevant experience for the job – for example, a touring fashion exhibition. It is incredibly difficult to get paid jobs in museums now without having voluntary experience, and so while working at the British Council I had spent one year working one day a week in the Fashion, Textiles and Decorative Arts department at the Museum of London as a volunteer in the hope of eventually going into a curatorial position.
"My job is essentially planning the delivery of an exhibition..." What made you choose the V&A? The Exhibitions department at the V&A is very large – over 40 members of staff. The department manages exhibitions on display at the V&A and also touring exhibitions. I previously worked on the Wedding Dresses exhibition and an Italian Fashion exhibition, which is currently touring in the USA. My job is essentially planning the delivery of an exhibition – setting deadlines for content, text, design, transport of objects and conservation and mounting of objects and ensur-
ing those deadlines are met. With planning the de-installation of Wedding Dresses, this involved drawing up a detailed schedule outlining who needs to work on which objects, whether they need to be condition checked, where they will be packed and how and where they will then need to be transported. Travel is also a part of our job, as we always send at least one member of staff to oversee the installation of an exhibition at a tour venue – this will be someone from the exhibitions team usually and a conservator if two teams are required. Which has been your favourite exhibition to work on and why? I have really enjoyed working on Italian Fashion because I worked on it from the early days of planning and was able to see the project through to the touring stage. Some of the objects in the exhibition are beautiful, and I feel like I am now so familiar
from it. What is the hardest item you have had to source? The hardest object I have had to source was a Vespa for the Italian Fashion exhibition – we thought this would be easy as there are so many around. However, the version we wanted had to be manufactured at around the same time as the Vespa used in Roman Holiday, and it turns out that very few of these were imported into the UK! Eventually,I was put in contact with a Vespa collector through one of our Visitor Services staff, and he provided us with the most beautiful pistachio green Vespa for the exhibition, which was one of only three imported into the UK in 1949.
Do you have any advice for students starting out into this sector of work? Advice: You generally have to be very passionate about working in museums to find yourself working in one. Unfortunately it seems to be the case that you have to do a lot of voluntary work in museums before you find a position unless you are very lucky. London is definitely the hub for museums, and there seem to be a lot more jobs (and museums) there – they are all generally funded better, as well. A very good website to check for Museum Jobs is: http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/museumstudies/JobsDesk Finally, be persistent; it is really worth it in the end.
"You generally have to be very passionate about working in museums to find yourself working in one." with the exhibition, having taken it to three venues so far, including the V&A. The practical installation of an exhibition is the most exciting part, where you see all of your hard work come to fruition – it can be very stressful, as my job involves all the problem solving for issues that arise, but I do get a buzz
In the shadow of the Berlin Wall – A book review William Carroll reviews David Young's thrilling debut Stasi Child Opening with a murder may be the familiar trope of the modern detective novel, but amidst the biting winter snowstorms of Young's divided Berlin, there is anything but the comforting warmth of familiarity.
"Muller is a female protagonist that is fully realised within her own imperfections..." The first in his proposed trilogy featuring the flawed female protagonist Karin Muller, Young's own addition to the increasingly popular subgenre of Eastern-European crime fiction is a promising and haunting debut. Muller is a female protagonist that is fully realised within her own imperfec-
"With what appears to be a promising start to a gripping crime series, Young has established a character in which the reader can invest and has recreated a setting that is unforgettably foreboding."
"His setting is without doubt the greatest achievement in his work, with the Berlin wall and its surrounding areas becoming mere apparitions in a constant ethereal winter fog." tions; the novel begins with her waking up in her work partner's marital bed with a hangover. Despite this initial concession of weakness, Young architects a brave and powerful female figure that is consistently under threat of both crime and a deep-rooted patriarchy. In Young's debut, Muller finds herself investigating a young girl found dead at the base of the Berlin Wall, her body brutally mutilated and dusted with the constant snow of the deep winter. With markings in the snow suggesting a government vehicle has been close to the scene and the autopsy report suggesting that the girl's disfiguring is an attempt to conceal her identity, the story soon reveals itself to be far more complex than a simple murder. Young's setting is without doubt his greatest achievement in the work, with the Berlin Wall and its surrounding areas becoming mere apparitions in the constant ethereal winter fog. Tire tracks that lead to
the darkened edges of the city as well as the flicker of light in the windows of the impoverished Germans all become the central motifs of Young's deathly atmosphere. Exuding a coldness that almost numbs the fingers as you read, Young's Berlin is a bleak, desolate and brutal affair. Even the interior spaces, notably the offices and homes of the central characters, are lonely and devoid of life. With the infamous Stasi authority an omniscient power in divided Germany, Young depicts a life of suffering and pain on both sides of the Wall. His use of the reformatory school as a parallel story heightens the sense of hopeless pain that dominated the era and also displays his technical skill as an author when it comes to the narrative architecture of his work. With what appears to be a promising start to a gripping crime series, Young has established a character in which the reader can invest and has recreated a setting that is unforgettably foreboding.
32 23rd October - 5th November 2015
redbrick.me/tech
Science & Technology
Top 5: Bee Facts
Redbrick Sci&Tech brings you a few lesser-known traits of our vital friend – the bee. Ian Rogers
Sci & Tech Writer Under threat from neonicotinoids and climate change, the hard-working bee is needed more than ever with a surging human population. Here are five ways in which humans and bees are more alike than you might realise:
1nectarIt isfrom thought bees can ‘self-medicate’ on certain plants when infected by Clever Bees
a parasite. Secondary metabolites produced by plants are usually a defence mechanism against herbivores. But an investigation by the Royal Society Publishing found a curious result; they looked into how secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, terpenoids and iridoid glycosides affected nectar harnessing insects. The outcome was that bumblebees consuming these secondary metabolites reduced their parasitic load by around 60-80%; it is now hypothesised bumblebees feed on plants providing this natural health benefit.
2reportedly A study by the University of Sussex has found bumblebees stealing nectar Corrupt Bees
from one another. A staggering one in eight
bees were found to be regularly travelling, and intruding, into neighbouring colonies. This thieving nature, reported by The Telegraph, reflects how bee society really is like ours.
bees – such as nesting. Researchers say the proteins responsible for this change in brain function is similar to those found in humans. They question if social interventions could help reverse or delay the impacts of dementia.
ber, and therefore return, to plants supplying nectar laced with caffeine compared with nectar without it. The well-known compound found in tea and coffee helps bees remember the location of these flowers during fast harvesting actions - swiftly moving from flower to flower. This memory surplus is a big bonus for other flowering plants producing caffeine; bees who have tasted this type of nectar are more likely to seek out similar plants in future.
NASA report shows Pluto’s diverse geology.The latest pictures and data from NASA’s new horizons spacecraft reveal that Pluto has a landscape like no other world in our solar system. It has an assortment of terrains and a range of geological landforms making it much more complex than first thought. NASA’s new horizons mission, which flew past Pluto on the 14th July, has brought to light new findings in a recently published report. Researchers have been able to paint the most detailed picture of Pluto, despite data being sent from a probe more than 4.5 billion miles away. The latest findings indicate that the dwarf planet does not take after any other world in our solar system. Instead ‘it’s like a little bit of everything’ according to planetary scientist and new horizons team member, Carly Howett. It has a splash of Mars with the same cycling and volatile compounds of the atmosphere that freeze on the ground; a pinch of Saturn’s moon Lapetus, sharing the beautiful and bright terrain with darkened areas of contrast; and a dash of Neptune’s moon Triton showing similar streaks made by wind defacing its icy surface.
"the dwarf planet does not take after any other world in our solar system" So what exactly did they discover?
New Horizons captured close up images of one of the most interesting geological
Sci & Tech Writer
Brain chemistry 4 A study by Arizona State university found bees can reverse their brain age by performing duties usually reserved for younger bees. Typically once bees move onto foraging activities their ability to learn new things diminishes over several days. However, the study found bees were able to reignite their ability to learn if they were returned to activities reserved for younger
thought these adventurous bees are the select few who go out to find a new location when a colony becomes too big – a task often critical to the survival of hives. Scientists are putting it down to an individual’s sense of adventure and have compared it to noveltyseeking behaviour in humans. A study by PubMed has even suggested bees have emotions. Their study found bees had a pessimistic response to negative stimuli - giving negative behaviour alongside chemical responses such as the lowering presence of dopamine, octopamine, and serotonin. Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Find out more about NASA's latest discoveries from the new horizons spacecraft Sci & Tech Writer
Ellen Daughtery
They love caffeine as much as we 3 do They have personalities Research at Newcastle University found 5 Honey bees can be 3.4 times more likely bees were three times more likely to remem- than their peers to become food scouts. It is
A World Like No Other Hannah Richards
Creature Feature: Cotton Ball Bat
features on Pluto’s surface known as Sputnik Platnum. Sputnik Platnum is a bright and smooth region of frozen nitrogen that extends for hundreds of miles. Interestingly this region is devoid of craters unlike the dark and ancient-looking Cthulhu region next to Sputnik Planum which is cratered. The craters are suggested to be up to 4 billion years old, from an earlier time when asteroids were bombarding the early Solar System. The fact that Sputnik Planum has a smooth unscathed surface suggests it is active and there are processes that smooth over the holes left by impacts. Researchers
"this ice is remarkably soft and thus making it unique in the Solar System"
suggest that as Sputnik Planum seems to be covered by nitrogen glaciers; these flow and fill the craters made by colliding asteroids. This evidence puts forward the idea that this ice is remarkably soft and thus making it unique in the Solar System. The nitrogen glaciers appear as icy mountains which were formed no more than 100 million years ago, making it the youngest surface in our solar system. Other regions of Pluto are neither bright like Sputnik Planum nor dark like Cthulhu. The area east of Sputnik Planum is like nothing else seen before; it has a ‘snakeskin’ terrain that may have been caused by material freezing and then being directed away, overtime this could have produced the blade-like ridges seen.
But what is at the centre of Pluto?
This is a question scientists will be addressing over the forthcoming months and years. It is thought to be composed of
relatively recent deposits of nitrogen ice, which raises the question why are there no other areas like this? The recent data collected also shows that there are several
"it is like nothing else seen before; it has 'snake-skin' terrain" differences in the composition of the nitrogen ice between the left and right halves of the ‘heart’. One possible model suggests that there are two spouts at the centre of each heart lobe shooting material upwards which is then blown by a light wind into the heart shape as it returns to the surface.
What is the atmosphere around Pluto like?
The atmosphere of Pluto is said to be 100,000 times thinner than Earth’s atmosphere, but the new images captured a blue haze circling Pluto. This effect is produced by the frozen hydrocarbons in the atmosphere; therefore the sky would look blue much like Earth.
What do these new findings about pluto mean? Will it become a planet again?
Looking past all the exciting new discoveries on the surface and atmosphere, the size of Pluto was more accurately measured. Its diameter, of 1,475 miles, is smaller than first believed, this means Pluto’s density must be greater and close to that of Charon, it’s moon. Pluto had its status as a planet revoked in 2006 after the discoveries in the Kuiper Belt region of the outer Solar System, particularly the dwarf planet Eris. However, this new information has suggested Pluto might be larger than Eris, so a case could be put forward to reinstate Pluto as a planet once again.
What springs to mind when you think of bats? Its most likely to be caves, darkness, vampires, the gothic era, and generally all things halloween. However, meet the Cotton Ball Bat that changes the normal perception that most people have of bats. The Cotton Ball Bat look like tiny balls of fluff. They are on average around 4cm in length, with fuzzy white hair and alarmingly shaped bright yellow features. Being members of the ‘leaf-nosed’ bat family, they possess a large, oddly shaped nose that protrudes dramatically from the face, and it is thought that this enhances their ability to use echolocation to identify their surroundings. The main difference is that, unlike other bats, the Cotton Ball Bat chooses to change its immediate surroundings for its own benefit. Most other bats will roost in caves or in roofs of old houses, and rarely take any action to change their environment to make it better. But the Honduran Cotton Ball Bat lives in the lowland rain forest, specifically in the heliconia leaves, and will cut the veins of the leaves so that they collapse into a tent-like shape. Under the leaf, a single male with a harem of females will huddle together for warmth, shelter and protection. Here they are protected from the elements and any predators that are lurking around in the branches, usually opossums or snakes are the most feared creatures. Their fur also gives them good camouflage against any potential danger, as their white coats gets a greenish tint when the sun shines through the leaves- making them almost invisible! Due to this exceptionally good camouflage they are rarely disturbed by anything passing by, and will only move onto a new leaf if the stem of theirs has been broken. They do have some bat-like characteristics, like being nocturnal and generally living on a diet of fruit and vegetation. But the interesting thing about these bats is that they belong to an order, Chiroptera, that they seemingly have very little in common with when compared to their neighbouring species. Not everything can be categorised into a box, and this is a prime example of the incredible diversity of life on this planet.
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Science & Technology
Save The Giant Panda? Sci and Tech investigates whether the Giant Panda should be saved from extinction Kara Watson Sci & Tech Writer
Should we really be saving the Giant Panda? The distinctive giant panda is an animal famous for being endangered. With its big black eye patches, cuddly appearance and overall likability, it is easy to see why many argue in favour of saving this bear from extinction. But with only a few thousand individuals left in the wild and breeding programs not always meeting with success, is the giant panda really where we should be focusing our conservation efforts? It is inescapable that saving this animal is very expensive. Breeding centres spend millions of dollars each year and the giant pandas specific diet makes them hard to keep in captivity. About 99% of the panda’s diet consists of bamboo which makes them expensive to keep in zoos. Many also argue that the panda is not worth saving due to it being an ‘evolutionary dead-end’, mostly in reference to its poor adaptation to its bamboo diet. Being a bear means its evolutionary ancestors were carnivorous or omnivorous so they would have had a diet of which meat would have been a key feature. But the giant panda rarely eats meat or anything other than bamboo in the wild, although a more varied diet is sometimes given in zoos. A key compo-
nent of bamboo is cellulose, a substance that is tough to break down, needing specialised enzymes. A study looked at the droppings of various different pandas to analyse the bacteria that were in their gut. It found that their digestive system was more equipped to that of an omnivores and had low levels of plant-digesting enzymes. This means that they end up digesting only about 17% of what they eat. On top of this, it is well-known that reproduction rates of giant pandas are low, with the females only being able to mate for about 2-3 days per year. This is the main factor for unsuccessful breeding attempts in captivity. Another significant problem for the giant panda is deforestation. They live in only a few mountainous regions in central China and the destruction of their habitat is causing a significant decline in their numbers. So with all these issues that the giant panda and conservation efforts to save
them face, is it really worth it? Recent research says yes. It suggests that saving the giant panda may also be helping local animals. They looked at other vulnerable species that are endemic, meaning they are found only in China, and found that these animal's habitats overlap the location where the giant pandas now live, in the Sichuan province in central China. This means that investing in saving the giant panda's habitat will have an umbrella effect over these other animals such as the golden pheasant and the Tibetan macaque. Giant pandas have a big influence over conservation decisions and without them, these animal's habitats may have been destroyed as they are less well-known with fewer campaigns to save them. So the argument that we are wasting resources on the giant panda and neglecting other species that need help may not stand up to this evidence as it shows that they are in fact indirectly benefiting.
Wikipedia
There is even some contradictory research on the pandas poor adaptation to their diet. Some studies have found evidence that pandas do in fact have specialised gut bacteria to digest the tough cellulose in bamboo to maximise the nutrition gained from their food. This suggests that their diet may not be as big a contributory factor to their extinction as first thought. It is thought that giant pandas first evolved their bamboo exclusive diet around 2 million years ago. So the fact is that they have survived that long with this unusual diet. So is it really as bad as it seems? Many argue it is their habitat destruction that is the main issue for the pandas and remedying this should be the focus. Even considering their low reproduction rate, pandas are actually quite successful in that respect in the wild, although they appear to lose interest in mating in captivity. There are many good, for and against arguments, for saving the pandas and it remains a commonly discussed topic. Although the millions of dollars spent on pandas could be used elsewhere, the pandas may have a significant effect on general conservation in China. Since they survived with their bamboo diet and unusual reproductive cycle for millions of years, deforestation may be the main issue for them and protecting their habitat could be very important for both them and other local species. It seems that money spent on the giant panda may not have been wasted after all.
Burns Victims Tiger DNA
The University of Birmingham's latest scientific research Amy Thompson Sci & Tech Editor
The University of Birmingham have been working with NIHR Surgical Reconstruction and Microbiology research centre based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, to develop a new dressing to help reduce scarring for patients affected by burns. The new dressing contains a compound called Decorin. Decorin was discovered by Prof. Ann Logan at the University of Birmingham. It is a naturally occurring molecule that is found in very small amounts within the body and is involved in the healing process when tissue is injured by burns. It is vital in reducing the amount of scar tissue that is made when we suffer from burns.
"Decorin can slow down the scarring process"
Professor Logan said: “When the tissues are damaged, it is a race between scarring that quickly closes the wound with a ‘patch’ and regenerative healing that reconstructs more normal tissue – therefore our strategy is to use Decorin to slow down the scarring process.” Prof. Liam Grover, also from the University of Birmingham, has now gone on to combine Decorin and the latest in material science to create a new dressing that incorporates high concentrations of
Decorin. This has allowed the Decorin to be placed directly on top of a person’s burns, letting it to enter the burned area. This new dressing can also has a unique property, it can be freeze dried allowing it to be easily transported. When the dressing needs to be used it can be made soft and malleable again by soaking it in saline. Because of this exceptional property there is great interest in the possibility of using the dressing in war zones
"This new dressing will help to reduce a burns patient's scarring" after bomb explosions to reduce the amount of scar tissue for victims. Being able to reduce the amount of scar tissue a burns victim has during treatment is of vital importance. As scar tissue can hinder mobility and can cause severe pain for patients as it can become very tight. By reducing the level of scar tissue it is hoped that patients will be able to keep more of the mobility after burns accidents. The NIHR SRMRC have been awarded a £1.6 million grant to continue further research into Decorin. They have recently started a three year trial using the Decorin dressing at the Queen Elizabeth hospital. If the trial is successful it is hoped that the team will be able improve the dressing further enabling it to help burns victims with facial scarring and eye damage.
New Research: DNA extracted from tiger's scent markings Charlotte Ward
Sci & Tech Writer Recent new research into the conservation of tigers has revealed that DNA can be extracted from a tigers scent markings. There are fewer than 3500 individual tigers left in the wild and despite conservation, efforts both current and past have not been sufficient enough to halt the declining numbers. Many of these tigers are threatened by poaching and habitat loss, and have been labelled as “Critically Endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. In order for tiger population numbers to be estimated in the wild, surveys of their numbers must be taken in the field. Conservationists do this by collecting evidence that they exist in the environment, for example by faeces, scratchings, and foot prints. Normally, tigers are elusive and shy, meaning that collecting population numbers by sight is difficult especially given their dense habitats and carnivorous appetites. Traditionally DNA is collected from tiger “scat” or faeces which can provide information about the tiger’s wellbeing and gender, this information can also be used to identify when different individuals have been visiting an area. However, scats are not as frequently obtained, particularly in humid, tropical environments where tigers are found because decomposition rates are high and so evidence is destroyed at a fast rate.
However, tigers use scent markings as a means of communications to other tigers particularly to mark territories or advertise their whereabouts. These markings are normally frequent and DNA can be extracted between 10 minutes and 29 hours of being sprayed. In this new research, DNA has been, for the first time, extracted from these scent markings and may give researchers new and more reliable evidence for the existence of tiger populations.
34 23rd October - 5th November 2015
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Television
The Apprentice 2015: Entrepreneurs and Egos
James Tyson looks at this years candidates in the first episode
So it’s that time of year again –Lord Sugar sits in his chair between his two most trusted advisors ‘to listen to what, for the most part, is a total load of drivel from allegedly Britain’s brightest business hopefuls.’ Assisting him this year are Baroness Brady ('call me Karen') and Claude Littner (the replacement for Nick Hewer) whose previously acidic quotes from the interview stage included – 'you’re not a big fish, you’re not even a fish’. So who were the big four in the first episode (not that they stood out necessarily for the right reasons)? First I must mention April Jackson: ‘when it comes to competing I am Jamaican and we only know how to do one thing, which is win’ Maybe April should have done some basic research before opening her mouth. Sure the Jamaicans are known to win things, take Usain bolt for example, but have you not seen the classic film Cool Runnings April? Her over-confidence is also highlighted by the fact that she believes she is prettier than the average person. If all this didn't put
Lord Sugar off, then pricing her tuna salad at £9 sure did. And then we move onto rather aptly named Brett Butler-Smythe He, along with his overtly sexist attitude, is enough to turn the strongest of stomachs. He automatically presumes that the women will have an aversion to handling the fish, because it is ‘stinky’. Does he think he’s
"But maybe Dan’s worst faux pas was his idea to call his team the ‘Sugarbabes’ after Lord Sugar"
back at primary school? Luckily, Ruth put him straight dismissing this as a load of ‘rubbish’. Brett put the final nail in his own coffin by never revealing to his team during a cooking challenge that he used to be a sous chef. This shows him not only to be an underhand but also potentially adverse to responsibility. Duly noted by Lord Sugar. The amateur philosopher Dan Callaghan showed off his intellectual skill and judgment with one of his first comments:
‘I’ve always said never interrupt your enemy when they’re making a mistake, I’m going to sit quiet and then in the boardroom I’m going to pounce on them.’ Go Dan – that’s how to make friends and influence people – I can see a couple of knives sticking out of his back already. Dan doesn’t initially seem that trustworthy, with him already admitting to almost losing his parents pension and claiming he won’t stop people making mistakes. But maybe Dan’s worst faux pas was his idea to call his team the ‘Sugarbabes’ after Lord Sugar - this did not go down well with his team or the dark lord himself. If this isn’t enough to put you off, the fact he didn’t sell a single product might. And my final target for this episode has to be Mergim Butaja. ‘I don't want to be a millionaire, I want to be a billionaire. I want to be richer than Lord Sugar and that will happen, he needs to realise that.’ I bet Lord Sugar is quaking in his boots! He also joined Brett in the sexist views camp. He expressed his wish that the structure of single sex teams from previous years
to be continued. Apparently this was to prove his point that men can sell more than women. Good attitude Margim, with one of Britain’s most high profile business women sitting about 2 metres away. The words 'foot and mouth' come to mind. As well as these somewhat outdated views, his basic life skills were also seen to be lacking when asking his team members if what he was holding was an onion – yes it was indeed a spring onion. And if he had not made enough of a fool of himself by attempting to sell fish to a vegan restaurant, he made matters even worse by asking if there was anything he could do to change their mind. Yes, of course Margim, we’ll abandon a lifetime of principles based upon your very below average sales pitch. Interestingly, even after watching the episode twice there was four contestants about which I have absolutely nothing to say - Aisha Kasim, Charleine Wain, David Stevenson and Gary Poulton. Could this be a sign that these characters are irrelevant to the series or is one being set up to be this seasons Dark Horse?
Could you be on Gogglebox?
TV Critic Tamsin Hackett considers whether simply anybody can be 'characters' on Channel 4's unique programme . Since 2013, Gogglebox has become a staple of our Friday night viewing. At first, it was the concept of the audience seeing families watching the shows that we love that had us hooked, but has the enjoyment factor shifted gears? The families and personalities are what seem to drive the show forward, they are witty, funny and relatable. But that got me thinking, could just anyone be a character on Gogglebox? In the latest episodes, our favourite families were as entertaining as ever. This week saw lovable Leon give a rendition of Madonna’s Like a Virgin and Giles suggesting that Keeping Up With The North Korean’s would be ‘a hell of a lot more entertaining than the Kardashians.’ As a social experiment I watched out for what my housemates would say or do if we were
chosen for Gogglebox; to see whether anyone could be on the show. Although I planned to quote them here and personally
"Increasingly, the focus of the show is turned to the characters personal lives when they’re away from their living rooms"
found them funny, I realised that maybe you had to be there, or you had to see it in the context of the programme. Regardless, like many of you must have, we always say that we should be on Gogglebox, but to an audience we’d probably only be as funny as Silent Jay. As well as enjoying watching this weeks programmes without having to actually
watch this week's programmes, as an audience we look out for the families quips and quirks to supplement our pleasure. We may notice if they have new dogs, new sofas, the Malone’s constantly changing cake supply and of course Reverend Kate’s tea cosy collection. This makes it increasingly difficult to like new people who are brought onto the show, we have no connection to them and they really don’t seem funny. This week the two new sisters, or the ‘two annoying ones’ as my housemate said, didn’t make an appearance after only five episodes. Increasingly, the focus of the show is turned to the characters personal lives when they’re away from their living rooms, from Eve’s break up with Silent Jay to her surprising engagement this series. As well as spin offs such as Steph and Dom at Home,
not to mention Sandy and Sandra’s hosting gig in Birmingham’s very own Nightingales. This shift in focus also suggests that it is the specific characters that are entertaining, rather than the concept of funny people watching TV. Maybe it’s not so easy to make it on Gogglebox after all; as an audience we seem to like to stick to who we know, and make it very difficult for anyone new to be liked. So because the entertainment and success comes from its lovable characters, I don’t think just anyone commenting on TV could make it big on Gogglebox.
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TV Quote of the Week: Another modest Apprentice candidate... Richard Woods: "I'm like a Swiss army knife of business skills."
Standing Up to Cancer Charlotte Pengelly TV Critic
It’s an age old and proven formula – use a bit of comedy to deal with a horrible topic to raise money for a great cause. Over the past few weeks, Channel 4 has teamed up once again with Stand Up To Cancer by featuring great television in order to raise awareness of the work of Cancer Research UK and to encourage donations that will help to beat cancer sooner. You might have noticed some familiar faces gracing the TV shows that we love the most. In a series of specials enabling the continuation of work done in cancer research, Gogglebox had a cosy night in with Nick Frost, Geri Haliwell, Boy George and Miranda. First Dates brought to light the complicated dating scene for celebrities like Alexandra Burke, and even the renowned Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing. The Last Leg had a special show with comedy guests Russell Howard and Greg Davies which, despite the pre-watershed airtime, proved to be as brilliant and heartfelt as always, maintaining the show’s essence.
"You might have noticed some familiar faces gracing the TV shows that we love the most." Alan Carr also hosted a fantastic Chatty Man, which had a collection of the weeks Stand Up To Cancer’s most memorable stars by integrating First Dates’ lovable maître d’ and Jamie Laing. Other guests included the brilliant Sue Perkins, Jonathon Ross, This is England’s Thomas Turgoose and music from 5 Seconds of Summer. This variety of com-
edy worked together to give the British public plenty of motivation to donate to such a worthwhile cause. At the heart of each programme, there was an important message that aimed to raise awareness about the realities of cancer, and the impact that it has upon the lives of sufferers and loved ones. You still have a chance to catch up on Channel 4 On Demand, and when you do, be sure to check out the clips of some moving stories of the ways which cancer has affected
'At the heart of each programme, there was an important message." just a few lives. Over the past year, Cancer Research UK has been working hard with the donations previously raised to get closer to their aim of beating cancer. According to the Stand Up To Cancer website, the organisation “has so far raised over £23.8 million for cancer research. 100% of that money has gone straight to translational research” which can develop into invaluable treatments. But with so many new ideas, and limited funds, TV specials like Stand Up To Cancer might be the difference between whether lifesaving projects get the go ahead, or not. The best part of Stand Up To Cancer, is that it asks for a one off donation, which is a great way for students to help. The Stand Up to Cancer website has a number of great ways to get involved, and a wealth of information about the work they are doing. By supporting the search for cures, even students can help change lives by making a small donation. To donate, visit www.standuptocancer. org.uk
Top TV Picks for Halloween...
With October 31st fast approaching, Redbrick TV recommends the best shows to get your Halloween fix. The Walking Dead, Season 6 Mondays 9pm on Fox UK The struggle to survive continues in this long-running show as the group fights to defend its newfound home.
Scream Queens
Premieres Monday 26th October, 10pm on E4
A horror comedy series centered around a series of murders. Scream All episodes available on Netflix Based on the classic film series, this new netflix show sees Lakewood's troubled past returning to the present.
American Horror Story: Hotel Tuesdays 10pm on Fox UK
The fifth season of the FX horror anthology, now starring Lady Gaga. Jekyll & Hyde Premieres Sunday 25th October, 6:30pm on ITV 1 Starring Tom Bateman and Richard E. Grant, Jekyll & Hyde is the latest interpretation of the classic novel. The Returned, Series 2 Tuesdays 10pm on Fox UK
Picking up six months after the last series, this award-winning French show returns to revitalise the TV fantasy genre as the Revenants' struggles continue.
Hit US Show Arrives on Amazon Prime Roshni Patel TV Critic
What I’m about to tell you isn’t top secret. Instead it’s been slapped all over our media stations and preached to us by every computer geek and techspert. What is it you ask? It’s cybercrime and hacking. It's everywhere and everyone’s a potential target, from big companies like Sony, JP Morgan and Ashley Madison to smaller companies and individuals, like Mat Honan, a Wired journalist who lost everything in 15 minutes. So, it’s no surprise that the newest shows are reflecting this trend, from Scorpion to CSI: Cyber, all in an attempt to give us a look at the minds of cyber criminals and those who defend us against them. Enter Mr Robot, the newest cybercrime thriller, cooked up by US writer Sam Esmail (Mockingbird), which is now available to enjoy on Amazon Prime UK. As the pilot begins, we immediately
"All in an attempt to give us a look at the minds of cyber criminals and those who defend us against them." meet our protagonist and antihero, Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek, Night at the Museum). By day he’s a cyber security engineer for Allsafe, by night he’s a cyber vigilante, hacking for the ‘greater’ good. Or so he thinks. Suffering from social anxiety
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and depression, Elliot breaks the fourth wall to talk to the viewer as his imaginary friend., He unreliably narrates some of the scenes, colouring the recount with his views, such as changing E Corp to Evil Corp. Before long, he’s on the radar of the elusive Mr Robot and hacktivist group FSociety. Their mission, redistribute the wealth that Evil Corp has been hoarding away from society for years. To say Elliot is torn, would be a gross understatement. Though he’s no stranger to breaking the law, for his own personal vigilantism, hacking shady characters and sending the evidence to the authorities, was easy. The question is, can he bear to commit corporate espionage and risk the fall out if it all goes wrong? At only 10 episodes long, Mr Robot doesn’t waste time, jumping straight into the action with twists, turns, tension and cliffhangers that should surely be illegal. Featuring probably the most accurate representations of hacking on TV ever, every episode never fails to intrigue, with scenes accurately depicting WiFi sniffing, password cracking and highlighting the weaknesses of everyday systems. Be ready to leave the pilot slightly spooked for your own digital safety and you’ll probably want to change all your passwords and encrypt all your communications by seasons end. Ranking ahead of Game of Thrones in the states and endorsed by NSA whistleblower, Edward Snowden, this show is certainly one to watch if you have Prime.
36 23rd October - 5th November 2015
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Sport
The Ruthless Nature of Managing in the Barclays Premier League Harry Wilkinson Sports Writer
Managing in the Premier League is perhaps the most ruthless job in football. With mega TV deals and sponsorships, a place in the Premier League is now worth millions upon millions of pounds. This financial incentive, coupled with large expectation from passionate fans, means that the man at the helm of a club is constantly under formidable pressure, and multiple sackings per season have become inevitable. Since the Premier League’s inception, the average reign of a manager from the present list of top division clubs (excluding Manchester United and Arsenal) is just 2.2 years. This extremely low ‘life expectancy rate’ of just two seasons demonstrates just how little time a manager has to impose himself on a club.
Brendan Rodgers
At a club like Liverpool, with a golden history of success, expectation is colossal. So the latest managing fatality of Brendan Rodgers, who was given the axe by Liverpool last Sunday, did not come as too much of a surprise to most people. Rodgers has now been replaced by Jurgen Klopp, the highly rated former Borussia Dortmund manager. There were many key moments that one could attribute to the downfall of Rodger’s reign, from Gerrard’s slip to Suarez’s bite (note how both of these incidents were completely out of Rodger’s control), but perhaps the fatal blow was the 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-final at the end of last season. Jamie Carragher, an iconic Liverpool figure, commented, 'Rodgers can’t argue in some ways. He’s been there three years, he hasn’t won a trophy...', and went on to say, 'Liverpool are becoming Tottenham. They think they are a big club but the real big clubs aren’t concerned about what they do'. Firstly, Carragher ’s mention of Rodger ’s Liverpool failing to win a trophy seems to support that the FA Cup semi-final loss was a crucial moment, especially for the Liverpool fans. The assertion that 'Liverpool are becoming Tottenham' is very interesting, as he seems to be suggesting that Liverpool’s recent taste of success (nearly winning the league two seasons ago) is similar to the effect that getting into the Champions League has had on Spurs; it has increased overall expectation, thereby illuminating any
failures by cause of comparison. In contrast to Carragher, Garry Monk, the current Swansea manager and former player under Rodgers, expressed 'I cannot believe it. I don’t understand it. It is a very harsh decision and he did not deserve that at all'. Although it is open to debate whether he should have been sacked or not, I believe that it would be unfair to summarise Rodgers’ Liverpool career as a stone-dead failure; ultimately, he so easily could be in possession of a Premier League winner’s medal. But, at the end of it all, Rodgers becomes just another number in the ever-growing count of Premier League sackings.
Dick Advocaat With Sunderland failing to win any of their first eight games, the Dutch Dick Advocaat decided to resign as boss, saying that he 'felt it was important to give everyone time to turn things around'. Some would say a noble decision, especially considering he refused to take any kind of financial settlement from the club. However, others might see Advocaat’s resignation as cowardly; an escape from a difficult job requiring a vast amount of mental strength and willpower. Regardless, Sam Allardyce, recently appointed as manager has a very tough job, although there are some players in the Sunderland squad capable of keeping the team up. With Lee Cattermole’s leadership, John O’Shea’s experience, and Jermaine Defoe’s goals, Sunderland have a decent chance of beating the drop.
to be a particularly tough job.Whoever it is must be mentally strong, respectable, and most importantly, oblivious to the media and fans. But, with a selection of unemployed candidates to choose from, there are some that may fit such criteria. Nigel Pearson comes to mind; strong character, respectable and not someone to mess with. His miraculous end to last season with Leicester proved that he knows how to get results with an average group of players.
Jose Mourinho 'The Special One' is under pressure, perhaps not from the owner, but certainly from the media. With Chelsea fifteenth, recording two wins and three losses, it is an incredibly poor start from last year’s champions. The loss at home to Crystal Palace, and the 3-1 home defeat to Southampton means that Mourinho has tripled the amount of home losses he has had in his entire Chelsea career in just over a month. After the Southampton loss, Mourinho featured in a fascinating interview, which had him say, 'If the club wants to sack me they have to sack me because I am not running away. If they sack me they sack the best manager this club has ever had'. Aside from being so modest, Mourinho’s remarks in the interview demonstrated the distinct sincerity that makes his character blossom. Love him or hate him, he will never fail to provide us with entertainment beyond measure.
Steve McClaren Just across from Sunderland at Tyneside, Newcastle have problems of their own. After a 6-1 thrashing at Manchester City, Newcastle find themselves at the foot of the table in twentieth position, after earning just three points in their first eight games. This is a truly appalling start for McClaren following his return to English football, one that he certainly did not need to rebuild his tarnished reputation in this country. If McClaren’s players do not start producing results soon, the passionate Toon fans may begin to turn against him, perhaps mirroring last season’s constant displays of displeasure towards Alan Pardew.
The only managers in world football that are capable of succeeding a manager like Mourinho are highly unlikely to be available for Chelsea to snap up before the season ends. However, if the remainder of the season does not improve for Chelsea (and they do not get into the Champions League), then it may not be surprising to see Mourinho leave in the summer, causing Abramovich to get out his wallet for the likes of Pep Guardiola, or perhaps Diego Simone of Atletico Madrid.
Tim Sherwood
Managing the Newcastle team seems
Sherwood was starting a welcome revolution at Villa Park. With new signing Rudy Gestede scoring the winner in a tough opening fixture away to Bournemouth, Villa fans all joined together in surmising a top ten finish this year. But then it started to go wrong.
After a successful start to his Villa career, with avoiding relegation and reaching the FA Cup final, there was an air of optimism surrounding the dawn of the new season for Villa fans. With thirteen players coming in, it seemed that
At first it seemed Villa were unlucky; dominating games but narrowly missing out on finding the goal to kill off the game, like in the 2-2 draw with Sunderland. But squandering a two-goal lead to Leicester to lose 3-2, followed by three successive defeats against West Brom, Liverpool and Stoke, not even a derby win against Birmingham City in the cup can make up for the terrible start Villa have had. If the poor form continues more and more fans will begin to turn against Sherwood, and American owner Randy Lerner may have no choice but to find a replacement. Should Villa sack Sherwood, which seems unlikely, then a fitting replacement could be Michael Laudrup. In his time at Swansea, Laudrup was able to find a happy medium between posession football and ruthlessness in the final third, thus could perhaps find a way to balance Villa’s attacking flair with defensive competency. The hiring and firing of managers in the Premier League seems to serve as a tangible source of entertainment these days, adding to the spectating and analysis of the actual game. In regards to how fair the system is, it seems that as soon as a team stops getting results the focus turns to the manager and his incompetency, whereas when a team is winning the focus is on the players, and their resounding excellence. Of course, it isn’t all bad for sacked Premier League managers, nearly all get a hefty settlement following the termination of their contract, so it isn’t like they are tossed to the side of the road with nothing. But still, the whole attitude towards managers, not just in the Premier League, but in world football too, seems a little wrong. The overwhelming pressure they must face to produce consistent results week in week out, has the potential to dislodge anyone’s mental stability. Sometimes it might be worth remembering the unpredictable nature of football itself: how a title can be lost by one single event, how a whole future of success can rest on a brief, single moment.
redbrick.me/sport
23rd October - 5th November 2015
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World Rankings in Sport: What's The Point? Sport can be a funny old world at times. Dan Brett investigates the importance of rankings in relation to recent sporting competitions...
Dan Brett
Sports Writer
Hosts England crashed out of the Rugby World Cup at the group stage, failing to qualify from the so called "Group of Death" containing Australia, Fiji, Uruguay and Wales. This group was perceived by many to be a ridiculous scenario for such a prestigious competition, with four of the world's top 10 teams all found in the same pool, contrasted with Pool C for example which contained only two top ten nations in World Champions New Zealand and now fourth ranked Argentina. Indeed, even Australian Michael Lynagh, part of ITV's punditry team for the World Cup, commented on the back of the England vs. Australia game which ensured the England team's exit 'I feel so sorry for England...I have always said this group is ridiculous'.
The rankings issue goes beyond the international scene and into club football Of course, it is easy to make the argument here that irrespective of the rankings and the draw England were not good enough to win the recent World Cup. To be world champions you have to be able to beat all the teams put in front of you, and the evidence shows Stuart Lancaster's squad are
not ready just yet. Thus, the most that can be said about any draw is that at worst it only meant England exited the tournament maybe one round earlier than they should have done. However, as a lot of the post mortem on England's departure seems to be to discuss the draw and the world rankings, this again opens up a debate that has been in the news in another high-profile sport recently. Despite Wales' 2-0 defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina (ranked 30th in the world), other results ensured they qualified for their first major championship tournament since 1958. They do so currently ranked an astonishing 8th in the world. This is in no way an attack on Wales' achievement. Ahead of the Bosnia trip they had conceded just two goals in eight qualifying games, achieving an historical 1-0 win away in Belgium en route to qualifying for France next year. This is a team with real backbone, as well as the star attraction of Bale. Despite the groundbreaking qualifying campaign they will more than likely finish second and not top of their group. They are ranked one place ahead of Chile, who this year won the Copa America for the first time, last year reached the quarter finals of the World Cup, and also boast star players such as Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal. I am unsure whether I am giving an opinion or a fact when I say that the rankings quite obviously are wrong. Take England for example, ranked 10th in the world, again below Wales. They join
a more elite group of perfect winning results in qualification, and have qualified for every major tournament bar one since the turn of the millennium. Despite this, England can end up in a situation where they will not be top seeds when it comes to drawing for the next World Cup qualifying groups, facing the prospect of a tricky route to the finals in Russia. Even more ridiculous is that because of this Roy Hodgson has had to answer questions whether playing prestigious nations such as world champions Germany and France (who incidentally are ranked a lowly 22nd behind such nations as Algeria and Slovakia largely thanks to a lack of qualifying fixtures due to automatic qualification as hosts) is a wise move. This is due to the fact it is conceivable we could lose a large number of friendly fixtures and endanger our precarious ranking position further when perhaps it would be wiser to face teams of a more "minnow" status. Realistically there is nothing an England fan would learn or enjoy from watching Hodgson's third string XI beat a modest footballing nation of the calibre they have swept aside in their qualification group. A huge amount can be learnt from a testing fixture against the well established European powerhouses. Of course there is a way in which the ranking systems of rugby and football can be justified. A mathematical way of looking at the results of teams over the past couple of years seems a reasonable way of compil-
ing a rankings list, however I firmly believe the proof of the bizarre current rankings and groups that these equations achieve show that the methods aren't adequate. Indeed the rankings issue goes beyond the international scene and into club football, where for a period it was almost certain Arsenal would draw Borussia Dortmund every year in the Champions League, whilst Manchester City still always seem to be drawn in the most difficult group of the English teams and at best make the last 16 of the competition.
Rankings are not fit for purpose and should no longer be tolerated
I would love to be able to present a method of compiling rankings that could solve all of my gripes, however it is obviously not as simple as that. What I do know is that the systems in place cannot be allowed to literally ruin sporting events in a way I currently believe they are doing. A rankings list based on common sense and opinions rather than the current methods would result in a more realistic list that more people would agree on, and as that is the case, the current rankings system needs to be completely overhauled. Rankings are not fit for purpose and recent movements have shown it has reached the point where they can no longer even be tolerated.
Germany (left) won the World Cup in 2014; Belgium (right) have only made one appearance at the last four major tournaments, yet were named first in the FIFA World Rankings (June 2015)
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23rd October - 5th November 2015
Sport
My Great Birmingham Run Sabrina Dougall News Editor
A first-timer’s perspective: Preparing for this half marathon was the hardest physical challenge I’ve ever taken on. I’ve always enjoyed running, but I’d never been part of a club and saw athletics at university as an elitist and closed-off world. But after completing the Great Birmingham 10k in May (an elaborate revision procrastination strategy), the half marathon seemed (with aggressive email and social media marketing) like the next step for me. The 13.1 mile distance was more than double the length of the summer run, and easily twice as hard. The main difficulty I had was finding the time to dedicate to proper training sessions; the two hours it took to clock up the miles made me late for quite a few meetings at the start of this term. And of course there are the new weaknesses I didn’t know I had - ankles, hips, knees
Rosie Twells Online Editor
and lower back bore the brunt of my student-budget trainers. Mentally, the running (which I did alone, with no music and no watch) gave me a new sense of focus and a lot of extra time to think. When it came to race day, the best thing about it was the motivation of the spectators who came out to cheer us on. Buses full of charity teams waved banners and tins of jelly babies. Kids from nearby houses held out cups of water and hands to hi-five. The best poster I saw read ‘MOTIVATIONAL SIGN’ which generated a lot of wry gratitude. Of course the most challenging part of 1 the the track comes around mile 10 when incline sharply increases (and everyone sorrowfully overtakes the runners 1 in bulky costumes - minions, washing machines and scooby doo to name a few). I’m so glad I did this for charity, and raised £250 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital. I would urge everyone to consider participating next year.
Trott On Top For Tenth Title Nicola Kenton Online Editor
Laura Trott once again proved to be the golden girl of British cycling, as she took to the track to claim her tenth title at the European championships in Switzerland. The success for Britain began on Thursday when the men won gold in the team pursuit, beating the Swiss in the final, and the team added to
On Friday night, it was Trott's time to shine
their record of winning gold in every European final they have entered since 2010. The quartet included Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins, as well as Jon Dibben, Owain Doull and Andy Tennant. This was the first competition that Wiggins had entered since declaring that he wished to race on the
track in Rio 2016 and thus this was his first step to qualification. Moreover, the women’s team pursuit also raced to gold with a victory over the Russians. This earned Trott her first title of the 2015 championships, along with Katie Archibald, Elinor Barker and Joanna Rowsell Shand. On Friday night, it was Trott’s turn to shine again as she delivered a win in the scratch race – although this was not in the plan, as the event was only supposed to be a warm-up for the omnium. The fourth day of competition saw more medals being won by the GB squad but this time it was Jon Dibben in an individual event. Dibben claimed a bronze medal in the Men’s omnium behind Team Sky’s Elia Viviani. Additionally, Chris Latham won a bronze medal in the elimination race. Read the full article online on our website at www.redbrick.me/sport
Top 4 Champions League Teams to Watch Bate Borisov
Key Stat: Borisov Automobile and Tractor Electronics are the only Belarusian team to have qualified for the Champion’s League for five seasons. Key Man: Filip Mladenovic put in an impressive performance as an attacking full-back against Roma, scoring and providing assists for his team. It is imperative that this great form continues and Mladenovic needs to perform his defensive duties well so that they can count on their goal difference if required. Chances of progressing past the group stage: Again, likely based on current form, but it will be close. Tough opposition will come against European giants Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen.
Real Madrid
FC Bayern Munchen
Key Stat: Bayern are one of five teams to maintain a 100% winning start to their 2015/16 Champions League campaign. Key Man: Robert Lewandowski has had an excellent week. He scored five goals in nine minutes against Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga and carried on this fine form by grabbing a hat-trick against Dynamo Zagreb in their latest group stage game. Chances of progressing past the group stage: Extremely likely. Group F is not the most testing collection of teams and the 2012/13 champions will be looking to replicate their success again.
Manchester City
Key Stat: Los Blancos have won the European Cup a record ten times which means they were granted permission by UEFA to wear a multiple-winner badge.
Key Stat: In their first season of the Champions League, City did beat eventual finalists, FC Bayern München in the group stages.
Key Man: Cristiano Ronaldo and it really couldn’t be anyone else. Attacking flair, pace, skill, strength, ability to score goals, you name it and Ronaldo has it. His two goals against Malmo helped Real maintain their 100% start in the Champions League and have got the team off to a flying start.
Key Man: Sergio Agüero. It is important that City keep the Argentine forward fit, especially with a hectic Premier League schedule and a Manchester derby at the end of October. He always shows determination to win the ball for his team and earned a lastminute penalty against Borussia Monchengladbach.
Chances of progressing past the group stage: Extremely likely. Their toughest match will come against Paris St. Germain away on 21st October, but they should not have any problems moving on to the next round.
Chances of progressing past the group stage: Likely, but it will be close. Away games to Seville and Juventus will test Manuel Pellegrini’s side to see if they can balance European and domestic games.
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23rd October - 5th November 2015
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From the Editor's Desk: Craig Joubert's Reputation is Ruined In the aftermath of Australia's controversial win over Scotland at the Rugby World Cup, Chief Sports Editor Will Robey argues why Craig Joubert should never referee an international rugby match again. Will Robey
Chief Sports Editor
In an era where rugby match officials are judged in stark contrast to their football counterparts, the actions of Craig Joubert at the final whistle were not just 'unrugby' like, they were appalling by any standard of officiating. The score is 34-32 to Scotland, a nation awaits that final whistle, a short shrill sound is all that separates Scotland from a place in the Rugby World Cup SemiFinals. Joubert's decision to award a penalty, which when kicked successfully by Bernard Foley gave Australia a death-defying victory, has been declared an "inappropriate decision" in a statement by World Rugby. However, it is not the decisionwhich in real time was an incredibly hard one to make- that I have trouble with. Craig Joubert's decision to run off the pitch, straight after the final whistle was blown is simply unforgivable. The standard of officiating throughout the tournament has been relatively high. It's clear to see areas of the game, whereby referees have been told to focus their attentions on and others whereby they have been significantly more lenient. However, Joubert's reaction at the final whistle leaves a dark shadow hanging over not only his own reputation, but the reputation of all the match officials at the tournament. There aren't many worse sights in sport than an official making such a crucial decision, whilst clearly not believing in their own decision making process and the outcome of their actions. Joubert's conduct in sprinting off the pitch, without shaking any players hands I hasten to add, was the conduct of a man unwilling to stand by his own
actions, and as we have subsequently told, his mistake. It was the act of a coward, let's not mess around here. An official with as much experience as the South African Craig Joubert, should know that type of conduct is not befitting of a referee officiating a local club match, let alone an international level referee at a World Cup quarter-final. Officiating in the world of football is often chastised by rugby fans. Mostly regarding the respect shown to referees. In rugby the majority of the players refer to the referee as 'Sir'- which if you ask me this weird adult/chid tone to the conversation between players and officials needs to stop. It's a remnant of the private school rugby playing type, which is unquestionably one
In a sport where a referee's integrity is rarely questioned, Joubert's actions have left his reputation in tatters of the major reasons Rugby fails to reach certain demographics, in the same way football effortlessly does so. I must say that I have never seen a football official run off the pitch at full time following a controversial decision- any followers of Turkish football will be aware of incidents of referees fleeing from the pitch, this however more related to crowd trouble than cowardly behaviour. World Rugby has been surprisingly open in their criticism of Joubert's decision to award a penalty, instead insisting the call should have been for a knock on- 'Scrum
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Down Australia', as they would have had it. However, World Rugby has been profusely pathetic in it's explanation of Joubert fleeing the pitch- stating that he "could have needed the rest room"- that's a piss to you and me. Other alternative, more believable, explanations than the one offered by World Rugby could be: 'he forgot to turn the oven off' or 'his girlfriend texted him to say her parents were out and she'd just bought a months subscription to Netflix.' What now for Joubert? The South African referee should have continued running, not just to the dressing room but through the stadium and past the offices of World Rugby, handing in his metaphorical international refereeing badge on his way. In a sport where a referee's integrity is rarely questioned, Joubert's actions have left his reputation in tatters. His authority as a result has been diminished and there is a big question mark as to whether players will have the same respect for him as they once did. This has certainly not been helped by World Rugby hanging one of their assets, in Joubert, out to dry. By breaking protocol to effectively criticise his decision making ability, it seems as if World Rugby's confidence on the man they've placed in charge on the biggest stage of them all. It therefore begs the question that if World Rugby appear to no longer be backing Joubert's refereeing ability, how confident should players feel that he is still operating officiating international test match rugby? Joubert will not be officiating the semi finals and bar some inexcusably political decision by World Rugby to exonerate Joubert with a shot at officiating the Rugby World Cup Final on Halloween at Twickenham, it could be and I hope it is- the last we see of Joubert on the international stage.
Lucifer Turner Crossword Editor
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The disgraced Craig Joubert
40 23rd October - 5th November 2015
Sport
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Winners of Student Publication Association Best University Sports Coverage Award 2015
The Great Birmingham Run 2015 Rosie Twells Online Editor
On Sunday 18th October, 20,000 runners took to the city's streets as part of the annual half marathon, the Great Birmingham Run. Despite the overcast weather conditions, spirits were high and the particpants bravely tackled the 13.1 mile course. Cheered on by thousands of spectators, who lined the winding and hilly route, Great Britain's Chris Thompson won the men's elite race in an astounding time of one hour and three minutes. This time places him as the fifth fastest male competitor since the race began. Runners were able to take in some of the city's illustrious sights along the way. Starting from the s outh of the city centre, before p a s s i n g t h e C a d b u r y Wo r l d i n Bournville and Edgbaston cricket ground, particpants finished on Broad Street. Read Sabrina Dougall's first hand account of what it's like to take part in the Great Birmingham Run - p. 38