November 2017

brig

University of Stirling’s student newspaper

since 1969

November edition 2017 | Twitter: @brignewspaper | Website: www.brignews.com

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Who is Joseph Mifsud?

Craig Munro News editor

T

he University of Stirling remains reluctant to answer pressing questions about its relationship to Professor Joseph Mifsud.

On October 31, Mifsud was named as the academic who, according to a US Special Counsel indictment, introduced a member of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign team to contacts related to the Russian government during the 2016 US Presidential Election.

The indictment also states the professor was the figure who told the campaign aide about the existence of Russian “dirt” on Trump’s political opponent Hillary Clinton, in the form of thousands of hacked

emails.

However, multiple important questions remain unanswered about Mifsud’s life and ties to a number of institutions, including the University of Stirling.

In a one sentence press release sent to media organisations around the world on October 31, the university admitted Mifsud had been employed by them since May. A university spokesperson said: “Professor Joseph Mifsud has been a full-time Professorial Teaching Fellow in the University’s Politics department since May 2017.”

Despite this role, neither Brig nor any other news organisation has found a single student on Stirling campus who can remember being taught continued on p.4

Credit: AP

Accommodation liaison officer betrays position of trust, says Stirling Uni Green Party

Rebekah McVey News editor

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ollowing the rape conviction of accommodation liaison officer Duncan Burns, the Stirling University Green Party, with

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whom Burns was previously affiliated, has voiced its disgust.

Stirling University Greens said: “We obviously don’t condone what he did, of course not.

“Some of us have known Duncan since we started at Stirling, and we are all still coming to terms with

what has happened.

“He was in a position of trust and responsibility and he has clearly gone beyond betraying that.

“It begs the wider question of misogyny within university culture, really.

“Duncan used to make some inappropriate jokes, but maybe we didn’t no-

tice the effects of that until it all came out - we’re used to it, and we shouldn’t be, but sadly that is the case.

“This male-dominated mindset is ingrained in uni life and until we start changing that, nothing will change.”

Union President Astrid Smallenbroek has also

stated: “The Students’ Union has a zero-tolerance approach to sexual assault and harassment on campus or within the wider community.

“Since the incident occurred, the Students’ Union and the University of Stirling have worked continued on p.3

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2 Brig | November 2017

News

Stirling student survey set to investigate impact of Brexit Hannah Kennedy

News editor

I

nternational students at the University of Stirling are being given the opportunity to take part in research now being conducted by the Union, in an attempt to minimise any fears caused by Brexit.

It’s a well-known fact that Brexit has struck fear in many international students’ hearts and, in such a time of uncertainty, it only seemed fitting for the Union to investigate how they can offer support during this stressful period.

With this in mind, here at Brig, we decided to pay a visit to Union President Astrid Smallenbroek to gain more of an insight into the research.

One of the key aspects picked up from the interview is the uniqueness of this study. Astrid stated that the Union wanted to see how Brexit was “affecting the current student population”.

The University of Stirling is not only the first

Credit: Astrid Smallenbroek/Facebook.

place to be conducting such a study in the UK, but also the first to focus on how it’s impacting current students, rather than just prospective ones.

The research is only beginning but, according

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to Astrid, the pattern of believing that Stirling is “quite a supportive community” is already emerging, and so it will be interesting to see how the study goes from here.

However, the main point to consider is where

it is likely to go.

Astrid provided us with a clear outline, commenting that: “Helping future students is the aim of the project.

“We’re hoping to use it to advise the University and ourselves on what

more we can be doing, but we’re also going to use it on a higher level.

“The paper will be sent to different places, one of which is the Scottish Parliament, and then they can make informed decisions based on that

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report.”

This all suggests a positive move forward for the university, but to gain a better understanding, we also interviewed a number of international students.

Laura Bassa, a second year English and French student from Spain, said that at first, she felt scared after hearing about the results.

“I mean at the beginning I was scared and was like, ‘oh no, what’s going to happen?’

“I get a bursary from the government, and I thought that Brexit would end it in two years, but then I received a couple of emails from the university, and I was more relaxed because they were showing it would be okay.”

The university did in fact send out an email reassuring students that the Brexit result did not reflect the beliefs held by the university, but now it’s clear to see that the Union are striving to make this principle even more apparent through their research by putting their words into action.

Another international student, Lisa Kwan, an economics student from Malaysia, stated that she thinks the university is also creating a good atmosphere for people: “My friends are international students as well, and some of them are scared, but generally, I don’t think so.”

It’s also important to point out that the survey is only one aspect of the research.

The Union will be conducting a number of indepth interviews and they’ll also be running a number of focus groups to gain a better insight into the international student experience.

From speaking to Astrid, along with students, it seems clear that the research is a step in the right direction for helping students, not only here at the university, but all over Scotland during this uncertain period of change.

With all of this in mind, the Union will now have a year to conduct the research.

Editor’s Column

he recent revelations of the archaic and sexist culture which continues to permeate the halls of Westminster should come as no surprise to any of us.

In fact, when I listened to the Guardian Weekly’s podcast on the matter, most of the women around the table agreed that this was not a surprise, none of them were shocked, and that this was finally a chance to lift the lid on a masculine dominated culture that still exists in politics.

Beyond Westminster, just look at what Donald Trump has said in the past towards women, and we can see the abject disparity in how women are treated in the workplace.

Of course, as was rightly mentioned in a recent BBC Question Time show, men also experience levels of sexual harassment, and often have to do so in silence because of the stigma that is attached to being bullied by a woman.

“You are a man, you should be glad of it!”. That

is the wrong attitude to take in this issue, because it is an issue which is indiscriminate to someone’s race, ethnicity, religion or background, and what you identify does not make you immune from the hurt such actions can cause.

How can young girls feel inspired to go into politics when the women who are there already tell stories of sexual harassment in the workplace?

When their is sexual abuse at schools, in churches, in the Commons - where do they go?

And at Westminster, it cannot even conform to the standards they set upon other businesses in terms of employee wellbeing and standards.

Even having a dedicated HR department to deal with staff grievances is a starter, but also continuing to sell alcohol at the parliament is just insane.

The allegations that have been brought forward should be reviewed with the utmost scrutiny

and respect.

It takes someone with an IQ a little over 15 to work out Fallon didn’t leave purely because he touched a woman’s knee.

However, regardless of what the allegations are, we should ensure that everyone feels safe in the places they study and work.

The Union launched its #IsThisOK? campaign, and is starting to put posters up promoting it once again.

Brig supports any campaig which seeks to make people happier and safer at work, and feel they are valued for their talents and abilities, not for their looks.

3 Brig | November 2017

News University: sexual assault and harassment will not be tolerated anywhere at Stirling continued from front in partnership to ensure that there are robust reporting procedures in place.

“Whilst this cannot change what has happened, it can change what happens in the future. All students are entitled to enjoy a positive and safe experience at university and we want to stress to students that any disclosures made to Union

or university staff will be believed and taken seriously.”

The victim gave her account at the High Court in Livingston, where she explained he raped her in one of the university’s halls of residence on March 23 last year.

Another woman provided a similar story, but the jury’s verdict was that Burns was not guilty of raping her on two separate occasions.

Burns was initially charged with three counts of rape and six charges of assault.

Following this, he lodged special defences claiming the sexual contact he had with the two women was consensual.

The assault charges have been withdrawn due to the prosecution’s evidence acquitting him of these charges, and the case has been ad-

journed until November 29.

A spokesperson for the University of Stirling said: “Sexual assault and harassment will not be tolerated anywhere at Stirling, and we condemn

Burns photographed as part of the Campaign for Fair rent.

the actions of the individual.

“We have robust procedures and appropriate support in place to report instances of sexual misconduct.

“All students are entitled to enjoy a positive experience at university, and we are committed to creating a safe environment on our campus.”

Lord Mullholland

The late Tam Dalyell, former Labour MP and Father of the House of Commons, asked to be interviewed by SURSA about his involvement in the politics of choosing which Scottish place would be home to the new university in the 1960s.

Other interviewees include former First Minister Jack McConnell; former Principal of Stirling John Forty, after whom the John Forty’s Court accommodation is named; and a “terribly interesting” woman who was a cleaner at the university for 40 years.

Lindsay Ross, a member of SURSA and former Professor of Aquaculture, offered to

create a website for the project – an idea that hadn’t occurred to many members, who assumed their interviews would stay available only through the university’s archive.

That idea ensures the recordings are freely available to people around the world.

The oral history project is as old as SURSA itself, which was founded by Smith in 2007. The group consists of 150 members, split into five groups, who enjoy organised events such as walks, garden visits, concerts and specialist talks.

The membership is made up of retired staff and their spouses or partners.

Smith said: “It’s actu-

describes the case as being a “very serious matter” and Burns’ name has been added to the sexual offenders register.

Retired Staff Association launch verbal history project Craig Munro News editor

A

new oral history, covering events at the University of Stirling from its creation to the present, has been launched online in time for the 50th anniversary.

The history is a project of the Stirling University Retired Staff Association (SURSA), which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.

Prof Angela Smith, who is the founder and chair of SURSA, said: “We have a member called Jim Valentine who, with his partner, has run something

IN BRIEF

called Our Story Scotland for years, and it’s a west of Scotland gay and lesbian oral history.

“Jim and his partner are both very experienced in video recording, how you do it, how you do the interviews and so on, and because Jim was on the committee right from the beginning.

“He said, right from the beginning, we could start an oral history, and most of us didn’t really know what an oral history was.”

Valentine began holding classes for SURSA members, where they would interview each other about their experiences working for the University of Stir-

ling before reporting back on the content of the interview and submitting key points to help people searching for a particular subject.

Smith, a former professor in English Studies at the university, says that the sessions were “tremendous fun”.

The group began by interviewing people who worked for the university in 1967, including the first Principal’s Secretary, Matilda Mitchell, and the first Deputy Principal, the late Sir Fred Holliday, who later became Principal after the death of Tom Cottrell.

Smith was the technician when Holliday was interviewed.

Lace up and get active in this year’s #Stir5KaDay

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he Sports Union is asking all students to take part in their 5K a day challenge this November, in a bid to promote a healthy lifestyle for all.

This can be carried out any way the student sees fit, whether that be running, swimming or walking.

As the Union state: “Be as creative as you can.”

This isn’t just for the sporty - the challenge is for students of all abilities.

Students will be able to share their photos/overall progress by tweeting @stir_sports and using the hashtag #stir5kaday.

So, this November, get active and grab your trainers so you can take part.

Are you up to the challenge?

“It was very, very moving.

“He actually burst into tears halfway through, when he was describing how Tom Cottrell died.

“He’d been rereading his letters and his notes, and it brought it all back.

“But it’s a marvellous interview, because it’s right at the beginning.”

Since the early days of the project, the interviewees have grown beyond members of SURSA to former and current students, and people from outwith the university.

SURSA interviewed several attendees at a reunion of students and staff who were at the university in its first year of existence.

Fab at 50: Stirling University throws 60s party for anniversary

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he university held a 60s inspired event as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations on November 11 in Pathfoot.

Sarah Bromage, Deputy Curator at Stirling, said the event was created to “celebrate what was going on in music, art and fashion in the year that the university first opened”.

There were a number of events on offer during the day such as a screening of The Jungle Book, a 1960s music pop quiz, vintage hairdressers and dressing-up boxes.

The university’s art collection also opened their doors to display art and photography inspired by that era, in what will form the centrepiece of a new exhibition.

ally quite nice for people who are on their own, as a structure, because it gives them things to do with other people.”

As for the future of the project, she is optimistic.

“Jim [Valentine] started to look at other university’s oral histories […] and they stopped with the fiftieth.

“That was never what we planned.

“We think of it completely as an ongoing resource, and something that, when we’re all dead, other people could continue with, and keep an informal history of the university.

“And it is awfully interesting.”

Fresh improvements for First Bus service

F

irst Bus has announced a new way to pay for your bus fares using their new mobile app in their bid to improve their services.

These service improvements, made due to recent customer feedback, are being implemented from November onwards.

First Bus are introducing an additional Monday to Friday

journey at 7.50am, from the city centre to the University.

There will also be changes to their night buses; another UL night service journey will be added to timetables for Friday and Saturday.

In addition, from mid-November, Stagecoach Citylink will allow passengers to pay using contactless.

4 Brig | November 2017

News Vice-Chancellor Gerry McCormac

Holger Nehring Head of History and Politics Joseph Mifsud

University evades questions about professor at heart of Trump-Russia scandal

continued from front

by Prof Mifsud.

It was subsequently discovered that Mifsud had been employed by the University of Stirling for a significant amount of time before May 2017, albeit on a part-time basis.

The university has not released a statement on the situation since this initial one, and all staff members who have been contacted by Brig about Mifsud have either stayed quiet or referred all questions to the Communications Department.

Since the world learned that Joseph Mifsud was the professor who introduced Trump aide George Papadopoulos to people connected to the Russian government, there have been very few answers as to who he is, where he came from, and how he came to be employed by the University of Stirling.

Instead, questions and

mysteries keep piling up.

We know Mifsud was educated at the University of Malta and the University of Padua.

He gained a PhD from Queens University in Belfast in 1995, while Stirling Principal and Vice-Chancellor Gerry McCormac was lecturing in Physics there.

A picture is gradually emerging of a man who has found himself close to some of the most powerful political figures in Russia, the US and his native Malta.

One of the most recent revelations in the story came on November 4, when it was reported that Mifsud attended a fundraising dinner in October.

Also present at that dinner was British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

Mifsud reportedly told a colleague that he was going to London to “have dinner with Boris Johnson … re Brexit”.

Mifsud’s presence at this dinner was allegedly

a result of his relationship with Alok Sharma, the MP for Reading West, who was also a minister at the Foreign Office until June this year.

Sharma confirmed to The Observer he had met Mifsud “a couple of times” and “briefly greeted” him at the aforementioned fundraising dinner.

On October 31, as the news about Mifsud was breaking, Labour MP for Exeter Ben Bradshaw raised a Point of Order in the House of Commons to ask whether the government intended to make a statement on the “British connection” in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, with particular reference to Prof.

Mifsud.

John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons, replied that he had “no indication from any government minister of an intention to come to the House to

“

make a statement on that matter”, before stating he was “confident” that Bradshaw would bring the matter to the House.

Around the same time, Bradshaw wrote to

On November 4, Mifsud atended a fundraising dinner in October. Also present at that dinner was British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

Questions are also being raised about Mifsud’s connections to INTO University Partnerships, whose new facility on Stirling campus is being officially opened on November 13.

The institution most closely associated with Mifsud in the UK is the London Academy of Diplomacy, which was first affiliated with the University of East Anglia (UEA), but has been affiliated with Stirling since 2014.

Mifsud is listed by several sources as the director of the Academy.

It is unclear whether he still has this position, as the LAD’s website has been deleted and there is no mention of it on the University of Stirling website.

According to a document found on the UEA website, “London Academy of Diplomacy” was initially an

”

Prof McCormac, to ask him for details on the full-time role he gave to Mifsud in May of this year.

Bradshaw confirmed to Brig he was “yet to receive any response to [his] questions on this”, either from the government or from Prof McCormac.

“informal working title” given to the university’s London INTO facility in 2011.

In 2015, the LAD was officially registered as a company by Companies House.

On the certificate, the Company Directors are Andrew Colin and John Sykes, who are listed as the founder and co-founder of INTO on the organisation’s website, and INTO University Partnerships is listed as the sole shareholder.

It is unclear what led INTO to officially register the LAD as a company several years into its existence, and only a few months after it became affiliated with the University of Stirling.

On November 1, a university spokesperson confirmed to STV News the University of Stirling validated two courses at the LAD between September 2014 and Sep-

tember 2016, “when [the LAD] withdrew these courses”.

Whether the LAD existed beyond September 2016 or not remains unclear.

In June 2016, several pictures of an LAD graduation event were posted on Twitter by Prof John Gardner, who retired from Stirling in March of this year.

The photos showed Joseph Mifsud standing beside Stirling professors including Holger Nehring and Richard Oram, as well as Prof McCormac.

As pictures like these demonstrate, links between the University of Stirling, INTO, Mifsud and the LAD exist.

However, until answers are provided, the nature of these links will continue to be questioned.

5 Brig | November 2017

News

John Gardner Former Senior Deputy Principal

Richard Oram Dean of Arts and Humanities

Have your opinions heard in the newly launched Big Union Survey

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he University of Stirling Students’ Union is looking for your feedback on anything and everything to do with student life at Stirling.

The last large-scale survey allowed the Union to inform its new Strategic Plan, and this year the Union is asking students for their views once again.

The Union said: “Whilst we regularly seek this feedback through meetings, elections, online and in specific surveys, every few years we undertake a large scale survey to help us gather feedback which will

help shape the Union’s next Strategic Plan.

“Whether you’ve got views on academic support, clubs, sports teams, Underground, events or more, we want to ensure your voice is heard and that we are all working together to provide the very best student experience.”

Students can go to the Students’ Union website to provide their feedback on the services they interact with on a daily basis, and be in with a chance of a reward.

The Union is offering students the chance to win Amazon vouchers, which will be given out

to eight lucky participants.

One student will walk away with £100, two others with £50, and another five with £25.

The Big Union Survey is one of two big surveys the Union is currently carrying out.

The other survey is the Student Wellbeing Survey, which is being used to inform the Union’s approach to mental health.

The Union website said: “Stirling is working with 13 other students’ unions across the UK to collaborate on this study working with independent research consultancy Alterline.

“We are also working with the University’s Student Support Service on the survey so we can also better improve student wellbeing at Stirling.

“We hope to make it the biggest study of its kind in the UK. Your answers will not be associated with your name or identity when reported; you will not

be judged by the answers you give.

“If you have any questions about the survey, please contact susanna.jenkins@alterline. co.uk.”

Students who assist in the Wellbeing Survey will be in with a chance to win £500 in cash, or be one of 50 winners of £10 Amazon vouchers.

6 Brig | November 2017

Politics

ICYMI: what is going on with Trump and Russia?

Craig Munro News editor

I

f you haven’t been paying m u c h attention to the whole, wild story of the Trump-Russia scandal, and feel as if you should maybe start doing so now that the University of Stirling is somehow involved, here is a brief recap.

On July 22 last year, just after Donald Trump had been officially confirmed as the Republican nominee for US president, the website Wikileaks published thousands of emails that had been hacked from the server of the Democratic National Committee – the formal governing body of the Democratic Party.

The hacking was alleged to have been carried out by two groups in Russia, called Cosy Bear and Fancy Bear.

A few days later, The Daily Beast reported that some members of the FBI thought the hack might have been part of an effort by the Russian government to get Trump elected president.

Trump’s opponent in the election, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, repeatedly talked about Russian

interference in speeches and debates throughout the campaign.

Trump would retort by saying that nobody knew who was responsible for the hacking.

Also during the campaign, thousands of advertisements and fake news stories flooded onto social media, covering divisive social issues and disseminating untrue and often ridiculous stories about Clinton, and reaching an audience of millions in the US. Many of these adverts and stories were later found to have originated in Russia.

After Trump’s election, the Russia story did not disappear.

On December 9, 2016, just over a month after Election Day, the Washington Post reported that the CIA had officially determined that Russia intervened in the election to push it in favour of Trump.

The same day, it was announced that President Barack Obama had ordered the US intelligence services to conduct a “full review” of Russian interference in the election.

After Trump was sworn in as president

“

on January 20 this year, events linking his campaign to Russia kept surfacing.

It was reported that his national security advisor, Michael Flynn, had met with the Russian ambassador to the USA, Sergey Kislyak, and discussed sanctions that Obama had imposed the previous December, in retaliation to the interference.

Flynn then resigned.

Then Jeff Sessions, the US Attorney General, recused himself from the Russia investigation after Justice Department officials discovered he had

The hacking was alleged to have been carried out by two groups in Russia, called Cosy Bear and Fancy Bear.

leading the Russia investigation.

Two days later, Trump admitted that he was thinking about “this Russia thing” when he made the decision to terminate Comey.

Comey’s dismissal led to the appointment of a Special Counsel to lead the investigation: former FBI director, Robert Mueller.

The first indictments of Mueller’s Russia investigation were revealed on October 30. Paul Manafort, one of Trump’s presidential campaign managers, and Rick Gates, an associate of Manafort’s, had 12 charges against them.

Both plead not guilty.

However, the most damaging event of October 30, for Trump, was the guilty plea of a former campaign aide named George Papadopoulos.

This is where Professor Joseph Mifsud, who is employed by the University of Stirling, comes in.

Papadopoulos’s indictment contains a lot of information about meetings and conversations with, or organised by, a “Professor” who has been identified as Mifsud.

Mifsud was close with several major

”

met with ambassador Kislyak twice in 2016, despite telling the Senate that he had not communicated with any Russians during the campaign.

On May 9, in an unprecedented move that shocked many, Trump fired FBI director James Comey, who was

figures in Russia, and he put Papadopoulos (and therefore the Trump campaign) in contact with them.

The guilty plea is the most damning evidence of collusion

between Russia and the Trump campaign so far.

If it is proven that there was collusion, and Trump was aware of it, his administration

will come to an end and we will see the most spectacular presidential downfall in United States history.

Northern Ireland under threat of direct rule if a government cannot be formed Abigail Taylor Politics editor

A

fter ten months of cross party talks, the Northern Ireland Executive has still not been formed, threatening direct rule.

The talks followed the shock resignation of Deputy First Minister Martin McGuiness, which resulted in the fall of the power sharing government in January 2017.

Secretary of State James Brokenshire announced the failure of the talks and further discussed his plans to form a budget

from Westminster.

The party’s inability to agree has left the Northern Irish public in dismay as they haven’t had a working executive - and therefore a working budget - for almost a year.

Public sector workers in the parliament buildings of Stormont threatened to find new jobs because of the uncertainty ahead.

Sinn Féin, the second largest political party, commented that the talks process to restore powersharing at Stormont is not working, which will come as no surprise.

Key issues such as rights

and language have yet to be resolved.

The usual them-againstus argument has prevailed throughout the process, as neither the DUP nor Sinn Féin are backing down on their key issues.

The DUP said: “We want to see an executive set up; we would have done it in March and sorted these issues.

“Progress would only be made towards a deal when Sinn Féin drops its ‘red-line demands.’”

The worst of it all for the Northern Irish public has been that all 90 MLAs (Members of the Legisla-

tive Assembly) have been receiving their full salaries since the last election in March.

With nothing being done on the hill, it almost seems unnecessary to pay a wage.

Some of the smaller parties, such as the Alliance Party, have been calling for a wage reduction to encourage a deal.

With no functioning assembly, MLAs have not done any legislative work since they were elected, but they have still been helping the public by working in their constituencies. Alliance Party

leader Naomi Long has said their salaries should be cut by 30% to reflect that.

This has been the biggest political crisis in a decade in Northern Ireland – the last time direct rule was issued.

James Brokenshire admits he does not think direct rule is the fundamental answer, and still has some belief the parties will come to an agreement.

Credit: PA

Whilst Theresa May has some slightly bigger fish to fry, she too has come under scrutiny for essentially ignoring the crisis.

Shadow Secretary Owen Smith has been encouraging the Prime Minister to “get stuck in” to restore devolution in Northern Ireland.

What is direct rule in Northern Ireland?

Direct rule is the mechanism for taking over the functions and powers of the government of Northern Ireland the Northern Ireland Executive - and giving them to London.

After legislation in 2006, direct rule from Westminster would require the passing of legislation in the Commons.

It was last used under Tony Blair in 2007.

7 Brig | November 2017

Politics

PolSoc president takes on world poverty at European Parliament Rebecca McCurdy Politics editor

S

tirling University student Margareta Rončević joined The ONE Campaign earlier this year to take on an active role as a youth ambassador, where she would be given the opportunity to join the global cause of tackling extreme poverty and sexism.

Earlier this month, Margareta represented ONE as one of the UK’s 55 representatives at the European Parliament and the European Commission in Brussels.

The ambassadors lobbied at parliament in an effort to encourage the European Union to award the international aid and development budget with the best possible deal ahead of the budget talks a few weeks later.

Margareta and the youth summit met directly with over 100 MEPs and lobbied the parliament in an effort to encourage the European Union to award the increase to the international aid and development budget.

Credit: The ONE Campaign

The amount of hard work and determination is evident, considering the work of the youth ambassadors resulted in a resounding success for the campaign, as the European Parliament voted for the budget committee proposal to increase aid next year.

Extremely proud of this outcome, Margareta, an International Politics student at Stirling, said: “It was reward to find this out after all of the effort we all put into it, especially because we know that the money will make a huge difference.”

She added: “I am very passionate about helping people and believe that everyone deserves an equal opportunity and

chance.

“You don’t have to change the entire world, but at least you can try to contribute to it.

“I was even more inspired after our first training in London earlier this year, when I met all of the other youth ambassadors who shared the same values and passions as I did.

“It helps a lot when you see that there are other people who care just as much as you do about global issues, and are trying to do something about them.”

But the journey for change does not end here, and the ONE Youth Summit moves onto its next campaign: Poverty is Sexist.

This campaign stresses the importance of the

EU’s continued partnership with Africa, especially in increasing education for young girls.

It aims to tackle sexism and gender inequalities among the poorer undeveloped nations.

Margareta stresses the importance of tackling this, stating women should not be denied rights to a necessity such as education because of issues such as forced marriage.

Margareta describes this campaign as extremely important, and is a project which the youth ambassadors dedicate most of their time to.

And the upcoming African Union and European Union summit on November 29 and 30 is the perfect place for the Poverty is Sexist campaign to be spearheaded.

This campaign will see the youth ambassadors fight for the right of education for more than 130 million young girls and women who are out of school.

8 Brig | November 2017

Politics

Michael Fallon resigns amid sexual harassment allegations Abigail Taylor Politics editor

T

he sudden resignation of Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon last week shocked the nation, following numerous sexual assault allegations aimed towards the MP. The resignation followed a phone call from a journalist who has reported Fallon’s inappropriate behaviour.

Jane Merrick, a junior journalist at the time, informed Downing Street about the incident, describing the MP to have lunged toward her to kiss her after they had lunch together.

This, however, has not been the only allegation made towards the member, as it has been reported that several women have come forward expressing their upset.

Following this, Merrick felt she also had to come forward.

Like many women, selfdoubt triggers after such incidents occur. Merrick said: “I felt humiliated, ashamed. Was I even guilty that maybe I had led him on in some way by drinking with him?

“After years of having a drink with so many other MPs who have not acted inappropriately towards me, I now know I was not.”

The Conservative MP entered office during Margaret Thatcher’s reign as Prime Minister, and has worked his way up in party ranks for over 30 years. Fallon was knighted in Prime Minister David Cameron’s resignation honours and has been defence secretary since 2014.

Fallon admitted he had “fallen short” of the standards that were expected of him as an MP, and specifically those of Defence minister.

He said: “I have fallen below the high standards that we require of the armed forces that I have the honour to represent.”

When asked if he thought he should apologise, Mr Fallon said: “I think we’ve all got to look back now at the past; there are always things you regret, you would have done differently.”

He added that it had been a “privilege” to have been Defence Secretary over the past three and a half years.

GREAT BEER,

He became the first politician to quit following claims of sexual harassment.

Following the resignation, Gavin Williamson has been appointed as the new minister.

Williamson is well known in the Conservative Party as he has been promoted from party chief whip.

The chief whip is a political office in some legislatures whose task is to administer the whipping system that tries to ensure members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.

South Staffordshire MP Mr Williamson, 41, said he was “both honoured and excited” by the promotion.

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said that, while Mr Williamson was an effective operator, some Conservatives were furious that an MP with no ministerial experience had been promoted to the cabinet.

One senior Conservative has said: “MPs are deeply unhappy he has used the position of chief whip to benefit himself and has deserted his post at such a crucial time.”

Credit: PA

GREAT FOOD , GREAT MUS IC

THE JAZZ PACK

M P SCOTLAND’S FAVOURITE JAZZ BAND 7 M P 4 9 1 R E B M E V NO

9 Brig | November 2017

Comment

Millennials: be seen and be heard Rebekah McVey Comment editor

M

illennials have a reputation of spitting the dummy out of the pram when we don’t get what we want. We’re apparently self-expecting and don’t appreciate what our parents do for us.

When something doesn’t go our way, we’re told we can’t get everything we want.

Most young people didn’t reject an independent Scotland and when we stayed part of the UK, we were told the world would keep spinning.

Then came Brexit, which we didn’t vote for either.

It’s what the majority wanted, so we accepted that too.

There was a snap general election and most young people didn’t want another Conservative government, but look who’s in charge yet again.

With politics, it’s not a case of wanting a Barbie and getting a Polly Pocket.

These dolls do the same job, we accepted that as children.

One politician won’t do

the same job as another.

This is something we need to speak up about; we’re adults who can make decisions for ourselves now.

Being critical and voicing our opinions about the government doesn’t make us brats, it makes us worried about our future.

Following the snap general election, YouGov reported 72% of those aged 18-24 casted their vote. Considering voter apathy more commonly seems to be a problem in younger generations, it’s clear considerable progress has been made.

However, the majority of those born in the late 90s have yet to experience what it feels like to cast their vote and get the result they want.

Some might say politics is like swings and roundabouts, and our time will come when we get the government or result we want.

That might well be something to look forward to, but that doesn’t ease our concerns about what will happen in the next five years.

How long will it be before we can be satisfied with who’s in charge? If

our worst fears about our futures come true, will governments in years to come be able to rectify the damage caused?

If you search ‘Brexit and millennials’ on Twitter you’ll have no problem finding criticisms about why we’re delusional for voting Remain.

We never thought of the EU as a magical, fairy tale kingdom that our parents and grandparents dragged us out of.

We were perfectly aware of its flaws but we did think we could change that.

We know that liking something doesn’t make it exempt from scrutiny.

Pointing out the obvious, those who voted Remain had their reasons for it.

Employment opportunities was of course a big concern, particularly amongst young people.

Freedom of movement in the EU provides plenty of opportunities to find work in other countries, regardless of potential language barriers.

Though Brexit won’t make it impossible to find work in countries like Spain or France,

Credit: John Silvercloud

it certainly makes it a lot harder than it was in the first place.

This isn’t because we’re lazy and expect jobs to be handed to us.

Seeking employment without even thinking about Brexit is hard enough, but that’s a debate for another time.

Granted, there’s a lot we still don’t know about this matter because of agreements that currently haven’t been established yet.

However, it seems likely that visas and permits will be required.

Brexit was criticised by some as being an old persons’ vote.

Although everyone who can vote should, it’s easy for young people to lose hope and think their future will always be in someone else’s hands.

Simply showing up at a polling station isn’t the only way make a change; sometimes we need to be more creative than that.

If you feel your voice doesn’t matter, don’t sit and hope one day you’ll get the government you want just because your elderly relatives say that’s what’s going to happen. Hoping for the best achieves nothing.

No major change in history was ever a result of people accepting the status quo.

If your gran’s friends roll their eyes or have a snarky remark to make about you “piping up about politics

again”, then you’re doing something right.

Long gone are the days when we were told that we should be seen and not heard.

We’re not children anymore.

We should make sure we’re seen and we have absolutely every reason to be heard.

originally published in the Scottish Left Review

The fall of a fantasy: Suu Kyi is the true villain of the Rohingya crisis

Aneesa Dastgir Comment editor

T

he Rohingya crisis. I can guarantee you have heard of it, seen the shocking pictures.

Villages up in flames.

People walking hundreds of miles to escape.

The Rohingya crisis refers to the ongoing military brutality by the Myanmar Army and other forces on Rohingyas in the Rakhine State, which is a western region in Myanmar.

In September, the UN secretary general said that Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar are “facing a c a t a s t r o p h i c humanitarian situation”.

Since September, 379,000 Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh.

The number is much

higher if every country in which the Rohingya have fled to are counted.

Adding to that, the UN Security Council made a u n a n i m o u s statement which condemned “the initial attack on security forces and subsequent violence”. Statements like this do not help the situation.

This won’t provide aid to those who need it. Action is needed, not empty statements.

The statement itself is putting half the blame on all of the Rohingya community.

What the army is doing is an extreme violation of human rights.

I’m referring to the mass rape, arson to villages, infanticide, and barbaric killings.

Rape is being used as one of the biggest tools for the army – a tool to create terror and oppress those who are already oppressed.

Credit: Getty Images

Using methods like this will result in the crisis to never end.

Myanmar is predominantly Buddhist, making up 90% of the population.

Small minorities of other faiths, including a small minority of Muslims (4%), reside there, and most are forbidden to vote

and denied citizenship, treated as subhumans.

The Rohingya people have been described as “amongst the world’s least wanted”, as well as “one of the world’s most persecuted minorities”.

Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of Myanmar, has been the

most abysmal character in sight.

Suu Kyi is the leader of the National League for Democracy. (Ironic, isn’t it?)

At the beginning of 2017, many called for her Nobel prize to be revoked.

Constantly playing down the atrocities being conducted by the army will not make the masses

forget.

Not everyone can be as callous as Suu Kyi. The most important thing to remember is that this crisis is not brand new.

It is two years old – having started in 2015.

The fact that the world has allowed this to go on for so long and ignored it speaks volumes.

Our ‘democracies’ only care when there is something of value in it for them.

That is what the logic of consequence entails – the actors (states) will only act if their self-interests are fulfilled. What a sad world we live in.

It has been going on for two years already, and I for one cannot see a time where it will end.

The veil society has put over the crisis shows a stark reality.

History will always repeat itself unless we

act.

In the western world, we sit in our cosy homes, as the long nights draw in.

We sympathise but, as Carol Ann Duffy said in “War photographer”: “The reader’s eyeballs prick with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers.”

We care, but we forget.

We go on with our lives and it doesn’t affect us directly so maybe that is why we can’t resonate to the extent others can.

It is of utmost importance that we do not forget what is happening in Burma.

We cannot forget the pain and anguish these fellow humans are feeling.

As students, we can change the world and write history, for the betterment of society.

The saying goes: ‘Justice will prevail’.

10 Brig | November 2017

Comment

Can I be a feminist and not support Hillary Clinton?

Elizabeth Mackenzie engagement to speak for

O

n April 12 2015, Hillary Rodham Clinton announced her campaign for presidency.

With this proposal came a campaign video filled with normative symbols of liberalism and progression: working women, LGBT couples, members of ethnic minorities.

The representative sample of America’s population appear to be hardworking and optimistic in the midst of an adverse economic climate.

Hillary Clinton makes an appearance claiming to take on the challenge of financial inequality.

She states that she recognises that “the decks are still at the favour of the top”.

It is clear her campaign aims to promote liberty and inclusive capitalism.

Unfortunately for Clinton, the timing of this announcement clashed with an appointment she had in Morocco, according to emails leaked by Wikileaks.

The soon to be presidential candidate had a prior

a Moroccan mining company, with a questionable human rights record, in return for a $12 million speaker’s fee.

Unable to attend, Clinton had to send her husband and daughter in her place.

Within this period of 24 hours, an ambiguous image is painted of Hillary Clinton.

One face is suppressed;it is discreet and controversial. The second face publicly dominates her campaign; it speaks of integrity and justice.

At this point in time Hillary is about to embark on her campaign for president of the United States, against the master of the politically incorrect, Donald Trump.

She has an ambiguous political history. Clinton is about to take a gamble.

Which face will the public see?

Throughout the campaign, Hillary became a feminist icon.

The possibility of the Democratic candidate becoming the first ever

woman president seemed like one of the greatest accomplishments of modern-day liberalism to people around the globe.

Hillary received celebrity endorsements from Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus, to name just a couple.

When Donald Trump referred to Hillary Clinton as a “Nasty Woman”, it was coined as a term for empowerment for many feminists across the globe, in line with her policy direction for equal pay and pro-choice options.

The branding of Hillary Clinton as a feminist icon continues to prevail.

Children’s books about Clinton have been published to empower young girls. Countless liberal media outlets support this narrative.

Yes, of course Hillary is a feminist icon. She has broken the glass ceiling on countless occasions.

However, it is the methodology for breaking the ceiling that seems to create disillusionment.

I argue that she has broken the glass ceiling by

being a ruthless and selfinterested figure. Clinton shows that women are smart enough and strong enough to be corrupt.

The nefarious history of Clinton dates back as far as Watergate; she was fired from the committee in charge of investigating the scandal.

Her supervisor stated: “She was an unethical, dishonest lawyer.”

Moving up her timeline, conspiracy emerges around her part as a Lady Macbeth figure during her husband’s time as president.

Hillary supported Bill throughout the infamous claims of his infidelities, and sexual harassment towards women.

A Judicial Watch report links Hillary directly to ‘Filegate’, whereby FBI files on private information, about several women claiming experience of Bill’s sexual misconduct, were illegally obtained and shared to their detriment.

‘The body count’ is another feature of conspiracy regarding this couple, supported by a number of

Credit: Joshua Roberts

credible sources.

It is a list of names of people associated with several Clinton scandals that have died in mysterious circumstances.

Moving onto her time as Secretary of State, there are several suspicious topics for conversation.

Coincidentally, under Clinton’s authority, security was reduced in Libya in 2012, leading up to the murder of several m e m bers of a US special mission in Libya.

A judicial Watch report has revealed that Hillary, amongst others, was aware of a planned attack hours before it occurred.

The corruption continues – this year it was revealed that Russian nuclear officials have donated millions to the Clinton Foundation.

Whilst Hillary was Secretary of State, the Russians attempted to have control over the US’s private nuclear sector.

Whilst all these claims can be put down to conspiracy, many would

agree that the Clintons have a fishy quality that they just can’t seem to shift.

The infamous email scandal only reinforces this.

The success of Hillary’s social justice image has been as much of a PR stunt as Donald Trump’s ‘man of the people’ role play.

Clinton is tactical and knows exactly how to play the game.

In regard to politics, she doesn’t have principles, except the principles of power.

For example, her views towards gay marriage have gradually transitioned from a position of opposition to advocacy.

Now, this isn’t because her own ideas have changed but because the public opinion has transitioned.

The inadequacy of Donald Trump gave her further leverage to be the candidate of morals and progression.

A strong narrative emerged, from the day she

announced her campaign, of Clinton as the protagonist in our feminist fairytale, and of Trump as the antagonist.

I am not proposing a position for Trump, but a position to defend feminism’s legitimacy.

I don’t believe Clinton would support a feminist stance, such as ‘prochoice’, if it wasn’t going to help advance her political career. We can’t be fooled.

Many base their support for Hillary just on the basis that she is a woman.

This seems to have been her strongest asset in the campaign.

However, I argue that this undermines her as political candidate. She is so much more than this.

In respect for Hillary and what she has achieved, I argue that she is a r u t h less political player.

Obsessed with money and power, and an ally of the richest 1%, Clinton is a politician, and we should treat her with the same scrutiny as any male politician.

Falling in and out of love with your university degree

Rebekah McVey Comment Editor

I

t’s now after the mid-semester break and university life isn’t quite like it was during Fresher’s Week.

Deadlines are creeping up on you and it’s hard to shake off feelings of guilt when binge watching your favourite shows on Netflix.

By this point in the year, some of you may have questioned if the degree you chose to study is really the right course for you.

When I left school three years ago, study-

ing Journalism was what I had my heart set on.

Though your degree doesn’t limit you to finding a job exclusively in your field of study, it can be daunting thinking that what you learn will have an impact on the rest of your life.

For me, the idea of writing for a living sounded like the best job in the world.

In my first ever lecture, we were told that “there was no such thing as a shy journalist”.

That’s when I started having doubts.

Since that lecture, there have been countless times when I’ve questioned if a journalism degree was the right decision.

My degree was originally going to be French and Journalism Studies.

French had been one of my favourite subjects in school and I thought it would be a useful course to study alongside Journalism.

However, after my first semester of first year, I decided studying a language at university level wasn’t for me.

Since them, I haven’t

once regretted going down the single honours degree path.

Some Journalism modules have made me doubt if I really have what it takes to be a journalist, whereas others have assured me this is really what I want to do with my life.

There were times throughout my first and second year where I was so close to changing my degree.

Like every other fourth year right now, my degree is causing me a considerable amount of stress, to put

it politely.

Despite this, I’m glad that I decided against jumping ships.

Had I switched to Politics, like I once thought about doing, I’d have given up on

something that I’d wanted to do for so long.

Unfortunately, when you find yourself falling out of love with your degree (if you felt this way about it in the first place anyway), perseverance is what will see you through.

Sometimes you’ll be glad this is your course, other times you won’t.

Overthinking is what initially made me question my life choices, but there was no guarantee that I’d still be shy come graduation.

When I didn’t freak out about that, the rest of the module really wasn’t all that bad.

If you’re in first year and having doubts about your degree, there’s still time for you to figure it out.

Just because one module right now is currently the bane of your life, doesn’t mean the entirety of your course will be too.

If you’re absolutely certain that you couldn’t possibly suffer another three years of your course and that you’ll never love it, talk to your tutors, and make it known that you’re not happy.

University is never plane sailing, even for those who enjoyed their studies from day one.

However, if you can’t picture ever being in love with your degree, come fourth year you could find yourself in a situation you don’t want to be in.

2 Brig | November 2017

Music

LIVE REVIEW: CLEAN BANDIT @ BARROWLANDS BALLROOM JAMIE HARRIS MUSIC EDITOR

2

017 has been quite the eventful year for Clean Bandit. Earlier this year the announcement was made that Neil Amin-Smith had left the group, around the same time that they scored their second number one single Rockabye.

On Sunday night, they

started their first UK tour without Amin-Smith, with the opening night being at Glasgow’s iconic Barrowlands Ballroom.

It was unfortunate that the support act pulled out at the last minute, which meant that a bunch of the crowd were standing around with nothing going on for almost two hours between the doors opening and Clean Bandit taking to the stage.

When they did take to

the stage, they did it with a literal bang.

While most bands save pyrotechnics and confetti canons for a bit of a grand finale, Clean Bandit had them blasting within the first 10 minutes of their, albeit rather short, set.

The staging itself was as spectacular as all of their pyrotechnics.

They had a multi-level, mirrored stage which reflected all of their neon lights. It was all perfectly

Credit: Jamie Harris

balanced, though, as none of this distracted from the music but added to it instead.

Launching straight into Stronger, one of the singles from their debut album, they built up a party atmosphere straight away. The whole crowd were dancing and singing along.

You’d think it would be hard to replicate Alex Newell’s belting vocals on the track, but Clean Bandit’s touring singers Yasmin Green and Kirsten Joy had such strong voices that they were able to sing all of the band’s varied back-catalogue that includes a wide array of featured artists.

From there, the set varied from album tracks and singles from their 2014 release New Eyes to some of their more recent releases from their upcoming second album.

Obviously, the biggest singles got the biggest reactions from the audience, such as Symphony, Rockabye, Real Love and Rather Be. However, the band know how to get people hyped,

even on some of their less well-known tracks.

Whether they were getting the crowd to bounce along or help with singing the hooks, they really knew how to work an audience.

While brothers Jack and Luke Patterson largely stuck to play their wide array of instruments, Grace Chatto really worked the stage.

When she wasn’t playing an instrument, she was singing and dancing in perfect co-ordination with Green and Joy and even found time for a couple of costume changes in the 75-minute long set.

The group are known for their upbeat classical dance music, so the show hit a bit of a weird lull when things slowed down for the balladlike Should’ve Known Better and Piece of You. There were some very audible sighs of relief when they said they were going to get us all dancing again afterwards.

Despite that weirdly downbeat moment, Clean Bandit put on a brilliant live show that had everyone

four of the best: artists for studying

A

MArmozets

Let’s start with something heavy. Back in 2014 Marmozets stormed out of the angsty shadows to release The Weird And Wonderful Marmozets. They are a math-rock band from the UK with a powerhouse female lead singer. Particle perfectly demonstrates what the band is about, with songs like Captivate You and Hit the Wave showing their slower, ballad-esque potential and with their second album Knowing What You Know

The Neighborhood. Credit: metrolyrics.com

Now set for release in January, there’s never been a better time to get into this band.

the neighborhood

Let’s move onto something a little more chilled out and perfect for working to, instead of jumping up and down on your bed in teenage angst. The Neighborhood quietly released a five song EP back in September titled Hard. There wasn’t much of a buzz online surrounding the release so I only

discovered the EP in early October, but it has been on my playlist ever since.

It’s a culmination of all their previous style evolutions and teases at a beautiful future for whenever the third album is released.

The opening song Roll Call has a heavy, moody feel to it which is immediately countered by the following song You Get Me So High having a more chilled out pop feel. It’s five perfectly crafted songs, each with their own distinct feel.

EDEN. Credit: Dylan Jong

there having a fun time.

Seeing their musicality in person and the number of different instruments the band members were playing was already impressive without all the bells and whistles.

I can’t remember the last time I was sprayed with that much confetti!

You can listen to Clean Bandit’s new single I Miss You featuring Julia Michaels on our Spotify playlist.

You can hear tracks from all our featured artists and more on our November playlist at brig_music on spotify

cameron watson shares his top tips for your revision playlist... t the time of writing it is currently reading week, so I imagine you might be like me and need some decent revision/ assignment-completing or, as I call it, “please God help me get through this dire situation” music. Sadly, the music gods haven’t blessed me with some wonderful new releases so I thought I would go back through my library to pick out my personal favourites for this autumnal season.

Credit: Jamie Harris

eden

Sticking with the chilledout is an artist called EDEN. His mix of rock, pop, electronic and indie elements blends together seamlessly to make something completely original and outstanding. His catalogue ranges from perfectly chilled out tunes like XO and Gravity to more rock and electronic based with the likes of drugs and sex which has a distinct feeling of chart pop/rock. He’s one of the more original and experimental artists I have

listened to recently and holds real potential for the future.

the hunna

The final band on this list of revision favourites, and a band I have been listening to loads recently, is The Hunna. Relatively new to the rock scene, The Hunna are a brilliant mix of indie pop-rock. Their sound is similar to Foals and Kings Of Leon with a distinctive British sound that is both calm and chilled out rock with moments of pure The Hunna. Credit: bandsintown.com

passion and fire. The track Bonfire demonstrates this perfectly along with We Could Be, while Sycamore Tree shows a more mellow side to the band.

They are truly a band with great potential and with a new single out last month, a second album is most certainly in the works.

And that’s your lot. Hopefully one or more of these bands takes your fancy and helps you through this season of deadline hell.

3 Brig | November 2017

Music

Stereophonics: two decades in the sun twenty years after their stunning debut, the welsh rockers make an emphatic return to form peter stewart music editor

T

o view Stereophonics’ latest record, Scream Above The Sounds, next to the albums that were respectively released ten and twenty years previous to it, is to appreciate the long and sometimes bumpy road travelled by the band all these years.

The group fronted by Kelly Jones have courted mediocrity for much of their career, and for a period in the noughties, became synonymous with middleof-the-road dad-rock and grey radio-aimed singles.

But in casting the ear back long before Dakota was but a twinkle in Jones’ eye, debut album Word Gets Around provides a reminder of why the band from Cwmaman, South Wales caused such a stir in 1997.

Uncompromising, abrasive and full of energy, debut album Word Gets Around is forty minutes of elegantly recounted tales of life in Cwmaman, odes to drinking and fanciful musings on the life stories of people stuck in traffic.

From the purposeful opening chords to A Thousand Trees to the stark Billy Davey’s Daughter, it captured the imagination of the British public, with Word Gets Around ultimately placing in the UK Top Ten. Fast forward ten years, and the band were preparing to release the followup to 2005’s Language.

Sex. Violence. Other?. A barnstorming success on account of its anthemic lead single Dakota, it also merited a companion live album, Live In Dakota, and perhaps for the first time, it put pressure on Stereophonics to deliver a stellar follow-up.

Pull The Pin was released in October 2007 to deafening indifference.

Critically, the reception was lukewarm to negative, reviewers unimpressed by its predictable brand of rock and Jones’ uncharacteristically flat lyrics. Although it became the band’s fifth consecutive number one album, it only received gold certification, with each of the previous efforts reaching platinum.

Soon after Pull The Pin duly came the greatest hits album, the mark of a band with faltering sales and a deficit of ideas.

Decade In The Sun has since been succeeded by a trio of albums that for the non-devoted fan, may well have long blended together and been dropped from playlists far and wide.

Entering their third decade as a band, Stereophonics last month released Scream Above The Sounds, and it marks

Credit: NME.com

an emphatic return to form.

If the unbridled optimism of opener Caught By The Wind signals a creatively unshackled Jones, the sparse pain of Before Anyone Knew Our Name sees him pour anguish into his music like never before.

It is his attempt to come to terms with the loss of original drummer Stuart Cable, who died in 2010.

It sees the band take risks, with the quietly swelling All In One Night both a strange choice for lead single and a reminder of Jones’ exceptional penchant for storytelling.

The classical guitar of the ambitious What’s All The Fuss About? and the unexpected jazz outro to Geronimo signal a widening of influences and a

previously absent appetite for experimentation.

It even injects a hit of nostalgia, with the deluxe edition featuring the excellent, live studio-recorded Never Going Down, which would not at all be out of pace on Word Gets Around.

And while for the most part this is nothing like Word Gets Around – nor

ONES TO WATCH: 2018’s biggest prospects JAMIE HARRIS Music editor

as 2017 comes to an end, we look ahead to some of the up-and-coming artists looking to hit it big in the next 12 months - from pop, to indie, to metal

Loux

Loux. Credit: soundcheck-live.co.uk

JULIA MICHAELS

Julia Michaels. Credit: rollingstone.com

VIE JESTER

should it be – Scream Above The Sounds may just be Stereophonics’ best work for twenty years.

Scream Above The Sounds is available now.

what’s on wolf alice 11/12-nov-17@ barrowland glasgow jake bugg 13-nov-17@queens hall edinburgh

Vie Jester. Credit: viejester.bandcamp.com

run the jewels 16-nov-17@o2 academy glasgow callum beattie 17-nov-17@liquid room edinburgh rag ‘n’ bone man 17/18-nov-17@o2 academy glasgow

Although they are very new to the scene, only playing their first live gig in June of this year, Loux are a fast-rising female fronted three-piece electro-pop band from Leeds.

As well as a growing reputation for their live music Loux have been given a big push by BBC Introducing, even being featured

as a single of the week on BBC Radio 1.

Check out their debut single Meet Me Halfway, released on November 10.

Their YouTube channel also features some beautiful live performances of their songs Lungs and Darling filmed at Manchester’s Victoria Baths.

For fans of: Alt-J, Chvrches

Many readers will recognise her from her debit single Issues, which was released this summer. It has been hailed as one of the best pop songs of the year for its soul-bearing lyrics and catchy chorus.

That’s not her only success so far, though. She has had great success with writing a string of hits,

including Justin Bieber’s Sorry and Selena Gomez’s Hands To Myself.

Michaels has recently been a featured artist on Clean Bandit’s latest single I Miss You and is in the process of recording her debut EP, alongside writing songs for other artists.

For Fans of: sia, hailee steinfeld

The three-piece rock band from LA are being described as “a modern power trio that flexes the artistic side of hard rock”.

By fusing lyrics incorporating important social issues with heavy electric riffs, Vie Jester have created an original sound that is both ambitious but also great to rock out to.

The band has Kyle Guerrero on vocals and guitar; Cliff Conway on drums, samples and backup vocals; and Matthew Denis on bass.

They have just released their third EP All in Jest which includes new single Please.

For fans of: Alice in Chains, Tool

the killers 20-nov-17@sse hydro glasgow royal blood 24-nov-17@sse hydro glasgow the kooks 28-nov-17@usher hall edinburgh gorillaz 29-nov-17@sse hydro glasgow

4 Brig | November 2017

Film & TV

GIVE ME EMPOWERING WOMEN Girlboss, The Crown, Orange is the new black, Glow; do you see where I am going? If not, let me give you a hint: females. All of these series are Netflix original shows featuring strong, female characters in an otherwise usually male-dominated, stereotypical sphere. Netflix has filled the void for everyone searching for something new, modern and empowering. Something girls can relate to and look up to. If you, as me, are tired of a majority of male cops solving crimes, or a group of bloodsucking vampires trying to keep the few female characters out of danger, I am pleased to announce that Netflix finally heard our prayers.

First and foremost, all of the series mentioned above are being based

upon real events. That made me question why I had not heard about them in this way and from this perspective before?

Following certain debates about why female historical characters are obscured from history courses in school or even history books, my lack of knowledge should not be surprising. From now on, however, I have promised myself a change. Therefore, I will hereby give you a selection of stories featuring empowering female role models.

but she manages to never back down from her dream of selling vintage clothes, leading to the creation and success of her very own website - nastygal.com. As a cherry on top, she breaks up with her cheating boyfriend, and shows us all that a woman does not need a man by her side to be successful.

Best inspirational quote:

“Go ahead, underestimate me. I’ve got it all figured out.”

and empowering monarch.

She is ruthless in every situation, disregarding what the men around her are saying. The difficulties with her life and sacrifices she needs to make are many, but she teaches us that you can, and you should fight through them every time.

Best inspirational quote:

T h e Crown

Queen Elisabeth’s life when she is taking over the crown and title from her father as the head of the UK is displayed here. She struggles with combining the stereotypical role as a mother, wife and daughter, as well as being a strong

“You, my wife or my

Girlboss This is an honest and raw story about how the empire of a vintage clothes online shop is built and created. The main female character Sophia is a terrible person, that makes a lot of wrong choices in life,

Orange is the new black Piper Chapman is sent to a woman’s prison because of a crime she helped her ex-girlfriend commit in their youth. The first perception of the prison is that it’s full of terrible, criminal women, but as each inmate’s story is shared, we learn that they are all in there for a reason. Some reasons are worse than others, but they are all humans and deserve to be seen as that.

A lot of the crimes are also done by the women as a way of speaking up for themselves or putting their foot down. By doing this, female destinies are finally shared in a strong and unconventional view!

Best inspirational quote:

“If you are strong, you don’t need to be tough.”

Credit: Netflix

Clara F ors wisbyse

queen?” “I am both, and a strong man would be able to kneel to both.”

Glow

This is the story of the creation of the 80s show, “Glow: The gorgeous women of wrestling”. By following the path of the main character Ruth from being an actress without any job, to becoming a female wrestler in this new show being the first female wrestling show contrary to the usual male centred ones, the story of a strong female who puts aside all her own worries and feelings to strive towards success is told. All women featured in the series are empowering and strong in different ways according to their personalities. They always go their own, bad or good, way.

Best inspirational quote:

“What I’m interested in are real parts. Not secretaries telling men their wives are on line two”

all shows avalible now on netflix

I hear a lot of people talking constantly about the art of cinema. In the world of ‘grown-up’ cinema, this camera shot, the impeccable acting, the glorious sound design. Now, this could be my particular group of peers made up of a majority of film-makers and/or film and media students. However, throughout society I feel like there is a level of great respect given to the world of ‘grown-up’ cinema, the acknowledgment of the intensive effort of many people to create emotionally moving, or epic

pieces of cinema, while looking down on the more ‘kids’ world.

Where I find this is difficult is when in a room full of media scholars, all terribly respectable, announcing their love of some great director with a chorus of “mm”s and “yesssss”s. I’m inevitably sitting there trying to think up some respectable answer when all I really want to do is eloquently explain, “‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2’ is probably one of the best films I have ever seen.”. And if I do finally admit to my admiration for this film, admittedly as more of a whisper, it’s met with an

all round laugh. A hearty chuckle, at my expense I must add, the notion of a grown adult, a film maker no doubt enjoying such childish simplicities, is seen as a joke. Almost as if it is a lesser choice, this kids’ film.

As if its age certificate defines its quality of the effort put into it. In discussing animation, I don’t mean anime, as that is definitely met with a level of artistic respect and awe, but I mean the good old-fashioned, pixar styled heartwarming movies you guiltily curl up on the couch to watch on a Sunday afternoon.

This relationship with ani-

mation is seen as a link to one’s childhood as if the nostalgic feeling behind it is what validates its value, in the common example of the ‘Toy Story’ trilogy, and I’m hear to say that this is enough. Animation, or ‘kid’s’ movies are just as artistic and just as brilliant and emotive as any film I have ever seen. So why limit yourself to the ‘oldies’, the ones you watched as a kid. I guarantee you there are some absolutely amazing animation films that have come out long after it was deemed ‘appropriate’ for you to be watching them. credit: vx https://www.rogerebert.com

My personal favourite ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2’, mentioned above, I think will always be one of the films I can watch on repeat and just be ridiculously amused the whole time. The sheer characterisation created in these animated people, the imagination of the writers is incredible. Let me just set the scene: it’s an island of food. Yes that’s right an island, with food living on it. Sounds dull? No siree. These food-animals (food-imals, that’s right, food-imals), are covering this small island and our familiar characters are sent in to save the day. Now this word combo, food-imal is just one example of the best part about this movie.

The puns are endless, it is an hour and a half of pure fun, with some of my favourite daily quotable puns ever. You will fall in love with a father-son relationship between a pickle and a grown man, to name one of the weirder elements of the story... But nevertheless, a weird, wonderful and hilarious tale of a boy and his friends going on an adventure and learning about sacrifice, love and friendship.

Think, The Lord of The Rings with less hobbits and more science, less dragons more tacodiles, less orcs more shrimpanzees, no Sam just a big tomato.

Now next time you sit down to watch a film, don’t disregard the little colourful films for children

credit: YoutTube

Ailsa Maloney

credit: http://cloudywithachanceofmeatballs.wikia.com

Shrimpanzees, mosquitoast and my opinions

and understand that they are just as complex and entertaining as that new Big Blockbuster epic. Give in to that guilty pleasure and go on, enjoy a ‘kid’s’ movie.

Marvel at the pure skill of completely creating a world from scratch. Let the childish humour inside you out and sit back and let yourself be part of that world for just an hour or so. And if that’s really not catching your fancy and you’re really needing that adult humour, then let me recommend you the infamous Sausage Party, which is tbh a miss for me, not quite all my humour; or any Disney movie that takes your fancy - can’t beat the classics at the end of the day if you don’t want to try something crazy new.

Ailsa’s Top 5 films To Get You Started: 1. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 2. The Little Prince 3. Boss Baby 4. Cars 2 5. Arthur Christmas - Just to end on something a little bit more festive! most films avaliable on netflix

5 Brig | November 2017

Film & TV

P

eople often avoid older films (myself included) due to their reputation of being boring or having a low audio-visual quality by today’s standards.

This means that often a lot of incredible movies get ignored or overlooked.

So, I have decided to list three classic sci-fi films that have stood the test of time and should get you started.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

This is a true masterpiece of the sci-fi horror genre.

An intriguing and strange introduction twined with a powerful audio presence keeps the viewer interested, even though little happens for the majority of the first half of the film.

The star of 2001 is undoubtedly HAL, a murderous artificial intelligence, who’s onscreen performance is restricted to

a basic panel with a single red glowing camera lens as an eye, supporting this is the voice acting of Douglas Rain playing HAL, which is simply is chilling. Though it is rather long and can get very surreal, it is a definite must-watch.

Credit: Youtube

Science fiction: A Triple Feature

Nathan Mowatt

H.G Wells’ the Time Machine (1960)

This was a film I picked up to get a 2 for 1 offer in HMV. However, upon watching it, I realised it

Metropolis (1927)

As the grand-father of sci-fi, this is a truly surreal and strange experience to watch, and is widely

considered to be the first great science fiction film.

It shows a dystopian world with a suffering working class controlled by the rich upper class, and the struggle to break that divide.

The film itself is silent with backing music and onscreen text to show dialogue and some plot elements.

Sadly, as much as quarter of the original film is lost to time, so some sections of the plot do not make com-

In viewing these films, you will see three distinct styles of classic sci-fi, with the immediate horror depicted in 2001, the strange trip through time depicted in The Time Machine and the surreal class struggles within Metropolis.

They should provide a decent backbone of any

BLADE RUNNER 2049: REVIEW which Scott’s original Blade Runner is placed, Villeneuve faced the most unenviable of tasks. Yet this is a confident and effortlessly talented filmmaker, quickly establishing himself as one of our best. He demonstrates the potential of the much derided sequel, how it can improve its predecessor

Blade Runner 2049 is not only a worthy sequel, but an equal. As an independent story, it stands taller than LA’s leviathan skyscrapers. It is confidently subversive, beginning with a brutal fight but then holding back from superfluous action. It is a detective story which, upon opening Pandora’s Box, transforms into an existential crisis, a ferocious baseline test of humanity. Jared Leto’s all-powerful tycoon ponders on Angels and Eden, revealing the dangerous Godliness that a rotting mankind has granted itself, an ability to judge, to decide what life is valid. The new and deeply uncomfortable questions asked here

Any of these will help in expanding your knowledge of the genre due to their high quality, even by today’s standards.

SCOTT MALCOLM PATTERSON by expanding its horizons and growing its ideas.

Yet, further still he goes.

Blade Runner 2049 is a modern classic, easily one of the films of the year and destined for greater things in retrospect. A definitive sensory experience, it will linger in the memory for its heart.

WHAT’S ON AT MACROBERT

Credit: Engadget

As Blade Runner 2049 begins, we hear the echoes of Vangelis, given a brisk summary of context, and see the extreme close up of a watching eye.

But then we are taken to a misty, ochre field in a choked dust bowl. It is here that our story begins, one which is intent on taking Ridley Scott’s baton and running out of the city limits and into the hills.

Bold steps dictate this film’s terms, and ultimately define its startling effect.

The announcement of a follow up to Blade Runner seemed like yet another symptom of a recurring condition which might be called ‘redundant sequelitis’. This would be a false diagnosis, for this is no Crystal Skull. In fact, it is more reminiscent of this year’s T2: Trainspotting, where Danny Boyle and John Hodge examined the process of ageing by tragically contrasting it to the folly of youth. Here, Denis Villeneuve, Michael Green and Hampton Fancher develop the world and ideas of Blade Runner in organic continuation. It’s as if Fancher’s novellascreenplay hybrid had been buried in a footlocker under a tree, waiting to be found.

This is all to say that

classic science fiction library.

Other notable films in the genre to look at would include Forbidden Planet, The Day The Earth Stood Still, Them!, A Clockwork Orange, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Logan’s Run, Soilent Green and It Came From Outer-Space.

Credit: stockportplaza.co.uk

Credit: portlandmercury.com

was a hidden gem; with an immediate start, an intriguing main character and innovative plot for the time.

We see main character, H.G Wells travel into the distant year 802,701 where he finds humans have evolved into two distinct and strange species, the Eloi and Morlocks.

It is without a doubt, the quintessential classic time travel film, if you haven’t already, watch, this, film.

plete sense.

It is, for these reasons, a difficult film to watch, however if you are able to get past the surface issues, you will discover a cinematic masterpiece that has influenced all aspects of the science fiction genre.

go beyond memory, identity and knowledge. At times, it verges on Orwellian, though not by indulgent proselytizng or lecture.

The increasingly masterful Villeneuve demonstrates the same patience and composure shown in Prisoners and Arrival. This is just as well, for the production design is sensational and deserves to be seen fully.

Thirty years have evolved this world’s society, the mixture of dilapidation and technology reflecting the widening disparity between the obscenely rich and the desperately poor. All is captured in stunning detail by master cinematographer Roger Deakins, who

makes real the imagery of dystopian nightmare, letting people see things they wouldn’t have believed.

The wider picture we witness is at once haunting and beautiful. Underscoring it all is the blistering music of Hans Zimmer and It composer Benjamin Wallfisch, an operatic accompaniment which verges on diegesis. For the eyes and ears, 2049 truly is art.

This should not overshadow the human element, complex though it may be.

Harrison Ford delivers one of the greatest – possibly the greatest – performance of his career as an aged, regretful Rick Deckard, a man broken and remoulded by his experiences

of this world. That same subtlety and intelligence is uniformly shown in startling turns from Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, and Carla Juri. At centre stage is Ryan Gosling, who channels the simmering and internal rage of Drive but develops it into something far more familiar and far more heartbreaking. Officer K’s arc ensures that 2049 tells the most startling of stories beneath its grand foreground, one that seeks genuine hope in apparent hopelessness. The final flourish is a climax defined not just by themes, but by emotion. The tears in rain are not only in wonder, but pathos too.

Given the pedestal upon

BREATHE NOV 10-16 THOR RAGNAROK NOV 10-15 THE JUNGLE BUNCH NOV 11-19 TRANSCENDING THE STORM NOV 15 MARJORIE PRIME NOV 17-22 MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS NOV 17-23 MARIE CURIE: THE COURAGE OF KNOWLEDGE NOV 20 MERCENAIRE/MERCENARY NOV 23 THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER NOV 24-30 PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN NOV 24-29 FROZEN + OLAF’S FROZEN ADVENTURE NOV 25-26 WARREN MILLER’S LINE OF DESCENT NOV 27 CLUELESS (PYJAMA SCREENING) NOV 29 L’AMANT DOUBLE/THE DOUBLE LOVER NOV 30 STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI DEC 14-28

6 Brig | November 2017

Arts

poetry review: Rupi Kaur

irina nakon

Anne Stoop

Source: National Galleries Scotland

Edinburgh media exhibition What discerns an artist?

From October to February, the ground floor of Edinburgh’s Modern One will be host to NOW – an international mixed-media exhibition which explores an artist’s role in, and contribution to, society.

As well as new sound installations by Turner Prize winner Susan Philipsz, the exhibition will showcase art, sculpture, and photography pieces never before displayed in Scotland, created by promising and established artists from around the globe.

Source: The diamiondback

I

t was ‘Milk and Honey’, Rupi Kaur’s first collection of poetry, that introduced me to the magical universe of word art.

For months it has been one of the go-to books on my nightstand, within reach to be reread over and over again.

When the announcement of her second collection of poems ‘The sun and her flowers’ reached me I made sure to get my hands on it.

Like ‘Milk and Honey’, the poems revolve around the topics of love, loss and mental illness.

Some pages show lengthy poems, some pages feature only one single sentence. Luckily, the distinct illustrations - as simplistic and powerful as the poems they accompany- made a reappearance as well.

This second collection has proven to be everything I could have hoped

source: bookspoils

Source: her campus

for; more of amazing poetry in true Kaur style.

However, a distinctive style always carries the risk of repetition, something that does arise in certain pieces. The resemblance

source: bookspoils

source: bookspoils

to earlier released work is evident, but possibly unavoidable.

Despite this, ‘The sun and her flowers’ has moments of pure genius showcasing why Kaur has been so successful in the past.

The clear focus on feminine topics and strength are powerful to say the least, making this once again a must-read for any female in search of guidance and wisdom.

While on the topic of femininity in Kaur’s work, I must assert that the accusations of her writing mostly ‘female based’ and ‘Tumblr’ poetry are not fully true.

The subject of immigration and depression are universal and the poem written about both these topics are worthy of a universal audience.

I can only advise you to experience Kaur’s work yourself. While it is confrontational and by no means an easy read, the power and truth ‘The sun and her flowers’ carries is sensational. I dare you to open yourself up to it.

The entirety of the museum’s ground floor is being transformed for the free-for-all exhibition, with numerous strands of the exhibits leading into adjacent rooms and connecting to various permanent installations. The mixedmedia amalgamation is a stunning display of the five senses, featuring suggestive melodies, textured pieced, enigmatic recordings and minimalist details, all of which are there to encourage conversation.

Created as an immense international project, and featuring works by artists from almost every continent, the exhibition poses a question to its audience regarding the contemporary societal view on the significance of art and its maker.

Although the answer to that question remains elusive and deeply personal for each viewer, the exhibition is still a highly entertaining, light, and thoughtprovoking presentation. I thoroughly enjoyed following the subtle connections the artists drew between themselves and their environments, emphasised by political climates and social conventions of their respective countries. If the artists’ original intention had been to produce a public display which depicts the interrelatedness of art, politics, and culture within a multinational society, then I believe this was an outright success. 25th October-18th February, Modern One, Edinburgh.

Admission: Free.

tv classic part 1 review kirsty MacLeod

Source: Macroberts centre

I

f you love television and are not blocked by generational gaps, you will adore Cameron Morgan’s MacRobert exhibition TV Classics Part 1. The Exhibition takes you on a journey

through art, celebrating the history and culture which is so diverse through the decades. Each painting is so distinct and with its each own individual style in which it completely encapsulates an era of TV.

With paintings from 1927’s Laurel and Hardy, to Doctor Who, to The Voice, this exhibition will take you into those decades with flare and admiration. Get some more information at www. tvclassicpart1.co.uk

ON SALE NOW! OPENS THU 14 DEC

MacrobertArtsCentre

@Macrobert

macrobertartscentre

01786 466 666 I www.macrobertartscentre.org

8 Brig | November 2017

Gaming

ESSENTIAL TECH FOR YOUR XMAS Jack Gupta Gaming Editor

C

hristmas is almost here. I hate to be one of those people mentioning the holiday period already, but bear with me, I’ve got a point.

The season is all about giving, so why not give yourself an upgrade on your essential student tech?

Whether you ask mum and dad, or delve deeper into your student loan is up to you. I’m just here to give you some inspiration.

LENOVO YOGA 900S £729.00

First up on the list is a laptop: it’s undoubtably the most important piece of tech for any student.

Maybe your current laptop has seen too much of the internet and decided to give up on life? Perhaps you just feel like a change?

Either way, look no further.

The Lenovo Yoga 900S is pretty much all you could ever need in a laptop. Its price may seem high at £729 but for what it gives you, it is a steal.

The Lenovo is a 12.5”

5

N

ovember is finally here, the dreaded 4 months before the dreaded exam period begins.

Studying should be number one priority, however students and procrastination go hand in hand.

The library will be mobbed, you’ll have a ton of upcoming deadlines and stress levels will be sky high.

What I’m trying to say is take a break, chill out and why not play one of these great games released this month.

CALL OF DUTY WW2

laptop that is both ultraportable and extremely chic.

It comes with a bright and vibrant screen, 10.5 hours battery life, and did I mention it doubles as a tablet.

The design is fantastic coming equipped with a watch-band hinge that allows it flexibility. It’s extremely thin and has a 2,560 1440-pixel resolution display.

The Lenovo is a fantastic choice for any student, whether you use it for coursework, lecture notes or binge watching Netflix - this laptop should be the top of your Xmas list.

APPLE IPad £339

A tablet is a nice addition to any student’s gadgets, especially if you don’t want to lug your laptop around Uni in your bag all day. My reccomendation would be the new iPad, sure it’s not cheap but let’s be honest it’s too nice to say no.

The standard iPad comes with a 9.7 inch Ledbacklit Multi touch display that offers a 2048x1536pixel resolution, an 8-megapixel camera, touch ID and a 10-hour battery life.

If you can’t warrant

spending that amount of money on a tablet then there are other options such as the Amazon Fire Tablet which retails for only £49.

The iPad however is a serious piece of kit that allows you to do almost everything you can do on a laptop.

Take advantage of Apple’s 10% student discount as well, and this is a nice addition to any student’s set of gadgets.

AMAZON KINDLE £59.99

Reading broadens the mind. That’s what they say anyway, but who doesn’t enjoy a good book from time to time. If you want to take a break from the stress of Uni life then what better way to do than picking up a book… sorry Kindle.

The number of books you already carry around from the library is already breaking your back so why add to that? The Kindle comes in at a reasonable £59.99 and is the ultimate e-reader.

The battery last for weeks, it has access to over 4 million books, it

comes equipped with a no glare screen and is as light as a feather.

The new kindle is therefore a must have for any keen book worms this Christmas.

UE Wonderboom £90

Every student needs a decent set of speakers that can handle pre-drinks, after parties or even just a chill out session after study.

If the name isn’t convincing enough the specs of the Wonderboom will blow you away. The speaker is waterproof and sturdy, so gone are your worries of people spilling drinks or knocking it over.

It’s also portable so you can take your party wherever you want due to its 10-hour battery life. Its price is reasonable as well at £90, you’re paying for a speaker that could last a lifetime.

Sennheiser Momentum M2IEI £70

Headphones are a must have, you’ll definitely need a pair of them at some point in your Uni life.

Listening back to lectures, hitting the gym or just shutting the world out. Your headphones are going to be essential and you will feel lost without them.

I’ve chosen two pairs here as I don’t want to get started on the over/in ear debate. The Sennheiser Momentum are a great set of in-ear headphones, coming in at £70 they are a bit pricey but they’re reliable.

These days too many headphones last a few months then pack it in. The Sennheiser’s however are built to last, they’re comfortable, have a built-in mic and the sound is one of the best on the market.

BEATS SOLO 3 £249.95

Now onto over-ear headphones, I’m going to jump on the hype train here and choose Beats by Dre. The beats Solo 3 wireless are some of the nicest looking headphones out there and they come with some great specs.

GAME RELEASES THIS MONTH November 3

First on the list is Call of Duty WW2, arguably the most anticipated game of the month if not the year is out now. The world’s biggest first-person shooter is back and it’s going back to its roots.

After years of futuristic combat, they have finally returned to a “boots on the ground” type of game.

No longer plagued with double-jumps, wall runs and exo suits the series is set in WW2 and offers a sense of nostalgia.

The campaign offers a more personal journey than ever before as you are playing as a 19-year-old private in the US army.

The campaign is focused on the European front and takes place between 1944 -45.

You’ll storm the beaches of Normandy on D-day and battle across Europe through iconic locations in history’s most monumental war. Nazi zombies also

return to the game in a new coop campaign which is sure to scare the hell out of you. The multiplayer, which is a key component of every Call of Duty, offers a more realistic and classic style of combat associated with the older games.

Sonic forces November 7

Everyone’s favourite blue hedgehog is back and he’s available on all platforms.

Sonic Forces is the same old Sonic, now divided into three different stage types: Modern, Classic and Avatar. Each of these modes play in a dramatically different way.

The game sees Sonic and his friends fly through a world that has been left in complete ruin by guess who?

Yep, same old Dr. Eggman, but this time he is joined by a new enemy that joins his henchmen.

The gang includes a few

familiar faces in Chaos, Metal sonic, shadow and Zavok who have control over the world.

This game features a mix of the old and the new, creating the perfect sense of nostalgia to make you forget about those exams.

L.A.Noire Remastered November 14

The legendary detective game is back and better than ever.

L.A. Noire was originally released in 2011 and now Rockstar have brought it back, except in shiny new graphics.

If you are unfamiliar with the game you follow the story of Cole Phelps a LAPD detective in the year 1947.

You are thrown into solving a series of cases across 5 different divisions.

Interrogate suspects, investigate crime scenes

They’re wireless, come equipped with onboard call music controls, a 40-hour battery life and a fast fuel charging feature.

They are pricey at £249.95 but they are worth every penny. Not to mention you’ll look cool AF wearing them.

AMAZON FIRE STICK £40

If you are one of the students fortunate enough to have a TV at Uni then the amazon fire stick should be at the top of your list.

The Fire stick comes equipped with over 7,000 apps, Alexa voice control and access to Amazon video, BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Spotify, channel 4, ITV and YouTube.

This is truly the best way to get more out of your TV. Just plug your fire stick into your HDTV and you’ll have access to a whole new world of streaming.

Costing only £40 this really is a fantastic piece of tech for those TV lovers.

There’s also a rumour that you can add something

called Kodi to it, which is useful but you didn’t hear that from me.

Fitbit Charge 2 £139.99

A fitness tracker may not be the top of everyone’s fitness list right now but just wait till those “new year new me” posts inspire you to get one.

It is far too easy to sit back at Uni and forget about your fitness so what better way to keep a track of your sport or gym sessions than with a Fitbit.

The Charge 2 is arguably the best fitness tracker on the market for its price.

It comes with with a heart rate monitor, 5-day battery life, OLED touch screen, GPS, and call and text compatibility.

The Charge 2 also gives you reminders to move, tracks your sleep and links to the great Fitbit app.

The Fitbit really is a brilliant piece of tech, especially for us students at Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence.

Credit: IGN

and follow-up leads. This game is a great play as its immersive story will allow you to dive straight in and either relive a classic, or discover a game you previously missed out on.

Star Wars Battlefront 2 November 17

Star Wars is back and it’s going to be better than ever before. The game is the 2nd reboot of the original Battlefront games released in the 2000s.

Battlefront allows players to wage war across numerous maps based upon the famous locations in the movies.

Fight with AT-AT’s on Hoth or engage in dogfights over Tatooine. The game Battlefront focused on the original Star Wars trilogy and the new films The Force Awakens and Rogue One. Battlefront 2 widens the multiplayer experience as it

adds characters and locations from the whole saga.

Battlefront 2 also comes with a single player campaign after the last game received backlash from fans over it’s strictly multiplayer gameplay.

The campaign is set after the Return of the Jedi film and looks set to bridge the gap between the original trilogy and the Force Awakes.

This game is a mustget and looks set to be a whole galaxy ahead of its predecessor.

Skyrim November 11

Six years after its original release Skyrim is back this time on the newest Nintendo console the Switch.

The Elder Scrolls game is an open world RPG for those of you that didn’t get a chance to play it.

The game’s main story revolves around your created character and your destiny to defeat Alduin (a dragon), the World Eater.

You are the last living Dragonborn and you travel the vast land of Skyrim completing quests and killing dragons to bring peace to the land.

This is one of the biggest games on the Switch, it offers new exclusive DLC and an entirely new way to play the game.

If you own a Switch, then this is a must-buy, especially if you’ve never played Skyrim before.

If you have, then you’ll have already bought it.

9 Brig | November 2017

Food Food PuNK: Bridge of Allan’s new artisan deli Megan Tulloch

and Kirsten Robertson

F

ood PuNK by Clive Ramsay, located on 6 Henderson Street, opened its doors for the first time this September.

The coffee shop, described as having an ‘artisan food concept’, stands out from the crowd with its impressive selection of vegan foods and locally-sourced produce.

It has proven to be a welcome addition to the high street of Bridge of Allan, offering a multitude of options for diners and shoppers with a delicatessen, olive bar, and coffee shop instore, all with the promise of high quality and locally sourced ingredients.

However, with planning permission granted for a Costa to be built alongside Food PuNK, it will need to prove itself to locals as an indispensable part of the community.

One aspect which sets the café apart from others in the Bridge of Allan area is their selection of vegan options in their menu. The trend of the moment is healthy eating and ‘fad’ diets, and the café is following suit with gluten

and dairy-free options as well as being ethically conscious by providing free range omelettes alongside the array of vegan and vegetarian selections.

Manager Clare Nisbet says, “It's the future. That's been the biggest change in the last ten years. There are more intolerances and a change in eating habits.

I’m not vegan myself, and neither is Clive, we just like to have a large variety of options for everyone.”

Food PuNK has also been working alongside Grahams Dairy, which won the 2017 Sir William Young Award, of one of the livestock industry’s most prestigious prizes, hosting tasting sessions inside the café to exhibit Bridge of Allan’s local produce.

The coffee shop has also been displaying stalls with other options such as salami tasting from Clash Farm, based in Port Logan, Stranraer.

“Grahams bought our fridge for us. We really do work with the community and to do things with schools. Clive is working with one of the schools that are growing veg to start selling and we’ll be working with them to get their food here, and we’ll sell seasonal food and vegetables.”

Have yourself a Merry Citrus with Chocolate Orange cupcakes Heather Dalgleish

W

Credit: Megan Tulloch With the pending arrival of Costa moving into the lot next door, it is fair to wonder for the safety of independent local businesses. With the competition of a rival coffee shop just next door, Bridge of Allan residents will be faced whether to choose between independent and chain café options. Many residents promise to stand

loyal to Food PuNK, but manager Clare is not as confident.

“I am afraid, and it will be hard. Clive is relishing it though; he wants everyone to be this end of the town. And personally, I don’t think Costa is really a Bridge of Allan business.

People here like the personal touch and privately owned places.”

hen’s a better time to bake than Christmas?

These indulgent cupcakes are the perfect festive treat for those chilly, long nights.

A subtle orange flavour combined with the richness of the chocolate creates a devilishly moreish result.

So get ready to pull on your apron and make your own herd of adorable little reindeer to pull you into the jolly season.

Ingredients: For the cake: •150 grams of butter/ margarine.

•150 grams of caster sugar.

•3 medium eggs.

•120 grams self raising flour.

•30 grams cocoa powder.

•Zest of one orange.

•¾ of a Terry’s Chocolate Orange, roughly chopped.

For the buttercream and decorations: •2 heaped tablespoons of butter.

•4 heaped tablespoons of icing sugar.

•Half a table spoon of orange extract.

•3 teaspoons of cocoa powder.

•Dairy Milk Buttons,

Smarties or M&Ms. •Chocolate pretzels.

•White chocolate chips.

Method: •Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan, and line up your cupcake cases.

•Beat the butter/margarine and the caster sugar together until fluffy and light.

•Beat in the eggs until well-blended.

•Gradually beat in the flour and the cocoa, until the mixture is a soft brown colour.

•Gently fold in the chocolate orange and zest, and spoon into the cases. Try to make them all even for a uniformed look.

•Put in the oven for 15-19 minutes until bouncy to the

touch. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

•Whilst they cool, make the buttercream. Mix the icing sugar and butter together until creamy. Add the orange extract and cocoa, continuing to mix until the mixture is rich brown.

•When the cupcakes are cool, evenly spread the buttercream on top of each cupcake. Decorate accordingly.

And enjoy! The cupcakes will last three days in an airtight container. Pair with a hot chocolate for a feast!

Credit: Heather Dalgleish

Best winter warmer cocktails Irina Nakon Food editor

W

hether you are hosting a dinner party, or fancy a solitary night in, everyone knows all winter occasions can only be improved by the addition of hot drinks.

And as much as we love the classic hot chocolates and chai’s, mulled wines and hot ciders, we occasionally want refreshing new twists on these classics. Naturally, I will preface this by saying that, as with all culinary things, there is never a wrong way to experiment with flavour, and you should definitely mess around in your kitchen and try creating your own wild and wonderful winter warming combination. For a tad of inspiration, though, I have compiled my favourite unique winter cocktails, which are delicious and

Credit: Voyageur Soap unusual. Tip: to keep the drink hot for longer, run your cup under hot water for a minute before using it for your cocktails.

The Spiked Chocolate Kiss is a simple and yummy concoction of dark hot chocolate, peppermint schnapps (or liqueur) and a shot of coffee liqueur. The coffee shot is optional for those who want an extra kick, or you can also make the drink non-alcoholic by replacing peppermint schnapps with mint syrup. Just remember to garnish with whipped cream and a Hershey’s kiss. The Autumn Chai

Warmer is a fantastic recipe I came upon by chance, and its simplicity and deliciousness are remarkable. Simply brew a cup, or pot, of strong masala chai tea, add some brown sugar and a cinnamon stick, and then add two shots of Baileys to create a rich, spicy and creamy winter cocktail.

The Hot Buttered Rum is my favourite recipe ever.

Mix together a small slice of soft butter with some brown sugar, a dash of allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla extract, at the bottom of a large cup. Add a shot of dark rum, and top

up with hot (not boiling) water. Stir gently and serve immediately for a smooth and delicious pick-me-up.

For the Irish coffee lovers out there, I give you the Boozy Irish Caramel Cream. Mix a shot each of Baileys and Jameson into a cup of strong coffee, add some butterscotch syrup and garnish with whipped cream and caramel sauce.

Finally, for that preChristmas flat party, I suggest the Jager Mulled Sangria. Mix a bottle of red or rosé wine with a cup of Jagermeister and fresh pomegranate, passion fruit, orange and lemon slices, and let the mixture infuse for a few hours. Before your party, boil some cranberry juice and mulled wine spices (such as nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and allspice) in a saucepan with some honey, then add the wine mixture and warm up until simmering. Serve with cinnamon sticks.

EXCLUSIVE VOUCHER PRESENT THIS VOUCHER AND RECEIVE 10% off food for up to 4 persons throughout November Valid from Monday to Thursday inclusive Lunch 12-2:30pm and Dinner 5-9:30pm

10 Brig | November 2017

Lifestyle

Life as a sober student Aneesa Dastgir

B

never been pressured to drink to fit in or to enjoy my time at university.

I have great friends, I’m loving my time at university and making the most of my degree at Stirling.

Personally, I don’t feel like I’m missing out. Drinking is expensive and gives bad hangovers.

If I had a pound for every time I heard someone say they had a hangover, I would be one rich woman!

The university has something for everyone, if the club scene isn’t your thing. I participate in a multitude of societies in university, from Amnesty (a bit of self-promotion right here!) to Brig. There are plenty of sports clubs to pick from too.

Sober societies are becoming a thing now as well, with Birmingham and the like introducing them.

Word is, that Stirling is also following suit with this. Just because we don’t drink alcohol, does not mean we are anti-

social.

I am quite the social butterfly to be honest!

I am truly happy living life the way I am right now. I wouldn’t want to change a thing.

If you are tired of the drinking scene, don’t be afraid to turn away a drink.

Don’t feel pressurised to go out clubbing when you have an essay due the next day.

True friends accept you for who you are. However, if you like to drink and have a good time, go right ahead. Be who you want to be and enjoy life while you can. Either way, there is always a choice involved.

It really is true what they say about university. It is a time where you discover who you are and do what you want.

Explore everything around you and take chances.

Personally, I just choose to do it sober.

Source: Skeptikai

eing sober in university.

These four words may sound strange to some but for me it’s a part of my lifestyle.

I don’t drink for religious reasons, as I often find myself clarifying to those who ask. It is my choice not to drink, as it is for people who choose to drink.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate anyone who drinks, or think any less of them. Majority of my friends consume alcohol, so I don’t really care.

Growing up in Scotland, where drinking is a huge part of the culture, it never fazed me.

I’m used to my friends going to Dusk or Fubar or whatever the name is of the latest club. My friends respect me and my decision.

That is really all that matters – if you have a strong friendship, trivial stuff like drinking shouldn’t make a difference. I’ve

11 Brig | Novenber 2017

Lifestyle

why you should start your own herb garden

dating apps to try out Anne Stoop

Source: etsy

After covering the likes of Tinder, Bumble and other classics, this time the stage is reserved for some new kids on the block.

Source: DIY Network

Irina Nakon Food editor

While taking shelter in your flat from the imminent bleak rains and winds of winter, why not pop some colour back into your life by starting your very own miniature herb garden?

Not only will this liven up your flat windows, but you can get so many vital vitamins and nutrients from using these herbs in your cooking – including a healthy dose of vitamin C, which we are all in dire need of during the winter months. Plus – nothing beats the flavour of fresh herbs in home-made dishes.

Mild and aromatic herbs such as cilantro, parsley, chives, thyme and rosemary are all packed full of vitamins, are easy to grow, require absolutely

nothing but a pot of soil, some light and water, and are irreplaceable in Italian and Asian dishes. Use some shredded thyme and rosemary, along with some minced garlic, to make oven-baked herby wedges, served with a fresh chive and sour cream dip. Some varieties of thyme include lemon thyme, which adds the flavour of both lemon and thyme to your dishes for an extra zesty twist.

Sprinkle some fresh cilantro on your teriyaki noodles along with some chili, for a completely new taste. Add fresh parsley to most soups and salads, as well as any sandwich fillings in need of some extra flavour.

Also, grow your own basil. Tesco has pre-potted adult basil plants, so simply

buy a cute ceramic pot and re-plant it. Basil is wonderfully versatile: whether you are making good old Caprese, mushroom and lemon pasta, or ovenbaked chicken with mozzarella – basil will enhance any cheese or vegetable dish.

before bed.

Additionally, there are fantastically fragrant herbs which you can use in teas. Mint is a fast, easy grower, so within a month you should have your own fresh mint sprigs to steep with honey and lemon for a delicious and healthy peppermint tea.

Sage, an underrated herb in my opinion, will not only bring a fantastic scent into your flat, but can add an extra kick to any pork dish (particularly pork chops baked with apple).

Lavender also makes fantastic steeped infusions – pick 8-10 lavender heads, crush some of them, steep in a pot of boiling water with honey, and serve for a calming and delicious drink

Fresh oregano is likewise used in teas for its therapeutic and calming properties, particularly if you’ve got an upset stomach.

Aromatic oregano can also be added to salads, dips, and meat dishes.

There is an infinite amount of cooking combinations you can try with all sorts of different herbs, so get some seeds or baby plants, some colourful pots, and give your kitchen the gift of a winter garden.

Source: etsy

Let’s take a look at the recent crazes in the online land of dating, tested for several weeks to give you a thorough and honest review from Brig’s resident dating guru.

whereabouts from your phone and build a profile based on your favourite hangouts.

My favourite thing about Huggle? It’s not just about finding your prince charming but also about those much-needed other relationships in your life; friends. Feel like you could use another true bro or bff?

Huggle is here for you.

Huggle While it might sound like a cheap Ikea desk, Huggle is a dating app that aims to connect people on compatibility instead of good ol’ looks. With that idea in mind, it is not that surprising that you’re not allowed to message someone unless you have things in common. Huggle will pull information about your

Once Convinced that global robot domination isn’t far away now? The makers of Once strongly disagree: instead of having an algorithm in charge of your fragile love-life, they use true human beings. When you set up a profile your next bae will be presented to you at noon every day. If you feel like he’d look great

in a suit on your wedding day give him a wee heart and hope that he’d like to see you in white.

Hinge If you love Scandinavian design and like the Tinder format, this baby is right up your alley. You’ll swipe your way through potential candidates by reviewing their profiles, that include personal statements and answers to questions like ‘three emojis that describe me’. Do you tend to get lost in the online dating world for hours? Not with Hinge, since you’re only allowed 20 matches day. After a match takes place you have two weeks to start a thrilling convo before that fish is thrown back into the dating pool.

In the loop with Stoop: Birthdays Anne Stoop

Source: Anne Stoop It is the morning after, I’m currently hiding in my bedroom, since the cleaner came in and I feel too guilty about the warzone that is my flat right now.

I heard her sigh when she opened the door, her pain seeps through the walls while she vacuums a million tiny plastic stars off the floor.

While I eat a piece of red velvet cake for breakfast, I’ll elaborate on some of the things I’ve learned in my years of life so far. Let us commence.

One - don’t pick up the phone if you know he is only calling when he’s drunk and alone. Two,

clichés are true, don’t dismiss them so quickly. Do yourself a favour and try to extract some wisdom from them, millions have come before you.

Next up on the list of utter importance: friendship.

While Hollywood likes us to believe that the only love that carries any significance emerges in the shape of a six-packed, puppy-eyed man, there is more to the story.

Invest your time in people that add to your life, shower them in devotion and dare to be vulnerable.

While we are still driving through soppy town,

let’s touch on self-love: practice it daily. Furthermore, integrate broccoli into your life - it is high in fibre and vitamin B6.

Last, but not least, take risks. While it might feel like a lot of your life has already been planned-out due to society’s preferences for steady careers, marriages and kids, you don’t have to adhere.

Make a list with every wild unattainable dream you have and chase them relentlessly. It is how this birthday girl ended up in Scotland, hiding from the cleaner, writing this column.

The sky is the limit.

11 Brig | November 2017

Features

I ate gluten for a week

Nathalie Hollede

Y

es, you read that correctly: I didn’t go gluten-free for a week, I went gluten-spree for a week.

If you’ve been wondering about gluten-free, or even about why some people do it and if it actually works, feel free to tune into my reading week project.

Nearly everyone has heard of the gluten-free hype.

It’s one of the most popular foodie / health enthusiast / hipster blogger trends, yet most people don’t even know why they’re going gluten-free.

Do I even?

Let me start off by introducing gluten.

What is gluten, and how does it affect the average person?

You may have seen the Jimmy Kimmel Live programme where his crew goes around interviewing people about different things in the streets of L.A. One episode he asked people if they lived gluten-free, and if so, what gluten was.

Most of them said they were in fact gluten-free, but to much hilarity and embarrassment, they didn’t know what it was or why they were doing it.

Gluten is a protein type found in grain and wheat foods like bread, pasta, and cereals, but can also be found in pâtés, ready made meals, mashed potatoes, and can be found in trace amounts in the

at me?

I self-medicated with vitamin C, again (“Get yours at tesco now and relieve that pesky gluten intoxication!” - I should almost make a slogan poster out of that.

Day 4

to lactose intolerance.

It can cause digestive issues, water retention, and more in even the average, non-allergic person.

Why I went gluten-free?

As any Information Age millennial, I’m a member of several support groups and pages, and I follow social media gurus who preach healthy lifestyle.

They all claim that lifestyle changes and especially dietary changes, can cure us of most ailments.

Their latest obsession is gluten-free, lactose-free, soy-free diets.

I have an autoimmune illness called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, which means my body mistakenly identifies my thyroid as an invader, and as a harm to my body.

Lots of my peers with this illness say that gluten

palpitations disappeared almost completely.

I didn’t bloat, my hot flashes subsided, and I wasn’t feeling uncomfortable with my body anymore.

However, eliminating gluten didn’t affect the illness I was hoping to cure, so I decided to try eating gluten again this past week and write about it.

Anything to get a good story.

Day 1

I feel chubby yet satisfied.

Real bread is the shiznit.

And so are subway cookies.

I’m happy.

Day 2 I woke up with a balloon face.

It’s a good thing this article is in print, or I would have to document photo evidence.

Let’s just say that wouldn’t be pleasant for both parts.

I’ll eat some more of that good stuff they call gluten, and push my body a little more.

But first, water and that fizzy vitamin C that dissolves in water: courtesy of Tesco, Stirling. #NotAnAd.

Day 3 foods that make life worth living.

Essentially, gluten is what makes the grains or wheat stick together in the soft consistency that we all love, but it can in some cases cause sensitivity or allergies, in a similar way

-free has rid them of their symptoms of discomfort, so I tried it.

For two years I resisted my favourite food in the world: soft, gluten-rich bread.

The results?

I lost fat, weight, water weight, and my heart

My feet and hands are freezing.

I relapsed to my glutenfree bread, and now I am hyperactive, and feel like I had an energy drink.

Why does my body hate me?

I feel better apart from the cold.

Maybe I just need to turn up the heat because Europe is a freezer all year

nally happy and content.

Besides, it doesn’t seem to be affecting my health as I thought.

I’m having penne alla vodka tonight, might as well add extra cream and indulge to the max.

After the pasta: oh boy, guess I’m trying dairyfree next.

Will that be the next trend after people find out gluten isn’t a big enough threat?

Blame the bread, cut it out of your life, and then just think you can go back to it?

Without so much as an apology, and then cut out dairy too?

What’s next, cut out the ham?

Chicken?

Okay, so today I had a marvellously soft, glutenloaded sandwich, and I had to lie on the sofa for a few minutes (hours, days) because my heart palpitations started.

Is this my stomach trying to kill itself?

Or my body trying to yell

round?

What do you think?

Apparently, gluten-free bread contains many sugars in place of the gluten to help the bread stick together, which puts me at risk of diabetes because of my health issue.

That would explain my high energy levels today.

I’ll stick with gluten for a bit longer.

Day 5 I actually feel better after some “real” toast.

I have better energy; trust me, I know my body by now.

In truth, the time and energy I have been spending trying to figure out what to eat instead of bread causes me to under-eat, and that’s worse than any side effect I will get from eating a bit of gluten.

Now that I have my true love back with me, I’m fi-

Go vegan?

It’s too much.

I’ve heard of a thing called the Breatharian diet too, which is living off nothing but nutrients in the air.

Nah, the air is polluted.

I guess we just all have to cut out food and air, and begin to disintegrate into nothing.

Day 6 I don’t feel bad enough to stop now.

The damage is done, whatever it is.

My face isn’t bloated today after a slice of toast, and all this got me thinking that maybe gluten isn’t the problem to all the health issues in the world?

Just maybe.

To test that hypothesis, I’m adding extra gluten to my diet: crackers!

Result one hour later: yep, this is definitely not good.

I am feeling like a water balloon, and the weight says I am 0.1 kg heavier already.

Keep in mind, crackers are very lightweight, porous, and should absorb water if anything.

Judging from this little test, I think gluten contributes to water retention, so if you feel like I do when I eat loads of pasta and bread, maybe cut down on it.

finding it is a huge project.

Thanks to this experiment, I now know that I definitely will not continue cutting any potentially unhealthy major food groups out, just modifying my intake.

Yes, because you now know how it can make someone gluten sensitive feel, but also because I really, really love subway cookies.

Day 7

If you’re doing it for the heck of it, try to consider whether what you’re doing is really necessary or not.

See a doctor, test some allergies, conduct experiments - but stay smart, and stay safe.

Also, stay tuned for my realisation that lactose and dairy free doesn’t work wonders either; or maybe that it does.

Today I had a bit less gluten than usual, and am feeling completely normal.

I guess I was just stuffing my face yesterday.

Everything in moderation, right?

In all, this was quite a learning experience for me.

I realised that anything in our environment or food could be affecting us, each person is slightly intolerant, allergic, or unused to something, but

All photos taken by author Nathalie Hollede

12 Brig | November 2017

Features

Gift giving - natural talent or trained skill?

Emma Simper Features Editor

W

ith the holiday season soon upon us, the only thing that could possibly be more stressful than the exams ahead is the prospect of gift shopping.

Now that we’re “adults”, I’m pretty sure that cute little misspelled cards with “you’re the best mom” drawn all over them in crayon, are no longer socially acceptable.

Some people give gifts like this is what they were born to do.

They seem to possess a natural instinct that picks up on all the little things you do or say, things and people you surround yourself with, and bam they find the perfect combination of everything you love, whack a bow on top and call it a day.

While others can walk around for hours, staring at shelf after shelf, finally convincing themselves that this will have to do.

rather that they actually use it?

For entertainment value and learning purposes here are examples from Stirling students whose

had stolen from me in the past, and then giving it to me as a present.”

“After passingly telling my grandmother that he loved packet chicken noo-

furry top with a giant pink heart stinking out the middle.

Oh and did I mention it came with matching trousers?”

“My neighbors gave me a rock polisher one year.

My mom and I tried it out, but it turned out that it would take around four days to polish the rocks, and that it literally sounded like rocks in a blender.

Credit to @friends_quotes1 twitter

While, of course, any and all gifts should be appreciated for the sentiment that lies behind the practice, it seems that the most common cause behind a so called ‘horrible’ gift is not fully knowing the person the gift is being given to.

Credit to pinterest

Nine out of ten gifts are given with good intentions; either to congratulate, celebrate, thank, or simply to make another person happy, but it’s amazing how far off it can be from something the person actually wanted or needed.

We tried burying it in blankets in the basement, but I swear you could hear that thing from miles away.”

“One time in school it was a girl in my year’s birthday and her friends got her a present that appeared to be a pair of shoes, but upon opening the box it was actually a massive dildo.”

“My dad once got my mom a food dehydrator so she could make dried fruits.

Though I have found that this isn’t necessarily a permanent state.

With the right guidance, a person can be taught to follow a list that has narrowed their options down to only those that the recipient would enjoy.

Yes, yes that does sound simple, it’s called a wish list. Learn it, live it, love it, and ASK FOR ONE.

Credit to home.bt.com

Your grandkids will thank you for anything they give you (because you’re old and they love you) but wouldn’t you

gifts givers thoroughly missed the mark: “My dad kept on buying me clear, see-through pencil cases for my exams every Christmas.

Kind of put a downer on the holiday spirit.”

dle soup, my brother got it wrapped up as a present on Christmas Day.” “When I was 13 my grandad’s friend got me a colorful and unbelievably

“One year for Christmas my neighbor got me a women’s Jack Wills low cut top with ‘Jack’ written across it in bright pink writing. To be clear I’m not a woman and it was very much form fitted.

They said, ‘Look it’s got your name on it, am sure all your mates at private school will be jealous’.

I then had to proceed and try it on while my parents were about in tears.

Didn’t even get the receipt to swap it.”

“I got a thong once, and no, it wasn’t from a boyfriend.”

“When I was at school my friends gave me a cute gift box they’d made themselves, but one of the gifts inside was an actual turnip with a face drawn on it.

Let’s just say that wasn’t what she’d been hoping for.”

I didn’t know what to do, like do I keep that?”

“My friend’s parents got her a really fancy looking throw pillow when she turned 16 and told her it

If nothing else, ‘horrible’ gifts such as the ones listed above, provide a memorable story to tell.

Not only do they make us laugh, I’d hope that they teach us that in actuality, material things don’t hold as much value as we often allow them to.

“My grandma once gave me one of those small, square, gift shop notepad things for Christmas because she thought the picture on the front was nice.”

“My little sister used to go through a phase of wrapping up stuff that I already owned that she

was ‘a pillow to practice on’, because people always say to practice kissing a pillow.”

So get asking for those wish lists or find your gifting genius friend; the holidays are just around the corner.

Credit to pinterest

13 Brig | November 2017

Features

Aunt Em-ployability Here to answer all you career questions

Emma Hill Careers and Employability Service

S

o, as the clocks change, the dark nights draw in and deadlines approach, it can be a difficult and stressful time for some people.

Please don’t forget about all the fantastic support services we have here at Stirling. Whether it’s study support, interview advice, counselling or money advice, we can help.

Just contact the Hub in C.2A1, email ask@stir. ac.uk or come along to the Student Support Day on November 13, 10am-3pm in the Atrium. All support services will be on hand to give information and advice, and there’ll even be some yoga and freebies too!

It’s also the time of year that students will be taking on part-time jobs for the holidays.

We do get a lot of questions about part-time working rights and what your responsibilities are

when working part-time in the UK.

Part-time rights Essentially you have the same rights as full-time workers when you work part-time. This means you should receive the same treatment for pay rates, holidays, training and benefits.You are entitled to annual leave as soon as you start your job and it should be the equivalent to full time entitlement (currently 5.6 weeks a year).

So, if you work 15 hours a week, you will be entitled to 84 hours annual leave per year.

If you are not given this as holiday then you are entitled to be paid for the hours. For further information visit www.gov.uk/part-timeworker-rights.

National Insurance You need to have a National Insurance number to work in the UK. You can start a job without one but you need to apply for one as soon as you

start. If you are a British national you should be sent your National Insurance number automatically around your 16th birthday. If you are a student from overseas then you will have to apply for

one. You will need to call 0345 600 0643 initially.

You may then be invited for an interview, where you’ll be asked about your circumstances, and to prove your identity.

Your contributions will be worked out and automatically taken off your sal-

ary, but you will only pay National Insurance if you earn over £157 a week.

Finding work There are lots of places to look for seasonal and part-time jobs. Your first port of call should be the University’s TargetConnect system.

You can access this at https://stirling.targetconnect.net. Employers post vacancies up that would be suitable for students and currently, there are some seasonal posts in Primark, The Card Factory, Hilton Dunblane and at the university itself.

Another question we have had is about careers fair, and employers on campus.

The Careers and Employability Service held Next Step on October 5, with over 40 organisations and 300 students attending.

The feedback was great, with employers stating that Stirling students were engaged, employable and a credit to the

university. Some feedback from students was that they didn’t feel there were enough employers for their specific course/ faculty. With over 200 courses, careers fairs can’t cater for everyone, but we would encourage students to think about all their options and look at employers who are recruiting students from any discipline. Many of the graduate schemes only specify the level of degree, not the subject, that you are required to have. Some students are very focussed on the job they want to get after graduating, but for others, careers fairs can be a great way to open up options and talk to employers about what they are really looking for.

Graduate schemes A graduate scheme is a

structured training programme run by an employer to develop future leaders of their organisation.

These graduate schemes, which usually last between one and two years, are often available in a number of spe-

cialisms ranging from finance, retail, HR and marketing, to management and law.

On a graduate scheme, you’ll usually be given responsibility from the

outset, and the opportunity to gain real hands-on experience and develop your key skills.

Although at this time of year your thoughts might be on assignments and exams, or maybe just mince pies and shopping, it is important to consider applying for a graduate scheme if you are in your final year.

Most schemes close for applications in November or December and you can find more information at www.prospects.ac.uk.

If you are applying, then come along to the Careers and Employability Service to get some advice on your application. We have appointments every day and these can be booked at https://stirling.targetconnect.net.

That’s it from me for another issue. If you have any careers questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch emma.hill@ stir.ac.uk and I’ll do my best to help!

15 Brig | November 2017

Sport

Scotland calling for prop idol Bhatti Craig Wright Sports editor

J

amie Bhatti has come a long way.

From almost walking away from the game for good, the Stirling native is enjoying a purple patch in his rugby career to date, having been named in his first senior Scotland squad ahead of this month’s internationals. It was a slightly surreal experience for Bhatti, however, as the prop explained: “The squad was announced on the Tuesday, and we got our emails on the Monday night,” said Bhatti.

“I was actually in the cinema and had no signal on my phone, so I came outside and it popped up on my phone.

“It was Gav Scott, the Scotland team manager, saying congratulations on being named in the squad.

“I just thought ‘jeez’ – I was chuffed!”

It caps a meteoric rise through the ranks for the 24-year-old, who made his professional debut for Glasgow Warriors just over a year ago.

Credit: Stirling County RFC

However, it’s been far from a smooth ride to the top for Bhatti. Despite holding ambitions to represent his country from his earliest steps on the pitch at Hillfoots RFC, he found his career stalling during his time at Stirling County.

He said: “Growing up playing rugby, everyone wants to play for Scotland.

Credit: SCRUM Magazine

“You go to games when you’re at school and you think ‘I’d love to play for Scotland’.

“Then you get into senior rugby – I mean, when I was at County, I wasn’t really pushing on in the way I’d like. I wasn’t in the academies or anything, and it’s only been in the last couple of years that I started moving forward.

“I’d sort of moved away from wanting to be a professional when I was at County, to be honest. I thought I’d reached the end of my tether with it.”

Indeed, so high was the extent to which Bhatti was prepared to turn his back on the sport, he had already sized up alternative options to his professional sporting ambitions.

“I’d applied for the police and I was working in Bridge of Allan, so I was looking for other careers,” explained Bhatti.

“I failed the police, mind – I passed the fitness test and the written exam, but the interview went to pot!

“It’s probably for the best though, because if I’d have got into the police, I’d probably have walked away from the

sport.”

That interview mishap proved to be a blessing in disguise for the young Bhatti, with a move to Melrose the catalyst for being picked up by the BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy and the Warriors for the 2016/17 season. His rapid rise through the ranks has continued into this campaign, establishing himself as the first-

choice loosehead prop at the club in the opening rounds of the Guinness PRO14. Despite this, however, Bhatti remains grounded.

He said: “I’d been at the club for the full pre-season, so it definitely helped to have that under my belt.

“You train together, so it really helps the squad gel. I think being given the opportunity in

the two pre-season games [including, turning out, against Northampton Saints at Stirling County’s Bridgehaugh ground] really helped, but it’s just been one of those things where it all came good at the same time.

“I think I’ve done alright when given the opportunity – I wouldn’t say I’ve been outstanding every week, and if

big Oli Kebble (Glasgow’s new signing for this season) had been fit, I think he’d have started his fair share of matches.”

Bhatti has more than made the most of his opportunity, however. One of 19 Warriors named in Gregor Townsend’s Scotland squad, his first international call-up is just reward for his part in Glasgow’s unbeaten start to the domestic campaign. Having familiar faces in the playing group is something the prop clearly values, and with good reason.

“As a front-row, with guys like George [Turner] and Zander [Fagerson] there as well, it’s great to have guys you work with week in, week out there,” said Bhatti.

“You know how each other work - both individually and as a unit - you’re comfy at scrum time, and it’s a great environment to be in.”

With attention now turning to the international arena, Scottish rugby supporters will turn out in their thousands to support their side at BT Murrayfield in the coming weeks.

For Bhatti, though, it’s an old sporting cliché that will be guiding him through the next month.

“You take every week as it comes,” he said.

“Hopefully I’ll put my hand up, do what I do and get a cap somewhere along the way.”

Jamie Bhatti Factfile Age: 24 Birthplace: Stirling Glasgow Warriors Caps: 15 Debut: vs Canada ‘a’, Stirling, 30/08/16 Height: 6ft 1in Weight: 120kg Fun Fact: worked in a slaughterhouse after leaving school

Credit: Scottish Rugby

16 Brig | November 2017

Sport

NEWSFLASH Women’s hockey 1s remain optimistic despite slow start

Craig Wright Sports editor

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niversity of Stirling footballer Rachel Donaldson has been named as the Scottish Women’s Premier League’s player of the month for September.

The right midfielder became the first winner of the league’s player of the month award, after being nominated by the league’s managers for her impressive performances at the beginning of this season.

Speaking to the official Scottish Women’s Football YouTube channel, Donaldson said: “It’s really great. I didn’t really expect to be on the shortlist, so it was a really nice surprise.

“There were a number of players that could have claimed this honour, so I’m very grateful.”

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“I know Scott, Maia and Jonny are all looking forward to being involved and I’m sure they will do us all proud.”

Credit: University of Stirling.

S

cottish Student Sport have announced their wider men’s lacrosse training squad, with six members of the University of Stirling team included.

Colin Weir, Cameron Anderson, Craig Thompson, David Currie, Frazer Silcock and Thomas Bruen have all been invited to train with the 26-man training group, which will assemble throughout the 2017/18 season.

Credit: Tartan Kicks.

hree tennis scholars from the University of Stirling have been selected by BUCS to represent Great Britain in an event known as ‘the world event of university tennis’.

Maia Lumsden, Jonny O’Mara and Scott Duncan will be pulling on their national colours at the BNP Paribas Master’U in Lille.

The event, which will take place in Lille from November 30-December 3, is widely renowned as one of the toughest tests for a university tennis player.

University of Stirling head coach Euan McGinn was delighted with the selections, praising his athletes in an interview with the official university channels.

He said: “To have Stirling players make up 50% of the GB team heading to Lille is great news for the university’s scholarship programme, and a reflection of the hard work the guys put in on a daily basis.

Credit: Stirling Men’s Lacrosse.

D

oes your sports team have a story that you’d like to see featured in Brig? Perhaps your club has an outstanding achievement to celebrate?

Maybe you want to make the university aware of your sport?

Get in contact by emailing sport@brignews.com and let us know what we should be covering!

For all the latest university and world sports news, head to Brig Sport’s dedicated Facebook page and click the like button.

Shannon Scovel

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trong, stoic and confident, fourth year criminology and law student and hockey 1’s captain Claire Donald stands in front of the hockey net each week with the simple goal of stopping every shot that comes at her.

She anchors her team, fending off attack after attack, and using her pads and cleats as weapons against the onslaught of shots that come her way.

She’s steady, positive, and with a good sense of humor, she knows how to lead a team.

“I would like to say [I‘m] quite laid back generally and work off the knowledge that the girls have, but in matches I am quite loud,” Donald said, regarding her leadership style.

Despite Donald’s upbeat spirit and positive approach to the game, however, her team’s success in 2017 remains limited, and they entered Week 5 of BUCS competition without a single win or even a single goal.

The 2017 pattern, while disappointing for the team, follows the lack of momentum from the 2016 season, where the team went 1-1-8 and finished 5th in the BUCS standings.

Since last year’s finish, the 1’s have attempted to rebuild, but the results thus far indicate the rebuilding process is ongoing.

The team graduated seven players in 2016, creating a void in the lineup the players have struggled to match, despite a rapid increase in overall participation in the club.

Donald said the 2016 season following the loss of the older players proved to be a disappointment, and the record reflects those struggles.

While the beginning of the 2017 season has also been rocky for the squad, general interest in the club on campus is growing, and Donald said in an October 25 interview she remains hopeful that new players will continue to develop and gain the skills necessary to compete against other BUCS teams.

Credit: Stirling University Ladies Hockey Club.

A women’s 5s team has been created for the first time to accommodate the newcomers, and competitiveness among the players has helped inspire a heightened level of play, particularly in the backfield.

While the club grows around them, the 1s banded together themselves for a win on November 1, pulling away from Dundee 1-0 to improve their record to 1-3.

Stirling currently sits in sixth place in the Scottish 1A BUCS ranking, but the hope for improvement isn’t lost.

In fact, the win helped change the mentality of the team moving forward, Donald said, and the team has committed itself to “train with a greater intensity so we can step up like we did in that match against Dundee.”

So far, the 1s have already scored more goals and won more matches than last year, increasing positivity among the players.

From her role in the net, Donald said, after a 2-0 loss to Birmingham on October 25 she has seen the defence improve from last season, and

as the freshers continue to assimilate into the team culture, this should only continue.

“This year is definitely off to a much more positive start,” Donald said.

“We have been able to hold teams a lot better this year. It’s looking really positive; we just need to start getting the goals on the other side. It’s better than last year.”

Donald and vice-captain Megan Grant both agreed that with added interest on campus in the sport of hockey comes an increased talent pool, and the team now has more options when it comes to choosing the lineup for the 1s.

The challenge, Grant said, lies in figuring out who should play on what team, in what position, and in which games.

“It’s very competitive this year between the whole club,” Grant said after an October 18th loss to Edinburgh 3s.

“We’ve had to do whole club trials and get everybody in.

“Competition for spaces has stepped up, so it has been difficult to select the 1s out of the girls that have been here.

Fun Fact: With 112 registered members, and the addition of a fifth team, ladies hockey is the largest it has ever been.

“[We’re] happy with the team we’ve got, but also happy for the girls that are coming up and pitching for the 1s as well.”

During reading week, the team faced the additional challenge of trying to balance the needs of its players with four games and a variety of players coming on and off the pitch, based on academic needs.

Overall, however, Donald says the team culture remains strong and the players feel a sense of pride as they play for their university as a unit.

“We’re just really good at sticking together as a team, so even if we’re tired, we’re good at playing for each other and working for each other, rather than just being like ‘No, I’m too tired, I’m not doing it.,’” Donald said.

“So it’s that mentality which is really nice for the girls within the team, I think, [and] because we are such good friends off the pitch as well, it sort of drives us on the pitch, so I don’t really have to do much, it just comes naturally.”

The wins and losses will come - it’s a natural part of the process - but what matters most is what happens in the present.

And, in the present, or at least at the next BUCS game, Donald will stand, stoic as usual, defending the net and hoping to defend her team against another loss and rack up the team’s next big win.

17 Brig | November 2017

Sport ‘It’s my life’: weight on the mind Chris Bond Sports editor

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aking weight for competition is not something many people will have come across. Even as an athlete myself, stepping on the scales wondering if I’ll be able to compete has never crossed my mind. However, for some sports, it’s the main focus of an individual’s training.

I spoke to Chris Jensen, 21, an active member of the University of Stirling’s rowing club, who for the second year running is on a weight loss programme in order to make weight for the upcoming Scottish Indoor Rowing Championships (November 18).

Firstly, why are you dropping weight instead of just competing in the heavier category?

The guys who race in the higher category are like 90kg, 6ft 5, beasts. The time difference is so much that you wouldn’t be able to compete – I would come last in that race. So it’s much easier for me to sacri-

fice a bit of body weight and be competitive than try and put more weight on and struggle in the heavier category.

What’s your typical day on this programme?

Basically, on a training day, I wake up at 6 or 7, then have a slice of toast and a banana.

Then you go and do 2x45 minute sets on the rowing machine, then you go to classes and you won’t eat again until, like, one o’clock.

Credit: Chris Bond.

I’ll have a tuna baguette or something like that, maybe some fruit, and maybe a breakfast bar – they have good sugars in them. Then we’ll leave to go to Glasgow and we’ll go train for about two hours on the water, and then we’ll come back and have dinner.

At night time, you don’t

have that many carbs because you’re not doing anything that needs them - you’re just sitting there, so dinner will be something like fish, and steamed vegetables, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, kale, that sort of thing. Three meals a day, and absolutely no snacking, as I can’t afford to put on any more weight. If I have a really busy day I will up my calorie count in order to keep me going, but it will be around 1800.

Do you feel fatigued?

I’m not one of those people who will starve themselves. If I do need a Lucozade or something, I’ll have it as I’ll burn it off anyway during the session.

I burn well over 1000 calories in each rowing session. In a basic training week, I’ll do around 100k on a rowing machine on top of the water sessions.

How come you go through to Glasgow to train?

We can’t train in Stirling at the moment because of the whole boathouse situation.

We’ve just been given permission to train on the loch but it’s not very far – you have to turn

A weekend with the Clansmen Harry McArthur Sports editor

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s the two coaches pull up to Stirling train station in the early afternoon of a Saturday morning, the process truly begins. Two separate flocks of players, geared up in their Clansmen tracksuits, flood on to their respective offence or defence bus and prepare to make the trip down south.

The first away trip of the season saw a relatively long trip down to Derby. During these trips, you get the players who are new to the team, who giddily chat to all around them, and you get the veterans, who come prepared - pillows, boxes of pasta prepared, and their Beats headphones blaring out their travel playlist. I opted for a book on this occasion (a favourable choice, I might add, as time flew on the trip down).

After staying in a Travelodge, the dining room the next

morning is always amusing. A sea of green floods the room as all the Clansmen players fill their plates to the brim with a full English breakfast, with emphasis on the sausages and bacon, in order to fully energise them for gameday.

Then, as the taping begins, the rest of the team gather their belongings and congregate in the reception area, waiting for the coaches’ call to go on the bus and travel to the match. These trips can be nervy; however, there was a positive vibe going around the bus that Sunday.

I had spoken to sophomore cornerback Ed Keeler, who said: “We have had a really good off season, and I’m feeling very confident of our chances today.

“I’m just looking forward to getting on the field and playing some football.”

It was a short trip to campus, with everybody doing their usual pre-game bus shenani-

gans, whether that be watching game footage, listening to hype playlists or, in Loizos Savva’s case, sleeping.

After putting on their pads and setting up the sideline, the warm-up commenced. It’s a very in-depth warm up for the Clansmen in which, as well as warming up, they go through plays they are going to run, and ensure everybody understands how the system is going to work on each specific gameday.

Two hours later, it’s finally game time. Just before kickoff, however, the Clansmen perform their notorious ‘hitting drill’, in which the players partner up and run into each other as hard as they can. If you can hit a teammate that hard, imagine how hard you can light up an opponent!

As the game plays, there’s excitement, drama, ups, downs and so much more in between.

Whenever the defence is on the field you are screaming,

like every five minutes, which isn’t ideal.

Is it psychologically demoralising being so strict?

Oh yeah, proper. That’s why sometimes, to keep myself going I will have something I really enjoy - like chocolate, or an apple pie, or something - just to keep the morale high, because if you torture yourself, you’ll just hate yourself.

Last year when I was doing this and my girlfriend was here, she was like ‘oh, you’re the worst person to be around’, and I was like, ‘yeah, I probably am’. I was just hungry all the time!

How has it affected your social life?

I don’t have one; I can’t do it. Even now, if I wanted to go out, I can’t; I need sleep and recovery time. I can’t waste a day laid up in bed.

I’m prepared to make this sacrifice as I’ve had four years.

If I was at an English university I would have to be working now and wouldn’t have this opportunity. It’s the last year, so I’m going to make the most of it.

Will you stay at this weight after the championships in two weeks?

The thing is, for that weight category, the Olympic association cut most of the lightweight races for the Olympics to make room for more sports and stuff, prioritising the heavier categories. So BUCS have done the same thing as they have to follow the Olympic lead. When we go to race in April, we’ll have to race heavyweight, which is open weight.

I won’t get up to 90 [kg], but I definitely won’t be restricting my diet.

In terms of your health do you think it can be dangerous?

Last year I was on a spin bike in the gym, like, two days before, tracksuit on, sweating all the weight away. When I competed last year I was so ill after the race, because not only had I messed up going too light, I messed up the nutrition directly beforehand. I basically did the race off half a bottle of Lucozade, but still managed to

making as much noise as possible, in order to distract the opposing offence. When offence is on the field, you are getting excited at the inevitable awesome plays that are going to occur.

At the end of the game, the players gather in the middle of one of the halves. After acknowledging the supporters, the sideline and the opponents, the coaches take over and announce the day’s MVPs. After showering and loading up the

bus, it’s off down the motorway in pursuit of a service station that provides a kind variety of fast food to feast upon.

This trip I elected for a KFC, joined by the majority of the team. On one previous trip, they closed down the branch we were in after serving only half of the team, as they said they wouldn’t have enough produce for the next day.

Not this time, though. We feasted after our victory, and were at that stuffed/tired

Credit: Chris Bond.

finish fourth out of 30, running of fumes.

If the standard is the same as last year, I fancy my chances [to win].

Has it affected your academic work?

If you manage your time right, you can have the best of both worlds. I do take it quite seriously. It’s my life. If people don’t understand, then that’s their problem. I don’t really care.

I don’t miss going out and doing all this [going out], waking up with a hangover. I’d rather wake up the next day, be in the gym for like 7/8 and just get it done, and feel good.

Just have a goal in your life.

Going out is aimless. That was me in first and second year, but I’ve changed and hopefully it’s going to be worth it. To be honest, it won’t matter because what happens is going to happen.

Finally, what’s the first thing you’ll eat after competing?

Pizza. Big greasy pizza.

I think that’s something we can all relate to. Good luck to Chris and the four other students representing the university at the championships.

Credit: American Football international.

phase which led to sleeping all the way back to Stirling.

One of the most satisfying feelings as a Clansman is when you arrive at the roundabout which sits in the middle of Waitrose, Puregym and the Thistle Centre. It symbolises home and - most importantly - bed.

On a trip with the Clansmen, not only do you get the full range of laughs; you get to witness the UK’s best university Amercian football team.

18 Brig | November 2017

Sport Rebecca Blair’s BUCS Report

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Credit: BUCS

e had quite a slow start in BUCS this year - we took a bit longer to get going than we’d anticipated, and especially compared to last year.

We’re currently sat in 17th place though, which is absolutely brilliant, and it’s good to see the results are now happening for us.

Although we had a slow start, there have been a few results coming in that have really surprised us.

For me, although a lot of teams have been performing well on and off the pitch, men’s rugby have been the team of the semester so far for me. They’ve had some fantastic results - the 2s are still unbeaten in the league so far, and the 1s are wiping the floor with everyone right now.

Their cup game against Liverpool was probably their most impressive result so far, winning 53-45 after extra-time to progress to the next round against Nottingham.

I was speaking to the boys yesterday, and if they beat Nottingham they’ll face Loughborough, which would be a massive opportunity for them.

They’ve also been a massive influence off the pitch this year as well - their work ethic has been incredible, and they’re getting heavily involved with the Union’s Speak Your Mind campaign, as well with their tie-in with the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH).

They’ve really impressed us both on and off the pitch this year. interview and transcription by Harry McArthur and Craig Wright

Credit: Stirling University RFC

SPORTING SNAPSHOTS Credit to Giulia Hadjiandrea

Golf star chipping away at history cont. from back page her grandfather, a man she considers to be one of her biggest role models.

She played as a child in Scotland before her family moved out to Australia for four years, yet Goadby knew she wanted to return to her homeland to continue her career.

She did briefly consider attending university in the United States because “it’s kind of the expectation that if you are good at golf and are going to college or university ... you would probably go to the States.” However, Scotland was calling her home.

Goadby connected with Stirling coach Dean Robertson to enquire about the school, and she said that Robertson’s expertise and reputation, combined with Stirling’s focus on sport and the facilities on campus, helped her decide to commit to Stirling. The decision has paid off.

Credit: University of Stirling

Goadby has helped make Stirling golf history with her performances thus far, and Robertson said he’s excited to see Goadby’s work pay off.

As a coach, Robertson works with each of his athletes to create individual programs based around “their strengths and key areas to improve”; he’s focused on the physical side of training his athletes, but Robertson also recognises the value of the mental game.

In order to give his athletes the edge psychologically, he enlists the help of Dr John Mathers, Stirling’s highly regarded sports psychologist, to work with his athletes throughout the year.

“We keep our ‘eye on the out-

Credit: Scottish Student Sport

come’, however [we keep] our mind on the process,” Roberston said.

“With the expert help of Dr John Mathers, we strive to work with a growth mindset at all times - staying grounded, in the moment and focused on what they can control, and I try to keep the players grounded.”

Mindful golf When Dr John Mathers first came to Stirling in 1996, the university was just starting to embrace sport as an academic subject.

Over the last 20 years, he has seen the program go through a series of restructuring, but he believes wholeheartedly in the value of continuing the partnership between the study of sports, particularly sports psychology, and the performance side of sport.

Mathers works with several of the teams on campus, including tennis, football and golf, but his relationship with golf in particular has flourished, largely because of his working relationship with Robertson.

“Dean came and joined us with a strong playing profile and immense credibility in the sport, and [he] was also a coach who realised the importance of sports psychology at the highest level, whereas many coaches don’t,” said Mathers.

“Because we had that interest in the mental side of the game, we struck up a very productive working relationship.

“My working knowledge of the game of golf also helped us connect.

“Because of that, we’ve managed to develop programs and systems for training sessions and workshops and training camps, abroad and here, that

have integrated all of these things.”

Mathers works with the golf team for 70 hours over the course of the year, but he spends a significant portion of those hours with the team on a two-week training retreat in January.

He said that, while he has come to know each of the players individually and identify areas where they can improve their mental game, he sees something special in Goadby.

“I think she’s excited about getting better, developing her skills and being able to control the ball in competition, and the better she can do that, the more chance she’ll have of victory,” Mathers said.

“I know Chloe is desperately keen to do well and win stuff, but when we talk and I see her in action, I always think that a bigger driver is the desire to improve. That would be my view of Chloe.”

Credit: BUCS

Driving for success Now in her third year of golf at Stirling and in a leadership position on a young team, Goadby’s role has changed among her peer group, but her overall approach to the game and her passion for the sport remains the same.

She feels a sense of pride competing as a student athlete, and with coaching from

Robertson and mental support from Mathers, she has the ingredients she needs to achieve success. The rest is up to her.

“Everything is here that you need, so it’s kind of what you make of it,” Goadby said.

And while some may see the student-athlete balance as a grind or a stressful schedule, Goadby has decided to make the process fun.

A large part of that mindset, she said, comes from the joy of playing golf at Stirling and travelling around the world representing her university.

“It’s a pretty special place to play golf, and it’s nice that we get the opportunity to go overseas and the likes of European unis, and try to tackle Europe and see how we compare then, to go further afield and go to the States and see how we compare to the best teams out there, so we are very lucky here,” Goadby said.

Goadby’s golf career, while incredibly successful, won’t end when she walks across the stage at graduation next year.

She hopes to pursue a pro career in the sport, but even if that path doesn’t work out, Goadby said, she expects to remain involved in the sport.

The generational nature of golf, and its ability to bring together people of all ages to come play together, makes the sport unique, she said.

After all, Goadby’s love for the sport came from someone two generations older than her, her grandfather, and she hopes that one day she will be able to share the sport with younger athletes.

“A lot of people have the stereotype of it being boring or for old people, but I think it’s definitely thriving in the younger generations, so hopefully we can keep it going,” Goadby said.

“I guess everyone would say that about their own sport, that they enjoy it or they wouldn’t do it.”

It’s this enjoyment that keep her going, even as her Tetris board of training keeps filling up with added training blocks every year.

19 Brig | November 2017

Sport Fair day in the Fair City for USCC Ross Brannigan Editor in chief

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he University of Stirling Cycling Club took on the Fair City Enduro on October 21, the penultimate race in the Muckmedden mountain bike series in Scotland.

The race, held in Perth, saw over a dozen members take on the muddy, rooty and slippery tracks for a fun day of racing on bikes.

Starting in Perth’s South Inch park, the riders cycled around two miles through fields and rolling countryside to the top of stage one in Deuchny Wood, to the east of the former capital of Scotland.

The race saw the riders take on six very different stages, with the first four largely starting in Deuchny Wood, before the final two stages spat the riders out at the bottom of Kinnoull Hill, just outside of the main city.

Representing USCC were Elena Melton, Donald Rodgers, Luca del Fabbro, Ross Brannigan, Tom Arnold and Dylan Ramsay-Stagg. Accompanying them were fellow Stirling students Sandy Philip and Jamie Yellowlees.

Stage one threw the riders in at the deep end, starting off on some soggy and rooted grass, which nose-dived into a boggy right-hander, before they entered the gloom of the slippery woods below.

Credit: David Anderson

Many riders came a-cropper in the right hander, with the first mud of the day splattered on their jerseys and fancy dress.

Speaking to one of the course officials, stage one had been cut just a week before the race and, after the rain of the fol-

Judo club making an impact Jessie Hosking

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Brig...

fter their inception in September, judo secretary Rebekah Cranney talks to

When did you first start doing judo?

I first started doing judo when I was around 13 or 14 after being forced into it by my dad. Saying that, judo is now my life and I’m so glad he introduced me to the martial arts!

Credit: James Towers

lowing week, the tracks were boggy and hadn’t had time to be broken in yet.

Stage two was a similar affair, but some slippery off-camber and a final, desperate pedal before the finish line gave it a unique spice. Stages three and four started side-by-side, descending to the edges of Kinnoull Hill.

Stages five and six also started close to one another, but offered very different challenges.

Stage five allowed the riders to start hard out the blocks on a downhill, before switching into some tight and soggy corners, resulting in a few near misses.

Luca del Fabbro narrowly missed a mechanical when he realised his clutch was not engaged after a previous puncture between stages four and five, but it was a quick fix.

The final stage pitched the riders downwards, with some technical and slippery chutes through the trees.

In the end, Elena Melton took second place in the senior women category, with CrossCountry World Cup rider Isla Short coming third, and Louise Ferguson finishing at the top of the podium.

In the men’s race, Enduro World Series rider Joe Barnes finished on the top spot. Donald Rodgers was the highest finishing man for USCC, com-

ing 14th, followed by Dylan Ramsay-Stagg in 27th and Luca del Fabbro in 49th.

After the race, del Fabbro said: “This year’s Fair City Enduro was my first ever bike race, which set the hype for the day.

“The fact that we rallied a crew of 10 made the whole experience feel like a big day out with the club - bouncing energy off each other.”

Credit: PK Perspective

Enduro World Series racer Elena Melton described the race as “one of the best days out on the bike I have had”.

She added: “It celebrates everything awesome about mountain biking: so many people just getting out and loving riding their bikes, having a good time with friends and even total strangers.

“From newbies trying out their first enduro race to elite racers that race at international level, it’s about remembering sometimes not to take life or sport too seriously; lots

[were] dressed up in crazy fancy dress costume, and some serious shapes were pulled on and off the bike sliding about on the mud and roots.

“Although it was a ‘funduro’, the trails were not to be messed with. Some amazing natural, gnarly tracks, with lots of flow, and some bike park jumps, berms, and drops – it was the perfect mixture and the right balance between not too easy but also not too difficult.

“I was feeling pretty ill with a cold and in the days before wasn’t really looking forward to it. But it actually turned out to be one of the best days out on the bike I’ve had. The sun even came out for us!”

The Muckmedden series started with The Eliminator race in Fife in September, and will conclude with the Falkirk Funduro later this month. Isla Short, who finished third in Perth, raced the Forfar Funduro, but said Fair City was her favourite of the series.

She said: “It’s so nice to have a break from the high pressure of World Cups but still get my hit of racing in during the winter. Everybody else seemed to have an awesome day out too.

“I’ll definitely be back! I’m slowly making my way around the Muckmedden enduros and Perth has to be my favourite one of the series.”

bers, Rachel Tytler, is a black belt who received a bronze medal at the BUCS Judo Championships in Sheffield.

She’s the standard we’re all aiming for!

We also have a guy on our coaching team called Panagiotis Galosias from Cyprus. He’s a black belt like Rachel, and it’s fascinating to see the different coaching techniques that he brings given that he is not from Great Britain.

What are the aspirations for the future of the club?

At the moment fundraising is a big problem. We need to buy

Credit: University of Stirling Judo Club.

What standard did you get up to?

I am currently a brown belt in judo and coach at my local club. I’ve also received a bronze and a silver medal at the SSS (Scottish Student Sport) competitions.

Was it easy to set up the club?

Fairly easy, yes! Myself and Min (another committee member) met at an SSS competition and decided that we wanted to start up a university judo club.

Initially we were focused on getting together at least ten people (the required number to start up a club) but loads signed up for our GIAG session and we’ve gone from there.

With the club open to all comers, what’s the highest standard in the club so far?

One of our committee mem-

more mats for training sessions, as well as for any competitions that we hope to arrange against other unis.

I would also like to get members of the club through the different grades. I also hope to be able to get a team together for the BUCS Judo National Championships next year.

What does judo mean to you and why should others try it?

It sounds clichéd but at my local club we were like one big family; I used to call the older guys my uncles. We were all really close and I have tried to bring this aspect to the university club.

The judo club hold their training sessions on Mondays at 5.20pm to 7pm and Wednesdays 7pm to 9pm at the squash courts in Gannochy Sports Centre.

Sport since 1969

Scotland’s university for sporting excellence November edition 2017 | Twitter: @brignewspaper | Website: www.brignews.com

SPA Journalism Awards 2017 - Nominated for Best Sports Coverage

Mind, body and soul: Stirling’s Goadby has success down to a tee

Credit: BUCS

T

Shannon Scovel hird-year sports studies golf scholar Chloe Goadby’s schedule looks like a Tetris

board.

Her classes, practices, meals and recovery all fit neatly in their perfect places in a plan precisely drafted by Stirling’s golf legend Dean Robertson.

Gym workouts at 7am, breakfast at 8am, practice from 9-11am - and that’s all before lunch.

This routine, a daily schedule that has come to shape Goadby’s university experience, helps her manage her time and stay focused during what she calls a “long season, busy season” of golf. While the structure may seem daunting, for Goadby, it’s all she’s ever known.

“I think you just keep doing it, and it becomes normal because it’s normal to you,” Goadby said.

“If we are just here doing university, I can’t imagine what

that would be like because we play so much golf, and we get the opportunity to play so much, so yeah, it’s a cool experience.”

On October 8, Chloe Goadby made history as a member of the first international team to win a Division I golf tournament in the United States. She helped her team rebound from an 11th place finish at the same tournament - the Yale Intercollegiate, a year before - to a win in 2017.

In the process, she also cap-

tured the individual win, another milestone on a monumental season that has included other individual wins at BUCS tournaments in the Midlands and Fife.

Yet, three weeks after her big win at Yale, sitting in the sports centre café on campus, Goadby spoke with such calmness, a genuine love for the game, and a mentality that would thrill any sports psychologist.

“I think I know it sounds a bit cliché, but we generally just play to enjoy it,” Goadby said.

“We get all of these experi-

ences, and I think you’ve got to kind of appreciate them and enjoy them while they are here because we only get four years at university, and it goes pretty quickly.

“My goal this year was just to enjoy every opportunity that I have.”

Goadby’s enthusiasm for the game of golf might sound clichéd, and her story of learning to play the sport from her grandfather - and now being able to have such success as he follows her ca-

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reer - might sound too good to be true. The work that went into creating this success story, however, proves that Goadby’s achievements in the sport aren’t as simple as a fairytale.

Her journey to the top is a result of time, energy, effort and the right mindset.

Teeing up A St. Andrew’s native, Goadby grew up around golf and learned to love the sport from

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