The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

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Dionne Warwick Slaying Symphony Hall At 77

Multi Grammy-winning singer owns the stage - Page 20

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head of performing at Symphony Hall in September, Dionne Warwick spoke to invited guests about celebrating Birmingham’s Black History Month.

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The private event, attended by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Yvonne Mosquito, Vice Lord-Lieutenant for the West Midlands, Beverly Lindsay and Honorary Consul for Lithuania, Keith

Inside This Month

Prince WIlliam visits Acorns Childrens Hospice - Page 8

Stokes-Smith, and EditorIn-Chief of The Phoenix Newspaper and birthday girl Marcia McLaughlin, shone a spotlight on what has become an important feature of the City’s event calendar.

Continued on Page 20

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he USA economy is currently showing signs of very good economic growth. unemployment rates are very low and are projected to remain so for the foreseeable future and the state of the country’s earnings, measured in terms of its gross domestic product (GDP), are also positive.

In this sense, therefore, President Trump can feel very satisfied with the general state of the American economy.

On the global sate, however, are the actions and rhetoric of Donald Trump singlehandedly contributing to the destabilisation of global affairs, and should we be concerned?

In the 1940s, during and just after the Second World War, much of the global economy was in turmoil. War, devastation, financial instability, trade protectionism and authoritarian regimes were seen as the main causes behind the global turbulence.

The USA and the major European allies, recognising their need for each other, embarked on economic and political programmes based largely upon the principle of working together.

It was this collective spirit that gave birth to the United Nations, the EEC, NATO, the IMF, World Bank, and, what is today called the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

At the forefront of most of these institutions was the USA. Back then, the USA recognised the necessity of working together in order to safeguard the global economy.

How times appear to be changing.

At a period when the war against terrorism, Brexit, and uncertainty over global financial markets seem to point in the direction of uncertainty, the USA appears to retreating from this once important position of collectivism towards a more isolationist approach.

A few examples serve to illustrate this. One of the most notable is the idea that NATO is too costly to the USA and therefore President Trump wants to consider reducing America’s share of financial support to this once military based institution established in 1949 as

The Trump Effect

a deterrence to the communist threat.

In similar vein, Donald Trump has been a severe critic of the UN for a number of policy decision reasons such as; climate change, refugees and questions over Israel.

Underlining these issues with the UN is the fact that the USA also financially underwrites this institution by contributing at least 20% of its annual budget.

The main argument being posited

by Trump is that America is being ripped off by paying too much to these institutions and, probably not being able to get as much back in returns with regard to key decisions that support USA foreign policy.

Two examples hep to illustrate, what has come to be called, the America first agenda. The first is the fallout over the Paris Climate agreement and the second is the trade war with China. President Trump announced in 2017 that the USA would no longer be part of the 2015

Paris Agreement on Climate change.

His justification for this was that the agreement would affect American businesses.

So, although this Paris Agreement might be good for the world, if it does not work for America, President Trump is not keen to embrace it.

President Trump’s protectionist tariffs against China is based in the idea that too many Chinese made goods are entering the USA and adversely affecting its local industry.

But with China taking retaliatory measures, the two largest trading nations could end up cutting back on trade which could have a domino effect resulting in possible future global recession.

Whilst Donald Trump is correct to adopt policies that bring benefits to the American economy and society, by engaging in an apparent zero-sum approach, where one country’s gain is done at another country’s expense, this

Birmingham With Birmingham hosting the Conservative Party Conference for a sixth time – at the ICC Birmingham – it proved another ‘tick in the box’ for a city, in particular, and region, in general, which is pretty much backing many of the area’s leading figures who boast the UK’s second city as THE place to be; for business, sport, entertainment, pleasure

and all-round wellbeing.

With the large, yellow cranes an almost permanent fixture on the broad landscape, though a pain for citizens and commuters – during the short term – for the long stretch, it highlights the great prospects ahead for prospective investors in what will be the UK’s most ‘go-to’ destination – bar none.

The plethora of Black History Month events and

celebrations already leading the way, attracting huge droves of visitors on an international scale.

In attracting the government, again, to its venue, ICC Birmingham – who, again, will also be hosting The Phoenix Newspaper Awards & Dinner - is at the forefront of making Brummies and Brits proud to be ...well, Brummie and Brits.

can create unnecessary tensions and uncertainties.

In the 1940s the world needed stability and collectivism where countries worked together to create a stable global order.

One reason for he failure of the League of Nations in the 1920s was the lack of support from the key players in the world economy.

If the USA continues on this isolationist approach and pulls out or downplays the significance of global institutions, without providing any viable alternatives, we could end up in a very strange world of tit for tat trade, nationalist policies with little or no regard for other nations, financial uncertainties and an increased global atmosphere of tensions between nations.

To an extent, the policies and rhetoric of Donald Trump is not helping to ease such worries, but might contribute to an uneasy couple of years.

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A Dinosaur-sized impact

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D

ippy has left Birmingham, but the huge impact of the exhibition has now been revealed.

With over a quarter of a million people visiting Dippy on Tour: A Natural History Adventure at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (BMAG), the recordbreaking exhibition is BMAG’s most successful ever temporary exhibition.

The 255,548 visitors from 26 May - 9 September 2018 spent £4.2million in the city during its 107 day run.

Research shows that the direct economic impact of these visitors on the city is almost £1.7million, bringing additional spend to local businesses, shops, restaurants and hotels.

Birmingham was the second stop on the tour of the Natural History Museum’s iconic 26 metre long Diplodocus cast, but Dippy captivated visitors from across the region and beyond.

The exhibition attracted

Bare-faced Cheek Of It! After being pinned to the ground at Dublin Airport by police after running out of the terminal towards a taxiing plane shouting for the pilot to wait, Patrick Kehoe shouted abuse at the crowd at the court, and dropped his trousers, exposing his backside following his hearing!

The man was initially restrained

by Ryanair staff on the apron before airport police arrived on the scene, tackled him to the ground and arrested him.

He was charged with criminal damage to a door lock and granted bail.

140,203 additional visitors to Birmingham City Centre, who visited especially to see the exhibition, including 66,844 visitors from outside the West Midlands.

Meanwhile the popularity of the exhibition helped to boost BMAG’s overall visitor figures, with the museum attracting more than double the amount of visitors than during the same period last year.

Impact

65 volunteers supported Dippy on Tour in Birmingham, including volunteer curator’s assistants, communications and engagement assistants, and corporate volunteers, who dedicated nearly 2000 hours of their time.

Dippy on Tour: A Natural History Adventure has been brought about by the Natural History Museum, in partnership with the Garfield Weston Foundation and supported by Dell EMC and Williams & Hill.

In Birmingham, the exhibition

Plans afoot for three new train stations Due to Increasing demand a series of campaigns for three new rail stations in Birmingham have moved a step closer - after a £40 million project was revealed.

Under plans, the Camp Hill line would reopen to passenger services for the first time since the Second World War. It would initially have stations at Moseley, Kings Heath and Hazelwell, running trains

was supported by Paradise Birmingham and Friends of Birmingham Museums.

Support also came from Retail Bid Birmingham, with a dinosaur-themed topiary trail across the city encouraging visitors to explore and to learn more about different species of dinosaur as part of visiting Dippy.

Visitors at BMAG were also greeted by a 30kg chocolate Diplodocus created by Cadbury World chocolatiers to mark Dippy’s stay in the city.

Janine Eason, Director of Engagement at Birmingham Museums Trust, said: “A massive thank you to everyone who visited and supported Dippy on Tour in Birmingham.

“We knew the exhibition would be popular, but we have been overwhelmed by the response and the impact felt across the city.”

Dippy on Tour is on display at Ulster Museum in Belfast from 28th September 2018.

through south of the city.

If approved, construction work would start in 2020, with a view to opening the stations by the end of 2021.

Plans are being jointly established by the West Midlands Rail Executive, Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), West Midlands Railway and Network Rail.

West Midlands Railway managing director Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde, said “Rail travel in the West Midlands has never been more popular.”

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said: “Undoing the rail closures seven decades ago will be a huge step in tackling both congestion and the clean air challenge we all face.”

Page 4 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

40 Years On: Handsworth Revolution

l Hailing from Handsworth, Steel Pulse are one of Birmingham’s great music successes

The Revolution will not be televised – Yes it was: Handsworth Revolution

4

0 Years on from the release of Handsworth Revolution, one of Steel Pulse’s original members, Mykaell Riley spoke to The Phoenix about the journey that this iconic record took the band on.

“Its August 2018. At this point in the year four decades ago, I was on one of life’s incredible journeys.

That although punctuated by trains, planes and sometimes a dodgy van, it was a journey that

l 40 Years: The Iconic Album on LP

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transported me seamlessly through a collection of experiences.

I’d left home in Whitehall Road, Handsworth less than twelve weeks earlier, to return having achieved my main ambitions and in the process, an unexpected transformation of who I was.

Some of the stand out moments involved signing to Island Records, supporting Bob Marley on his European tour, and appearing at 'Rock Against Racism' in Victoria Park London in front of more than 80,000 people.

These were heady times.

1978 was the year in which I heard for the first time whilst walking home, music I'd worked on for so long, booming from someone's car.

The song was Handsworth Revolution and as I attempted to catch the eye of the driver I caught sight of Thornhill Road police station.

The building that would normally have provoke dread, now seemed small and consequentially less menacing.

Experiences

The release of the album meant new opportunities to share the anxieties of the community and my generation in the mainstream press and to sing about it on national television.

These experiences resulted from being a child of Handsworth and a member of Steel Pulse.

Handsworth Revolution was more than just my first album.

It was the story of my life and others like me.

It was the culmination of the lived experiences of African Caribbean people in 70s Britain.

David’s genius was his ability to condense this collective experience into lyrics that succinctly communicated our lives to the masses.

Ronnie could be relied on for the baselines, whilst Steve’s unique approach to the drums meant the key elements were always anchored.

Selwyn and Basil would provide warmth and rhythm, whilst myself and Alphonso injected harmonies and percussion.

This was a functioning family of musicians fuelled on a passion for the music but driven by the need to succeed.

Back then this was something I’d repeatedly say to myself

at some point in every rehearsal, gig, performance and emotion fuelled debate.

Little has changed as the main topic was black life in Babylon. But on reflection, we were also debating the challenge of being first generation, black British born individuals, exploring how best to express ourselves through music.

Future

It’s amazing how some experiences have the capacity to define your future.

I’ve been fortunate to have had a career, and it’s in no small part due to the experience of making this album and this on so many levels still informs my practice. l Mykaell Riley Back then the idea button down your pockets. of a career in music, Looking back the revolution was let alone joining a reggae band in Handsworth, was for many as much within the band, when compared to anything that was laughable.

In the case of my parents not happening in the Community.

Given that none of us had formal something that would enter any serious conversation about my training, we were now considered future. This meant acquiring and experts on our chosen instruments, holding down an apprenticeship our interactions with the media (a proper job), whilst being a band and our relationship with the wider music industry. member.

If only this were true. But it We all signed up to the University of life wherein everyday reality mattered not, we had graduated provided the lessons. It was a from University of life with a 1st period where, you were conscious for our album and Handsworth of the physical, psychological celebrated in our success.

I’ve lived away from and financial cost of everything, Handsworth since leaving the including being a musician. band, so returning home is always Home At the time it was physically a big deal.

On these occasions after a long exhausting because of the size and weight of each piece of equipment. tour, my father now passed on, Psychologically challenging as would refer to me as the Prodigal our parents feared for our safety son. When I now visit it’s to catch as we challenged the government, up with the family or promote local music related activities. the police and the media.

But when I’m away I still refer We also explored Spirituality, and its religious impact on African to Handsworth as home. Gil Scottpeoples. Our Jamaican parents did Herron said the “revolution will not regard becoming this type of not be televised”, so I did my best musician, a pathway to anywhere to put Handsworth on the map.”

As part of Bass 2018, other than prison.

Gaining a record contract Celebrating 50 Years of Reggae, generated a lot of confidence original members of Steel Pulse in our potential future. It lulled will help to launch a permanent everyone into the assumption it mural outside Handsworth Leisure was safe to cross the road because Centre to celebrate the iconic LP on Saturday 12th October. the traffic lights were on green.

In reality, this was the music For more information visit industry where one had to www.punchbass.com. continuously look both ways and

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018 - Page 5

BOOK ONLINE thsh.co.uk JEAN TOUSSAINT QUINTET Fri 5 Oct

Pac-Man’s influence on capitalism revealed in new book

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ew research into one of the most influential videogame characters of all time reveals as much about contemporary capitalism as it does about the history of gaming.

From consumption to addiction, and from dance music to the welfare state, the work by Dr Alex Wade at Birmingham City University offers a guide through the maze of western society through the lens of Pac-Man. Published by Zero Books, ‘The Pac-Man Principle: A User's Guide to Capitalism’ focuses on the iconic “pill-popping, yellow pie chart”, who has appeared in over 60 video games on virtually every games platform ever released since 1980.

Pac-Man, with its avowed commitment to non-violence was a videogame of many firsts, including being designed to appeal to children and females, and providing the first narrative interlude in a videogame.

Museum Without A Home Books donated by a Birmingham bookshop to help establish a library for refugees living in the city have gone on display in the Houses of Parliament in London appearing alongside other objects that have been donated to refugees in the UK as part of ‘The Museum Without a Home’ – an exhibition of hospitality.

Other items in the exhibition include a quilt made by residents of Oxfordshire and letters written

According to the Davie-Brown Index (DBI), 94 per cent of Americans were able to recognise Pac-Man in 2008, which gave the character greater brand awareness than Super Mario.

Dr Alex Wade, Senior Research Fellow, Birmingham City University, said: “Pac-Man arises primarily from consumption and, as we all need to eat, it’s easy to see why the traditional distinctions between work and play, private and public, black and white, and male and female do not apply to this character.

Origin

“Despite this seemingly diverse approach to gaming, the pursuit of equality through the pleasure principle of consumption is also good for profits.

The book also includes an afterword by Toru Iwatani, the Japanese video games designer who created the original ‘PacMan’ game.

Toru Iwatani said: “Video games

by Glaswegians welcoming refugees to their community.

The children’s books were donated by staff at the YellowLighted Bookshop in Tetbury to help establish a library at the Conversation Club – a weekly social club for refugees run by Student Action For Refugees (STAR) offering a space for new arrivals to come together to chat and practice their English.

Holly Findlay, a member of STAR who helps to run Conversation Club, said: "I hope the books will bring some comfort and entertainment to refugees in Birmingham and help them to feel welcomed into the UK. Having children's books helps introduce refugee kids to the English language in a fun way."

‘The Museum Without a Home’ is an exhibition that was first organised by Oxfam

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AT LAST: THE ETTA JAMES STORY

are unusual products that differ from other industrial goods in which electrical power, machines, and creative work are integrated.

“They are an aggregation of a variety of academic disciplines, including engineering, literature, the arts, and psychology, and can be considered a cultural tool for the ‘fun’ required by society.”

“The game arcades in the late 1970s were the places for boys to play rather rough ‘kill the alien’ type of games. So I wanted to turn it into a brighter and more fun place where women and couples could feel comfortable going.”

Dr Alex Wade is currently researching British videogames and their link to the Cold War, including individuals such as Dina St Johnston, the female founder of the first UK software house, and Robert Maxwell, infamous owner of Mirror Group Newspapers and a major influence on the UK’s position as a global player in the videogames market.

Thu 18 Oct

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Sun 21 Oct

SONS OF KEMET

Fri 26 Oct and Amnesty International in Athens, in Greece, in 2016 – which has since toured the world appearing in New York, Belfast, Belgrade and Canada, as well as in Glasgow, Leicester and Cambridge.

The exhibition’s London debut will be used to celebrate the small acts of kindness that make refugees feel welcome, and to call on MPs to support the Refugees (Family Reunion) Bill.

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Page 6 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

Path To Work For 1000’s At Jobs Fair

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housands of job and apprenticeship opportunities were on offer at the annual City of Wolverhampton Jobs Fair.

Over 1,200 job seekers poured through the doors to take advantage of the chance to look at the 2,710 positions on offer.

The event was organised as part of the build up to the Wolverhampton Business Programme and was held in the WV1 Suite at Molineux Stadium.

More than 45 employers from across the City of Wolverhampton attended to showcase the jobs and apprenticeships available.

They included The Royal Wolverhampton Hospital NHS Trust, Wolverhampton Homes, Aspray 24, Liberty Industries, West Midlands Pension Fund, Cargill Meats Europe, PLANit Global, Fostering for Wolverhampton, and Orridge & Co, among many others.

Attendees received information on support and training on offer from organisations such as Wolverhampton Adult Education Service, University of Wolverhampton, City of Wolverhampton College, Wolverhampton Learning Platform, Wolves at Work and Black Country Impact.

The event was sponsored by Workbox (www.wolvesworkbox. com) – an initiative in the city to give residents information about jobs, training and support all in one place.

City of Wolverhampton’s team of advisors, along with Department

l (L-R): City of Wolverhampton Council Deputy Leader, Cllr Peter Bilson, job seeker, Nick Woods, aged 40 from Perton, and Department for Work & Pensions Employment Advisor, Debbie Norton for Work & Pensions and Jobcentre Plus, were also on hand to offer advice and support.

Job seeker, Anthony Pote, aged 64, said: “I saw online there was a jobs fair in Wolverhampton.

“It’s my first one and I’d strongly suggest that anyone out of work goes along to a jobs fair like this.

“It’s most helpful and it should

get you back into work depending on what you’re looking for. There are various jobs, plenty for all.”

Councillor Peter Bilson, City of Wolverhampton Council Deputy Leader, said: “We are delighted with the number of city jobseekers we were able to empower by attracting them to the fair.

“We have also received

very positive feedback from the employers that exhibited, who appreciate the economic regeneration priorities of the city.

“It is vital everyone in the city continues working together to get people into work so everyone can benefit from the £3.7 million of investment that is on site or planned in the City of Wolverhampton.”

Are You At Your Peak?

Blues stars make special hospital visit Health and Wellbeing Starts Page 40

Children being treated on the children’s wards at Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham had some very special visitors as Birmingham City stars Harlee Dean and Wes Harding visited the hospital to deliver gifts, marking the beginning of a new charity appeal.

Heartlands Hospital Charity, the hospital’s official charity, has launched a new fundraising appeal which is aiming to raise £500,000 to renovate the children’s areas at the hospital.

The players made the short trip from St Andrews to visit the

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children, some of whom had been there for a long time.

Bringing with them plenty of Blues gifts, the players helped to brighten up their days, bringing smiles to the faces of the parents and staff as well.

Central defender, Wes Harding, said: “It’s been great visiting the hospital and nice to put smiles on the kids’ faces.

“The work the hospital is doing is fantastic and it’s good to see the money raised will be used to make children’s and parents’ experience of the hospital better.”

The fundraising appeal will give

the treatment rooms, corridors and play areas a much-needed makeover, plus also raise money to renovate the garden outside the children’s wards, which is currently an uninviting space.

The renovation will also help to improve the parent’s accommodation on the ward.

Sian Averill, Fundraising Manager at Heartlands Hospital Charity, said: “The Charity’s thanks go to everyone at Birmingham City for coming along to Heartlands Hospital. They helped to raise everyone’s spirits on the wards, both children and adults alike.”

Monthly views

withTony Kelly

Celebrating Black History Month 2018 October is recognised, observed and celebrated in Britain as Black History Month and this month’s edition of the Phoenix newspaper will bear testament to that fact.

There are many events happening throughout the month all of which are equally important and relevant to readers, visitors, viewers and participants.

It would be a Herculean task to cover them all but in this edition of the newspaper I have singled out two events which are both a first for Birmingham and are highly recommended because of their significance to the region and beyond.

On Saturday 13th October at 11 a.m. Birmingham Cathedral in the City Centre will be holding a special service to celebrate and give thanks for the Black communities in Birmingham.

The service entitled ‘Being Built Together’ takes its theme from scriptural references concerning unity in Christ and will feature Birmingham people of African, Caribbean and Asian heritage.

Revd Dr Sharon Prentis, Dean of Black & Minority Ethnic Affairs for Church of England in Birmingham and one of the organizers states that ‘Birmingham has a history of being a place where people from the Caribbean, African and Asian Diasporas -amongst others- have gathered.

Those communities have been a fundamental part of its development.

Consequently, it is very appropriate that the Cathedral should be a focus for them to come together, not only to celebrate and give thanks for the contributions of those from the past, but to remember that in a hostile global context of xenophobia and nationalism the struggle continues’.

To set this ‘Being Built Together’ Service in context the week prior to and following the service (6th until the 20th October), the Cathedral will host a free exhibition by renowned Birmingham photographer

Vanley Burke along with art by local school children.

I particularly want to invite readers of this publication no matter their religious or non religious persuasion to come and see the exhibition and also be part of history by attending the Service on the second Saturday in October.

There will be poetry, spoken word, dancing, singing and drumming with the range of talent to be displayed at the Service making this Black History Month event one not to be missed.

Lunch is being provided as food always forms part of the whole essence of coming together to embrace and enjoy fellowship.

One also bears in mind two other historic events this year, i.e. the 70th anniversary of the National Health Service and the arrival at Tilbury Docks on Empire Windrush, the first wave of migrants invited

by Britain from the Commonwealth countries to rebuild the country after the 2nd World War. With the recent furore around the illegal deportation of migrants from Britain who had a legitimate right to be here, which has not gone away and was indeed simmering for quite some time before, in the most appalling way, it is certainly a poignant time to reflect on where people were, are and will be going figuratively and literally.

History always reflects the past, the present and the future and both the exhibition and the Special Service will embrace that.

It will add to the good and bad memories and experiences that generations of people have endured some of which have been taken for granted.

So as the proverbial saying goes ‘All Roads Lead To’ Birmingham Cathedral on Saturday 13th October at 11.00 a.m. to bear witness to what will be a notable date in the 2018 calendar of Black History Month.

B18_Poster_A4 aw.pdf

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Page 8 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

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Wolves Honour The First Female Black Rod

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he first woman to be appointed Black Rod has received an honorary degree from the University of Wolverhampton.

Sarah Clarke, who attended Wolverhampton Girls High School, was honoured at a graduation ceremony on Friday, 14 September 2018.

The Honorary Doctor of Letters was presented in recognition of her achievements and to celebrate her appointment as Black Rod, particularly given her connection to the city.

She said: “It is a great honour to be given this award. I am very proud of where I come from and I am delighted and humbled by this tribute from my hometown University. The acknowledgment from the University of Wolverhampton means a tremendous amount to me.”

Sarah Clarke is the first woman to be

appointed to the role of Black Rod in the House of Lords in its 650year history.

Black Rod is appointed by the Monarch on the recommendation of a selection panel chaired by the Lord Speaker. She also holds the post of Serjeant- at Arms for the House of Lords and is an Officer of the Order of the Garter.

A native of Wolverhampton, and a supporter of Wolverhampton Wanderers, she attended Wolverhampton Girls High School.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Surrey (Roehampton Institute) and a Master’s degree from the University of Leicester.

Honorary awards are presented by the University of Wolverhampton to people who have made a significant contribution to their field of expertise.

l Sarah Clarke with her honorary degree

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Like Mother Like Son...

l Prince Williams speaks to Acorns Ambassador Moin Younis.

The Duke of Cambridge made a poignant trip to the West Midlands as he visited a university in Birmingham and a children’s hospice before he unveiled a statue in tribute to a British spy who risked his life to save 10,000 Jews from the holocaust in Nazi Germany.

Prince William began his the day at the University of Birmingham, where he attended the first National SkillForce Prince William Award Graduation Ceremony for students from 62 schools and hosted by comedian, actor, author and television presenter, David Walliams.

“He's not the ginger one, he's the other one,” the Britain's Got Talent judge quipped in reference to brother, Harry, “but he is the most important one - even though George Clooney didn't show up to his wedding.”

Greeted by Dr Beverley

Lindsey, the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of the West Midlands and the High Sheriff of the West Midlands Chris Loughran, as well as in the presence of fellow-Vice LordLieutenant for The West Midlands Dr Beverly Lindsay, children, seated in the grand Aston Webb Great Hall, from throughout the UK cheered as the prince made his way to his seat on the stage.

“I am so proud to be the Royal Patron of Skillforce,” the Duke said, “and proud to be here today at the inaugural graduation of The Prince William Award.”

He also made a speech during the ceremony which marks the successful first year of the Prince William Award - a scheme which aims to help young people build their character, confidence and resilience, before moving on to the Acorns Children's Hospice in Selly Oak getting down on his knees to interact with dozens of

patients suffering from serious and terminal conditions.

The Prince then told wellwishers that it was “fantastic” to be there, three decades after his late mother – the late Princess Diana.

In a speech the Hospice’s president, Kay Alexander, said: “Thirty years ago the Princess of Wales, came here to open Acorns. I was here and it was great. It was a wonderful day, the accomplishment of so many dreams.

It was only the third children's hospice in the world.... it means more to us than we say to have you coming here.”

Leaving Acorn’s Trust, the prince received a set of wooden dolls made by the hospice's handyman for his children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis before travelling to Mary Stevens Park in Stourbridge to unveil a statue in honour of Major Frank Foley, an MI6 officer stationed in Berlin who used his cover as a British passport control officer to extricate Jews from concentration camps and get travel documents for refugees to flee to Britain and other countries before the Second World War. Ian Austin, the Labour MP for Dudley North and the son of a Czech Jewish refugee, campaigned with the Holocaust Educational Trust to get the statue, created by Birmingham artist Andy de Comyn, built and funded by the then Chancellor George Osborne using fines levied on banks.

He said: “Many thousands of people were saved by Major Frank Foley who took immense risks to save Jewish people from concentration camps.

I want people to come to the park and sit next to Frank – and understand how he refused to stand by when people were persecuted and remember a great local hero.”

@PhoenixNewsUK

The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018 - Page 9

VOTING IS NOW CLOSED gOOD lUCK tO aLL tHOSE nOMINATED!

Page 10 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

Rainforest Becomes a Rainbow-Forest

The vitality of Family Enterprise Learning in a modern age with Dr Christopher Johnson

A

ow important is one’s economic well-being to life and living?

Is it relevant to human sustenance?

If so, is the lack of its emphasis at the local and national levels, undermining overall prosperity?

What action is required to change this approach?

For decades, employability has been central to economic strategy in Britain, to such an extent that funding institutions have embraced it almost ‘to the point of infinity’.

Thousands of job-based training programmes are delivered across the 10 UK Regions each year. Yet these haven’t really stemmed the flow of citizens losing their jobs.

Many are without work because of structural market forces whilst others face long term unemployment due to combined man-made causes.

With cutbacks and growing lack of investment in high-order skills [re] training, the situation appears irreversible.

Since the 1990s, there have been recurring institutional ruptures within the British labour market.

These dislocations have had a knockon effect on the tripartite system of industrial relations - relations between employers and employees vis-à-vis trade unions.

Ruptures have also corroded investment confidence and seemingly human capital wastage.

Very few workers undergo reorientation when they are ‘sacked’, displaced or ‘retrenched’.

Therefore, the solution lies in the introduction of suitable family enterprise learning initiatives that can help engender confidence, trust and a belief in the system of social mobility and economic prospects in Britain.

For the purposes of this article, family enterprise learning is described as mass orientation of diverse groups and communities. They’re offered quality advice and guidance through training and other forms of support.

The objective is for them to be given unfettered access to information and data on emerging trends in business and industry as well as the professions.

This will be an added boost to citizens’ latent creativity and efforts towards innovation.

In most employability projects, lone parents are among eligible participants who benefit from such training,

conveying the rather distinct impression, that they’re the ‘new parental constructs’ in [today’s]family dynamics.

Family learning tends to emphasise more aspects of cultural, health, social and other welfare issues than economic imperatives.

Yet the causes of most cultural and social problems are symptomatic of wider economic challenges.

Financial institutions, citizens advice bureaus and other conduit support agencies, must do more to assist in reducing or alleviating, incidences of ‘economic unwellness’ affecting large numbers of materially-impoverished families within inner-cities.

In itself, this is a travesty for a country that boasts about its moral compunction and material superiority.

In an effort to do ‘justice’ to the cause, funding institutions can also begin to resource organisations and groups that are keen to introduce family enterprise learning ventures that are appropriate for diverse families.

Resources can be allocated for the following strands of enterprise learning: • Short taster sessions on enterprise creation, using the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC)model.

• Technical advice and guidance for young families including both male and female lone parents – who are keen to augment existing income with alternative revenue streams.

• A series of annual 3 to 6-month courses on the ‘Fundamentals of Demand and Supply-side Economics’’ The quality of human capital is inextricably linked to ‘demand and supply’ curves in the global marketplace of ideas, products and services.

The extension of these are the supply chains which are intrinsic and extrinsic to the capacity and capability initiative of families in general.

Indeed, if the inclination is to reduce or gradually eradicate material poverty in Britain (as an ideal), then the economic well-being of families must remain both sacred and sacrosanct. This lynchpin of long-term planning must not be left to the devices of ad hoc policy-making or expedient ideological posturing. This particular century is beckoning us to do more for material prosperity through the realm of family economics. We must not vanquish this opportune moment.

H

thephoenixnewspaper.com

- BUSINESS AND FINANCE -

A giant rainbow flag draped from the heights of the biggest rainforest in captivity heralded the Proud Eden event at the Eden Project.

The 37m-long banner was unfurled from the top of the 50m-high Rainforest Lookout, which sits at the top of Eden’s Rainforest Biome.

The flag is one of the largest in the world and was loaned to Eden by Cornwall Pride, who used it as a star attraction for their recent Pride Parade through Newquay.

It was then moved to the Mediterranean Biome at Eden where it will serve as the backdrop to the Proud Eden stage.

ward-wInnIng journalist, editor and publisher Dr Christopher Johnson writes his monthly column in The Phoenix aiming to inform, educate and entertain.

Aston/Pirelli make Rapide Progress

T

he new Aston Martin all-electric Rapide E has Pirelli as its official technical partner to help deliver the performance to make it unmistakeably an Aston Martin.

Like so many Aston Martins before it, this All-Electric model will be equipped with Pirelli P ZERO™ tyres. But there’s no such thing as a generic P ZER anymore: instead, each P ZERO™ tyre is created specifically for the model it is fitted to.

This new Aston Martin will require different fitments for the two axles: 245/35ZR21 (96Y) XL P ZERO ncs (Noise Cancelling System) on the front and 295/30ZR21 (102Y) XL P ZERO ncs at the rear.

Pirelli’s engineers are working alongside their counterparts from Aston Martin to continually finetune the tyre specification. This will perfectly complement the style and supreme performance alongside the new zero-emission powertrain characteristics of the car itself.

The Pirelli P ZER tyres fitted to the new Rapide E will carry a big responsibility.

The technology within them ensuring low rolling resistance

is paramount as this will help to support the longevity of the vehicle on one charge of battery.

The balancing act comes as the tyres also have to faithfully convey every nuance of the car’s characteristics, making the need for performance and responsive handling a key factor as well.

These characteristics are finely balanced through individually optimised tread patterns to ensure high performance from the rear axle to manage the torque levels of the electric motors whilst on the front axle, maintaining the low rolling resistance and precision wet weather performance.

The Rapide E tyres will also feature the Pirelli Noise Cancelling System helping to reduce cavity noise.

Here sound absorbing technology reduces the frequency filtering through the car, providing superior comfort compared to traditional tyres.

Every Aston Martin has a distinctive personality.

Accordingly, the tyre that is made for every model is unique.

To denote this fact, the tyres designed by Pirelli for this unique Aston Martin will carry the marking A4E on the sidewalls of the two different sized tyres.

The grand celebration of LGBTQ culture took place at the Eden Project on September 29.

The special evening was packed with a diverse line-up of top performers, acclaimed speakers and a cutting-edge exhibition.

Kate Francis, Eden’s programme producer, said: “How great to see the Cornwall Pride flag flying at Eden.

“This iconic symbol proudly flying in our Rainforest Biome is a stunning way to herald our Proud Eden event on Saturday.

“The event promises to be even more vibrant and diverse than last year, boasting a fabulous mixture of music, comedy and performance art.”

Scotland's First Black Professor calls for Reparations Scotland's first Black professor Sir Geoff Palmer OBE has called for reparations to be made after a groundbreaking report shows how Glasgow University benefited from the proceeds of slavery, saying it highlighted 'uncomfortable questions' for British society as a whole and that institutions who profited on the slave trade to make amends.

The report which was published by Glasgow University is based on more than two years of research, revealed that the institution gained almost £200million in today's money.

Although it benefited from the slave trade in Africa and the Caribbean in the 18th and 19th centuries the university, which then ironically headed the movement in the 19th century to abolish slavery has now launched a wide-ranging, ambitious 'reparative justice programme' after the recent discovery. .

The report's findings, though, carry profound implications far beyond the cloistered spaces of this 546-year-old university.

The unrelenting and forensic detail of the study also raises questions about how the wealth of the city of Glasgow and other parts of Scotland was derived.

In putting Scotland and the UK on notice Professor Palmer, emeritus at the school of life sciences at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, said: “Some Scots have told me they're mystified why no one told them any of this, but who did they think made the tobacco?

“We can have all the equality laws and anti-racism legislation we like but if no other institutions, firms or organisations which also benefited from slavery declare this and seek to make amends then it’s all meaningless.”

@PhoenixNewsUK

Clean Air Zone Senior councillors in Birmingham have agreed a plan for a clean air zone that charges high polluting vehicles. The controversial plans are to be submitted to the government for approval.

Details are still being ironedout but the plans have been labelled a ‘dogs breakfast’ of rushed proposals which will hit businesses and low income residents according to opposition councillors.

Under the proposed scheme high polluting cars, lorries and buses will be charged to enter the city centre within A4540 middle ring road.

Councillor Jon Hunt (Lib Dem, Perry Barr) said: “This is a huge step for the city, but one which is being taken with great haste.

This is not focused on where people live, but the city centre where the businesses are.”

Conservative Councillor for Erdington, Robert Alden, said that the proposed £2,000 scrappage scheme would not allow those on low incomes to upgrade to a much newer and cleaner car. He said the retail industry had also been ignored even though large numbers of people said they would no longer shop in Birmingham if charged.”

The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018 - Page 11

- NEWS -

Cost Challenge To Innervate Innovation C

ost pressures are the biggest barrier to innovation, new research from the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and University of Birmingham City-REDI reveals.

The research, released as part of the Chambers’ Invest to Grow campaign, reveals that 65 per cent of local businesses identified cost pressures/high input cost as a barrier to innovation in their business.

The results are based on a survey of over 200 local businesses taken earlier this year.

As a result, the Chambers are calling on

the Government to reduce input costs for businesses arising from taxation.

Henrietta Brealey (pictured), director of policy and strategic relationships at GBCC, said: “We have seen a significant rise in costs for businesses coming from taxation and associated administration in recent years.

The Invest to Grow campaign aims to inspire and inform businesses around investment in research and development (R&D), innovation, technology and machinery and how it can help boost productivity.

Part one of the campaign

is sponsored by the University of Birmingham, and Andy Newnham, strategic business engagement partner at the University of Birmingham said: “Universities are hotbeds of innovation, full of the latest thought leadership, talent, and pioneering academics.

“At the University of Birmingham, we’re used to collaborating with all kinds of businesses, from regional SMEs, through to multinationals.

By supporting vital campaigns like Invest to Grow we want to highlight to organisations the positive role we can play in their growth.”

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Page 12 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

Saqib Bhatti makes Chambers history As the youngest and first Muslim in its 205-year history, Saqib Bhatti was installed as president of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC).

The 33-year-old, a director at accountancy firm Younis Bhatti & Company, succeeded Paul Kehoe at their annual meeting.

Since graduating from London School of Economics and Political Science in 2007 with a Bachelor of Laws degree, he has immersed himself in striving to promote Birmingham, its people, its businesses and its diversity.

He became a member of the Institute of Asian Businesses (now the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce) and was its president for four years.

He is currently director of both the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) and the Westside Business Improvement District, and is also a senior policy adviser to the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe.

Mr Bhatti will now be focusing on two themes during his two-year tenure as president of the Chamber.

l Saqib Bhatti and Paul Faulkner He said: “As the new president, I have decided on two themes to focus on. As a region we have a trade surplus with China and the United States. Our small and medium businesses, however, are still not exporting enough and the opportunities are out there.

thephoenixnewspaper.com

- BUSINESS AND FINANCE -

New Project To Help Tackle Litter A

l Families at the Bangladeshi Islamic Centre in Smethwick with the rubbish they collected new community volunteer project has been launched to help tackle litter in Sandwell.

Families at the Bangladeshi Islamic Centre in Smethwick joined in a litter pick in Lewisham Road to officially launch the Community Litterpicking Project.

The project seeks to recruit at least one volunteer group in each of Sandwell’s six towns helping out with litter picking at green spaces and community areas.

There will also be talks and recycling workshops at schools.

Sandwell Council’s environment champion Councillor Bill Cherrington

said: “We know litter is a key concern for people so we’ve linked up with Litterwatch, our waste partner Serco and the local community to see what more can be done.

Community

“With this project, we are building on our very successful annual Big Spring Clean campaign to harness the enthusiasm of local community volunteers who’ve told us they want to get more involved in tackling the problem.

“This is on top of our existing cleansing service provided by our waste partner Serco, which will provide the equipment to volunteers and dispose of the

litter collected from public land.

“The groups will also be trying to recycle as much litter as possible.

“Protecting the environment is everyone’s business and I would like to thank everyone who’s getting involved and doing their bit for a cleaner borough.”

The project, which will initially run until March 2019, is being managed by charity Litterwatch and the council’s waste team.

Sandwell Council is supporting the project through its Local Area Budget scheme and the groups will also work with local businesses to seek sponsorship and support.

Corbyn an ‘ally’ in supporting a two-state solution Bringing the party conference to a rousing ovation leader, Jeremy Corbyn made it clear to the country’s Jewish community that he promises to immediately recognise the State of Palestine when in government.

Deemed a ‘missed opportunity’

by Jewish representatives, he promised to “eradicate antiSemitism both from our party and wider society.”

In his keynote speech to the party faithful in Liverpool he acknowledged that the issue

had caused “immense hurt and anxiety in the Jewish community” and “great dismay” in the party, as he urged the Jewish community to help “draw a line under it.”

On his part, Simon Johnson, Jewish Leadership Council chief executive, responded by saying: “The same words we have heard for month – There had been no condemnation of the abuse levelled against his fellow MP’s who have questioned antiSemitism, no acknowledgement

that he himself might have contributed in some way to this crisis continuing, and no statement that he will take the action that we asked for in our meeting - This was a missed opportunity.”

In his speech Corbyn did add: “We support a two-state solution to the conflict with a secure Israel and a viable and secure Palestinian state… In order to make that two-state settlement a reality we will recognise a Palestinian state as soon as we take office.”

@PhoenixNewsUK

- BUSINESS AND FINANCE -

The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018 - Page 13

in association with

presents

Anniversary Gala Dinner & Awards

FRIDAY 30TH NOVEMBER 2018

70th Anniversary

OPTICIANS

thephoenixnewspaper.com/gala

Page 14 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

thephoenixnewspaper.com

- EDUCATION, TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT -

g n i t o Prom xcellence E

As part of our ongoing commitment to promoting the positive and inspirational individuals and organisations in our communities, The Phoenix Newspaper presents Promoting Excellence - a closer look at our role models, entrepreneurs, community figures and success stories.

Celebrating Roald Dahl

C

hildren from St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School in Oldbury were been treated to a special performance to mark Roald Dahl Day on 13 September.

Roald Dahl day has been celebrated across Sandwell libraries with readings from his books, craft activities and special Roald Dahl inspired

performances.

Councillor Simon Hackett, cabinet member for children’s services visited Oldbury Library to see the staff perform a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory inspired play to children from St Francis Xavier.

He said: “It’s hard to think that some of these books, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, are more than 50 years

lity a u q High rom f e r ld ca child e years o fiv o t h t

bir

old. The books are still inspiring to children and still manage to capture their imagination.

“Roald Dahl books are as popular as ever and it’s great to mark Roald Dahl Day with these events.”

Figures from 2017 show of the top ten books borrowed most often from Sandwell libraries of all genres, nine were Roald Dahl classics.

Day Nursery

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g Takin ns ssio i m d a now For more information or to enquire about admissions visit:

www.wigglesandgigglesdaynursery.co.uk Contact us: 4360 Waterside Centre, Birmingham Business Park, Solihull Parkway, B37 7YN 07825082937 contact@wigglesandgigglesdaynursery.co.uk

l St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School in Oldbury celebrating the legendary author

Funding Brings Free Courses To More People Support from the Education and Skills Funding Agency means that, for the first time, employed people on a gross annual salary of £15,736 or less can study on almost all Adult Education Wolverhampton courses for free.

In addition, fully subsidised courses continue to be available to people who are unemployed and have a low household income or are on certain benefits, while English and maths courses up to and including GCSE level ware free to everyone, irrespective of their financial position.

Prospective learners were able to find out about the courses on offer when they attended one of Adult Education Wolverhampton’s

information and enrolment days – and with people looking to take a new direction, gain a new qualification, improve their existing skills or simply taking up a new hobby, there was a wide variety of subjects to choose from.

Experts were on hand to offer information, advice and guidance about the various options and to discuss fees and any financial which may be available.

Councillor Lynne Moran, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: "Adult Education Wolverhampton offered a great range of high quality academic and informal courses.

Enrolling on one is an excellent

way for people to develop new skills or simply learn for the pleasure of it, and it’s great that this year even more courses were fully subsidised for people on low incomes – alongside the existing English and maths courses which are already free to all.

Adult Education Wolverhampton is only one of four adult education providers in the country to have been judged as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted with inspectors commending it for its exceptionally high achievement rates, high quality teaching, excellent resources, good levels of support and for making learning enjoyable. So there couldn’t have been a better time to enrol.”

@PhoenixNewsUK

The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018 - Page 15

- EDUCATION, TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT -

Staying Sober the New Freshers’ Culture?

Engineering: It’s Not Just For The Boys!

M

l Fresh-faced new apprentices at adi Group including Abbie Beaver

ulti-disciplinary engineering firm, adi Group, have welcomed ten freshfaced apprentices through their doors with the number including their first ever female trade apprentice.

Abbie Beaver will be taking on the role as a fabrication & welding apprentice with her arrival knocking down another goalpost for the successful company, as Group Strategic Account Director at adi Group, James Sopwith, explained: “Having a female on the factory floor has long been an ambition for us.

“As a firm dedicated to paving the way in many different areas, we always want to ensure our engineering opportunities are open to everyone. So, of course, when Abbie applied for the position, we were thrilled.

She has shown great initiative during her participation in our

Pre-Apprenticeship scheme which we run in partnership with North Bromsgrove High School, so we are certain she will go on to do very well here at adi Group.”

The Pre-Apprenticeship scheme is adi’s pioneering approach to inspiring the next generation of engineers.

Exclusively for GCSE students (14-16-year-olds), for one afternoon a week for two years, adi gives a select group of youngsters the chance to get valuable handson experience of engineering in the real-life work environment at their HQ, in Kings Norton, in Birmingham.

Professional

Under the guidance of adi mentors, young men and women, who aren’t necessarily thinking about university, are exposed to new potential career pathways.

Proving its worth, 60% of adi’s 2018 apprenticeship intake came through the scheme this year.

Keen to encourage other females to follow suit and consider a trade apprenticeship, Abbie said: “You should try it and give it a go because you might find something you’re good at even though you’ve never done it before.”

She also explained her reasoning for taking up an apprenticeship and how adi Group’s Pre-Apprenticeship scheme has helped her integrate into a professional working environment saying: “School just wasn’t my thing; learning in a classroom is harder for me than practical work. adi’s Pre-Apprenticeship scheme has helped me understand what it is like to be in a working environment and having spent two years with the company means I already know people here and that has helped make it easier to fit in.”

With more than 30 specialist engineering divisions, adi Group takes a comprehensive approach to devising and delivering robust client solutions.

Call for ban on essay writing companies More than 40 university bosses have written to the education secretary calling for so-called essay mill companies to be banned.

Some students pay for bespoke, original assignments which cannot easily be detected by anti-plagiarism software.

But the letter says these essay-writing services should be targeted rather than those who pay for their services.

Such services undermine the integrity of higher education and are unfair to honest, diligent students, they say.

Universities minister Sam Gyimah said the government

Update on the Scramble for Africa

by Kesa Nkulu

In 1884, the Berlin conference signalled the opening of the African buffet…eat all you want for FREE…This was the first ‘Scramble for Africa’, the largest mineral industry in the world, with over 30 million km² of land.

Today the gluttony of the west continues however, Chinese investment/exploitation in Africa is at its highest ever.

Trump called African countries and I quote ‘sh*tholes,’ despite the global dependency upon the natural resources that are taken from the African continent.

Whether as a first or second hand consumer of products made from African minerals, China is the largest exporter of minerals from

Africa followed closely by India.

Teresa May now wants the U.K. to be the largest importer of African minerals into Europe by 2020.

In fact China’s President Xi Jinping’s has recently announced that China, will be buying Zambia.

Now whether that meant buying the land, running the economy, paid to build infra-structure projects or other I don’t know, but I do know that I do not like the sound of that.

Will China own the people too? Would the United Kingdom sell Wales to the Chinese, or the Russians or even the Americans?

Hell No..!

Whilst still in denial about the ongoing Windrush scandal, it surpassed comedy that Teresa May had visited the African Continent trying to secure new trade deals.

One cannot ignore her desperate attempts at dance, a spell bounding medieval jig perhaps, it`s hard to recollect without cringing at her robotically flapping her arms about.

This desperate attempt is no doubt to secure Britain a larger plate at the African table… serving Gold, Diamonds, Cobalt, Oil, Wood, Minerals and any other thing you can think of that Europe does not contain.

Whatever next, Mrs May twerking in Tanzania, break dancing in Botswana or why not pole dancing in Poland…shudder the thought!

When May was interviewed

by Michael Crick, about her participation in anti-Apartheid rallies, May struggled to articulate that she followed the government’s position on Apartheid.

If we recall the then PrimeMinister Margret Thatcher wanted Nelson Mandela to be hanged, and David Cameron was calling Mandela a Terrorist (the Government’s position)!

Intensifying

I also recall Thatcher’s son, Sir Mark Thatcher, convicted of involvement in the attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea in 2004 – let`s just digest that for a moment!

Let me remind everyone again, when The Honourable Marcus Garvey was asked whether he was a Jamaican or African he replied ‘I am an African… `yesterday, today and tomorrow…I would Never give up a continent for an Island, he said.

The identity crisis experienced by many living at home and abroad needs addressing, we know why it

was working to "bear down" on the problem - and added that "legislative options are not off the table."

Essay mill companies are already banned in New Zealand and some parts of the United States.

There is currently an online petition calling for a change to UK law.

Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of the Office for Students, said: "Essay mills are deeply unethical, and their operation is unfair on the vast majority of students who hand in their own work.

exists, it now needs attention.

The facts are that the whole world will claim Africa if we the diaspora do not hold western and greedy African governments to account.

The resources held in Central Africa is estimated at tens of trillions of pounds, and for us in the diaspora who see Africa as a potential home, repatriation, we need to ensure that there is something worth returning too.

It is also by far worth remembering that whilst Africa’s resources are taken, Africa`s people are not considered.

In modern day terms, The Scramble for Africa continues, it appears to be evermore intensifying to a scale that NO other country would accept.

Its more than a black and white issue, it`s about right and wrong, it`s about our heritage and belonging – it`s about a place called home.

Already the colonial religions

Alcohol has always been part of newbie’s culture, but universities are now casting around for freshers’ week events that don’t just involve bar crawls and they’re doing it by popular demand.

As alternatives, some universities organise day trips - to zoos, or places of culture – as opposed to sitting on the floor outside dingy-looking bars and clubs. Others are taking on yoga or fitness classes to get into shape for the gruelling term ahead.

Instead of compulsory boozing there’s a newer, fresher shift towards having an early night, or simply feel more in control around people you don’t know.

Once upon a time, booze was the petrol on which many industries ran. That culture, it is said, still lingered on in the highest of offices, Westminster.

Lloyd’s of London banned lunchtime drinking last year, in a rather killjoy memo arguing that a zero alcohol limit was more “in line with the modern, global and high performance culture that we want to embrace,” there was an outcry from middle-aged professionals at this assault on the freedom to get hammered.

If the culture of drinking at work is changing, it’s doing so because the nature of those in work is changing.

To the relief of any new university students who for medical or cultural reasons isn’t getting ‘blottowed’ and doesn’t feel like constantly explaining why, the stigma of not drinking may be wearing off.

have lobotomised the minds of the people but the scramble has a new face of total control.

Will the end product resemble that of Australia where indigenous people are no more than 5th class citizens in their own country, as are the Native Americans in America?

Our naivety and lack of awareness needs to be transformed in a clear and precise understanding of the current affairs of Africa and that the east and west NEEDS the raw materials that Africa holds within.

The prophecies of Mfumu Kimbangu and Marcus Garvey, stating that ‘We will build a civilisation that will astonish the world’are fully achievable however we ourselves must be pro-active and work towards this goal.

We must be self-reliant and claim our birth-right. The only other alternative is to accept our 3rd class citizenship a legacy that our children will inherit too.

Page 16 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

thephoenixnewspaper.com

- WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE -

Anna Guides You Through Business

A

t Walsall College’s The Hub, awardwinning author Anna Goodwin of Anna Goodwin Accountancy launched her newest book, Your Business, Your Numbers.

In the presence of a number of her supporters, clients, friends and family, Anna gave an impassioned speech about how she feels people, especially those running their own businesses, should approach their numbers.

“The inspiration for this book is really that this is what I’ve been talking about for as long as I’ve been speaking, so the last 14 years,” explained Anna.

“I think it’s important to take responsibility for your business, which is why it’s called ‘Your business’, and I think it’s a shame that a lot of people, especially women, get stuck and don’t understand the numbers

which prevents them from moving forward.

“I dedicated the book to Mark Gooding, my partner’s brother who died last year of a brain tumour last July.

Anna’s book is aimed predominantly at businesswomen who want to know more about their business, want to move their business forward.

The book is a workbook, with action plans at the end of every chapter, encouraging you to fill it in in a comforting way, so you don’t feel stressed.

The book is the 5th in the series, and in her own words “I think the 5 books are plenty now!”

You can buy the book from Anna’s website at annagoodwinaccountancy.co.uk and soon via Amazon.

Reasons to invest in Nigeria’s Economy Nigeria has enormous resources, most of which are yet to be fully exploited. Tremendous investment opportunity exists in the solid minerals sector.

Mineral resources include coal, tin, iron ore and others.

Agricultural products include, among others, groundnuts, palm oil, cocoa and coconut.

Nigeria also has a booming leather and textile industry and is one of the largest oil producers on the continent creating huge inflows of foreign investment.

The Nigerian government has put in place a comprehensive package of investment incentives to stimulate private sector investment from within and outside the country. Among them is the Companies Income Tax Act which has been amended to encourage potential and existing investors and entrepreneurs; Pioneer status gives industries a five-year tax holiday, and tax relief is provided for research and development.

Strengthen

In 2009, Nigeria took significant steps to strengthen the banking sector. These reforms came on top of a major banking overhaul in 2006 that reduced the number of banks and increased a bank’s minimal capital requirement.

Retail, corporate and internet banking are seen as intensively competitive, and the home loan market is considered moderately competitive. Since 1999, the Nigerian Stock Exchange has enjoyed the strong performance.

Nigeria is also home to the most lucrative telecoms market in Africa, which is growing at twice

the African average. The explosion of industries such as the mobile telecommunications market and the unparalleled success of foreign companies such as South Africa’s MTN have demonstrated that potential can be turned into reality.

With a population of more than 155 million, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa (one

market economy. In recent years, it privatized the only governmentowned petrochemical company and sold its interest in eight oil service companies. It overturned a number of suspect contracts awarded by previous governments.

Nigeria’s gross domestic product remains strong and steady, growing at a rate of 6.9% in 2011 compared to 8.1% in 2010. It is projected to grow 6.7% in 2012.

A series of recent policy initiatives to transform its agricultural sector is expected to put Nigeria’s growth into doubledigit territory in the 2012–2015 timeframe.

This would put its growth rate ahead of two other emerging markets, Brazil and Russia, and slightly behind India and China.

Infrastructure

l Kunle Aderemi in every six Africans a Nigerian) and is the eighth most populous country in the world. The structure of its population with 75% of the populace under age 30 and an excellent regional distribution of eight “anchor” cities each with populations exceeding 1 million suggests a healthy growth picture going forward.

The Nigerian government has created a favourable climate for business and industrial ventures.

Administrative and bureaucratic procedures have been greatly streamlined. The government has put in place policies and programs that guarantee a free

With a rapidly development of its physical and industrial infrastructure, in terms of transportation, communications, electricity and water supply,the extensive road repairs in Nigeria and new construction activities are gradually being implemented as state governments, in particular, spend their portions of enhanced government revenue allocations.

Four of Nigeria’s airports–Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt and Abuja– currently receive international flights and there are several domestic private Nigerian carriers.

In 2011, analysts listed Nigeria as one of 11 Global Growth Generators, with economies which have been identified as sources of growth potential and of profitable investment opportunities and was identified as one of the N11 countries, with a high potential of becoming, along with the BRICS, the world’s largest economies in the 21st century.

Kunle Aderemi, is an FDI expert, focused on Africa, based in Birmingham. He can be contacted, at info@fodionconsultants.co.uk.

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018 - Page 17

Music fashion Film Gadgets holiday education health and fitness

OCTOBER 2018

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JAMELIA BACK HOME

Page 18 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

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Editors note

I

t has been a great month once again, I caught up with Brum star Jamelia who i havent seen in absolute years, yes I witnessed her getting her Birmingham Broad St Walk of fame and all we could do is just laugh and celebrate.

As kids we used to dream of this kind of thing and to see it happen is something else. The walk of stars is definately well deserved. What

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/markdwaynemedia Jamelia has achieved as a young lady from Hockley Birmingham is nothing short of incredible.

We also was invited to the legendary Dionne Warwick in concert who also launched Black History Month at the Symphony Hall.The Lord Mayor of Birmingham was in awe of the star like many of us in the room. So as usual an interesting month preparations are in place for our trip to the SOTIC 2018 conference in the Bahamas.

This will be at the ultimate Atlantis resort, nothing beats a good trip to the caribbean.

We are looking forward to this for sure. Keep an eye on our awesome footage and reviews.

Don’t forget to check us out on Instagram! /markdwaynemedia /bigscreenphoenix /thephoenixnewspaper /streetcredmagazineonline

BAHAMAS HERE WE COME! /MarkDwayneMedia /MarkDwayneMedia

T

he Phoenix Newspaper takes a big trip to this years SOTIC 2018 Conference in the Bahamas.

This promises to be the ultimate stay in the world famous Atlantis resort.

We are going to review the best spots in the country and give you all the reasons why you should have flown out and joined us.

Look out for videos on our Instagram and YouTube channels. #SOTIC2018 #VISITTHEBAHAMAS

@PhoenixNewsUK

The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018 - Page 19

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NEXT GEN L AWARD

ady Leshurr Big Narstie T Roadz Theo Tynee Jahni go up compete for the Street Cred Next Generation award!

The Street Cred next generation award has been added to the Phoenix Newspaper Gala Catogory.

This award goes out to who is making a positive impact with youth. Votes are sky high for all involved.

Who will win and why? You tell us!

Eminem smashes records as the hottest rapper at 45

A

lthough it is down to opinion wether Eminem won the recent rap battle with MGK it really is down to preference isn’t it. The fact is Eminem remains the hottest rap star still and hungry as ever!

The Kamikaze album is respected as the ultimate rap album release this year, we got the Slim Shady we wanted!

But back to rap battle, I personally think it was a tie, rap ability Eminem wins hands down and as a decent song MGK was awesome but this will go down in history as one of the greatest

rap beefs.

Being honest I never heard an MGK song until this battle and I’m impressed with this brother.

The fact that he had the balls to go up against Em gets my props as don’t know many rappers that would risk their career like that.

Even The Game says the number 1 rule in hiphop is to not go against Eminem.

Amazing what it takes to get someones attention as a rapper, he had to go up against the best or we wouldn’t have heard from him.

WILL SMITH CAN Really

JUMP!

A

s if Will Smith jumped out of an helicopter over the Grand Canyon for his 50th Birthday. This world got to watch the ultimate Birthday party.

Got to say that is not something that I would do to celebrate my Birthday but hey each celebrity to their own lol Well done Will you did it!

Gig Listings BIRMINGHAM O2 ACADEMY

October 02 The Amity Affliction 06 The Rifles Singles Tour 07 Bethel Music UK Tour 10 OMYO 10 Burna Boy 11 The Daniel Wakeford Experience 12 Imperial Leisure 13 Jorja Smith 14 Coheed and Cambria 14 Get Cape Wear Cape Fly 15 Black Honey 16 The Brian Jonestown Massacre 17 Jack White 18 Carbon Leaf 18 Daughtry 19 Chaosaroma EP Launch 19 Editors 20 Rick Ross

21 Tom Odell 22 Rudimental 23 Melvins 24 Max & Harvey 24 Jack Maynard 24 Heels of Hell Tour 2018 26 Bugzy Malone 27 Festival Of The Dead 29 The Black Eyed Peas

O2 INSTITUTE

October 03 Luke Combs 04 Three Days Grace 05 Krysthla 05 The Coral 06 Hunter And The Bear 06 Stamina 07 The Story So Far 08 Hardy Caprio 10 Toots and the Maytals 10 MNEK 11 Darwin Deez 12 Becky Hill 18 KRS-One

GENTING ARENA

October 20 Cage Warriors 98 21-22 GIG 26 David Byrne 27 Enrique Iglesias

ARENA BIRMINGHAM l Kylie plays Genting Arena on the 21st 19 The Chats 20 Ash 20 nothing, nowhere.

21 Emma Blackery 21 Why Don’t We: Why Don’t We Europe 23 Lucy Spraggan 24 Max & Harvey 26 IDLES 26 Sophie Hunger 26 The Mighty Diamonds 27 Chase Rice

October 03-07 Cirque du Soleil: OVO 10,12,13 Jeff Lynne’s ELO 19-28 Disney On Ice presents Dream Big

NEC

October 03-07 Horse of the Year Show 03-04 LAWBizTech Birmingham 2018 05-06 The National Franchise Exhibition 10-14 Grand Designs Live Birmingham 16-21 Motorhome and Caravan Show 2018 19-21 Destination Star Trek

Birmingham 26-28 The Vaper Expo UK 27-28 DIVE 2018 27 GCCF Supreme Cat Show

TOWN HALL & SYMPHONY HALL

October 02 Larry Carlton 03 Paul Young ‘35 Years of No Parlez’ 04 Anna Calvi 05 Steve Hackett Gensis Revisited 06 The Musical Box - A Genesis Extravaganza 07 Tchaikovsky And Beethoven 08 Tony Hadley 09 Joanna Lumley 09 An Evening with Stacey Dooley 10 Yamada Conducts Bernstein 11 Rich Hall’s Hoedown 12 Jimeoin 12 The Music Of Harry Potter 13 PCA British Finals 2018 13 Season Opening: Royal

Philharmonic Orchestra – Shostakovich’s Fifth 14 James Martin - On The Road... Again 15 Michael Bolton 16 Mokoomba 18 Nigel Kennedy 18 At Last: The Etta James Story 20 Cliff Richard 24-26 Sarah Millican 28 Grayson Perry 29 The Proclaimers 30 Caro Emerald

SLADE ROOMS, WOLVERHAMPTON

October 05 Slade Showcase 06 Whole Lotta DC 11 Daliso Chaponda: ‘What The African Said?’

12 Jilted John 40th Anniversary Tour 18 Jamali Maddix: Vape Lord 20 Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club 20 VIP Record Fair 26 Evil Scarecrow

Page 20 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

ENTERTAINMENT

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Grace and Class as Dionne Takes Centre Stage Continued from Front Page

Dionne Warwick is a true hero of our time, her sheer class and elegant charisma shine from the stage as she performs some of the most beautifully written classics from 5 decades. The Soul/Pop Legend is in Birmingham as part of her 2018 tour ‘Don’t Make Me Over’ performing the classic hits ‘Walk On By’, ‘Any One Who Had A Heart’, ‘Do You Know The Way To San Jose’, ‘Don’t Make Me Over’, ‘Heartbreaker’ and many more.

Town Hall, and more recently Symphony Hall, have been the focal point for monumental moment’s in Birmingham’s black history and are delighted to be working closely with Birmingham Black History Month throughout October to share some of these stories.

Town Hall Symphony Hall’s Chaplain, Elaine Hutchinson said; “It was a phenomenal event! It was lovely to see Dionne Warwick, I never thought I’d actually get to see her in my lifetime, so to be so

up close and personal and to be part of Black History Month which is so important for black people in the West Midlands is amazing.”

Multi award-winning, worldrenowned music icon Dionne Warwick’s career started before a lot of the audience was even born.

Dionne Warwick entered the prestigious Symphony Hall stage with grace and class, wearing dark brown sequinned trousers paired with a light and dark brown glittery patterned Kaftan.

Her band wore black tie attire and behind them the stage was dressed with a gauzy curtain as well as a colour changing star cloth twinkling underneath. It resembled something seen on TV when watching concerts from her generation.

Charmaine Burton said “The crowed was in awe as we listened to her tell us ‘you’ll be sitting there for a long time’.“ The concert was nearly 2 hours long and began with a medley of her greatest hits including songs

l A Birthday Treat - Happy Birthday Marcia, with love from Richard Loftus & all at Town Hall Symphony Hall!

written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

“Everyone was singing along to Walk On By; Close To You, Anyone Who Had a Heart, Do You Know The Way To San Jose and I’ll Say A little Prayer For You, which was a duet with her eldest son David Elliot who has a beautiful, powerful soulful voice.”

“While singing along it dawned on me that I knew most of her songs due to them being covered by other artists like the Carpenters cover of Close To You or Luther Vandross’ cover of A House Is Not A Home.

The latter of which I didn’t know wasn’t his song until I saw it on the TV show Glee and discovered the original version was by Dionne Warwick. “ Furthermore, Cilla Black covered many of her songs including Alfie. Realising this gave a better understanding of the influence Dionne Warwick made on the world of music and her status as a worldrenowned music icon.

Nearing the end of the show Dionne introduced Cheyenne Elliot, her granddaughter. They performed Love Will Find A Way that was written by her son David for her and her cousin the late great Whitney Houston.

“The show ended with That’s What Friends Are For, which bought me back to a time when I was watching a video of the Soul Train Music Awards 1987 with Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder and Dionne on stage singing it together,” explained Charmaine.

“Although Dionne Warwick’s voice isn’t what it used to be and I did miss the presence of backing vocals, her performance and interaction with the audience kept everyone captivated. Overall I had a fabulous evening and it was privilege to experience this type of concert and see live this multi award winning musical icon in my home town of Birmingham.”

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018 - Page 21

ENTERTAINMENT

Black Sabbath Ozzy announces 2019 Tour

R

ock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductee and G r a m m y winning singer/songwriter Ozzy Osbourne has revealed details of his forthcoming ‘No More Tours 2,’ a reference to his 1992 ‘No More Tours’ trek.

The announcement by the legendary musical icon about the European dates extends the North American tour, announced earlier this year, with his long time collaborators Zakk Wylde,

In the Night Garden Live in 2019

The BAFTA Award-Winning CBeebies Children’s TV Show ‘In the Night Garden Live’ begins a first ever tour of UK theatres in 2019 with a brand-new show and will play at Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 2019.

Take a spectacular journey into the magical world of In the Night Garden and experience the UK’s favourite family show with all the enchanting characters magically brought to life on stage.

‘In the Night Garden Live’ is the perfect musical theatre experience for the entire family.

Children’s favourite CBeebies stars - Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy, Makka Pakka and friends - are all brought beautifully to life in a specially-written new story using full-size costumes and magical puppets with enchanting music and dancing.

Blasko , Tommy Clufetos and Adam Wakeman.

The 2019 European leg, produced by Live Nation, kicks off in January with dates scheduled throughout the UK, including a night in Birmingham, before continuing through Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and Italy before concluding in Barcelona on 3rd March; Ozzy will be joined by Judas Priest for select dates on the tour.

This summer saw Ozzy go solo on the European

This delightful classic, which premiered in 2010 before becoming a summer entertainment fixture, is a firm favourite with young preschoolers and their parents.

festival circuit, with headline performances at Download UK, Paris and Madrid, Firenze Rocks, Copenhell, Grasspop Metal Meeting and Sweden Rock Festival.

He says: "I've been extremely blessed to have had two successful music careers and I'm looking at this final tour as being a huge celebration for my fans and anyone who has enjoyed my music over the past five decades."

Seen by over one million people, the critically acclaimed production has established itself as a must-see first theatre experience for young children.

Mighty Jamma banging the drum for the steel pan When it comes to banging steel, Mighty Jamma is the real deal.

The 51-year-old has broken the Caribbean’s domination of the steel drum to become one of the world’s greatest experts of the art.

Born in Wolverhampton, he is now one of the biggest names in the business - What’s more, his 23-year-old son Jamani has followed the family tradition and plays professionally worldwide.

Mighty Jamma, now resident in Birmingham, cemented his legendary status at this year’s Notting Hill Carnival with his composition, ‘Ignorance’ - performed by London’s 105-strong Metronomes Steel Orchestra - coming third in the prestigious Panorama Steelband competition.

It’s a competition, ‘Jamma won in 2014 and he said: “People find it amazing that someone from England is doing Caribbean music to such a high standard.

Ignorance was inspired by the fact I used to do a lot of jazz and I’d go to jazz venues and they would turn me away, saying the steel pan was not a jazz instrument. When they heard me play, though, they changed their mind very quick.”

As a former Wolverhampton’s

Highfield School pupil, Mighty Jamma was taught the instrument by his older brother. His talents are now in demand globally, gaining top spot in the 2013 Trinidad Carnival competition.

Subsequently he was hired to play-in the 2018 New Year in the Maldives and is currently working with top calypso vocalist Crazy.

He has also won the National Steel Band Soloist competition three years on the spin - but this last Notting Hill Carnival has a special place on his CV. “Witnessing over 100 people playing your music,” he says, “is special and very exciting. My ‘thanks’ goes out to Metronomes musical arranger Leroy Clark who selected Ignorance.”

He is at the vanguard of a steel pan revival and adds; “It is growing and is being taken up by the young and old alike. Equally, it’s great to see children taking an interest and keep the legacy alive because it teaches them to work as a team and increases its popularity.”

Mighty Jamma - the name was given him by fans in Trinidad - is banging the drum for British steel’ in his own unique and exciting way.

Page 22 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

EGX 2018

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NEXT L E

GX, the UK’s biggest gaming event returned to the NEC for another massively successful year showcasing the best in hardware, software, collectibles and accessories.

Whether you are a console gamer, PC gamer, into your CCG, DnD or anything in between you could find something to tickle your fancy across the multiple halls that EGX spanned.

With massive giveaways on offer every day at a multitude of stands, as well as the chance to check out the hottest new indie games and AAA titles, the show floor was ram packed over the 4 days.

While walking around the sheer number of people in cosplay, (left) was noticeable, and the level of detail, craftsmanship and pride in the outfits was astonishing.

Personal highlights included Destiny 2, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Kingdom Hearts 3, with GRIP and Soundfall led the way in the indie zone.

There were also chances to try the new cutting edge technology of VR, as well as a retro gaming zone and many competitive ‘arenas’.

Twitch Streamer StickerMonster told us “EGX is like a mix between a trade show and a fan convention—there were lights, vendors, and of course playable games everywhere!

“The indie game offerings were so much

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Taking Gaming to the

LEVEL fun and despite the long lines even the AAA titles shown were impressive. I’d say whether you’re a casual or hardcore gamer, a student looking to pursue a career in the industry, or a veteran looking to network and connect, it’s a pretty great show for you. I’ll definitely be attending again.”

“It was the first time I’d attended EGX and as an avid gamer and twitch streamer I was excited to see what it was all about,” explained The_Jadles, “Stalls for indie games, hardware and board games and merchandise as well as a presence from the AAA games and manufacturers (if you could stomach the hour plus queues to see their offerings) made for a great blend.

“It was great to see all the up and coming games, as well as get to play some (and chat to the developers).

“I will definitely be attending again, as it’s a really fun event, just make sure you have a group of great friends to go with.”

Dates for 2019 haven’t been released for EGX, however its sister show, EGX Rezzed runs from April 4-6 at the Tobacco Dock, London, so if you’re going to be down that way make sure you book your tickets soon!

EGX is a whirlwind of RGB, stunning cosplay and top tier titles from massive developers and indie studios alike. Not one to miss!

The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018 - Page 23

EGX 2018

l Friends make everything better! Twitch Streamers spokenfiddle, Dazolaa, LadyHero, Anti_Hero, StickerMonster and The_Jadles had a brilliant time at EGX, with spokenfiddle even travelling from Norway!

Page 24 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

ENTERTAINMENT

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Stepback 80’s is T back and ready for Christmas

he world’s biggest 80s concert is coming to the Ricoh Arena and one of the most successful female bands in the world, Bananarama, have just been announced.

The pop-duo have been confirmed as the headline act of the StepBack! 80s Christmas Concert.

They will be joined by one of the strongest lineups ever seen, featuring Tony Hadley, ABC, Bonnie Tyler, Go West, The Selecter, Chesney Hawkes, Katrina (from Katrina and the waves), Black Lace and more to be announced!

Former Spandau Ballet front-man, Hadley, said; “The great thing about this concert in Coventry is that all of the people performing are great mates, so there’s a fantastic camaraderie backstage and we all enjoy each other’s company.

The market has changed and while you want to keep singing original songs, you want to create something new as well.”

Hosted by Nigel Freeman from Smooth Breakfast Radio Coventry, come Saturday December 22, at the city’s Ricoh Arena, it will be the perfect opportunity to dust off those leg warmers, crimp those ponytails and get ready to enjoy an evening of nonstop 80s.

A

F

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A ‘Superstar’ ‘Thank You’ For Brummie Honour W

e caught up with Jamelia just before she received her Walk of Stars at a presentation and performance on the Symphony Hall main stage!

achieved and yes its weird but if I was someone then I probably would have said yes she should have one of those [laughs].

Mark Dwayne: So tell people how we know each other

Jamelia: I say everything in its time, I am so honoured its so special as it is in my hometown.

I am very proud of Birmingham, I still live here, my children are raised here and I even forced my husband to live here. I was like I’m not leaving here!

Jamelia: We was 14 and I remember you had your magazine and you used to stop me on the street to buy it and ask to come to the parties and now I appreciate what you was doing you were being a businessman.

MD: Thank you Jamelia [kisses her hand] You were the first to make it as young Birmingham - a lot of people made it from here like UB4O Duran Duran but they were old, where with you it was a fresh youthful current thing that we all wanted to see.

You won Mobo and Street Cred awards, which was your 1st one I believe!

Jamelia: Yes they are on my wall with all of my trophies my Street Cred award I am proud of.

MD: Sure there are so many you are proud of but how does it really feel to have your own Walk of Stars in your own city?

Jamelia: I never thought this would happen! Whenever I bring people from London I always bring them to Broad St to show them our walk of fame as it is something I have always been very proud of.

So when they asked me to be one of the stars on the walk I was like what? So shocked and humbled.

But when things like that happen it forces you to reflect and look at what you have

MD: I think its long overdue if I am honest

MD: Yes that what we like about Jamelia always in control, strong, knows what she wants, we like that.

You talk about reflection tell us the journey from winning the MOBO, how did that feel?

Jamelia: I remember admiring Beenie man and performing with him when I won my first Mobo Award and at that point was so happy - if nothing else happens I have done this I’ve been all around the world and I have taken my children to every continent.

I’ve had dinner with Nelson Mandela, supported Usher, Justin Timberlake, Destiny’s Child, and performed at the NEC and Wembley its really surreal.

So yes something like winning the Walk of Stars it makes you reflect on your life to see why.

I just hope that my story will inspire the next generation down.

I don’t just want my daughters to benefit from my legacy; I hope people will be inspired by being born and raised in hockley to to being on the Walk of Stars on Broad Street.

MD: It’s a beautiful story Jamelia

Jamelia: I remember performing in front of Mary J Blige and I was about 20 and

again I thought if I die now I have achieved my dream.

MD: These are things that wont happen again, you even had Usher fancying you - that was a big thing!

Jamelia: Ha ha and I actually turned him down too!

Its coming from Birmingham, I am not impressed by fortune and fame, and I think being from Birmingham allows me to be grounded.

We are very down to earth people and that’s down to the aspect of my upbringing. It’s hard for my daughters to stop becoming divas but staying in Birmingham allows me to give them some sense of normality.

I still feel that Birmingham is my retreat, I will go to Manchester and do a Kelloggs campaign and stay in all these hotels but I have in my mind I need to go home and wash up when I am caught up in the fast life.

I don’t have a cleaner, but I have nice things like a pool in my garden but ultimately I have grounding.

I have to switch off as I don’t want to get caught up in the glitz and glamour its not about that it’s about being of service its about being an inspiration.

MD: Without you breaking through I don’t think there would be the Lotto Boyzz and other chances for Birmingham artists; I feel you opened the door for Birmingham.

Jamelia: It fills me with so much joy to see the Lotto Boyzz , Jaekay, and Lady Leshurr.

I sent a message to Jaekay as my daughter is crazy about him and my youngest listens to Tooth Ache to go to sleep.

I feel my speciality is to empower inspire young women I don’t want anyone to feel less than I want them all to fel capable of greatness

The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018 - Page 25

ENTERTAINMENT

Arenacross Returns!

The spectacular Arenacross Tour returns for 2019 with the fast-paced show set descend on Birmingham next year – coming to the Genting Arena 1-2 February 2019.

The UK’s fastest indoor actionsports show promises seat grabbing entertainment from the worlds craziest indoor Motocross racers and Freestyle MX stars from across the globe.

It’s one of the most incredible family shows you’ll witness under a roof and it’s back, bigger, louder, faster than ever before!

For 2019 the Tour takes on two nights in each city so fans

can experience two nights of unpredictable racing action.

Matt Bates, CEO of ASL Active, who produce Arenacross, says “Arenacross never fails to entertain huge audiences year after year – and as we enter our seventh year of staging the tour, we’re more excited than ever to continue growing our audience of AX fans.

“Arenacross isn’t just indoor Motocross, it’s an entire night of choreographed entertainment that includes a great sound track, pyro, lasers and live screen back-stage action.

“We’re also a sports entertainment show that delivers so much more

than a seated show – you can win bikes, bet on riders, get to meet the stars, walk the course and go back stage too. What other live show can offer this level if access?”

The fastest motocross racers flock to the six-round series to take part in the UK’s richest off-road series.

With bragging rights and a huge jackpot up for grabs the riders leave nothing on the line resulting in knuckle to knuckle non-stop racing on the arena sized dirt battle field!

Cheer on home bred riders as they battle the international superstars from the age of 7 up to the professionals.

Page 26 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

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Christmas Will Soon Be Upon Us… T he dynamic Festive Gift Fair, now in its 23rd fabulous year, continues to be the best place to start your Christmas experience and is one of the most popular Christmas Shopping events in the UK at Birmingham’s NEC 15-18 November.

As well as finding great gifts for your loved ones, treats for yourself and all your sparkling Christmas essentials, you’re sure to have a funpacked day!

The Fair will be bursting at the seams with a colourful eclectic mix of unusual stocking fillers and presents, traditional gifts, festive food and great home decorations.

With 325+ stalls all under one roof, the variety is huge, with clever gift ideas for all ages and tastes… and lots of Special Show Offers!

There’s even a Present Creche to drop off your full bags.

The festive atmosphere is always fantastic and there’s even more this year with new icicle lighting throughout the hall and a new Victorian bandstand where live

Bands will take centre stage.

While browsing the stalls, let the music get you into that Christmassy mood and be entertained by Santa himself, Stilt walkers and Pantomime characters.

Make sure you visit the popular Festive Food & Drink area where you’ll find 40 tempting stands selling everything from cheese to chutneys, spices to spirits, puddings to preserves, chocolates to champagne, beer to brownies and hampers to hog roasts!

Of course, it’s also time to set

COMPETITION For your chance to win one of 10 pairs of tickets to The Festive Gift Fair at the NEC Birmingham, just answer this simple question!

Which decoration would usually be found on a Christmas Tree? a) Bauble b) Snowman c) Wreath Just email your answer, with your name, address and contact number to competitions@thephoenixnewspaper. com with the subject “Festive Gift Fair 2018 Competition”. Competition closes at 23.59 on 2nd November 2018. There is no cash alternative.

0121 643 2047 www.thehatman.com

info@thehatman.net

the mood and get creative…. decorate your table, your stairwell, your mantelpiece and garden with greenery, twinkling lights, door wreaths, baubles, candles and so much more.

So, take the strain out of Christmas, enjoy a day out at the Festive Gift Fair and get your festive preparations off to a cracking start!

There’s no better reason to indulge than Christmas, and at The Festive Gift Fair you’ll discover a vast array of tasty treats and boozy delights that are sure to tantalise your taste buds.

outletstore@thehatman.com

54 Stephenson Street, Birmingham City Centre, B2 4HD

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018 - Page 27

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BIG SCREEN

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BIGScreen EDITORS NOTE

H

ey film fans and welcome back to The Big Screen!

October is upon us, meaning we have just three months left until we’ll be ringing in the New Year. The winter

months are always an interesting time in the world of cinema and often result in the most unique and varied selection of filmic thrills.

The beginning of each year, often referred to as “dump months”,

tend to be when studios release movies they are contractually obligated to release, but believe them to have limited commercial prospects, resulting in little financial return.

These months are followed by Blockbuster season – the middle months of the year where studios release their big money-spinners – but what about the winter

With antony brown BIG SCREEN EDITOR months? Well, winter marks the beginning of “awards season” and studios will be releasing films they think have the potential to win big at ceremonies like The Oscars and The BAFTAs. Exciting, right?

October is also the month of Halloween and, while it may not be a particularly big thing here in the UK, I myself am a huge horror

fan so this month’s edition of The Big Screen will have a slight horror theme – because if you can’t celebrate horror in October, when the hell can you?

Inside, you will find a piece on the big-screen return of Michael Myers in Halloween and details on the Festival of Terror – a tenday horror convention taking place in Birmingham this month.

This edition also marks the introduction of our all-new “What’s On” section, detailing everything exciting that’s happening in and around Birmingham throughout the month – from film and theatre to music and comedy.

disturbed individuals who have a strange and unique relationship that results in endless comedic moments and even a handful of heartfelt ones – although, those more sentimental moments struggle to land amongst the whirlwind of comedy and silliness surrounding them.

Olivia Munn is also an absolute stand-out as Casey Bracket, the bad-ass biologist who never thinks twice about leaping in to action if

it means protecting those around her.

Ironically, the strength and resilience of her character have been echoed in Olivia Munn herself lately, during the recent controversy surrounding the film, proving that Munn is a total badass both on and off the screen.

of just about every ounce of suspense one might expect from this franchise.

The fun cast of loveable rogues and the brisk pacing keep the adventure barrelling along at a break-neck pace, never really giving you too much time to think about what you’re seeing, which definitely works in its favour.

The Predator manages to strike a strange balance of being a sciencefiction blockbuster packed with foul language and buckets of blood while still simultaneously feeling like a diluted version of everything that came before it, but what it lacks in scares and suspense, it makes up for with pure fun.

The Predator is very much the “summer blockbuster” version of a Predator movie, where humour and big action set-pieces take pride of place over the horror and suspense and while you’ll probably have a lot of fun; it ultimately feels like a pretty hollow experience and it is difficult to imagine anybody talking about The Predator thirty years from now in the same way we do about the original.

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THE PREDATOR T he universe’s most lethal hunters are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before, having genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species and when a boy accidentally triggers their return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and an evolutionary biologist can prevent the end of the human race.

History

Director Shane Black has strong ties to the Predator franchise, actually being one of the original cast members from the Arnold Schwarzenegger classic that started it all.

He played Hawkins – the bespectacled nerd of the group who constantly made inappropriate jokes, mostly at the expense of his probably-nonexistent girlfriend.

Fast forward thirty years and now, one of the original members of the Predator team is returning to breathe new life in to a franchise that has been lying dormant since 2010, and the result is…mixed, to say the least.

Over the past ten years or so, Shane Black has made a name for himself as a director, taking on

Iron Man 3 for Marvel Studios and writing/directing 2016’s The Nice Guys, a brilliantly funny and pulpy throwback to buddy-cop cinema of the 1970s.

Now, one thing all of his films have in common is a wicked sense of humour that often borders on some very dark territory and that is an element that Black gleefully carries over to The Predator, resulting in what is without question the funniest Predator movie yet and that’s what truly sets this movie apart from the rest of franchise and makes it stand out from the pack.

Fresh

Where the others are mostly dead-serious concoctions of science-fiction, action and horror, Shane Black and his writing partner Fred Dekker, who last teamed up on 1981’s horror/ comedy classic The Monster Squad, aren’t afraid to let their movie be the goofy uncle you only see at weddings and funerals who constantly tries to be the centre of attention by making inappropriate jokes and while it is a unique approach to the material, it isn’t necessarily a good one and results in some jarring tonal flip-flopping.

Some of the ideas put forward in The Predator are fantastic and serve to expand upon the mythology of these iconic movie monsters.

For example, since 1987 we have watched Predators collect the skull and spinal cords of its victims to keep as trophies, but The Predator expands upon this by revealing that there’s actually a lot more to these collections than we once thought, with the Predators extracting DNA from the spinal cord and using it to enhance their own abilities, making them better hunters.

This hybridisation subplot is one of the more intriguing things put forward in The Predator, but it is something that

is never really explored in the depth you hope it will be, with the film constantly striving to be nothing more than fun popcorn entertainment.

Most of the other new stuff Black and Dekker introduce to the franchise feels like stuff that works better on paper than it does in practice and almost feels like the result of a conversation between a two 13-year-old friends talking about things they’d like to see in a Predator movie. “Do you know what would be cooler than a normal Predator? A giant Predator who can spontaneously grow armour plating under his skin!”

Goofy

One element in-particular will be make-or-break for many audience members and will be the deciding factor between whether or not you are on-board with this movie and it involves a Predator hunting dog – essentially a redesigned version of the vicious creatures the Predators use to help them hunt in 2010s Predators.

During a lengthy battle with our main heroes, the Predatordog is shot in the head at pointblank range and, instead of dying; the bullet merely causes some kind of lobotomy that results in the Predator-dog becoming a subservient companion to our heroes who aids them in their fights and even plays fetch. It’s all very, very silly.

Casting

The cast are by far the best thing The Predator has going for it, with Shane Black and Fred Dekker creating a likeable, ragtag group of ex-soldiers who all have their own personal demons to fight, with their battle against the Predator ending up being somewhat of a loose allegory for those demons they’re all fighting.

The characters are a lot of fun to be around and the cast play their respective roles perfectly; effortlessly delivering the countless quippy one-liners Black and Dekker have laced the script with.

Thomas Jane and KeeganMichael Key stand out as Baxley and Coyle – two chaotic and

Verdict

Shane Black’s The Predator is a hell of a lot of goofy fun, but that level of fun comes at the sacrifice

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FESTIVAL SET TO STRIKE FEAR INTO BIRMINGHAM! This month sees The Custard Factory play host to the Festival of Terror – a brand new convention dedicated to providing you with the ultimate horror experience!

Running from October 26th to November 4th, The Festival of Terror will host a full ten days of horror screenings that will include both cult classics and popular horror from throughout the ages, with live Q&A’s with cast and crew, who will be there to answer all of your questions and shed some light on these incredible horror classics.

They will also be holding a film competition with multiple awards up for grabs, so all of the budding filmmakers amongst you can submit your feature films, short films or music videos now via their website.

This is a fantastic platform for aspiring filmmakers and a great way to get your work out there.

As if that isn’t enough, on Saturday November 3rd they will also hosting a full-blown horror convention in the Custard Factory Market Hall featuring up to 200 stalls, with traders from all over the country coming together to sell all of the horror merchandise your heart could desire. This is followed by an epic Rocky Horror Picture Show themed Halloween Party, where up to 1000 fellow fanatics will gather to watch a special screening of the cult classic, followed by an evening of live music and an array of street food vendors, available until the early hours of the morning!

For the horror hounds out there, The Festival of Terror is an event not to be missed!

Michael Myers returns!

Eleventh instalment in the Halloween franchise is a direct sequel to John Carpenter’s original

I

met him 15 years ago; I was told there was nothing left – no reason, no conscience, no understanding in even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, of good or evil, right or wrong. met this six-year-old child with this blank, pale, emotionless face and the blackest eyes…the Devil’s eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up, because I realised that what was living behind that boy’s eyes was purely and simply...evil.” – Dr Sam

I

Loomis, Halloween (1978) John Carpenter’s Halloween is the undisputed king of slasher cinema and ushered in a whole new generation of horror.

Released in 1978, Halloween was amongst the first horror movies to utilize the slasher model and, while it technically isn’t the first slasher movie – it was preceded by Black Christmas and Peeping Tom – it is very much the poster-child for the genre and is responsible for the sub-genre’s surge in popularity. Made for a measly $300,000, Halloween went on to gross over $70 million, with Michael Myers opening the door

october

cinema releases

Venom (05/10/18)

One of Marvel’s most enigmatic, complex and badass characters comes to the big screen, starring Academy Award nominated actor Tom Hardy as the lethal protector Venom.

Bad Times at the El Royale (12/10/18)

When seven strangers meet at the El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past, they will each have one last shot at redemption before everything goes to hell.

to other horror icons like Jason Voorhees of Friday the 13th and Freddy Krueger of A Nightmare on Elm Street and kicking off a franchise that has spanned four decades.

This year, on the 40th anniversary of John Carpenter’s original, Michael Myers is once again ready to hack and slash his way on to the big screen in David Gordon Green’s Halloween.

That’s right – there are no numerals or flashy subtitles here! Just the exact same title as the original and while you may find that confusing, there’s a very good reason for it. The latest instalment in the longrunning franchise is set to completely overhaul the series by going back to its roots and rewriting history. You see, while

Bohemian Rhapsody (24/10/18)

Bohemian Rhapsody is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury -- who defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet.

First Man (12/10/18)

From the director of La La Land comes a look at the life and times of astronaut Neil Armstrong and the legendary space mission that led to him becoming the first man to walk on the Moon.

Halloween (2018) is technically the eleventh instalment, it is actually a direct sequel to John Carpenter’s original, opting to completely retcon everything that came after, freeing up director David Gordon Green and writer Danny McBride to tell a brand new version of events that take place 40 years after Michael Myers’ original rampage depicted in Halloween (1978).

What makes this such a special movie is that almost the entire original team are back; Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her role as Laurie Strode, Nick Castle is back as the force of nature that is Michael Myers and even the originator himself, Mr John Carpenter, has returned to the franchise to produce and score the film.

The Hate U Give (26/10/18)

When she witnesses the killing of her best friend at the hands of a police officer, Starr Carter faces pressure from all sides of the community as she attempts to find her voice and stand up for what she believes in.

Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween (19/10/18)

Slappy is back to wreak havoc this Halloween in a brand-new adventure based on R.L. Stine’s 400-million-selling series of books.

The fact that so many of the original players have returned, 40 years later, in an unconventional sequel that completely de-constructs and rebuilds the series from the ground up, is a sign that David Gordon Green and Danny McBride have something very special up their sleeves and with Halloween (2018) recently Premièring at the Toronto International Film Festival to critical acclaim, fans have been left deliriously excited for what they’re going to see when Halloween (2018) hits screens on October 19th.

Slaughterhouse Rulez (31/10/18)

An illustrious British boarding school becomes a bloody battleground when a mysterious sinkhole appears at a nearby fracking site unleashing unspeakable horror on the students and faculty, forcing them in to a fight for lives.

Halloween (19/10/18)

Laurie Strode comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.

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W

hen a young nun at a cloistered abbey in Romania takes her own life, a priest with a haunted past and a novitiate on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate. Together they uncover the order’s unholy secret and must confront a malevolent force in the form of a demonic nun as the abbey becomes a horrific battleground between the living and the damned.

The Nun is the latest entry in the enormously successful franchise that kicked off with James Wan’s The Conjuring back in 2013 and, while it has been billed as the “darkest chapter of The Conjuring Universe” – it is anything but; unless they mean it in a literal way, because most of the film takes at night, so literally-speaking, it probably is the darkest chapter but in terms of sheer terror and heart-racing intensity? No. The gothic setting is impressive, with the Romanian Abbey feeling like a character unto itself, bringing with it an eerie and overbearing sense of dread. It is a structure that has been designed to be so overtly creepy that it begs the question “why would anybody ever go anywhere near that thing?” resulting in some nifty gothic imagery.

The cinematography by Maxime Alexandre is fantastic and serves to amplify the overall aesthetic of the film, bringing a certain pop to several of the locations, including a suitably creepy, fog-laden graveyard. The direction from Corin Hardy is solid, proving that he is confident in setting up and executing frights, but unfortunately Gary Dauberman’s screenplay lets him down.

Hardy does what he can with the material he has, but he cannot hide the fact that it is quite simply a weak script with hollow characters.

The biggest strength of The

Conjuring Universe so far is that they always have a strong emotional core, with well fleshed-out characters who we actually care about and root for; but that is something almost completely void in The Nun, with characters so underdeveloped that you will walk out of the film knowing nothing more about them than when you walked in.

That is not to discredit the work done by Demián Bichir or the wonderful Taissa Farmiga – much like Hardy, they try their best with material they have, but you cannot make a great film from a poor script.

The Nun is arguably the weakest movie in The Conjuring Universe, failing to live up to the very high bar set by James Wan’s The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2. Even David F. Sandberg’s surprisingly efficient

Annabelle: Creation was able to shake off the cobwebs of its underwhelming predecessor, Annabelle – emerging as a very strong entry into the ongoing horror franchise.

Sadly, The Nun feels like a step backwards and fails to deliver on the promise of its marketing.

However, it is still a somewhat engaging, relatively effective slice of commercial horror that is more concerned with delivering momentary, hair-raising jolts than it is in delivering a fully fleshed out, coherent story.

It is the cinematic equivalent of a walking through a haunted house attraction at a theme park – there may be a few things that jump out and startle you along the way and you’ll have fun while you’re in there, but you will emerge on the other side completely unscathed.

T

he true story of four young men who brazenly attempt to execute one of the most audacious art heists in US history. Determined to live lives that are out of the ordinary, they formulate a daring plan for the perfect robbery, only to discover that the plan has taken on a life of its own.

Writer/Director Bart Layton, known for his extensive documentary work including 2012’s critically-acclaimed The Imposter, breaks out every tool in his repertoire for American Animals – a darkly comedic hybrid of a true-crime documentary and an action-packed, Ocean’s 11-style heist movie.

Flicking between the real-life perpetrators and their Hollywood counterparts, American Animals is a wickedly entertaining film

october

Revenge (01/10/18)

After surviving a vicious attack at the hands of her wealthy boyfriend’s sleazy friends, a young woman who was left for dead returns, hell-bent on getting brutal revenge on her assailants.

Hereditary (08/10/18)

After the family matriarch passes away, a grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences, and begin to unravel dark secrets that threaten to tear them apart.

that seamlessly ties together interview footage, stock footage and crisp Hollywood imagery, in an amalgamation of styles that emerges as something memorable and vividly singular.

Throughout the story, there is an element of unreliable narration, as the various characters tell the same story from different points of view and Layton gets very playful with his direction, having scenes alter mid-way through depending on what each interviewee is saying, leaving audiences questioning the authenticity of their accounts.

The story follows Spence (Barry Keoghan) and Warren (Evan Peters) – two highly-intelligent friends who feel trapped in their mundane, small-town lives. Spencer is a talented art student who feels like his life has no meaning and that he needs something exciting, or perhaps

even tragic, to happen in his life in order to inspire him to produce something that can make a difference in the world and Warren is a rebellious student on an athletic scholarship who is only pursuing his education to please his domineering father.

Bart Layton does an excellent job in introducing us to these characters and making them relatable. At some point or another, most of us will experience this inexplicable existential crisis where we feel like nothing we do matters and Layton captures this feeling perfectly – the feeling of being an invisible nobody, desperate to do big things.

As the audience, we know these kids go on to do a terrible thing, but Layton is steadfast in ensuring that while the audience will not condone what these people end up doing, we at least understand the position of emotional turmoil from which this bad idea initially springs.

The cast are fantastic and, due to the fact we are constantly clicking back-and-forth between them and the real-life people, we can see just how closely they resemble their real-world counterparts.

Irish actor Barry Keoghan continues to flourish and make a name for himself in Hollywood in yet another excellent performance, following his award-winning turn in 2017’s The Killing of a Sacred Dear and Evan Peters is as intense and charming as ever.

Peters has an uncanny ability to take characters with a bit of a mean streak and make them not only funny, but likeable, bringing a valuable humanity to his roles that feels raw and authentic. Between the two of them, Keoghan and Peters effortlessly carry the entire movie.

American Animals is hyper-stylized, virtuoso filmmaking at its finest with an aura of self-confidence that perfectly mirrors the shameless cockiness of the young men involved in this unbelievable true story. An absolute must see.

Releases

Hurricane (22/10/18)

Hurricane is the story of a group of brave Poles who fought in the skies in WW2, not just to keep Great Britain free from the Nazis, but also to keep alive the very idea of their own country.

The First Purge (29/10/18)

America’s third political party, the New Founding Fathers of America, comes to power and conducts an experiment on Staten Island known as The Purge – where all crime is legal for 12 hours.

Sicario 2: Soldado (29/10/18)

The drug war on the U.S.-Mexico border has escalated as the cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the US border.

To fight the war, federal agent Matt Graver re-teams with mercurial Alejandro.

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WHAT’S ON

4th - 7th October Birmingham Oktoberfest Eastside City Park

The Eastside City Park is transformed into a traditional Oktoberfest with live music and great atmosphere. They have a special offer for Sunday Lunch, so you can let the entire family experience Bavarian culture for a day.

11th October - 3rd November Motown: The Musical New Alexandra Theatre

Discover the story behind Motown - the relationships, the struggles, and the music that made history, defined the sound of a generation and got the whole world moving to the same beat.

12th October The Music of Harry Potter Symphony Hall

8th - 13th October The Wipers Times Birmingham Repertory Theatre

The Wipers Times tells the true and extraordinary story of the satirical newspaper created in the mud and mayhem of the Somme.

Young Albert enlists to serve in World War I after his beloved horse is sold to the cavalry. Albert’s hopeful journey takes him out of England and to the front lines as the war rages on.

Symphonic Fantasy - where the world of film and epic fantasy collide! Experience inspirational music and emotionally charged scores from Game of Thrones and Dragonheart to Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings and beyond.

This is definitely one for the film fans out there!

21st October Gina Yashere Birmingham Repertory Theatre

26th October - 4th November Festival of Terror The Mockingbird Cinema

A ten-day horror festival featuring classic film screenings with live Q&As with cast and crew as well as a covention featuring traders from all over the country.

This is an absolute must for horror fanatics!

Fresh from her Netflix special, Gina Yashere presents her latest full length show Funkindemup.

Belly laughs and outrageous revelations guaranteed!

27th October One Man Stranger Things Town Hall

19th October Soul II Soul: 30th Anniversary Town Hall

Maestro Michael Seal and the full CBSO work their magic in this concert devoted to the music of all eight of the Harry Potter films.

10th October - 3rd November War Horse Birmingham Hippodrome

19th October Symphonic Fantasy Symphony Hall

18th October At Last: The Etta James Story Town Hall

The smash-hit returns starring the sensational Vika Bull and tells the story of soul legend Etta James - from her career to her problems with addiction - featuring her most beloved songs.

Soul II Soul progressed from the 1980’s warehouse scene to pioneering British black music around the world, securing long term critical and commercial success for themselves and they’re back to celebrate thirty successful years in the business.

‘One Man’ legend Charles Ross’ hilarious new show parodies both seasons of the Eighties-based Netflix horror/sci-fi phenomenon that has intrigued, engrossed and spooked millions of viewers worldwide.

24th – 26th October Sarah Millican Symphony Hall

You’ll learn about Rescue Men, what happens at a bra fitting, the benefits of casserole and tips on the correct way to eat a biscuit.

Funny, frank and filthy.

27th October Enrique Iglesias Genting Arena

20th October Cage Warriors 98 Genting Arena

Welterweight champion Stefano Paternò will put his title on the line against Ross Houston, alongside the semi-finals of the Cage Warriors Featherweight Championship Tournament. Dean Trueman will face off against Lewis Monarch, and Birmingham’s own Aiden Lee will be taking on Paull McBain.

Enrique Iglesias will be returning to the UK and Ireland this October to perform all of his hits live - for the first time in four years!

30th October - 10th November The Lovely Bones Birmingham Repertory Theatre

26th October - 3rd November Birmingham Improv Festival Blue Orange Theatre

Included in this year’s ‘Best UK Comedy Festivals’ on Trip Advisor, 2018 sees a range of acclaimed performers from across the UK and the rest of the world visit Birmingham.

The REP brings the best-selling novel to the stage for the very first time. After being brutally murdered, 14-year-old Susie Salmon watches from heaven over her grief-stricken family -- and her killer. As she observes their daily lives, she must balance her thirst for revenge with her desire for her family to heal.

HIDDENGems ex machina Director:

Alex Garland Release Date: 2014 A young programmer is selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment to evaluate the human qualities of a highly-advanced, breathtaking humanoid Artificial Intelligence known as Ava. Ex Machina is a whip-smart, engaging piece of sciencefiction featuring fantastic performances from Domanhall Gleeson, Oscar Isaacs and the exquisite Alicia Vikander. It’s small in scale, but heavy on ideas, maintaining a sickening

sense of dread throughout and the expertly written screenplay will leave you questioning exactly what it is that makes us human, while exploring mankind’s incessant and often destructive need to create.

In 2016, Ex Machina won the Oscar for Best Achievement in Visual Effects and was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay, as well as a total of five BAFTA Awards, including Best British Film.

However, despite all of this mainstream recognition, Ex Machina still hasn’t received the mainstream success it so desperately deserves. Seek it out, immediately!

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MOTORS

Hitting The Road

l The new 2019 BMW Z4

l Marcus Blake, Commercial Director, Group Lotus plc; His Excellency Majid Saif Al Ghurair, Chairman of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Karl Hamer, Chief Executive Officer of Adamas Motors LLC; Jonathan Stretton, Regional Director of Lotus Cars Middle East

British Lotus Blooms in UAE

L

otus Cars showed its commitment to the UAE with the official opening of a brandnew Lotus showroom in Dubai.

The Lotus Dubai facility on Sheikh Zayed Road is the result of a partnership with Adamas Motors and offers new and existing customers the opportunity to experience the famous brand first hand in the heart of Dubai.

Officially opened by Marcus Blake, Commercial Director, Group Lotus plc and His Excellency Majid Saif Al Ghurair, Chairman of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the ceremony included esteemed guests, key media and senior management from across the Lotus operations.

The new 5,000 square foot showroom, capable of showcasing up to ten cars, opened its doors with the presentation of the range of Lotus vehicles carefully selected and optioned to suit the aspirations of customers in the UAE.

British Brand

On display at the inaugural event was the limited-edition Lotus Exige Cup 430 Type 25 with three of the worldwide volume of 25 units making their way to the GCC; the only Lotus 3-Eleven 430 in the Middle East finished in the famous Lotus black and gold livery; and the internationally acclaimed and

fastest Lotus production vehicle ever, the Lotus Evora GT430.

Marcus Blake, Commercial Director, Group Lotus plc commented, “On behalf of Group Lotus, I welcome Adamas Motors to the Lotus brand, in our 70th Anniversary year. Adamas Motors joins Lotus at a very exciting point in the company’s history. Our desirable, benchmark and handcrafted sports cars are consistently being awarded fivestar accolades from media around the world. The Lotus business

is also growing globally and expanding into new markets so welcoming even more discerning drivers behind the wheel of this exclusive and British brand.

“The UAE is an important market for Lotus and it has even greater potential for the future.

With Lotus Cars Middle East and Adamas Motors, we’re looking forward to welcoming both our current and new customers in the region to the Lotus brand.”

DB11 Volante Autonis Winner The Aston Martin DB11 Volante has been voted “Best New Design 2018”, winning the prestigious and much coveted Autonis Design Award from auto motor und sport.

Almost 12,000 readers selected the DB11 Volante from a choice of nine convertible sports cars that came to market in 2018.

Ulrich Schäfer, President of Aston Martin Europe, received the award from Ralph

Alex, Editor-in-Chief of auto motor und sport, at the awards ceremony held in Stuttgart.

Schäfer said: “The new DB11 Volante combines understated elegance, sportiness and beauty.

It is a masterpiece of automotive art. I am delighted to receive the award on behalf of Aston Martin and the whole design team and want to thank all readers for their vote.”

Roadsters have played an important role in BMW's history and the all-new 2019 BMW Z4 is set to write another chapter in the open-top story.

Since the birth of the first example, the famous BMW 328, all BMW roadsters have shared common proportions and design principles - long bonnet; low, set-back driving position, long wheelbase and short overhangs.

The new BMW Z4 is no different. It shares all of those traditional principles, but takes the roadster experience to the next level with a focus on agility, dynamic performance and precise handling thanks

to the high rigidity of the body structure and chassis mountings, the intelligent lightweight design and optimised aerodynamic properties.

The new BMW Z4 combines its pure sporting pedigree with a wealth of highlyadvanced, top class equipment features on the driver assistance, operation and connectivity fronts.

The Paris Motor Show will provide the setting for the show premiere of the new BMW Z4 in October 2018. The worldwide market introduction will then commence in March 2019.

Page 32 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

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Forget World, The Park Is Where It’s At

J

urassic Park holds a special place in my heart, being the first film I vividly remember seeing and, while I was far too young to even comprehend the logistics of filmmaking and what is actually required to bring those images to screen, I remember thinking to myself “This is it. This is what I want to do.”

And thus began a life-long love affair with Spielberg’s iconic blockbuster.

Fast-forward 25 years and there I am, sitting in the gorgeous Symphony Hall, with a huge orchestra setting up, ready to blow the collective minds of the audience.

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I knew we were in for something special. There was electric in the air - the audience comprised of an ocean of T-shirts imbued with the Jurassic Park logo.

This was a room packed with die-hard fans that hold this film in the same regard that I do. I was home.

The orchestra were phenomenal, executing John Williams’ score beautifully never missing a beat. At no point did it feel like a separate experience to the images we were seeing on screen, instead merging together into one overwhelming experience.

The film felt different: bigger and more exciting than ever before - almost larger than life, with the music sounding better than ever before, as if John Williams himself was present.

It has always impressed me at how patient Jurassic Park is, never feeling in a rush to throw audiences straight into the dinosaur action - instead taking a slow and methodical build-up until the first big reveal once our heroes get to the island.

From there, the dinosaurs only appear sporadically throughout.

In fact, the film features just 14-minutes-worth of dinosaur footage during the entire 127-minute runtime of Jurassic Park, giving credence to the saying “less is more.”

Spielberg’s utilisation of the dinosaurs is masterful, only having them appear when absolutely necessary and where it’s going to be most effective.

The best example of this is the T-Rex escape sequence which is, without question, one of the greatest, most tightly-realised

sequences ever committed to film.

The rain, the night vision goggles, the ground-shaking footsteps, the rippling water, the missing goat — the slow, intense build-up all culminates in one of the greatest reveals in the history of cinema...the Tyrannosaurs Rex. It’s a moment that sends chills down my spine every single time.

Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park is one of the most iconic and ground-breaking blockbusters in the history of cinema, kicking off a multi-billion dollar franchise that is still going strong a quarter of a century after it started.

Spielberg is the undisputed king of blockbuster cinema, with films like Jaws, E.T., Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park cementing him as one of the most exciting filmmakers to ever do it.

Jurassic Park is my favourite movie of all-time and is literally the reason I fell in love with cinema.

Without it, I wouldn’t have spent my life pursuing a career in the field and seeing it at the Symphony Hall accompanied by the flawless orchestra has only served to make me fall even deeper in love with it than I already was — which is something I didn’t think was possible.

This was one of the greatest cinematic experiences of my life.

Raiders of the Symphony Orchestra In 1981, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas joined forces to gift the world a brand new icon of cinema - Dr Indiana Jones.

Their union was a success and the result was Raiders of the Lost Ark - a film that went on to win four academy awards and is widely regarded as one of the best movies ever made; coming 76th in Total Film’s 100 Greatest Movies Ever Made and 7th in Empire Magazine’s 100 Greatest Movies Of All Time.

The gorgeous and incomparable Birmingham Symphony Hall recently played host to Raiders of the Lost Ark - In Concert; an event that saw them bring the action-adventure classic back to the big screen, only this time accompanied by a full symphony orchestra, playing John Williams’ iconic score live to picture.

The experience itself is difficult to describe because while you may have seen the movie countless times before, having a live orchestra in front of you performing the music adds a new depth to

the proceedings and immerses you in the film deeper than ever before.

The music is powerful and you truly feel every stroke of the violin and every beat of the drum as the sounds reverberate through the theatre and echo through your chest and every time Indy’s unmistakable theme left the orchestra’s instrument’s, the hairs stood up on the back of my neck. This is Raiders of the Lost Ark like you’ve never seen it.

Steven Spielberg’s direction is exquisite and he bombards the senses with intricately choreographed set-piece after intricately choreographed setpiece, leaving audiences on a feverish high through much of its 115-minute runtime.

This is an adventure movie in every sense of the word and there’s very little respite from the excitement, with Spielberg strapping us in and thrusting us into the exciting and dangerous world of Indiana Jones.

It’s pretty easy to say that Raiders of the Lost Ark is one

o f the most gung-ho blockbusters ever made. Spielberg and his cinematographer, the late and great Douglas Slocombe, work perfectly with one another, using lighting and shadows to construct some of the most iconic images in the history of blockbuster cinema.

Everything from the hulking silhouettes of Indiana Jones projected on to the walls by the light of a fire to the sprawling shots of the sun-scorched desert landscapes are captured with a vivid clarity and create a nice juxtaposition with the rougharound-the-edges nature of Indiana Jones.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is the cinematic love-child of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas - two filmmakers at the top of their game who joined forces to create a brand new icon of cinema...and boy, did they succeed.

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018 - Page 33

- OBITUARIES AND NOTICE BOARD -

Burt Reynolds

Sir Charles Kuen Kao

B

orn in Lansing, in Michigan, he was one of Hollywood's best-known

Rachael Bland T he BBC presenter, diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago, was a familiar voice on Radio 5 Live as a newsreader and presenter, and won praise for co-hosting ‘You, Me and the Big C,’ a podcast about cancer with fellow cancer sufferers Lauren Mahon and Deborah James.

She has also documented her

life with the disease on an awardwinning blog.

In August, the Cardiff-born broadcaster, who began her BBC career more than 15 years ago, said she was writing a memoir to leave for her two-year-old son Freddie as a "love letter to my beautiful boy", whose third birthday she missed by just days.

She was 40.

Shantaram Potdukhe

A

member of the Indian National C o n g r e s s political party, he was a member of Lok Sabhas for four straight terms representing the Chandrapur constituency of Maharashtra.

Born in Chandrapur, he joined Congress (I) and contested elections in 1980 - holding the position of Union Minister of State.

Married to Sudha Shantaram Potdukhe, he leaves 1 son and 1 daughter.

He was 86.

Notice Board

stars.

One of cinema's top box-office draws and sex symbols in the 1970s, he appearing in films including ‘Deliverance’ before embracing comedy in ‘The Cannonball Run’ and ‘Smokey and the Bandit.’

A skilful football player, he won a sports scholarship to Florida State University with ambitions to turn professional – he was considered by the Baltimore Colts.

His career and finances, though, plummeted downwards in the 1980s, but he returned to form, a decade on, playing a porn film director in ‘Boogie Nights’ in 1997, which won him an Oscar nomination. Roles in

W

ith best friend and partner Dave Peacock, they were known for their rock and cockney style, enjoying the height of fame in the 1970s and 1980s with hits such as ‘Rabbit’ and ‘Snooker Loopy’ after their debut album ‘One Fing 'n' Anuvver,’ which was released in 1975 before going on to have eight UK top 40 hits.

Their other hits include; ‘Gertcha,’ ‘Ossie's Dream’ (with the Tottenham Hotspurs squad), ‘Stars Over 45’ ‘Ain't No Pleasing You’ and ‘Tottenham Tottenham.’

Bizarrely he and Dave were even hip-hop legends (sort of) - notable as a footnote in rap history appear on Eminem’s breakthrough 1999 breakthrough hit ‘My Name Is’ with his catchy guitar riffs and Dave’s bassline.

A Further roles in ‘Pups’ and ‘Time of the Wolf’ proved he could still turn in a good performance.

He was 82.

Losing his long battle against cancer, he was 74.

orn into a Jewish family in London, he won a scholarship to the City of London School before entertaining the RAF in northern Germany.

He wrote to the Daily Express at 16, asking if he could accompany the foreign correspondent to the civil war in Spain, but his parents put their foot down.

At 18 he became Britain's youngest cinema manager before he started writing for radio alongside fellow aspiring comic, Frank Muir.

Between them they wrote three hundred episodes of Take It From Here with Jimmy Edwards and June Whitfield, plus collaborations with Peter Sellers, and other hits including Bedtime with Braden and the television series Whacko before embarking on his ‘It'll Be Alright on the Night’ series of funny outtakes.

He was 96.

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Known as the ‘Godfather of Broadband,’ the ‘Father of Fibre Optics’ and the ‘Father of Fiber Optic Communications,’ he was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics for groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication.

Suffered from Alzheimer's disease, he was 84.

Chas Denis Hodges Norden B

If you’ve got an event, notice or information that you’d like to advertise on our community notice board, get in touch with us on:

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Hong Kong-AmericanBritish electrical engineer and physicist who pioneered the development and use of fibre optics in telecommunications who created various methods to combine glass fibres with lasers in order to transmit digital data, which laid the groundwork for the evolution of the Internet.

Designed to recognise ex periences and accom celebration of plishments, the annual achievements remembers im ob portant peop serves and in the history le of the African and events the UK and be D yond througho iaspora in ut October

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Page 34 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

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- COLUMBA PRESENTATIONS-

l Like Father, Like Son. Chairman of Judges and MC Adrian de Redman (above) and his son (below)

Pupils rewarded for cherishing their crafts l Greenwood Academy won First Place, The Columba Trophy 2018 for the School of Rock The Musical Company

S

ome of the city’s finest, sharpest and creative students gathered to receive their well-earned Columba Trophy at what proved to be a prestigious Council 127 – Birmingham, Knights of St Columba presentation ceremony.

Held in the City Council’s Council Chambers, pupils from; Bishop Walsh Catholic School, Edgbaston High School for Girls, Greenwood Academy, King Solomon International Business School, Moseley School and St Edmund Campion Catholic School each received their individual trophies, plaques and certificates of commendation, in the ‘Star Competition, in recognition for adaptations of some of the most famous, and demanding, of productions.

In the presence of some of

Birmingham’s leading figures – Birmingham Lord Mayor Councillor Yvonne Mosquito, Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands Jonnie Turpie MBE, Wade Lyn CBE Honorary Council for Jamaica, Supreme Knight Bernie Grogan, Grand Knight Tony Guinan, Supreme Director of Youth Terry Conneely, Supreme Director of Finance John Carter, Grand Knight of Province 18 Stephen Ferris and Youth Officers Columba Conway and Bernard Walsh – the always effervescent Master of Ceremonies Adrian de Redman introduced each and every school student present to the floor to acknowledge each and every one of the individually mastered production companies .

This was the 29th Columba Trophy, with de Redman stating: “This ceremony is about ‘triumph’ – Every one of you young people

scored personal triumphs, with all of your productions achieving at least 90%.”

“The judges were dazzled by the high level of competition,” said Grand Knight Guinan, “and the standard is rising…not falling.”

From St Edmund Campion’s ‘Grease Company’ to Moseley’s ‘Fantastic Mr Fox Company,’ King Solomon’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream Company,’ Greenwood’s ‘School of Rock – The Musical Company,’ plus ‘Edgbaston High’s ‘Phantom of the Opera’ and Bishop Walsh’s ‘The Addams Family,’ this showed the quantity and quality that there is in the second city – and what the future holds for the next generation.

“All you now have to do,” de Redman said, “is to cherish every day and go out and share your triumph.”

l Shennel Parris of King Solomon IBS won the Edgar Andrews Trophy for Best Individual Performance

l Lorell Squires of Greenwood Academy received a commendation l Edgbaston High School For Girls was Commended

l Anthony O’Kerek of Bishop Walsh also received a commendation

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- COUNT PRINCE MILLER -

The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018 - Page 35

A Final Farewell to the Count Prince P

l His Excellency Seth George Ramocan signing the Book of Condolence at the Celebration of Life service for Clarence ‘Count Prince’ Miller

aying their respects to the master, hundreds of people turned out to bid farewell to legendary singer and actor Clarence ‘Count Prince’ Miller, with fellow musicians and thespians among those who turned out at the Holy Trinity Church, in London.

And amongst those saying their final ‘goodbyes’ included the Jamaican Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, with a special tribute paid by fellow Vagabonds band-member, Jimmy James.

Led by Reverend Prebendary Rose Hudson-Wilkin QHC, a special tribute was read by Jamaican High Commissioner in the UK, Seth George Ramocan, who said; “Count Prince Miller was A great man who contributed to the growth and development of the Jamaican

entertainment industry and brand ‘Jamaica’ – not only in the UK, but throughout the world – with a kindness and generosity of spirit which enlightened and encouraged young and old alike.

Jamaica and the Diaspora have lost a true friend, advocate and promoter of Jamaica and Jamaican music.”

Speaking in the presence of Count Prince Miller’s son, Jean Pierre, His Excellency went on;

“Your father was a wonderful, warm, proud and decent Jamaican who brought great joy to many with his music, acting and overall positive personality.

He will be sorely missed.”

Hailed as one of Jamaica’s most popular entertainers in England from his early band days in the 1960s to stage appearances, his TV roles in the musical ‘Black Heroes in The Hall Of Fame,’ his role as Vince in the popular Channel 4 sitcom ‘Desmond’s’ followed with a number TV commercials and short films added to his now bulging CV. He was, however, best known for his iconic song ‘Mule Train,’ which elevated him to true international stardom.

“He was determined to make his mark as part of what our own cultural icon Miss Lou, referred to as Jamaicans ‘colonising England in reverse’” Minister Grange said. “And we should never forget his relevance to us.”

With a special selection of songs performed by a choir made up of members of the ‘Black Heroes in the Hall of Fame’ production, the thanksgiving service was followed by a reception at the Jamaican High Commission, which included more tributes from close friends with musical tributes coming from veteran singers AJ Franklyn, Winston Francis and Dennis Alcapone.

Survived by Jean Pierre, plus three sisters and a brother, his cremated remains were interred in his native Jamaica.

Page 36 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

- BLACK HISTORY MONTH LANCH -

BHM Launch Whets The Appetite For October M arking four weeks packed with thought-provoking e d u c a t i o n , inspiring entertainment and huge levels of future promise, Birmingham Black History Month 2018 was launched, at the city’s Town Hall, to a mass number of activities that will be taking place in and around the city throughout October.

On a night when host, ITV Central Weather presenter and allround television personality, Des Coleman, was ‘on-key’ as he kept the audience – which, it has to be said, was decidedly low in number - some of Birmingham’s leading dignitaries and personalities where on hand be embraced and entertained.

As the likes of Birmingham Lord Mayor Councillor Yvonne

Mosquito, Dr Beverly Lindsay, Vice Lord-Lieutenant of the West Midlands, owner of esteemed travel agency Diamond Travel and chair of the Association of Jamaica Nationals (Birmingham), internationally-renowned comedian and actor, John Simmit, Ammo Talwar, director of Punch Records, Philip Murphy who heads the African Caribbean Millennium Centre and former chair of the long-time defunked The Drum Arts/Theatre Centre, sat side-by-side with equally likeminded souls, a ‘soupçon’ of just whjat’s to come left all with high anticipation and great hope for a greater future – in all aspects.

Proud that he was hosting Black History Month in the iconic Town Hall, he was full of hope for what can be achieved in time to come: “The Drum was the hub of culture

in Birmingham,” the former EastEnders star said.

“But,” he continued, “there is nothing as consistent as change.

But, in the void, there are people, businesses and organisations who are stepping in to fill that void.

We have a responsibility to tell our children of our presence here – from the Windrush Generation and, indeed well before that.”

“I’m very proud,” said Cllr Mosquito. “I am proud to be the first Black woman – born here in Birmingham – to be Lord Mayor of this great city.

But, as we move on don’t confine our history to slavery. Have the ability to see Black people in all walks of life – from the very beginning of time.”

So, as the night peaked, legendary Grammy Awardwinning Steel Pulse man Basil

Gabbidon and his band plus multiaward winning Musical Youth front-man, Dennis Seaton, were just two of the highlight on a night that left everyone salivating over what October has to bring.

With speakers including Black music researcher Mykaell Riley, and Dr Kehinde Andrews, Associate Professor in Sociology at Birmingham City University highlighting the strength and depth of Black culture in the city, and the production of ‘Dr King – The Aftermath,’ appetites were well wetted.

With so many of this class act so young, the question, though, was asked; “Why so late?” to add to the other main question on the night; “Why so few?”

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- AZUZA STREET -

The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018 - Page 37

Sikh Heritage Research Project nearing target figure M ore than £13,000 has been raised for a new project to collect and immortalise the rich musical history of the Sikh faith.

Accomplished Gurbani kirtan – Sikh worship through sacred music – practitioners; Kirit Singh and Jasdeep are fundraising for a trip to India and Pakistan where they will undertake vital work in preserving this aspect of Sikh heritage.

They will be recording their various trips to produce a documentary on their work. To make the trip happen they need to raise just over £20,000.

Music is at the heart of the Sikh faith. The sacred Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, is unique in that it is organised by music with each shabad (verse) being a sonic entity which not only contains a message, but via its musical notation, a route to experiencing the Divine.

Kirit Singh said: “With the passing of time, the oral histories of memories of Sikh musical history die with the elder generation.

This is one of the richest and most vibrant musical histories of South Asia – it is too precious to lose. Time is running out for us to preserve it.”

Sikhism is unique among the world’s major religion for at its heart lies music. The sacred scriptures of the Sikhs contains

devotional songs, or shabads, of the gurus, their poets and musicians, and some of the most influential Sufi and Hindu saints of medieval India.

Representing the living source of guidance, or guru, for the Sikhs, the scriptures transcend religious boundaries and operate through the powerful medium of music.

Each shabad is a sonic entity which encapsulates a divine message inspiring the qualities of devotion, consciousness, remembrance, and love for humanity.

Kirit Singh is currently undertaking his PhD, titled ‘Kīrtan and Kalā: Patrons and Musicians of Gurbāṇī Kīrtan and Hindustani Music in Punjab, 1801 to 1947’, at SOAS University, London, under the supervision of Prof. Richard Widdess.

This study is the first of its kind to explore in detail the tradition of gurbani kirtan in relation to Hindustani music in the Punjab region, during the unique period in which both traditions came to enjoy significant patronage from the Sikh princes and aristocracy.

The study aims to document the outcome of the interactions and exchanges in such environments by drawing on written sources and oral histories. It will also focus on the major religious centres, such as Amritsar, which fostered a flourishing musical

environment.

Jasdeep Singh, one of the few musicians of his generation carrying forward the unique but dying art of the Jori of Punjab, was initiated into the Tabla and Jori by a leading maestro of the Benares and Punjab traditions, Ustad Sukhvinder Singh ‘Pinky.

Festival of Lights ready to shine this month The Hindu festival of Diwali – also known as Deepavali, Dipavali, Dewali, Deepawali, or the Festival of Lights – will begin two days before and carries on two days after that, making it a five-day event in total.

Marked as the second largest non-Christian religious group in the United Kingdom, millions of Hindus will be celebrating Diwali with gift exchanges, fireworks and festive meals.

People will pray, eat a special breakfast and a statue of

Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess, will be carried throughout the streets in procession as children receive candy or toys from booths set up for the occasion.

Observed on November 7, this year, Diwali will be celebrated to honour Rama-chandra, the seventh avatar (incarnation of the god Vishnu) - It is believed that on this day Rama returned to his people after 14 years of exile during which he fought and won a battle against the demons and the demon king, Ravana. People lit their houses to celebrate his

victory over evil (light over darkness).

The biggest Diwali celebrations in the UK is said to be in Leicester, with Councillor Piara Singh-Clair, Deputy City Mayor with responsibility for Culture, Leisure, Sport and Regulatory Services saying: “Diwali is always a fantastic time for everybody. For anyone who's never experienced Diwali before I hope that you will join us to take part in our celebrations and enjoy the festival of light.”

‘Don’t pick and choose bits of the Bible’ TV presenter Richard Madeley says that Christians should hold to the whole of the Bible instead of picking and choosing parts they like, He was writing in response to debates on how to refer to God, with one Bishop keen to emphasise feminine qualities.

But Madeley said if the Bible was wrong to refer, in the main, to God as “He,” then “what else might it be wrong about?

You either believe in something or you don’t,” he said.

“Christians,” he said, “should hold to the whole of the Bible instead of picking and choosing parts they like.”

Page 38 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

thephoenixnewspaper.com

- FUNERAL SERVICE FOR HON. PIUS OLAYIWOLA ADEREMI -

I Quintessential Jurist, Hon. Pius Olayiwola Aderemi buried in Ibadan

t was day of tributes as eminent Nigerians relived the life and times of one of Nigeria’s finest jurists, retired Justice Pius Olayiwola Aderemi, (C.O.N) of the Supreme Court, who passed on at 78 on Monday, June 18, 2018, in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.

The Burial, which was held at St. Josephs Catholic Church, Oke Ado, Ibadan, also had in attendance Executive Governor of Oyo State, Governor Abiola Ajimobi, several prominent Nigerians from all walks of Life, Jurists from the High Court, Appeal Court and the Supreme Court, Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Attorney-Generals, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Chairmen, and Registrars of the Supreme Court. The jurist’s seven children were led by Olakunle Aderemi.

l Hon. Pius Olayiwola Aderemi

Justice Aderemi was variously described as a father at law and irreplaceable quintessential jurist whose contribution to legal theory, practice and principles shall find no match.

The Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Munta Abimbola, who described the late Aderemi as his father, said Oyo State Judiciary had lost a compass, and a great motivator.

He said: “To me, I have lost a mentor, a guardian, an adopted father-in-law and most of all, a great inspirer and my beacon of steps in life in the legal practice.

“He was a man of honour, dignified in expressing opinions; he refrained from drawing conclusions or comments that were adverse on counsel.

“His language was sober and temperate, not satirical. As Judges ought to be, he was witty, more reverent than plausible, more advised than confident.

“He was integrity personified.

My Lord was a living oracle of law.”

The quintessential jurist’s funeral Mass, officiated by the Catholic Archbishop of Ibadan Diocese, His Grace, Arch Bishop Abegurin, was full of praise for the deceased and prayers for the Children left behind.

Send in your stories to newsdesk@thephoenixnewspaper.com

@PhoenixNewsUK

Furnished vs Unfurnished Renting A new study has showed that renting a two bedroom furnished flat in the UK can cost up to 21% more than an unfurnished property.

The property website OnTheMarket have analysed that rents of a typical two bedroom flat furnished and unfurnished in the same area - in nine major cities across the country.

Whilst the cost of furnishing a two bedroom flat can be around £1,800 including a sofa, coffee table, bookcase, television, table and chairs, two double bed frames, two mattresses, a desk and an office chair. This amount is calculated based on furniture from IKEA and a television from Curry’s.

With prices for furnished flats commanding up to 21% more than unfurnished, it is a decision for the tenant to decide whether or not to save a lump sum to buy basic furniture.

Helen Whiteley, commercial director at OnTheMarket, said; “It is worth prospective tenants giving serious consideration to whether or not they are embarking on a long term let.

“That said, there are clear benefits and a level of convenience of walking into a ready to live in property when weighed against the alternative of buying everything yourself.”

“Landlords are more likely to buy rent guarantee insurance, which protects the landlord against the tenants not paying the rent, than furnish properties,” property management manager Denise Brown added.

- PROPERTY -

Uni Towns Property Price Increase

A

verage property prices in the UK’s top 50 university towns and cities have risen by £28,725 since 2015, according to research by online estate agents Housesimple.com.

And in more than half of these towns, average house price rises since 2015 would have funded a three-year degree course.

Housesimple.com looked at how house prices have performed since students who have just graduated, started their three-year degree courses in 2015.

Only the UK’s top 50 ranked universities were considered.

If parents had bought a second home or buy-to-let property, to rent to students or for their child to live in during their studies with friends, in 56% of these towns and cities, house price growth would have covered the entire £27,250 cost of tuition for a three-year degree course.

The research reveals that property prices in Coventry, which has the 13th ranked university in the country, have increased by 61% between June 2015 and June 2018, according to Land Registry figures.

An average property in Coventry would have set parents back £114,625 in 2015,

and today would be worth £184,690.

That’s an increase of £70,065 in three years which would have easily covered the £27,250 tuition fees for two children at Coventry University, with money left over to pay for a few beers!

Similarly, in Manchester (34th ranked university in the UK), the current average property price is £174,044, up 26.7% or £36,626, since 2015.

Essex (31st ranked university), Bristol (20th and 37th ranked) and Kent (35th ranked) have all seen average house prices increase more than £53,000 since 2015, which is twice the cost of funding a three-year degree.

Cambridge (£37,594 price increase) and Oxford (£28,028), the top two ranked universities in the UK, have both seen average property prices since 2015 rise more than the £27,250 cost of a three-year degree.

However, current average property prices in Cambridge are £440,126 and £402,020 in Oxford, much higher than many of the other university towns, and possibly out of reach of all but the richest few who might consider the buyto-let route.

Commercial Property Hotspot Dramatically Transforming City Boasting the UK’s largest business, professional and financial services hub outside of London, Birmingham has attracted a constant and significant stream of inward investments, attracting the likes of HSBC and HMRC to set-up headquarters within the city.

Now recognised as a property investment hotspot, the city has clearly grasped the opportunity to become a major commercial hub for the country, undertaking a number of commercial developments in public services in the form of the new Library of Birmingham

The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018 - Page 39

and Grand Central.

With major upcoming projects including HS2, Paradise and Arena Central well on the way, there’s a sense of pride and optimism spreading across the UK’s second city.

Matthew Hammond, chair of financial services firm PwC Midlands, described how “investor sentiment in the city has received a boost from the election of a new mayor, negotiations around a second devolution deal and the progress of many infrastructure projects taking shape.

Birmingham, he said “still remains one of the highest-

performing UK cities ahead of Edinburgh and London… It offers good value, unrivalled transport links and is located at the heart of the UK’s distribution network.”

With new commercial opportunities appearing across the city, Birmingham’s ‘Big City Plan’ that was put into place several years ago is in full swing. Increasing the size of the city core by 25% has meant a surge in the number of jobs sweeping into the city, with a forecast of more than 50,000 new vacancies appearing as projects are completed.

Page 40 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

On Your Marks, Get Set,

GO!

All the Sport action from Page 46!

- HEALTH AND WELLBEING -

Support For The Smallest Things

A

West Midlands health care Trust has become the first in the region to offer extra time off to parents whose babies are born prematurely.

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust has pledged to sign up to The Smallest Things ‘Employer with Heart’ Charter ­– which means that mums and dads will receive full pay until the point that their maternity or paternity leave was due to start.

Current NHS terms and conditions afford new mums whose baby has been born prematurely to split their maternity leave, allowing them to take two weeks leave immediately after childbirth, and the rest following their baby’s discharge from hospital.

One in eight babies are born prematurely and subsequently parents have a reduced time to bond with their baby as maternity or paternity leave starts from the date of birth.

Some newborns are kept in

l There will be longer bonding times for parents of premature babies hospital for several weeks or more which will mean that parents find themselves having to go back to work without having spent much time at home with their new baby.

Paula Gardner, Chief Nurse, said: “We are pleased to become

the first Trust in the West Midlands to offer this commitment to parents.

“Our staff are dedicated to their jobs and work hard to ensure their patients receive high quality care, so we believe that we should return that sentiment by looking after them when they need our help in their personal lives.

“By signing up to this charter,

it means that we will be able to help new mums and dads who are facing a difficult and worrying time after experiencing premature labour.”

Catriona Ogilvy, founder and chair of The Smallest Things charity, says “We’re delighted that Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust has recognised the unique needs of families of premature babies and is signing up to our Employer with Heart charter.

“Giving birth prematurely and spending time on a neonatal unit for weeks, sometimes months, is terrifying and traumatic for parents.

“The last thing they should be worrying about is work and whether they can afford to spend time at the incubator or cot of their fragile baby.

“We know that the journey often doesn’t end when a premature baby is allowed to go home either.

“This extra time will go some way to supporting parents’ mental health, the baby’s medical needs and ultimately aid a smoother transition back to work when the time comes.”​​

‘One Day’ For Deutsche Bank During September’s ‘Blood Cancer Awareness Month,’ Deutsche Bank employees across the UK were invited to donate a day’s salary to its two UK Charities of the Year through the bank’s ‘One Day’ initiative.

For Cure Leukaemia, the funds raised will help finance a pioneering Therapy Acceleration Laboratory at the University of Oxford which will drive the development of new personalised blood cancer therapies.

This new facility, led by Professor Paresh Vyas at the

MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine in Oxford, will apply the very latest scientific and computational analysis to blood cancer samples collected from patients treated through the national clinical trials network led by the Centre for Clinical Haematology at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Characterisation of the genetic characteristics of large cohorts of patients treated with new drug and transplant therapies will make it possible to identify blood cancer patients who will respond (and correspondingly those who will

thephoenixnewspaper.com

5 Herbs to Help Colds and Flu The National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH) has drawn attention to five herbs that are effective in countering colds and influenza.

The common cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract and can affect the nose, throat, larynx and sinuses.

There are over 200 different viruses; the most common culprits are the rhinovirus, coronavirus and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus).

Colds are generally self-limiting and will clear up within 2 weeks but people often want support in managing symptoms such as coughing, sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, headache, or a fever. A number of herbs can be used to help manage these symptoms.

Echinacea (Echinacea spp) is one of the most commonly used herbs, elderflower (Sambucus nigra) has wide culinary use in cordials, wines and desserts, thyme (Thymus vulgaris) has traditionally been used for respiratory system conditions including coughs, andrographis (Andrographis paniculata) is widely used in China, India, Thailand, and Malaysia for treating sore throat, flu, and upper respiratory tract infections and garlic (Allium sativum) contains a number of anti-viral compounds which are readily released from the lungs and respiratory tract.

Not all herbs are suitable in pregnancy, lactation, serious conditions or with other drugs.

not respond) to a specific therapy.

Integration of scientific and clinical data at such an unprecedented and globally significant scale will deconvolute the complexity of cancer therapy response permitting the delivery of truly personalised medicine to patients with blood cancer.

Speaking about the aims of the project Professor Vyas, Director of the Oxford Centre for Haematology, said: “If we think of blood cancer like a car crash we currently treat patients after the crash has occurred.

Road and car safety focusses on the prevention of these accidents and that is what we now need to do with blood cancer, prevent the crash from happening.

We cannot expect the NHS to fund this field of research, so we are reliant on the generous support of corporate partners such as Deutsche Bank through Cure Leukaemia to make these vital strides in our understanding of blood cancer. ” Paul Anderson, Head of Deutsche Bank Birmingham said:“It is incredibly exciting that Deutsche Bank has the opportunity to directly help change how blood cancer is treated across the world.

“I know from conversations with Professor Craddock and Professor Vyas that there are other areas aside from fundraising where the skill-set of staff within the bank will be valuable to the success of this project.”

As one of Deutsche Bank’s UK Charities of the Year 2018-19, funds raised for Cure Leukaemia during that period (including One Day) have the potential to exceed £2m by 2020.

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NHS trust lifts vaping ban on hospital grounds F ollowing the release of a major new report regarding smoking cessation support for hospital patients and staff by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), a hospital trust has lifted its blanket ban on people using e-cigarettes on its grounds.

The Nottingham University Hospitals Trust now allows vaping on its site after a review by Public Health England suggested it is 95% safer than tobacco cigarettes.

The report states that 1 in 4 hospital patients are smokers, costing the NHS £1 billion a year.

Alongside other initiatives, the health experts suggest: “We

should allow e-cigarettes to be used on NHS sites to support smokers to remain smoke-free and help to sustain smoke-free policies.”

And, as this ‘Stoptober’ month gets into swing, people who wish to use e-cigarettes will be able to do so on hospital grounds, but not inside, while the ban on smoking tobacco will remain.

The change in policy was aimed at helping people who are trying to give up smoking tobacco, the trust said.

Dr Stephen Fowlie, medical director at the trust, said: "We have a duty to help our patients and staff make healthy life choices,

ocus F on Social Care

Have we lost our civic pride?

l Nottingham University Hospitals Trust lifted the vaping ban and can't ignore the potential benefits of electronic cigarettes as a nicotine replacement therapy."

Professor John Britton, director of the UK Centre for Tobacco & Alcohol Studies and respiratory consultant at the trust, said: "Helping smokers to quit is one of the most effective things that the trust can do to improve the health

of patients.”

Some hospitals have designated vaping areas whilst others simply allow it on their grounds.

Stoptober, launched in 2012, is a programme designed to help people quit smoking based on evidence that if you quit for 28 days you are five times more likely to quit for good.

This month, I really wanted to discuss something that makes people very upset in Birmingham.

As the cabinet member for Adult Social care and health and public health, and my role as a Councillor one of the issues that truly that fills my inbox more than anything else on a daily basis is hardworking residents raising concerns of fly tipping and rubbish not been collected.

No one wants to live in a street or house with a pile of black bags dumped outside their home, which then seems to send out a signal it is okay to dump your unwanted waste here and attract further dumping with sofas, mattresses and all sorts adding to the already unpleasant eyesore.

We all want to live in clean streets, however there are many areas that seem to be attract others dumping their unwanted waste.

Dumping

Scientist Developing Sickle Cell Data App An NHS clinical scientist has developed a voice-controlled data collection app for patients with sickle cell disease.

Bala Sirigireddy, head of haematology and blood transfusion at Homerton University Hospital Foundation trust, London, is one of five healthcare scientists appointed to the NHS England Clinical Entrepreneurs Programme among 138 entrepreneurs taking part in the programme which will allow NHS staff to work with leading health and technology industry experts in developing their ideas.

With a background in both software development and clinical science, Sirigireddy is developing a voice-controlled data collection app which can be worn by patients to monitor their heart rate, pain score and log daily medication.

He said: “This is an amazing opportunity to make national and international level impact in improving healthcare - to be able to innovate new products, services and pathways with the guidance from NHS England is incredible.”

Chief scientific officer Professor Sue Hill said: “Giving budding entrepreneurs in the NHS support and space to create new solutions to old problems will keep the NHS at the forefront of innovation in healthcare.”

The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018 - Page 41

- HEALTH AND WELLBEING -

l There will be more opportunities for breakthroughs in stem cell research

UK Stem Cell Bank to offer Clone Storage Recent breakthroughs in genetic science saw scientists develop a process known as ‘therapeutic cloning - using a person’s own cells to create stem cells, which could be used for a number of applications including growing tissues and organs to repair damage to the body.

StemProtect, a UK stem cell bank, will now offer users the opportunity to store these stem cells to ensure these breakthroughs are available should the person fall ill or require stem cell treatment in future.

Therapeutic cloning reduces the risk of rejection when using stem cells in a patient, as

the associated problems with using cells with different DNA are eliminated - meaning that, while stem cell cloning is a new and growing field, the future possibilities could be endless.

Medical applications, such as organ cloning, could offer relief to people with organ failure or other life-limiting conditions.

Future advances in stem cell cloning, which has shown promise in a wide variety of applications, could even see the possibility of lab-growing limbs.

Mark Hall, spokesperson for StemProtect.co.uk, commented: “The possibility of having securely stored stem cells backup is a welcomed idea.

It is certainly possible that, as science progresses, we see a greater number of people utilising new methods of attaining physical perfection like an addition to their beauty routine, but at the cutting edge of technological advances!”

There are also cosmetic uses which could become incredibly popular as the ‘Instagram generation’ continues to strive for physical perfection.

When surveyed by StemProtect.co.uk, a number of young people came up with an unsurprising list of physical attributes they would love to have cloned for them.

We are all fortunate that in the City we have weekly household and recycling collections.

We also have four recycling centres which are accessible and open 7 days a week with extended opening hours in the summer for people to take any household waste and recycling.

However, there are unfortunately those who think it is okay to dump waste near other peoples priorities which have left some parts of our City looking unclean and untidy.

If you see people dumping waste please do report it as dumping waste is illegal and the person dumping waste will be prosecuted and fined.

I grew up in Handsworth which like other inner city areas had a large influx of migrant families in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

What I always remembered fondly in my childhood was the pride my parents and in particular my mother like other mothers in the neighbourhood had in their homes.

Pride

I remember my job was to use the red polish and coconut brush to polish the steps. I also had to sweep the steps leading to the street.

The front garden was a place we took great pride in within the local community.

Sweeping up the garden, and the pavements outside of the houses, making sure the windows were clear etc and looking out for each other.

Also looking out for those in the community the elderly

l Cllr Paulette Hamilton couple or person who lived alone – making sure they had enough food in etc.

Also looking out for new mums and supporting one another in times of need.

We still do have families who do whatever they can to keep their homes and immediate surroundings tidy.

However, we also have small pockets of our community who seem to have lost that pride.

I always ask myself, do we truly understand the importance of community spirit, and how it can build that spirit of community pride.

Responsibility

We all need to collectively take responsibility for looking after our areas – I have arranged and been involved with some strong resident groups who have organised community clear ups / litter picks etc.

There is so much we could do if we collectively make the effort to talk to our neighbours and local people so we can improve the area we live in.

Also looking out for each other and especially the more vulnerable in our community.

We do need to build that sense of community pride, and place looking out for each other. We are so fortunate in this City to have a fair deal of outdoor and open green space in our parks.

Living in clean and tidy streets and having access to open parks is fantastic and through using these we can improve our health, fitness and mental wellbeing.

There are lots of small ways we can all collectively take a little responsibility without taking up too much of our time and make our streets nicer and safer place to live in.

Looking out for each other and in particular our elder citizens, taking the time to have a conversation with them as they have contributed so much to make our City a vibrant place to live.

Page 42 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

- CTO MEDIA LUNCH -

Getting To Know The Caribbean A

t the wonderful Fable Bar and Restaurant in London, key influencers, business people, media editors, journalists and celebrity media personalities including Angie Le Mar, Angie Greaves and Brenda Emmanus came together through the Caribbean Tourism Organisation and selected partners to learn more about the industry.

Hearing from representatives from Barbados, Grenada, St Lucia, Newmont Travel, and Players, the gathered diaspora group were treated to highlights

from these islands and resorts, as well as direct information from Newmont Travel with regards to insights into the types of travellers that are returning to the Caribbean.

“The Caribbean is a popular holiday destination and we want to ensure that more members of the diaspora across The Caribbean and Africa see it is as a destination to travel to beyond connecting with family.” explained Carol Hay - Director of Marketing UK & Europe, CTO. “It is important that the diaspora feels that they can enjoy all that The Caribbean

has to offer and that we include our diasporan representatives in an active dialogue in engaging with our members and partners.

“This is an exciting opportunity to develop relationships with individuals who are just as passionate about The Caribbean as we are” The Caribbean Tourism Organisation are holding their State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) in the Bahamas from the 2nd to the 5th October, and The Phoenix Newspaper will be there to report on proceedings!

Look out in the November edition for a full rundown of everything The Bahamas has to offer!

thephoenixnewspaper.com

@PhoenixNewsUK

Now it’s Ambassador Rihanna The government of Barbados has appointed pop superstar Rihanna as an ambassador to promote education, tourism and investment for the island nation Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley said the native Barbadian - real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty - will now raise the country’s profile in a more official manner – including promoting education, tourism, health and investment for the island nation.

PM Mottley said; "Rihanna has a deep love for this country and this is reflected in her philanthropy.

“She also shows her patriotism in the way she gives back to this country and continues to treasure the island as her home."

Mottley added: "She has also demonstrated, beyond her success as a pop icon, significant creative acumen and shrewdness in business.

It is therefore fitting that we engage and empower her to play a more definitive role as we work to transform Barbados."

Accepting the title of ‘Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary,’ Rihanna said she looks forward to the role.

I couldn't be more proud to take on such a prestigious title in my home country," she said.

- OVERSEAS NEWS -

The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018 - Page 43

MAJU launch MBA Real Estate Management Degree Program P resident Mohammad Ali Jinnah University, Karachi (MAJU) Professor Dr. Zubair Shaikh announced that a new MBA-Real Estate Management degree program will be launched from next year, saying that it will be the first degree program started by any university in the country.

This he stated while he while he was addressing to MAJU fortnightly program Executive Breakfast at the university campus.

Head of CITI Associate, Mohammad Shafi Jakvani delivered his lecture on the topic of “4 decades of Real Estate Sector in Karachi. MAJU Associate Dean, Dr. Shujaat Mubarak, Director, QEC, Dr. Munir Hussain, HODs, Dr. Aziz Ur Rehman Saifee, Dr. S.M. Noman Shah and Asif Naji and Business Administration and Social Sciences faculty members were present on this occasion.

Speaking to this program, Shafi Jakvani said that Real Estate Sector which is highly profitable sector of the country is declared as industry, its regulatory body is

l Mohammad Shafi Jakvani constituted and MBA-Real Estate Management degree programs be started in Pakistani universities.

He told that according to a study on Real Estate activities from 1980 to 2016, it was revealed that price increase of gold per ounce was 41 times, KSE 100 index 42 times but DHA, Phase VIII plot was noted 4,000 times during this

period.

He said that average compound rate of return in real estate sector since 1980 to 2016 was remained on gold per ounce 10.62 %, KSE 100 Index, 14.36 % and on DHA Phase VIII plot was 24.04 %.

He told that those who obtained plots in DHA, DHA City at Super Highway, Clifton and Bahria

Town areas earned huge profits on their investment.

“Prices of land in DHA till 1980 were on very lower side,” he said, “but due to deteriorated law and order condition in the city the prices shoot up at very higher side and millions of rupees profit was earned by the investors.

When DHA City was announced at super highway, a large number of peoples purchased plots there. He further told that a plot of DHA City purchased at the rate of Rs. 1.9 million was later on sold at an amount of up to Rs. 20 million.”

“In 2013 when Bahria Town, Karachi was announced around one lakh and fifty thousand peoples obtained its membership,” Jakvani said.

“According to an estimate Bahria Town administration have earned around Rs. 3 thousand billion profits during last five year.”

Forecasting about Real Estate sector in 2018, he said that Purchase prices of apartments, house and plots will go up by 5 to 10 %, but rental rates will be remained same.

Don’t miss our Education, Training & Recruitment Section Pages 14 & 15!

Page 44 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

thephoenixnewspaper.com

- OVERSEAS NEWS -

Cook Islands Launches Its First Ukelele Festival Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands, will be holding its first ever Ukelele Festival from the 16th to 21st March 2019.

The Golden Ukalele Festival is an initiative by enthusiasts in the Cook Islands wanting to enhance the culture of the instrument playing into a festival of celebration, for both Cook Islanders and visitors to this little paradise in the heart of the pacific.

The ukalele is recognised globally, with region-toregion and country-to-country adaptations of design and tones, making it highly personalised to each region or country.

Not only do the Cook Islands spell Ukalele differently, but their ukulele also have a modified shape. Rather than a miniaturised version of the guitar, theirs is a distinctive pacific island instrument, shaped around the coconut shell.

3rd Annual “Kids Music Day” Going Global in 2018

Consul General strengthens UK/Punjab Collaboration

Connecting Communities to Inspire a New Generation

The UK’s First: • Positive • Informative • & Objective Publication

l Consul General, Dr. Aman Puri with Honourable Chief Minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh

T

he Consul General of India in Birmingham Dr. Aman Puri called on the Hon. Governor of Punjab Shri. V.P. Singh Badnore and Hon. Chief Minister of Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh – individually - at the Indian State’s capital Chandigarh as part of the State attachment during the Mid Career Training Program (Phase-II) of senior Indian Foreign Service officers in the current year.

The two meetings focussed on strengthening the ever growing trade and investment relationship between Punjab and the United Kingdom.

The Consul General also discussed the ways and means by which the Consulate can play an active role in establishing additional linkages between Punjab and UK to encourage future collaborations, given the large Diaspora from Punjab in UK’s Midlands.

The Government of Punjab has in the recent past launched various projects, such as ‘Connect with Your Roots’ to encourage the youth of Punjabi Diaspora to connect with their roots in State.

They also discussed various other avenues wherein the

Punjabi Diaspora in Midlands can play an active role in enhancing the relations between India and the UK. Dr. Puri briefed both the dignitaries about the yearlong celebrations of the 350th anniversary of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji which was organised by the Consulate on a large scale in the Midlands.

He also stated that the Punjabi Diaspora in Britain is very keen to participate in celebrations planned by the Indian government and that of the Punjab on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji in 2019.

Hon. Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh mentioned that Punjab will be organising celebrations befitting the occasion and would be glad to welcome the Sikh Diaspora from all around the world.

The Consul General expressed his satisfaction that both the meetings were fruitful and hoped that it will help bridge the relations of India and the UK and also bring Punjab closer to its Diaspora.

The other officers similarly briefed the dignitaries on the developments in their regions and suggested ways to increase collaboration between Punjab and their respective countries.

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l Consul General, Dr. Aman Puri with Honourable Governor of Punjab Shri.V.P. Singh Badnore

The 3rd Annual “Kids Music Day” is going global in 2018 with over 500 participating locations in 9 countries including Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Slovenia, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States.

Celebrated each year on the first Friday in October, Kids Music Day will fall on Friday October 5th in 2018.

The purpose of Kids Music Day is to help spotlight the importance of including music in children’s education.

Events held by participating locations include open houses, instrument petting zoos, instrument donation drives, student music performances, community/family jams and more.

Kids Music Day is also being supported this year by CASIO EMI, Alfred Music, Remo, Conn-Selmer and Kala Brand Music, all leaders in the music industry.

Casio has been manufacturing quality keyboards for consumers and professionals alike for nearly forty years, while Alfred Music has been in the music publishing business since the early days of Tin Pan Alley.

The REMO name has been synonymous with quality drums and percussion equipment for over 60 years. Conn-Selmer is the leading manufacturer & distributor of musical instruments for student, amateur and professional use.

Kala Brand Music has quickly made a name for itself with quality ukulele instruments played by both professionals and amateurs.

Keep Music Alive is honored to welcome these partners helping to share the Kids Music Day message, inspiring more kids to begin their musical journey.

Kids Music Day is one of two international music holidays founded by the organization Keep Music Alive.

In March 2018, the organization partnered with over 600 music school and music retail locations in all 50 U.S. states, Canada and 10 additional countries to offer free lessons to new students (kids and adults) as part of the 3rd Annual Teach Music Week.

Some of the largest music chains in the world have participated in Kids Music Day and Teach Music Week with many of their locations including Music & Arts, Guitar Center, Kindermusik, Music Together, Gymboree, Long & McQuade, Bach to Rock and the legendary School of Rock.

Send in your stories to newsdesk@thephoenixnewspaper.com

@PhoenixNewsUK

- HOLIDAY AND TRAVEL -

The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018 - Page 45

SPORT - WITH STEVE WILLIAMS

Celebrate!

F

unds for ‘The Celebration’ have finally been raised to help complete the last stage of the statue celebrating the achievements of West Bromwich Albion’s late Cyrille Regis and Laurie Cunningham plus Brendan Batson.

The extra funding was met by the Professional Footballers’ Association donated towards the development which is now in its final stage and means that the Graham Ibbeson sculptor can be finished, with plans in place to unveil the ten foot high bronze image in the heart of West Bromwich town centre in early March 2019.

PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor OBE said: “The PFA was determined to get this important tribute to the so called ‘Three Degrees’ over the line and mark their great contribution to football and equality for time immemorial.”

“I would like to thank Gordon Taylor and the PFA for their support over the past six years,”

l Kelly Sotherton

Three-time Olympic medallist gains final recognition Having originally finished in fifth place at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games heptathlete Kelly Sotherton finally received her due rewards following two disqualifications from the event which promoted her into the bronze medal position - finally confirming her as a triple Olympic medallist.

Receiving her bronze medal at the Team GB Ball she was presented with her medal by Sir Hugh Robertson, chair of the British Olympic Association, at London’s Royal Horticultural Halls alongside her fellow Olympians.

Ukrainian Lyudmila Blonska originally claimed the silver medal at the Games but was disqualified three days after the end of the competition after testing positive for methyltestosterone, promoting Russia’s Tatyana Chernova into the bronze medal spot and Sotherton into fourth.

l Funds for the statue have finally been raised

Award

She, however, was then disqualified for doping offences in April last year and despite appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the decision was upheld in December, promoting Sotherton into the bronze medal spot.

It will be the second time this year that she (Sotherton) has been awarded a medal from the 2008 Games after receiving her 4x400m relay medal at the Anniversary Games in July.

Kelly, who also won heptathlon bronze at the Athens 2004 Olympics, said: “The 4x400m medal in the summer was great but I trained as a heptathlete and that’s the medal that I really want and it will mean quite a lot to get it.

It’ll close a chapter of my athletics career. Receiving a medal 10 years after I should have got it is a little bittersweet but it indicates the career I had and it will finally confirm me as a threetime Olympic medallist.

British Athletics Chief Executive Niels de Vos said: “This has been a long time in coming for Kelly but we are delighted that she can finally have her moment and receive her medal from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games amongst fellow British athletes past and present in front of so many Team GB colleagues and friends.”

l Albert Johanneson

Blue Plaque to Honour Leeds United ‘First,’ Johanneson Former Leeds United winger Albert Johanneson, one of the first high-profile Black players in the English game, and the first player of African Heritage to play in an FA Cup final when he turned out for Don Revie's side in the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool in 1965, is to be honoured with a Blue Plaque next year.

The South African played 200 times for the club, scoring 67 goals and the Leeds Civic Trust has announced that, following a campaign which saw the club , the supporters trust and Albert's family come together, a plaque will be installed in his honour at Elland Road in the new year.

Leeds Civic Trust Director, Martin Hamilton, said: “It’s been a long term aspiration to remember this groundbreaking footballer in this way, and we are delighted that the club, supporters and relatives have come together to agree to this honour. We look forward to confirming more details of the unveiling in the months to come.”

Johanneson was Revie's first signing as Leeds United manager, in 1961, and he quickly established himself as one of the most exciting players in the early years of Revie's Elland Road revolution, netting 15 times in the 1963/64 promotion season.

He died in Leeds in 1995.

said Jim Cadman, who has led the campaign for the Celebration Statue.

“Also a big thanks and appreciation for the contributions made to this project by Sandwell Council and the Football Association. Also thanks to the League Managers Association, Kick It Out, the 1979 Club, the West Bromwich Albion Supporters Club, WBA Former Players Association, businesses throughout the Black Country and dedicated Albion fans.”

Wembley Sell-Off Imminent After discussed by the Football Association's board the proposed £600m sale of Wembley Stadium has moved a step forward.

In a statement, an FA spokesperson said: "The sale of Wembley Stadium, the negotiated protections and an outlined plan to invest £600m into football community facilities, were presented and discussed at the FA board meeting.

Following on from this discussion, the FA board has agreed to take the presentation to the FA Council to get its input now that the full facts are known."

It will now be considered by the 127-member FA Council with its views likely to impact on the board's final decision.

This deal is inching forwards, but it remains under threat from those opposed to selling off what they see as the crown jewels of English football.

Page 46 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

SPORT - WITH STEVE WILLIAMS

Road to Ruin for Gaelic Football?

A Gaelic football club says that it has been badly let down

by Highways England who, they say, has reversed a commitment to compensate the local GAA with a new facility after plans for a relief road off junction six of the M42 near Birmingham will go ahead.

Highways England, however, says it is still working to find a solution.

Warwickshire Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) says it will ruin the heart of Warwickshire GAA’s Páirc na hÉireann, with secretary, Michael Collins, saying the u-turn and broken promise hit the county like a “bombshell.”

He said: “At no point over the last 18 months has Highways England indicated that there was a problem acquiring these fields.

We were looking forward to a new home for Warwickshire

thephoenixnewspaper.com

- SPORT -

and the GAA in Britain. We feel that their proposals would leave us in a worse state than we are now, which is unacceptable.”

The path of the relief road will remain unchanged as will the existing clubhouse and the main pitch.

A Highways England spokesperson said: “We remain committed to working with Warwickshire Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) site, Pairc na hEireann.

“Highways England has been in discussion with GAA since early 2017 and we have held several meetings with the GAA trustees to keep them updated on progress.

“We will continue this process and remain hopeful a solution will be identified that suits all parties directly affected by this scheme.”

Last year, Highways England announced plans to build a relief road to run through one of the three pitches at the home of GAA in the West Midlands, Páirc na hÉireann in Solihull.

A new site nearby for a state-ofthe-art facility for Warwickshire GAA, complete with clubhouse and three pitches was offered by Highways England in return.

“We were happy with the original relocation,” Collins added.

Saudi Arabia Tourist Visas for Sport Fans

O

ne of the last closed countries in the world will be opening its borders to fans of live sport, music and culture for the first time with the launch of a new online visa process dedicated to welcoming international tourists.

Saudi Arabia will be launching its new visa process platform known as ‘Sharek’ for the inaugural Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix, the opening race to the 2018/19 ABB FIA Formula E Championship being staged at a stunning UNESCO heritage site on the outskirts of Riyadh on December 15.

Tourism

The ancient historical city of Diriyah, the first seat of power for Saudi’s Kings, will make history again by hosting the biggest festival of racing, live music and entertainment ever witnessed in the country, including thrilling action on the track and global superstars performing on stage over three days.

In an event marked by many firsts, the Ad Diriyah E Prix will be the first-time foreign travellers can access Saudi Arabia in such a fast and uncomplicated process as it opens its doors to sports

tourism.

The Kingdom’s commitment to tourism, a cornerstone of Vision2030, and the importance of Formula E within the sporting, social and business calendar of the region, was underscored by the announcement that Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) – the national flag carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – is the new official airline partner of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship and the race title partner.

His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki AlFaisal Al Saud, Vice-Chair of the Saudi Arabia General Sports Authority, said: “This is a truly game-

changing moment for Saudi Arabia and one that we can share with the world.

“It is very fitting that such a futuristic and sustainable sport as Formula E is pointing to the future direction of our country.

“Saudi Arabia is home to literally millions of passionate young fans of motorsport - many of whom simply cannot believe that Felipe Massa took the Gen2 car around the streets of the capital and that they now have a ‘home race’ on the Formula E calendar.”

So already the excitement is building especially since they are adding live music concerts to the weekend line-up.

Joshua-Wilder ‘great for boxing’ says Holyfield Former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Evander Holyfield says an Anthony Joshua/Deontay Wilder matchup would bring the sport back to its elevated position of times gone by.

IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO world champion, Joshua, named the American, the

current WBC champion, who fights Tyson Fury in the United States in December, as the preferred opposition.

Holyfield said; “Joshua knocks people out - people want to see that. Deontay’s not a skilful fighter, but he knocks people out too. People want to see the action.”

@PhoenixNewsUK

Page 42 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018

- SPORT -

The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2018 - Page 47

Final Recognition for Olympic Medallist - Page 46

Time To Celebrate!

- Page 45

Title Win a Vindication for One of the Greats

Warwickshire secure the perfect end to a perfect send-off for star, Trott

Celebrating the BHM Launch, Columba Trophy and much more inside!

W

h e n Wa r w i c k s h i r e secured the Division Two title - as they beat fellow promoted side Kent by an innings and 34 runs at Edgbaston – it proved the perfect ‘send-off’ for one of their most internationally celebrated stars as the victory was best way to say ‘good bye’ to former England opener Jonathon Trott, who received a post-match salute to accompany the guard of honour he received walking to the wicket for what was his final innings.

Triumphant captain, Jeetan Patel, said: "We're going to lose a Test cricketer in ‘Trotty,’ and two more in Chris Wright and Keith Barker, but I'm excited at where

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we're at. He went on to say: “I love transition and the guys have now tasted success amongst that transition."

The Division Two title is the

first piece of silverware for the Bears’ sport director Ashley Giles since his return to Edgbaston from Lancashire in 2016 - his first trophy in charge there was also the Division Two title.

Warwickshire’s promotion if just further vindication that the club, on a whole, is world’s greatest set-ups as, in addition to their promotion to the top flight of English cricket, their Edgbaston Stadium is also increasing its capacity by an extra 840 seats for next year’s marquee programme of major match cricket - which includes the ICC Cricket World Cup, Vitality Blast Finals Day and the first Test of England’s Specsavers Ashes series against Australia.

Lionesses ranked world’s third best England have climbed to third in the FIFA women's world rankings, overtaking France.

Phil Neville's Lionesses are behind the USA and Germany, while France - who will host the 2019 World Cup - drop down to fourth.

Following their qualification for next year's tournament, Scotland move up two places to 19th, their highest ever ranking.

Wales remain 29th and Northern Ireland drop five places to 61st.

In August, England beat Wales 3-0 to secure their qualification for next summer's World Cup, before thrashing Kazakhstan

6-0 to conclude their unbeaten qualifying campaign.

The Lionesses are now unbeaten in 59 World Cup and European Championship qualifying matches - a run extending back to 2002.

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