Redbrick - Issue 1475

Friday 18th November 2016

Redbrick Issue 1475, Vol. 81

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Is New Always Better?

Aamina Siddiqi speaks to students and staff for a critical review of the new library

Redbrick

The Official University of Birmingham Student Newspaper, est. 1936 Freddy Nevison-Andrews

It's Time To Pay UoB not paying all employees the recommended living wage 70% of all teaching staff on insecure contracts

Comment share opinions on the US Presidential Elections

Redbrick Meets Gisela Stuart MP and talks Brexit and Birmingham

George Griffths attends a premiere of J.K Rowling's Fantastic Beasts

Tasha Smart reviews the highly anticipated John Lewis advert

Comment Page 9

Features Page 15

Film Page 21

TV Page 29

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REDBRICK

Friday 18th November 2016

redbrick.me

Letter from the committee...

I’m sure I can speak on behalf of the rest of the committee when I say this year is speeding by ridiculously fast (something we seem to say every edition!). We are already at our penultimate edition of 2016 – what a bittersweet and surreal thought! But I suppose it is goes without saying that time flies when you are having fun. Being an active part of Redbrick is both demanding and fulfilling simultaneously - there’s something unexplainably satisfying about seeing the final product of a paper that so many have worked hard to create.

As one of the Deputy Editors (alongside my partner in crime, Harry), we have been busy looking over our team of Editorial Assistants in our fortnightly EA sessions. The paper wouldn’t be up to such a high standard without them, and we all secretly love our regular debates about whether a sentence sounds right or if a hyphen or apostrophe should be present! And as a self-proclaimed ‘Grammar Nazi’ I continually strive towards a completely error-free paper! Other than that, Harry and I generally contribute to the publication and distribution of the paper. It’s all a team effort, and something we love being a part of.

But Redbrick has provided so much more than just first-hand experience in journalism. I’ve also been lucky enough to co-host Red-

brick Radio on Burn FM every other week from 7-8pm - so make sure to tune in! Expect to hear some casual chit-chat about the paper, topical affairs and interviews with our editors. And last but not least our game ‘Are we headlying to you?’ is always a winner. It consists of our guests guessing which outrageous headlines are real or fake.

If that doesn’t sell the show to you then I don’t know what will!

A lot has happened in the office since the last edition. Being such a selfless, charity-loving committee, some of us stripped off for the Naked Rag Calendar for 2017. Although it was more PG than Playboy, it was strangely liberating and most certainly a bonding experience! But it was all in the name of charity! So if you fancy gazing upon a calendar of partly naked Redbrick fanatics then keep your eyes peeled for that!

This also marks the first edition with a new member of the committee. Following our EGM a couple weeks back, Laura stepped up to the position of being our new Social Secretary and was subsequently elected into her position. Although it’s early days, Laura fits in really well with our existing committee members and our upcoming socials are looking promising. As an increasingly social society, we can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has in store. Speaking of

socials, we are currently in the process of organising Redbrick’s first ever Christmas Formal on the 1st December! There’s quite a buzz in the office – who doesn’t love a festive celebration? We can’t wait to see everyone there including writers, photographers, editors, editorial assistants, the committee, readers and anyone who is up for an end of year get-together. We promise it won’t disappoint!

So that marks our fifth edition, and we hope you enjoy it! We only hope to get bigger and better as a society as the months roll on. Not only are we eager for more Redbrick members (the more the merrier) but we also aspire to continue to produce the very best content.

From the dungeons we salute you,

Imogen Lancaster, Deputy Editor

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

Online this week at redbrick.me...

CULTURE

FOOD

LIFE&STYLE

TV

Review: The Welsh National Opera presents ‘Kiss Me Kate’

Animal Equality brings iAnimal to Campus

Are Unretouched Photos from Victoria’s Secret Here to Stay?

Review: I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

Redbrick Editorial Team Editor Anna Griffiths editor@redbrickonline.co.uk

Deputy Editors Harry Turner Imogen Lancaster deputy@redbrickonline.co.uk

Print & Features Editor Gabriella Marcucci print@redbrickonline.co.uk

Digital Editor Conrad Duncan digital@redbrickonline.co.uk

Lead Developer Andreea Gheorghe

News Editors Beriwan Ceren Grace Duncan Gregory Robinson Joseph Timan

Music Editors Daniella Bassett Greg Woodin Holly Carter Phil Jones

news@redbrickonline.co.uk

music@redbrickonline.co.uk

Comment Editor Aamina Siddiqi Joe Goodsall Harry Tennison

Film Editors Alex McDonald George Griffths Joe Ryan

comment@redbrickonline.co.uk

Culture Editors Imogen Tink Olivia Boyce Sophie Taylor culture@redbrickonline.co.uk

marketing@redbrickonline.co.uk

Social Secretary Laura Burgess social@redbrickonline.co.uk

Travel Editors Carys Bedford Delfina Rainoldi Sophie Braybrook travel@redbrickonline.co.uk

developer@redbrickonline.co.uk

Marketing Secretary William Baxter

film@redbrickonline.co.uk

Life&Style Editors Kamila Geremek Nia Roberts Sophie Kesterton Zoe Screti lifestyle@redbrickonline.co.uk

Television Editors James Tyson Lara Billington Tamsin Hackett tv@redbrickonline.co.uk

Sci&Tech Editors Ellen Daugherty James Pettit Kara Watson tech@redbrickonline.co.uk

Food Editors Lauren Kelly Phoebe Radford Tasha Smart Tamar Smith food@redbrickonline.co.uk

Sport Editors Dan Steeden Harry Wilkinson Nancy Frostick Nicola Kenton sport@redbrickonline.co.uk

Gaming Editors James Lentschner James Marvin Roshni Patel gaming@redbrickonline.co.uk

Careers Editor Lael Hardtman Mira Lodhia careers@redbrickonline.co.uk

Redbrick Guild of Students Edgbaston Park Road Birmingham B15 2TT 0121 251 2462

editor@redbrickonline.co.uk

Editorial Assistants Redbrick is printed through www.mortonAnna Troughton sprint.com Elizabeth Alker 01507 523 456 Georgia Campbell Laura Burgess To advertise in Redbrick, get in touch with Martha Sanders marketing@redbrickonline.co.uk or visit Millie Gallagher www.redbrick.me/advertise-with-redbrick Orlaith Mallen for more details, and to see our rate card.

Philippa Baker Designed and typeset by Redbrick Copyright (C) Redbrick 2015 The views expressed in Redbrick do not necessarily reflect those of the editors, the Guild or the publishers. If you find an error of fact in our pages, please write to the editor.

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

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University Not Paying Living Wage Emily Youlton News Reporter @EmilyJYoulton

Over 20 cleaners participated in a flash protest on Wednesday 2nd November outside the new £60 million library calling for the University to pay the living wage to all staff. Of the 2435 support staff employed by UoB, research states that 513 are paid below £8.45 the recommended living wage). This figure has been formulated through research into living costs in Britain and is the advised minimum hourly wage required for people to live on.

Many of these staff are considered to be below the poverty line.

One cleaner working full time at the University spends half of their wages on rent each month. This underpayment has led to staff needing to seek grants from UNISON in order to cover the costs of basics including gas, electricity bills in the winter and school uniform, for dependants, around September.

Professor Carl Chinn MBE of the University of Birmingham states: ‘As one of the largest employers in Birmingham and as

an institution founded by Joseph Chamberlain, who strove to improve the welfare and well-being of working class people, the University of Birmingham should shine out as a beacon of good practice by paying the Real Living Wage.’

It has been discovered that the yearly University income is over £577 million meaning that the University can comfortably cover the £160,000 total wages needed to pay these 513 dedicated members of staff the real minimum wage.

Cllr Karen McCarthy, Chair Selly Oak District Committee says: ‘The University of Birmingham relies on the 513 staff it pays below the real living wage. From an income of over £577 million they should be paying all their staff a wage they can live on.’

This comes after Cllr Clancy, the leader of Birmingham City Council, gave a new commitment this week to persuading all major institutions to join them in paying

the Real Living Wage.

A recent report has also revealed that the the University has one of the largest proportions of teaching staff on insecure contracts at 70%. This level tops all other Russell Group universities with Warwick and Edinburgh coming a close second and third with Cambridge the lowest. This is over the national average of 53% of academics in Britain who live on insecure, non-permanent contracts.

These contracts cover a wide spectrum of things, such as contracts that end within nine months and those paid by the hour to give classes or mark essays and exams. This means that workers in both bands C and A are being treated poorly leading trade unionists to accuse vice-chancellors of ‘importing the Sports Direct model’.

On hearing this, one student told Redbrick, ‘I am completely shocked, the fact that the University can get away with this is frankly

£7.85

Current Staff Wage

ridiculous. Universities rely on teaching staff and thus should treat them accordingly’.

"From an income of over £577 million they should be paying all their staff a wage they can live on" Alongside this shocking information, it has been revealed that the Vice Chancellor, of UoB, continues to hold a place in the top 10 highest paid VC’s in the UK, earning over £416,000 pa (Inc. Benefits). Alongside this, the University has reportedly spent £150 million on land and buildings in the past two years and despite this much needed investment, still had an operating surplus of £44.4 million in 2014/2015.

The University are currently undertaking the annual review for pay and have confirmed that they would backdate any payment awards to August 2016.

They have stated that the current wage of these staff is £7.85 which is 65 pence more than the National Minimum Wage. However, many are calling for the University to pay more to the staff who help to underpin all functions of the University.

This debate could cause a loss of valuable staff members who seek alternative employment with fairer pay. This could result in a loss of skills and knowledge providing further unnecessary cost to the the University.

A spokesperson from the University states: ‘The University employs more people than any private sector employer in Birmingham and we are proud of our record of employment and remuneration. In addition to pay, all members of staff enjoy generous holiday, sick pay and pension arrangements.’

It is now a waiting game for these ‘underpaid’ staff as they wait to see the results of the annual pay review and learn whether they will earn the real living wage or have to continue to live below the poverty line.

UoB In Top 10 Animal Research Universities Branwen Onono News Reporter

A recent report has shown that just ten UK universities, including the University of Birmingham, carried out a third of all experiments on animals in the UK last year.

The University of Oxford alone carried out nearly a quarter of a million of the 1.37 million tests carried out by the institutions.

UCL president and provost Professor Michael Arthur said that the fact UCL performs a large proportion of the UK’s biomedical research is ‘something to be proud of’ stating that ‘With recent advances in gene editing techniques, genetically modified animals offer particularly promising avenues of research.

‘This year, UCL researchers discovered a genetic defect in children with a rare and debilitating form of childhood Parkinsonism

leading to difficulties walking and talking. By replicating the genetic defect in fish, the team were able to better understand the disease and test different treatments. When a drug that corrected the defect in the fish was given to a child with the condition, she regained the ability to walk.’

"Just ten UK universities, including UoB, carried out a third of all experiments on animals in the UK" The ten universities that conducted the most animal research, and the individual animal research

statistics are as follows: 1. University of Oxford: 226,214 2. University of Edinburgh: 212,695 3. University College London: 202,554 4. University of Cambridge: 181,080 5. King’s College London: 175,296 6. University of Manchester: 145,457 7. Imperial College London: 101,179 8. University of Glasgow: 49,082 9. University of Birmingham: 47,657 10. University of Nottingham: 31,689 All ten of the universities signed the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK, a commitment to greater transparency on the use of animals in

research. In addition to this the between 2014 and 2015 to 4.41 universities are committed to the million procedures. As universi‘3Rs’ of replacement, reduction ties grow, they conduct more and refinement. research meaning that the total Although, the agreement is number of animals tested on can intended to minimise increase even if less animals suffering and improve are used per study. The animal welfare Dr news comes after conLindsay Marshall cerns were raised over of the Humane the UK’s animal testS o c i e t y ing laws after the International Brexit vote. argues that a Currently, the UK reduction in is in step with EU the number of regulations on anianimals used mal testing, howevprocedures in doesn’t mean er it is not clear humane treatwhether regulations 2015 ment, as it can lead and standards will stay to an increase in in place. reusing the same aniThe tests carried out mal in different experiments. were split evenly between exper‘It may reduce the number of imentation and the practice of animals tested on,’ she said, but breeding genetically modified ani‘it increases the amount of suffermals, and 99% of the animals ing they experience.’ tested by the universities were carThe number of animal experiried out on either rodents or fish. ments in the UK increased by 7%

4.41 million

LGBTQ Voting Change Causes Concerns Kris Burnett News Reporter

Changes to the way in which the University’s LGBTQ Association votes on NUS representation has caused major concerns amongst the LGBTQ community at Birmingham. In an interview with Redbrick, Alex Binnie, the Guild’s Women’s Officer, explained the changes.

‘Whereas in previous years, delegates were elected within meetings held by the liberation associations, this year a new system has been put forward where the delegates are elected via the Guild website, voted for by members of the Guild who have self defined into the relevant liberation groups on the website.’

"Delegates are elected via the Guild wesite, voted for by Guild members who have self defined in the relevant groups" Alex, who is also the Secretary of the University’s LGBTQ Association, claimed that the changes were made so that members will be able to vote without being part of associations in case they are unable to come to meet-

ings for whatever reason.

‘This of course means that more people can have a say in who we send to these conferences to represent them,’ Alex said.

‘However, it has caused some backlash as some members feel that it makes it more difficult for people to run as delegates as they may have to be outed as LGBTQ or disabled.’

According to Alex, the Guild has acknowledged these concerns and has reassured students that only members who have self defined into these groups on the website will be able to see who is running and therefore be able to vote.

‘We also understand how difficult it would be for some students to campaign publicly, but

hopefully it will still be as easy for students to campaign within liberation associations at the Guild, and to relevant audiences on social media,’ Alex said.

"We understand how difficult it would be for some students to campaign publicy" ‘As the Secretary of the LGBTQ Association I hope that anyone with concerns feels able to contact me or a fellow member of committee with any concerns

they may have about the new system, and we will try our best to help them out.’

Earlier in 2016 much attention was drawn to the accessibility of Guild elections via the Your Ideas platform after the Officer Team elections. The ability of students within minority groups to participate in elections due to stigma or inaccessibility was hotly debated then and it seems that the issue of elections, and the way in which minority groups can stand or be represented, is still an issue several months later.

The University of Birmingham LGBTQ Association meets every Wednesday from 12-3pm in the Beorma Bar on the 1st Floor of the Guild of Students.

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Fight Selly 'Cowboy Landlords' Kris Burnett News Reporter

The conversion of family homes into homes of multiple occupation (HMOs) for students has come under attack by Selly Oak MP Steve McCabe (Lab).

Mr McCabe is currently putting a private member's bill through Parliament titled the 'Protection of Family Homes Bill' to cut down on the number of 'cowboy builder' landlords, who are buying up property in Selly Oak just to turn properties into large student properties with unsightly extensions.

Mr McCabe, and many local residents of Selly Oak, have expressed anger over their community being torn apart and turned into a 'to let town' where every property is an overcrowded rental property. It is believed that the character of Selly Oak is being eroded.

Mr McCabe also said that it was too complex for Birmingham City Council to enforce rules currently in place to clamp down on 'cowboy landlords' putting in unsafe extensions in their properties. Redbrick also found that students are often reluctant to report their landlords, due to possible reprisals, and often when reports are filed against landlords very little is done about it.

With the new development of halls on Bristol Rd and on the southern end of campus, where will the development of Selly Oak end, and how far will our local MP go to fight such developments and the erosion of the traditional Selly Oak community?

'Your Ideas' Finally Shows First Signs Of Progress

The Your Ideas platform has been in place for a year but what has actually come into effect on the UoB campus and at the Guild?

Daniel Hickey News Reporter

Joseph Timan News Editor @josephtiman

Despite a slow start, the Guild’s 'Your Ideas' platform, which replaced the Guild Council, may have begun to bear its first fruit.

Nevertheless, only one of the two ideas that appear on the Guild website as completed have actually appeared on campus so far.

"Two of the six ideas that passed the voting stage last year have so far been implemented" According to the ‘Your Ideas’ progress page on the Guild website, two of the six ideas that passed the voting stage last year have so far been implemented.

One of the ideas which has come into effect is that Joe’s bar now sells milkshakes and smoothies.

In addition, Guild Representation & Resources Officer Brandon Hattiloney,

revealed in a blog post last month that several other suggestions have also been implemented, including sugar free drinks and better condiments in Joe’s Bar, election manifesto-writing sessions, and increased availability of online Fab tickets.

The other idea that is claimed to have come into effect is for there to be more live music events at the Guild.

Adam Goldstone, an engineering student who proposed the idea in January, told Redbrick, ‘I was in communication with last year’s Officer Team and felt confident that changes were taking place.’

Ben Chapman, who was Activities & Development Officer when the idea passed, said on an update that he received a ‘really good response’ from student musical groups and would be working with the venues and tech teams to cut costs associated with putting on gigs at the Guild.

Nevertheless, the idea, which appears on the Guild website with a tick next to it, indicating that it’s completed, doesn’t seem to have come into full effect yet. Adam Goldstone claims that he got in touch with the new officers team early on in the academic year regarding the idea that passed 10

months ago.

'Natalie [Guild Activities & Development Officer] told me that her and Brandon are planning to put on a live music event at Joe’s,’ he said, ‘but I was also told that there is an issue with space at the Guild and all the rooms are booked up.’

Speaking to Redbrick, B r a n d o n Hattiloney explained that the Guild has negotiated dates and acts with performers, and is nearing a point where they will be able to announce dates for performances.

At the very least, 'Your Ideas' is getting more done than its predecessor, and in a more representative way. Welfare Officer Ross Strong, who participated in the Guild Council for two years, explained that members of the Guild Council were often elected by a very small number of students due to extremely low participation in the system.

For a suggestion to be mandated to the appropriate Guild Officer on 'Your Ideas', at least 200 students must vote and the idea must get at least a 50% approval.

In addition, Guild Officers may follow through with a sug-

gestion even if it does not meet the 200-vote requirement for a mandate if it has an overwhelmingly positive response or the officer is already looking into the suggestion independently. These ideas include Postgraduate Student’s Officer Rose Bennett’s push for more Postgraduate Taught working spaces.

"There is an issue with space at the Guild and all the rooms are booked up."

Also, thanks to online accessibility, 'Your Ideas' has around 1,000 students participating, as opposed to 50 for the Guild Council, so it is certainly more representative of, and more refined for, the student body.

The Guild Officer Team are trying to promote Your Ideas to as many students as possible, in order to make the system more productive with more suggestions and more representative with more votes. Despite how long it’s taken to reach this point, it appears it is starting to take effect with some results already appearing on campus, a notable improvement from the system it replaced.

UoB Qur'an Given To UAE Prince Grace Duncan News Editor @gracieellen_

His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi has been presented with an exclusive copy of the Birmingham Qur’an manuscript by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.

The copy of the Qur’an printed on vellum was presented to the prince at an event held on the 7th November to mark the launch of the UK/UAE 2017 Year of Cultural Collaboration.

At the event the manuscript was presented in digital form as part of an exhibition. This is the first digital exhibition of the Birmingham Qur’an outside of the UK and it will continue to form part of the UK and United Arab Emirates (UAE) collaborative events in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The Prince of Wales, who is the British Patron of UK/UAE 2017, wrote in the exhibition catalogue: ‘These remarkable leaves, which are amongst the world’s oldest Qur’anic fragments, repre-

sent a sacred document of immense religious and cultural significance to people across the globe. The Manuscript's discovery captured the world’s imagination and its first public exhibition at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom attracted visitors from across the world.

"This is the first digital exhibition of the Birmingham Qur'an outside of the UK" ‘At a time when so much of mankind's cultural heritage is being deliberately destroyed or threatened, we can only be heartened by the discovery of a previously unrecognised treasure.’

The original manuscript was discovered at the University of Birmingham last year and it was found to be among the earliest surviving records of the Qur’an written in an early form of Arabic script, Hijazi.

After radiocarbon analysis carried out at Oxford University,

the parchment was dated to the period between AD 568 and 645 with 95.4% accuracy. This places the leaves close to the time of the Prophet Muhammad, who is generally thought to have lived between AD 570 and 632.

The manuscript was clearly held in high importance at the time of writing, as it was written on parchment rather than the more readily available papyrus. It also contains verses from surahs (chapters) 18 Al-Kahf, 19 Maryam and 20 Ta-Ha. The fragment is part of the Mingana Collection held at the University of Birmingham’s Cadbury Research Library and is one of 3,000 Middle Eastern manuscripts held there.

Professor Sir David Eastwood, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, said: ‘It is clear that the manuscript is of huge significance to Muslim heritage and the academic study of Islam.

‘Universities remain at the heart of cultural activity, acting as stewards of some of the world’s most significant collections, and offering opportunities for research that can illuminate, enrich and enhance our knowledge of these great cultural assets.

The enthusiasm voiced by the

Vice - Chancellor was echoed by Gavin Anderson, Director UAE at British Council who said: ‘The UK and the UAE have a long history of collaboration, and the preservation and display of this historic manuscript is the perfect example of how this collaboration continues to this day.

"Universities remain at the heart of cultural activity, acting as stewards of some of the world's most significant collections" ‘The purpose of UK/UAE 2017 is to strengthen creative collaborations between the UK and the UAE in order to give a greater focus, depth and contemporary relevance to the long standing relationship between both nations.'

The prominence of the script has also been supported by UoB

students, one of whom told Redbrick, ‘It’s exciting that the manuscript has been returned to the countries that see it as most significant, even if it is only temporarily. When something holds that much cultural importance, it is crucial that it is shared with the people that it matters most too.’

Another student told Redbrick, ‘I can’t wait to see what else this cultural collaboration brings in uniting the two nations as in times like these, union of any kind with the Middle East is essential’.

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Redbrick News Investigates How Much Has The Not On Campaign Actually Achieved?

News Reporter, Megan Stanley, investigates how much of an impact the campaign started in 2015 has made on campus and analyses how far it has yet to go Megan Stanley News Reporter

On the 21st October, Universities UK released a report looking into harassment at universities. The taskforce, which produced the report, was established in November 2015 to investigate violence, harassment, and hate crime that affects students.

The report has been circulated to all UK universities and makes recommendations on how institutions can address these issues. For instance, universities are asked to work with their student unions to present an institution-wide approach to sexual violence, harassment, and hate crime. There is also a call for a more clear and accessible reporting system for incidents.

In response to the report, University Minister Jo Johnson has said: ‘Any form of harassment or abuse is unacceptable and must not be tolerated. [...] We must now ensure that the work this taskforce has done goes onto make a real difference to students across the country.’

At the University of Birmingham, the Not On Campaign was launched in January 2015 with a clear message that sexual harassment will no longer be tolerated. After a year and a half of campaigning, what has the campaign achieved so far?

During the Guild Awards 2015, the project received the award for Best Campaign. Alex Binnie, Women’s Officer for the previous academic year, who continues to be involved with the campaign, said ‘[winning]’ was a great achievement [...] the campaign made many leaps and bounds last year. It’s certainly helped us gain recognition amongst other groups at the Guild’.

When asked about future plans for the campaign, Ross Strong, the

Guild’s Welfare Officer told Redbrick ‘We’ve just recruited a group of students as Not On Ambassadors to roll-out the next phase of the campaign with workshops and training events for other students.’ Binnie added; ‘workshops are a focus this year, and hopefully some societies and possibly sports teams will be able to take part in them and show their commitment’ Has the campaign managed to create impact in its early days?

Binnie told Redbrick ‘it’s sparked a change in terms of students feeling more confident to talk about sexual harassment, which is a great start! Making the subject less taboo will certainly mean people will be educated on the issues surrounding sexual harassment and lack of consent in their day to day lives.’

Ross Strong added that ‘It’s very hard to measure the impact now but, from my position, I believe that our openness to discuss and willingness to challenge sexual harassment has made at least a few steps forward in terms of legitimising people’s experiences. I’ve seen many people gain assurance that it’s not okay, that they have a right to live free of harassment’.

"Haven’t heard much about the progress it has made since it was introduced" Out of 50 students surveyed by Redbrick, only 16% said that they had noticed a difference on campus after the campaign's launch.

One student told Redbrick, ‘the campaign has been clear and present at university all year, this

visibility is clearly helpful for raising awareness’. Another student told Redbrick that they think it is making ‘people more open to discussing and dealing with sexual harassment’.

"Consent is a rarely covered topic and you can always learn more" However, 56% of students asked were unsure of the campaigns activity. One student admitted to Redbrick; ‘I’ve seen the logo, but I haven’t really seen much that the campaign has actively done’.

A second year added that they ‘heard about it at the start of first year, then not at all until this survey’.

Another student told Redbrick: ‘Haven’t heard much about the progress it has made since it was introduced’. Some first years told Redbrick that they felt they hadn’t been at the university long enough to know much about the campaign.

Recently, at the University of York, students staged a walkout during the university's first ever consent classes. When asked by Redbrick, 76% of UoB students said they would attend a consent workshop.

One student said ‘consent is a rarely covered topic and you can always learn more about respecting other people’s ability to say no’. Another added ‘even if you believe you have a good idea of consent, workshops (when run right) will be helpful in gaining practical advice and further knowledge.’

However, some students reject-

ed the idea of a consent workshop, telling Redbrick that they ‘already understand consent so a workshop would be unnecessary’. One student said that they would only attend if it was mandatory and another added that any workshop about consent held by the university should be voluntary. One student suggested that instead of workshops ‘topics such as consent and harassment should be discussed in the compulsory induction lectures at the start of term.’

There are currently plans for consent workshops to be held at UoB. The workshops are being developed by Guild Advice and will be facilitated by the new Not On ambassadors. The Guild Officers recently attended a pilot of the consent workshops and Ross Strong told Redbrick that ‘it was very well put together. It really made us all reflect on our behaviours in a meaningful way. For example, understanding what consent and coercion might look like within in relationship.’

With regards to sexual harassment, 46% of students asked said that they believe it’s a serious issue on campus, with 34% saying they weren’t sure. When asked if the university should do more to tackle sexual harassment, 64% of students said they believed the university should be taking action.

One student told Redbrick ‘Last year some builders whistled at a girl, it caused a debate on whether the university should be involved and as far as I know nothing developed further’.

Furthermore, 68% of students told Redbrick that they are unaware of the help provided by the university for victims of sexual assault. According to the university’s website, UoB offers a Harassment Advice Service which consists of advisors from different parts of the University, for instance the Guild of Students, Corporate

services and the Colleges.

Students, who said they were aware of the help the university can give, gave examples such as welfare advice and counselling, suggesting that the service is relatively unknown.

Some students criticised the campaigns promotion. ‘Although the Not On campaign is doing a great job, I think it could still be more of a presence on campus. I am on a society committee and spend a lot of time at the Guild, which is where I feel the campaign is most prominent so I think it would be good to try and reach the student population in general too.’

Another student added: ‘I think the Not On campaign needs to be more advertised around campus, making everyone aware of what the campaign’s for’.

"...campaign needs to be more advertised" The campaign also seems to be going under the radar for some students with 22% of students surveyed admitting that they hadn’t heard of the campaign. A student told Redbrick that the campaign is much less visible compared to last year. One student told Redbrick that they ‘only heard about it through women’s society – I doubt anyone who doesn’t come would know exactly what it is’.

With the release of the UK Universities report into harassment, universities across the country will be looking at how they deal with violence and harassment. Arguably, UoB has a head start with the Not On campaign already in effect. However, as the results from the Redbrick survey suggest Not On is perhaps failing to inform and affect students across the entire campus.

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University's Amnesty International Student Group Holds Protest On Campus For Refugees' Rights Megan Stanley News Reporter

On Thursday 10th November, the University of Birmingham’s Amnesty International student group held a demonstration near the Mermaid Square to show solidarity with the rights of refugees.

They were encouraging other students to sign their petition and letter which is being sent to local MP Steve McCabe to encourage him to take action for refugees.

The demonstrators were wearing bright orange life jackets and even gave the mermaid her own life saving jacket which gained attention from other students who were seen taking photographs.

The group were also displaying posters that had messages of ‘UoB Welcome Refugees’ and ‘protect the human’.

Member of the group, Hannah Jandu told Redbrick that the demonstration would create ‘amazing awareness and maybe change people’s minds about the refugee crisis’. She also added that she hoped the letter would ‘put pressure on local politics’ to start engaging with the issue.

When asked by Redbrick why it’s important for students to hold demonstrations, Alaka Bhatt, another member of Amnesty, said ‘when you think of change you think of young people and education. We have responsibly as students to stand up for what we believe in and make a difference.’

Another student present at the demonstration also said that students have the possibility to create change because they are the next generation.

Despite some negative conversations, students who demonstrated said the day was ‘fairly positive, I hope we managed to change people’s minds and make them more aware.’

Amnesty were joined by other student groups: Student Action For Refugees (STAR) and Freedom From Torture. One student told Redbrick that ‘it’s important to have multiple societies to fight for a cause.’

During the demonstration they aimed to acquire 200 signatures for their petition and are hoping to invite speakers to UoB to talk about the issue early next year.

UoB Works With Indian University For Air Pollution Research Erin Santillo News Reporter

Remember, remember the... danger of extra particulate matter loading? Now, that may not be the common idiom, but recent UoB research into the connection between the use of fireworks and air quality has highlighted how visibility can be significantly reduced around this time of year, mainly due to events such as Guy Fawkes Night and Diwali.

"UoB research into the connection between the use of fireworks and air quality" This is just one example of environmental health research projects that take place globally, every day. However, this particular study has led to an international collaboration between UoB

and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in New Delhi that aims to investigate the levels of air pollution in the two countries, whilst comparing the sources and effects.

The research will be led by Birmingham’s Dr Francis Pope and Professor Mukesh Khare from IIT’s Department of Civil Engineering, who are planning to organise a workshop in the Indian capital during the month of December. Professor Khare, who specialises in air quality modelling, has previously collaborated with UoB’s Professor Roy Harrison OBE in 2013, when they studied air-polluting dust.

Nevertheless, December’s project, which has been funded by the British Council, will strive to build on Dr Pope’s research into the effects of fireworks displays on local air quality, which was published in 2015.

The report, for which Dr Pope was the lead author, found that, on average, visibility dropped by 25% in the areas close to fireworks and bonfires. However, if conditions were unfavourable then the reduction could be more significant; one statistic indicat-

ing that visibility had previously fallen by 64% in Nottingham.

From a scientific angle, this phenomenon is caused by the particulate matter that is scattered with the use of bonfires and airdetonating fireworks. This substance is hygroscopic, meaning that its water content is dependent on the local relative humidity.

"Be prepared to issue poor visibility warnings" Therefore, during humid nights, the shape and composition of the particles change, which results in them having the ability to scatter light more effectively and hence a ‘statistically significant reduction’ in visibility is noted in Dr Pope’s 2015 article, ‘Remember, remember the 5th of November; gunpowder, particles and smog’.

The project used data collected from 34 UK-based meteorological stations between 2000 and 2012 inclusive, and the new ven-

ture in December will allow this organisation of festivals such as study to broaden its scope by Guy Fawkes Night and Diwali, using international data analysed for which they suggest that local at IIT. Dr Pope, who lectures for authorities should ‘be prepared to the School of Geography, Earth issue poor visibility warnings in and Environmental advance’.

Sciences, stated that This evokes poignant his research into memories of the 2011 fireworks events M5 motorway crash, will be crucial to for which a local the Delhi workfireworks display shop in near Taunton in December, Somerset was where he aims deemed a ‘contribThe average drop ‘to better underin visibility in areas utory factor’ for the stand (sic) the sudden lack of visiclose to bonfires causes, sources bility on the road. and effects of polThe disaster, which lution in India and resulted in seven deaths the UK and how they and fifty-one injuries, differ between the two highlights the importance of countries’. research into the area of air qualClearly, visibility reduction, ity, and so Dr Pope hopes that his which is usually centred around 2015 report and the upcoming urban areas, raises concerns collaboration with IIT’s Professor regarding vehicular and pedestri- Khare will spark the introduction an safety during the two days after of ‘precautionary measure[s]’ in any fireworks event, which is the order ‘to prevent unnecessary time required for the effects of the accidents’ in the future. extra particulate matter loading in the atmosphere to subside.

For this reason, scientists hope that their findings will inspire policy changes regarding the

25%

NEWS

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbricknews

07

Student Loan Company To Repay Millions To Graduates After Blunder Rebekah Quixano Henriques News Reporter

The Student Loan Company has been forced to repay a staggering £225 million within the last 5 years to over 300,000 graduates, after fundamental problems were revealed in the management of student loan repayments.

Since the 2011-12 academic year, SLC has been forced to refund an average of £690 per person. This was due to SCL continuing to charge former students after their balances were paid off or after due to charging despite the borrowers not yet earning over the annual repayment threshold of £21,000. Within just the last year, the company has been forced to repay £53 million to approximate-

ly 77,000 graduates.

This 'colossal blunder', as dubbed by the Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner, breaches the contracts agreed to by students and SLC when taking out the loans. According to Rayner, the SLC also appeared unwilling to help those owed reclaim their money.

overpaid, we will get in touch with them... This will allow us to provide a refund promptly.” However, there was no reports of the Student Loan Company themselves con-

"Since the 2011-12 academic year, SLC has been forced to refund an average of £690"

ducting a formal investigation into these overpayments, with the spokesperson adding, 'There are various ways to keep a check on repayments.'

It is reported that the main issue is that student loan repayments are collected through the tax system. The tax system is only updated once a year in April, so if a graduate’s salary suddenly falls below the minimum £21,000 threshold if they lose their job for example, it is possible they will be overcharged until this change is

A spokesperson from the Student Loans Company said: 'If we find out that a borrower has

"...they are only 18 months late"

noted, which can be several either. I had to ring several times months later. over 6 months” to get overpayOne graduate who was victim ments addressed. to similar errors like this in the The current Nation Union of past warned, 'Be careful, SCL Students vice president for higher and HMRC do not communicate education, Sorana Vieru, added: with each other very well at 'There are a number of proball!' Other borrowers lems with the student experienced the delay loans repayment sysand lack of willingtem and the governness of SLC to ment should be repay graduates making an effort to with complaints fix the processing such as 'Nice of issues.'

SLC to finally With English Million repaid to give me back my students facing over 300,000 money, they are the highest graduonly 18 months ate debts in the students over the late'. world, it is no wonlast 5 years In response to der students are these reports Labour enraged at overpaying MP and former NUS and the slow refund procPresident, Wes Streeting also ess. Nevertheless, the question complained of the Student Loan remains: when, if ever, will this Company’s slow response, tweetfundamental 'blunder' be fixed? ing “They don’t do it promptly

£225

UoB Forms New Chinese Partnership Over Shakespeare Rebekah Quixano Henriques News Reporter

The University of Birmingham has signed a new agreement with and the Phoenix Publishing & Media Group to broaden the appeal of William Shakespeare in China.

Whilst in the 400th anniversary year of Shakespeare’s death, UoB’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir David Eastwood and Mr Zhang Jiankang, the Chairman of the Board of Phoenix Publishing & Media Group, signed the agreement during a special ceremony in Nanjing, the capital of the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu.

The Phoenix Publishing & Media group is the now one of the most

influential large-scale Chinese publishing and media groups and a leader in publishing works on Shakespeare. They will work with experts at the University’s very own and world-renowned Shakespeare Institute in Stratfordupon-Avon. This new partnership intends to boost access and understand of Shakespeare across China by setting up a new centre in China dedicated to Shakespeare and his works and developing publishing opportunity to benefit many Chinese students.

This partnership will also involve experts at Nanjing University. The Director of the Shakespeare Institute and Professor of Shakespeare Studies, Professor Michael Dobson explained that 'Just as Birmingham is the natural and historic centre of Shakespeare

studies in the UK and in the English-speaking world... The department of Nanjing has always been the historic centre of Shakespeare studies in China.

'We’re going to be advising them and Phoenix on which areas of Shakespearean scholarship to publish in [and] which already published English scholarships should be translated into Mandarin for Chinese students and general readers'.

UoB will also be co-editing a journal called ‘Shakespeare Research’ which will be published Mandarin. China hope this journal will become the Chinese equivalent of Shakespeare Survey, the English language journal which is based in the Shakespeare Institute.

Professor Sir David Eastwood

said: 'We are delighted to enter into partnership with Phoenix Publishing & Media Group, which is a natural partner for the University of Birmingham. They are a hugely respected organisation, publishing a vast range of literature and research materials to audiences across China' 'We believe that their publishing expertise will help us to extend the Shakespeare Institute's reach in China, bringing the delights of Shakespeare to an even wider audience,' Professor Michael Dobson added.

This partnership between China and University of Birmingham came after discussions in Nanjing and a visit by representatives of the media company to the Shakespeare Institute earlier this year in July.

Phoenix Publishing & Media Group has also decided to publish a 'Birmingham Lecture' series on the scientific topics of expertise of the University of Birmingham such as gravitational waves, stem cell biology and energy storage with the idea of assisting Chinese students looking to improve their knowledge in these scientific areas of study.

Mr Zhang Jiankang, on behalf of the media company said: 'Let us make Shakespeare Centre China the most innovative and most influential publishing and research platform on Shakespeare; and let us make the ‘Birmingham Lectures’ a top example for popular science education and co-publishing across national borders.'

Residents Urged By Selly Oak Police To 'Lock Your Doors' Maryam Awad News Reporter

There were reportedly four burglaries in the Bournbrook area of Selly Oak that occurred overnight due to insecure doors. The Selly Oak police campaigns on twitter for ‘a safer Selly Oak’ and instructed residents to lock their doors to avoid such incidents from reoccurring.

Although, the Selly Oak area is not one of the highest areas for burglaries in Birmingham, between September 2015 and August 2016, there was a total of 257 burglaries. Burglaries are one of the highest forms of crime in Selly Oak (following anti-social behaviour: 368 and violent crime: 297), suggesting that this is an issue that needs to be effectively dealt with by both the police and residents living in the area.

There have also been complaints about letting agents leaving back doors unlocked after house viewings. Direct Housing told followers on Twitter to ‘LOCK YOUR DOORS - any keys or locks broken or tampered with ensure you contact your landlord or letting agent!’.

People living in the area should try and follow preventative measures. This could include ensuring that all doors are locked, fixing

locks and keys, and perhaps

"Burglaries are one of the highest forms of crime in Selly Oak" looking into other forms of secu-

rity such as alarms or cameras.

There has been no specific information about the burglaries, however, the fact that there were four in a night should lead residents to be extra careful when it comes to securing their homes.

Residents should ensure that they work hand in hand with the police, following their advice, in order to bring such crime rates down and hopefully create a safer Selly Oak.

08

NEWS

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbricknews

UK Universities Called Out On Institutionalised Racism John Wimperis News reporter

Dr Kehinde Andrews, professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University, has claimed that universities in this country are institutionally racist and limit the achievement of black and ethnic minority students.

Speaking at a conference to mark Black History Month the associate professor from Birmingham City University, which is first UK university to offer a course in Black Studies, claimed that universities in the UK are 'no less institutionally racist than the police.'

Writing in the Guardian shortly after this speech, Andrews stated that universities held the 'allure of being incubators for progres-

sive ideals' but that this was a 'mythical notion.' He claims that universities were 'bastions of white male privilege' until the 1960s and that, although the student body has since become much more diverse, people should not assume that the role of the university has changed.

Andrews has criticised universities for the 'attainment gap' between the numbers of white students achieving a 2:1 or above in their degree, and the number of black and ethnic minority students doing so.

Nationally this figure lies at 18% per cent, while it lies closer to 15% at Birmingham. Andrews stated that this gap was present even when the students had performed just as well in school or A-levels, so 'something’s happen-

ing in those three or four years of education to institute that gap.'

"Universities in the UK are no less institutionally racist than the police" The curriculum, Andrews argued, is one of the reasons for this. In his own discipline of sociology, Andrews described what is taught as the foundation of the sociological canon as 'a collection of dead white men.' He claims the reading of such academics may

lead to a lack of interest among, and even to the alienation of, some students.

In his article for the Guardian, Andrews acknowledges how this issue was brought to the attention of many by the NUS campaign, 'Why is my curriculum white?'The campaign, which claimed that education in UK universities 'places white, Eurocentric writers and thinkers above others without much concern', met with notable press coverage and an even on the campaign at Birmingham filled the lecture hall it was hosted in.

Nevertheless, aside from opening the topic up to more discussion, it had little impact on actual curriculums.

Andrews believes the lack of diversity among university lecturers is illustrative of the institu-

tionalised racism in the British university system. He claimed that only 60 out of the 14,000 professors in the UK were black.

The picture is even more severe when gender is also taken into account. In early 2015, a report by the Runnymede Trust, a race equality think tank, found that only 17 professors in the country were both black and female.

Andrews said it was clear that the way things were being run were causing issues in the gap in attainment, stating that 'it’s institutional. It’s beyond an individual place or act.'

West Midlands Still Backs Brexit Callum Gurr News reporter

Despite several polls suggesting the United Kingdom may now favour remaining in the European Union, it seems this is not the case in the West Midlands. A new poll, conducted by BMG research, has found that 58 percent of people in the region would vote for Brexit if the referendum was ran again today, versus just 42 percent who would vote remain.

The poll indicated a slight increase in the proportion of voters willing to back Remain in the West Midlands compared to in June referendum, when 1,207,175 people in the West Midlands voted

to remain, which equated to just fewer than 41% of those who voted in the region, a marginal increase of just over 1%.

Yet despite this slight positive news for Remain campaigners in the region, the West Midlands remains the region most supportive of quitting the EU in the country, with the proportion of voters backing leave here higher than anywhere else.

The poll comes on the back of a High Court decision against the government, ruling parliament must be consulted before triggering Article 50 to withdraw from the European Union.

Birmingham Edgbaston MP Gisela Stuart, who supported the leave campaign, responded to the

ruling by stating “Parliament has Labour deputy leader Tom to comply with the rules as inter- Watson, Member of Parliament preted by the courts, but this for West Bromwich East, should not be abused as a also responded to the way of unravelling the ruling stating 'The clearly expressed will British people in the referendum.' voted to leave She added that the EU, which the vote represented is not the same an expression of as a vote to the will of British allow Theresa The number of West voters to 'take back May to make a control of their bordecision on the Midlands voters ders, their trade, actual deal.' would vote Brexit their taxes and their 'The whole again laws' and that such debate during the voters now expect the EU referendum government to 'get on was about taking with getting the best possipower back to the peoble deal in timeframe of minimum ple and away from unelected uncertainty'. representatives in Brussels.'

58%

'Our MPs are elected by the people to make decisions on their behalf, so it seems entirely reasonable that they should be involved in scrutinising something as important as leaving the EU.' Pro-Remain MP Jess Phillips, the representative of the Birmingham Yardley constituency, responded on twitter to the bill, saying 'Vote Leave said they wanted UK courts to take back control. So there it is.'

She later added, 'As pressure & vitriol against politicians will ramp up on EU vote, can I ask that we remember the murder of a politician during referendum.'

Report States West Midlands Workers Are Lowest Paid In UK Muhammad Rahim News reporter

A recent statistical bulletin released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that West Midlands workers are more likely to be paid less than anywhere else in the UK. In the report, it was revealed that there are 362,000 employees who are paid below the National Minimum Wage (NMW), representing 1.3% of the nation’s workforce.

Moreover, it was found that the West Midlands had 40,000

workers who were not being paid the minimum wage, which represented 1.7% of the region’s workforce. Although this appears to be a small percentage, it is the highest in the country. At the other end of the spectrum, Scotland is the lowest with 25,000 across the entire country.

The NMW, which recently increased in October 2016, currently requires employers to pay £3.40 per hour for those undertaking apprenticeships, £4 per hour for 16-17 year olds, or £5.55 per hour 18-20 year olds, or £6.95 per hour for 21-24 year olds, whilst the national living wage is £7.20 per hour for those aged 25

or over.

"362,000 employees are paid below the National Minimum Wage" This article comes two months after the Government named and shamed thirteen firms in the county who failed to pay all of their workers at least the legal minimum wage, highlighting that these businesses owed over £54,000 to the workers if they

were paid appropriately. These firms were amongst 198 businesses across the country revealed for underpaying their staff who were, consequentially, obligated to reimburse the employees in full.

Selly Oak’s MP Steve McCabe of the Labour Party said: "It is shocking to hear that workers in the West Midlands are more likely to be underpaid than anywhere else in the UK. ‘The minimum wage was introduced for a reason, to make sure that workers are not exploited and receive a fair day's pay for a fair day's work.

‘Employers that are failing to

pay the minimum wage should be investigated and prosecuted.’

The ONS did go on to warn readers that this information should not be misinterpreted, however, as defiance of the legislation. This is because additional benefits offered by the firms, such as free transport or accommodation, might entitle them to legally offset the individual’s wages.Walter, featuring resplendent Old Joe.

COMMENT

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbrickcomment

09

Elections: America Plays a Trump Card Aamina Siddiqi Comment Editor @aamina_siddiqi

I did not want to write this but it is necessary. We are now living in a dystopia. America voted to be led by someone who is xenophobic and has links to the Klux Klux Klan, yet has the skin colour of a wotsit. Donald Trump is the President-elect of the United States of America and that is a fact. America went from its most charismatic leader and the most educated First Lady in history to a business tycoon and his sugar baby. Despite releasing a statement calling for a total ban of Muslims, wanting to build a wall to keep immigrants from South America out, misogynistic remarks and sexual allegations one against a 13 year old, this did not stop 59.6 million Americans voting in favour of him.

Similar to the EU referendum, it is not the result that is shocking but the matter of a hate

fuelled campaign winning. Nigel Farage unveiled a posted with a crowd of ethnic minorities with the slogan ‘Breaking point: the EU has failed us all’ which is a more subtle version of Trump declaring he would make Mexico pay for a border wall. Just as Britons who voted to leave the European Union are not all racist, not all Trump supporters are motivated by immigration laws - however this does not negate the angry rhetoric perpetuated throughout his campaign for presidency.

A pivotal moment in the run up to the elections was when a voice recording emerged of Trump saying that he would “grab” women by their genitalia.

This brought an on-set of women sharing their experiences of being sexually harassed by Trump. Jimmy Saville was in the ground when the stories of him came out yet the police still investigated further and labelled him a sex offender after his death. How has Trump managed

Playing With Fire

to escape this? His campaign team brushed the comments off as ‘locker room talk’ and that he has changed because it was 10 years ago. But for a 70 year old man this last decade was 60 and these remarks are disgusting from an adult who knows full well what he is insinuating. Time magazine labelled this as ‘the last straw’ for many voters but why was this the final blow, and not anything that he has said regarding disabled people, immigrants, Muslims and the citizens of many countries he has offended. If feminism is to be intersectional it shouldn’t only kick in when white women are insulted.

The USA did not allow women voting rights until 1920 and African Americans were not able to vote until as recently as 1965. With this in mind, one would think democracy is something that should not be taken lightly yet a rumour circulated that 11,000 adults woke up on the 8th of November and decided to vote for Harambe, a gorilla

that has been dead for five months and will not be resurrected to take control of America’s politics. The fact that this rumour is so plausible is a stark reminder that every single vote counts. Donald Trump won by a quarter because half the population of the USA did not bother to exercise their democratic rights. There is a petition with over 4 million signatures to make Clinton the president but just as with Brexit, this is a decision made by the people and will go down in history.

The very same media that once ridiculed Trump has now been forced to take him seriously, with many of them actually praising things that he has said postvictory: a case of Stockholm syndrome perhaps.

U p o n meeting

with President Obama, Trump believes that Obamacare is not such a bad thing. He has backtracked on the public promise he made to send Clinton to jail and has recently announced that he will not be taking a presidential wage. When Trump announced that he was running for president without any prior political experience it looked like a joke.

His victory is surreal and he will be given power beyond his imagination which begs the question, is this the beginning of the end of the world?

Commentator Robert Jones takes a sobering examination of the American Election Robert Jones Commentator

It’s fun to play with fire, or at least so long as the fun lasts.

The illusion of danger that initially feeds the curiosity and adrenaline rush eventually gives way to a false sense of security. And this false sense of security lasts right up until the point the fire starts to burn down houses.

America watched this happen and Tuesday night America let this burn out of its control.

Invariably the armchair pundits will be quick to point the blame at one another, at the broken financial system, at the media, at the pollsters and anyone else it seems convenient to scapegoat. I can’t help but feel that after Tuesday night much of the onus of this has to be felt by the Democratic party establishment. Their clear contempt for Bernie Sanders, a candidate who, like Trump, had no real loyalty to his party, was palpable. It had begun to feel like a stitch-up. Revelations about DNC Chairwoman Wasserman Schultz’s inappropriate, private endorsements of Hillary Clinton underscored what those in the Sanders camp had felt all along.

It’s no lie to suggest that the counties that Trump flipped in states like Michigan were many of the places that Sanders had trounced Clinton in the primaries. The Vermont senator always would have been the better nominee, but the Democratic primary system was never setup to be played or taken advantage of.

After last night those on the left, from Third Way liberals to democratic socialists, would do well not to put this behind them and move on. Going into the coming

years they need to come to terms with and act on their failure to speak to the left behind, white, working class voter.

Looking forward also should be President Trump who may very well do plenty of good for America. His pledges to roll back a deeply unfair, globalised neoliberal capitalist system and bring jobs back to the disaffected and rightfully angry white working class voter may in fact restore the fledgling manufacturing sectors of the US economy and bring prosperity back for formerly proud cities and towns.

But it all seems a little insincere coming from a New York billionaire, not to mention wishful thinking. Perhaps most worrying of all on this matter is Trump’s proposed cabinet appointments.

Among the shortlist are nods to Goldman Sachs veteran Steven Mnuchin and billionaire venture capitalist Carl Icahn. Hardly tub thumping anti-neoliberals.

"[Democrats] need to come to terms with and act on their failure" For the most part, I find it difficult to think of much else to say in favour of what a Trump Presidency could look like. His election is a major blow to racerelations in the US. I can hardly envisage a law and order-focused Trump Presidency being quick to act on Police brutality and shootings of unarmed black men and women for instance.

On health policy, Trump will invariably use what little common ground he has with Capitol Hill Republicans to repeal the most comprehensive reforms to America’s broken healthcare system in a direct and vindictive

stab at Obama’s legacy. On foreign policy Trump is particularly ill-equipped. It’s certainly the case that increased levels of friendship towards Latin America under Obama may not return quite the same value in a Trump White House. Most notably the incredible work President Obama did to restore amicable relations with Cuba could now lie in tatters. Policy towards Russia, it could be suggested, would see a greater appeasement of Russia - allowing for further atrocities and aggressive moves from Putin to go unchecked.

Trump’s legacy however, won’t be as the last President of the United States. Even if he doesn’t understand what it at stake, those who surround him certainly will.

As an important qualifier however, this is not to say that Trump isn’t a danger to the what little harmony is left in American democracy.

We can only hope this clear ability to self-implode leads to a Presidency more likely to be served with impeachment and a Presidency under greater scrutiny than any before it. VP-elect Pence, who Trump twice threw under the bus during the debates, could become far more significant in the coming years. As with such a volatile president with very few friends on the Republican-controlled Hill comes a greater risk of impeachment. Pence could very quickly find power thrust upon him.

Perhaps the caricature Trump portrayed during the campaign was just that, a caricature. Maybe we’ll see a more Presidential and restrained Trump in the White House. But when all evidence suggests the contrary, it’s difficult to genuinely believe this. This is the sobering prognosis of the night America played with fire. The night both Democrats and Republicans lost, but more importantly, the night the American people lost too.

Hill-arious Sam Yearley Satirist @YearleySam

With the haze of a very messy set of campaigns clearing, Hillary Clinton has come out on top, and we can now all consider the ridiculousness of ever thinking she wouldn’t.

By the time the first female president of the US is sworn in, the world will be laughing at the foolishness of seeing Trump as a threat. He would have been the first president in the history of the country to have never held public office before being elected and I, for one, am slightly curious to have seen what four years of Trump would have been like. With his complete lack of experience with the governmental goings on of the US, it is interesting to wonder how much damage he could have actually done.

With the Clintons coming back to the oval office it is time to look forward. The first female president is a real accomplishment for the US and poses some interesting questions. For instance: what is the official title of the husband of the president?

(I propose calling Bill the First Laddie) We also can’t help but wonder how often the couple will be addressing each other as Mr or Mrs President (particularly in the bedroom). Hillary becoming president might well be the beginning of a golden age for women in America. Perhaps

in four years’ time we will see some big changes to how women are treated, both in the workplace and in society as a whole.

Hopefully issues like workplace inequality and the ‘rape culture’, some argue the US has, will be a thing of the past by the time Hillary finishes her first term in office. At the very least Hillary should do her part to ensure these problems are addressed and begin to repair the situation.

Over the course of the campaign season Clinton faced many accusations of being a slave to ‘Big Money’, as well as facing controversy around the email scandal, and this may have led to Trump’s surprise popularity and the very successful campaign of Bernie Sanders. Clinton was not a lot of people’s first choice but she is someone whom the nation can flourish under. Being an established politician means she has connections in, and knowledge of, Washington DC and should have a successful presidency. She will hopefully continue the good work Obama started in key areas such as healthcare and gun control.

We can’t tell exactly how Hillary’s presidency will go, we will have to wait and see. But for now, let us all be comforted in the knowledge that: even with a few billion dollars behind him, a madman will not be elected into the presidency of the United States.

10

COMMENT

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbrickcomment

Pride And Prejudice

Film Editor George Griffiths warns that the biggest threat to LGBT rights comes not from Trump, but his running mate George Griffiths

"Really, sexuality is the most normal thing in the world" People often ask me the story about how I came out. And they always seem quite surprised when I tell them that, really, I have never per se ‘come out’ as gay. I didn’t feel the need to. Sure, I knew people who wrote Facebook statues and declared their sexuality loud and proud in the middle of a room, but that was never me. Because, for me, sexuality isn’t something to be drawn attention to. It’s something to be proud of and draw strength of, of

Sam Yearly analyses the next Obstacle to May’s March Target for article 50 Sam Yearley Commentator @YearleySam

Film Editor @georgegriffiths

I was asked to write this article because I was recommended as the ‘campest Welsh guy’ that you could find. Now, is this true? Of course it is - I am, admittedly, very Welsh and despite my best intentions, I am wholeheartedly camp as fuck. Do you know what bothers me, though?

That my sexuality is my identifier.

Am I ashamed of being gay, of course not. It’s who I am, it’s who I’ve always been and always will be (despite twelve year old me’s best efforts to convince everyone I was straight all those years ago). Come up to me and ask me if I am, indeed, a flaming homosexual and the answer will be an unequivocal yes.

But it crosses a line when my sexuality starts to encompass who I am a person.

Because, really, sexuality is the most normal thing in the world; it’s just a determiner of who you’re attracted to, it doesn’t diminish your ability to love or be loved by members of the opposite sex. If anything, my sexuality has made me more comfortable around girls, I grew up with them. I plaited their hair, I cried with them over boys and, in time, they cried with me over mine.

Scotland, Ireland and Article 50

course, but it’s not the determiner by which you should be measured.

It is an inconceivable part of you and can never be taken away, and I think in some ways to come out and draw explicit attention to this issue, I came to associate the practice of coming out with a spotlight, a lot of attention drawn to you. ‘Oh,’ they would say. ‘I knew he was gay. I’ve always known. I mean how couldn’t you know?’ So I didn’t do that.

There was no writing of statuses, no gathering of family members into a room to reveal my long-held secret.

I just started talking about it in the most normal of circumstances. I didn’t draw attention to it, and neither did other people. There was just a subtle look of recognition of people’s faces. Ah, yes. He is gay.

Knew it.

In light of the recent atrocity that was the American Election, we now have a known racist and homophobic, misogynistic bigot leading the most powerful country on earth.

But do you what scares me more?

Not Donald Trump, but his Vice President-elect, Mike Pence. A man who denounced and campaigned against gay marriage. A man who would cut funding for HIV/AIDs medication and pour the money into gay conversion therapy. This man thinks that my gayness could be electrocuted out of me and, like A Clockwork Orange, I can be conditioned to become straight. To become ‘normal.’ Not only are his beliefs abhorrent, but he’s now been

given a platforms for these beliefs - the biggest political platform in the world. Now is not the time to let bigots tell us who we are or what we are, and hand-inhand with that is the notion that to be truly solid as a community as a movement - we all must be comfortable with ourselves and our sexuality, in whatever way that may be. Everyone’s experiences are different, but we all share one common aim and goal; love. And we must keep this in mind at all costs.

Pride has always been something to be associated with the gay community, and it always will be. And who am I to say that you can’t celebrate your sexuality however the hell you want? Dress up in rainbows, cover yourself in glitter and belt some Ariana Grande from the rooftops.

Because your sexuality is your own sexuality, so do whatever you want with it.

This is just my experience.

Everyone’s will be different and that’s the point. If we were all the same, this world would be a decidedly boring place. But what I am saying is that being attracted to someone, in whatever form that takes, is the most normal thing in the world. We shouldn’t be ‘othered’, either by others or other members of our community. We should stand proud side by side.

Since the referendum in June saw a Leave vote, Brexit has been on everybody’s lips in an hundred different ways. Most notably a significant amount of people have been trying to prevent the departure from going ahead.

The most devastating blow to May’s March target, arguably, is the ruling from the high court that parliament must be consulted before Article 50 can be activated. It had been assumed by May and her cabinet up to that point that it was under Government power to trigger Article 50, and this completely removed the power from their hands. An appeal has already been made on behalf of the government to have this ruling overturned, but in the meantime Nicola Sturgeon has made it clear that Scotland will have its say before Article 50 is triggered.

The big problem around deciding what Scotland will do in regards to the EU is the fact that it overwhelmingly voted to remain in. Sturgeon has said that she is going to pursue Scotland remaining the EU, which then just leads to many further questions. Will Scotland consider another split from the UK to remain in the EU? Could Scotland remain in the EU and the UK? Will Northern Ireland (who also voted to remain) follow a similar course? These are the first few that spring to mind, but there are many many more.

This is why Sturgeon has said that Article 50 will not be triggered until it is known how Scotland wishes to proceed in negotiations. The most likely way for Sturgeon to have her wish is if the Scottish Parliament

can organise itself and make a decision before March. May has made it clear that she is still aiming for that March activation, despite the obstacles in her way.

Sturgeon making it clear that Scotland will not take a back seat with Brexit also raises the interesting problem that was bought up by the high court’s ruling I previously mentioned: whose permission is needed to activate Article 50? It seems obvious that the activation will need some kind of parliamentary vote, since a referendum has no actual legal power (it is merely an opportunity for the people to show how they feel and create a debate in parliament). Thus it is very unlikely the appeal to the court will be successful and it will still go to Parliament to make the decision.

The next step with this is deciding how much of parliament gets the vote. The options include: just the Commons voting, both houses of parliament and (with how Sturgeon is acting) it could go as far as a vote in each of the countries’ parliamentary bodies before leaving the EU is allowed.

If the vote was to go to the Welsh Assembly, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Scottish Parliament the whole situation would be very messy.

Wales voted to leave with quite a high majority, so there’s not much issue there, but Scotland and Ireland would almost certainly come back with a remain vote if it was put to them alone.

Lots of decisions need to be made in regards to the activation of Article 50, but currently May and her cabinet are dead set on meeting their March target. In a few months’ time we will see if they are successful or not, and there’s every chance we will be just as clueless with proceedings then as we are now.

Waste Not Want Not: A War on Waste

Food Editor Tasha Smart explores the overlooked plight of the humble coffee cup Tasha Smart Food Editor

The issue of take away coffee cups is getting more and more serious, it’s time to take action With the return to university and as the days get colder, it’s only natural to grab a Costa or Starbucks on the way to your lecture – we’re all guilty of the occasional venti latte to stop us drifting off. But what many of us don’t give much thought to is the life of the cup we’re using.

In Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s recent series The War On Waste, these coffee cups are featured as an emerging problem that many of us do not consider. What we don’t realise is that these coffee cups actually only fulfil their

cup destiny once, not being made from recyclable materials and not being recyclable themselves. Now many of you may question the recycling logo on the cup - this is actually misleading. Whittingstall reveals that while they can be recycled, only two specialised factories are able to do so, and though Costa states it sends them, it sends only 1% of all its cups to undergo this treatment. This means that the overwhelming majority get sent to landfill.

To make a point of how much waste this actually accumulates to, Hugh decided to drive a bus through London dec-

orated with 10,000 coffee cups – the amount we dispose of in 2 minutes. The number per day totals in at a ridiculous 7 million cups, and if you think that sounds awful, that’s 2.5 billion coffee cups a year that the UK is discarding. The sad thing is that there are many better options.

Martin Myerscough illustrated that a fully paper cup – made from recycled material and easily recycled in a typical paper mill – is just as functional. So why aren’t the big companies taking note and taking action?

Like most big companies they choose to mislead us.

Pretending the cups are easily recyclable though there are a number of

hoops to jump through. Passing the blame is much easier.

It has gotten to the stage that it has even been proposed by the Lib Dems that companies introduce a 5p coffee cup charge, taking inspiration from the positive results from the plastic bag charge such as an 80% decrease in use in Scotland. Just think what this could therefore do in the way of decreasing coffee cup waste. Yet, surely it would be better for people to act without the threat of a fine.

Until the composition of these cups can be altered to a truly recyclable material, the way forward would be to invest in a reusable cup. Starbucks is currently offering these to prevent the extreme waste, and for using your cup you can make a

small saving on every cup of coffee.

Having recently invested in a reusable Starbucks cup – just £1 to buy! – I have found they are easy to get on board with. Pop it in your bag and you are coffee ready whenever the craving hits, and they only need a swill with water to be clean enough to put back in your bag.

Though obviously not as convenient as the takeaway cup, the waste it generates is effectively non-existent in comparison. Just think how much more justified you’ll feel treating yourself to that gingerbread latte knowing the environment isn’t at stake.

COMMENT

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The Future of The Globe

Comment Editor Harry Tennnison is confused by the new direction the Globe theatre is taking Harry Tennison Comment Editor @Harry_Tennison

The recent announcement of Emma Rice’s sacking as former Artistic Director of The Globe game amidst the historical recreation of an Elizabethan theatre’s board making the decision to move away from the contemporary inclusions which Rice brought with her, after her appointment in January 2016.

After less than a year in the role, and despite a very broad and interesting programme of work, the Globe’s board decided that ‘shared light’ should return to the building – meaning the actors and the audience are equally lit – and to move away from the more rigged forms of technology used in Rice’s productions. They argue that The Globe was built to allow directors and academics to ‘experiment’ with how Shakespeare and his contemporaries worked in the theatre, and that Rice’s more contemporary approach is not the direction they want to continue in.

This seems to pinpoint the short-sight that The Globe possessed in even hiring Rice: her background is with the contemporary theatre company Kneehigh, whose own website bills them as creating ‘vigorous, popular and challenging theatre and perform with joyful anarchy’, seemingly at odds with The Globe’s past, and preferred, artistic direction.

So why then, did t h e y bother hiring her in the first place? She promised a ‘fierce integrity, rigorous understanding and a mature, playful’ approach to the canon, and she provided it.

Though not a fan, personally, of the two performances I saw under her reign this summer, she did exactly what she said she was going to do. It really makes one wonder if any of The Globe’s appointment committee had ever seen anything she’d created prior to hiring her.

The news of replacing Rice comes amidst The Globe reporting exceptionally strong box office results, and an increased amount of audience diversity.

That really doesn’t sound like anything to criticise, and certainly not justification for the sacking of one of our most revolutionary and outward thinking

creative minds. Whilst the industry pushes for increased diversity in all of its branches, this thriving breadth of audience should be encouraging and driven further, with enrichment and engagement opportunities to maintain the next generations’ passion for theatre, not pushed under the carpet with the removal of its chief advocate.

" Shakespeare needs reimaginings and explorations in the contemporary world" A historical replication does nothing for theatre. In examining Shakespearean works historically, the disillusionment with classical theatre could become enormous. Young people flocked to The Globe’s production of Imogen – a reimagining of Cymbeline which credits the lead character with the attention she deserves, argues Rice – which saw themes of gang violence, and strong female voices.

This is the kind of thing Shakespeare needs: reimaginings, and explorations, in the contemporary world which challenge not just what we think of the Bard, but of our society and of ourselves.

And this is where The Globe needs to decide what it wants to be. A tourist house for replications of an era that nobody has ever experienced is fine, but that is not really theatre.

Equally, the use of the building as an academic experiment and house for research is fine, but this cannot be masqueraded as art. For Shakespeare’s Globe to remain relavent, it needs somebody like Emma Rice at its helm who is a strong, artistically challenging and diverse explorer and player with a whole host of themes, images and technologies which, most importantly, pinpoints the modern in the classic and thrusts it head first onto the London stage. This is what theatre needs, and this is what The Globe needs to thrive. Otherwise it remains yet another tourist attraction of Southbank with the inevitable path of being acquired by Merlin and tickets sold in bulk packages along with the London Eye and the Aquarium.

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Clinging to Dead Vines: A Eulogy Careers Editor Lael Hardtman laments the death of an internet staple Lael Hardtman Careers Editor @ehardtman

The Vine is dead. The synonymous six seconds of hilarity is yet another victim of corporate conglomeration - but how did the six seconds of fun that once inundated the internet come to die? Vines were unique in that the code only allowed for a six second burst of creativity resulting in a whole new branch of visual cues and communication. As Wired put it, Vine was a ‘real-time gif generator, with sound, ambient play, able to be looped endlessly for our amusement.

" Vine was arguably one of the freest forms of creative expression on the internet and its death is a tragedy for us all."

Lynch pins trends of the internet, such as, ‘what are those’ and ‘damn Daniel’, that were born and propagated on Vine, proving they are more equitable and accessible than traditional forms of visually creative media (looking at you, Hollywood). Even well to do Newspapers such as the TIME and The Telegraph documented Vine hit sensations, each with a respective article on the most looped, or most popular vines ever. What is interesting about these vines however, is the lack of diversity in their lists, documenting ‘a man shell fish in the wild’ but not ‘why you always lyin’’.

Indeed, Vine was arguably one of the freest forms of creative expression on the internet and its death is a tragedy for us all. Vine’s closing down is emblematic of a greater issue, perhaps one of the slow corporatization of the internet or the issue of expansion, where a business can no longer hold onto its assets.

It’s true, Vine was at its best when it was used as a creative tool which warranted and propagated the creativity expression of its users, allowing us to connect with the broader world in a way previously unseen, less formal that Facebook without the scrutiny and backlash of Twitter Vine was especially home to young Black and brown talent. Pew Research Center noted that of 24% of American teens who used Vine, 31% identified as Black (non-Hispanic), and another 24% as for Hispanic. Black and brown teens were enabled, empowered even, by Vine’s ability to let them set trends that would define the nation’s, and impact the (inter)national creative landscape of cultural production, and indeed, it gave everyone a

chance to share the shared experience of growing up in turbulent times like ours.

Vine wasn’t just six seconds of silliness; it was a constantly reproducing ‘system of cultural production’ and an engine that powered cross platform social media trends.

It was Black Viners that birthed the memes we all know and love, including ‘or nah,’ ‘hoe don’t do it’, ‘on fleek’, to the ever present ubiquitous ‘do it for the vine,’ and ‘giving you life’. Mainstream America was captivated by the satirical snippets of the daily lives of its teens, often exaggerating and always tongue in cheek. Thus, Twitter’s failure to keep Vine alive is in part due to the nature of tends on the internet, where nothing can last forever, but also stems from its inability to compete with the digital megalodons Google and Facebook.

But most tragically, it’s a complete failure to maintain a space where pop culture could thrive away from institutionalized barriers to the creative industry.

So, in part, yes, it was just simply bad business that spelled the death of vine. But Vine was never just a six second video. Vines were as interesting as catching your neighbor dance in the window, just as and intimate, proving just as enlightening, with popular users such as JusReign and Jay Versace touching on issues specifically catered to a nonWhite audience. Vines gave BME people, and indeed everyone, a platform by which to laugh and elucidate strands of universality in the millennial experience.

Like many teens, Vine made the most of its constraints, and became one of Twitter’s greatest successes, albeit before it was reduced to a cautionary business tale. But there was a freedom implicit in its relative inaccessibility, with vine stars having to adapt to editing the six second videos on their phones.

Indeed, the Vine site didn’t even go live until 2014 and could only be accessed with a Vine account from your mobile phone, so in many ways it was unique for young preteens and semi aged millennials alike.

Six seconds was enough to launch three years of constant

pranks, inside jokes, and memes, to be distributed from Vine to Facebook to Twitter to Tumblr. Its insular nature resulting in an air of friendliness, a safe space to share pranks, memes, and jokes, especially for young Black and brown teenagers. Instagram and YouTube lack the overall sense of community, a place for Black and Brown teens to just be kids instead of a name on a tombstone.

" Vines gave... everyone, a platform by which to laugh and elucidate strands of universality in the millennial experience" Vine was a safe space to address many questions of social commentary, Ferguson protestors using the platform, and further allowed communities of color to address stereotypes on their own terms; to dismantle them and add an edge of humor to deep political questions— because the point was to have fun.

In an era of turbulence, Vine offered solace and a simplistic sort of happiness, lacking utterly in pretense or pretentiousness.

Thus, both the apps experimental nature and, in the words of Giorgis: ‘[its] ability to simply record a video with one's phone and share it widely presents a more widely accessible opportunity for creative ingenuity’.

But the truth is: Vine gave young BME performers a platform to express themselves outside of conventional media outlets by which they are often barred access, for institutional or political reasons.

In the words of Kasai Richardson: “black youth did more with six seconds than Hollywood has done with six decades.”

Its death won’t spell the loss of free creative expression, but surely.

The loss of community will be a shame.

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CATCH a Glimpse of our Grey Future To tie in with World Antibiotic Awareness Week, Redbrick interviews the writer-directors of CATCH, a new short drama giving us a terrifying look of the post-antibiotic world we are heading towards Rachel Kahn Redbrick Reporter @rachellk96

‘In a world without antibiotics, a young girl becomes sick and her father faces a terrible choice: give her up to the authorities or risk infection himself’. CATCH, a film written

by Dominic Rees-Roberts and Paul Cooke, delve into the very real possibility of a ‘post-antibiotic’ era, giving us a terrifying insight into the realistic situation we may be heading toward.

The writer-directors of the film, Dominic Rees-Roberts and Paul Cook both have scientific backgrounds having studied science-related subjects at undergraduate level. They’re both heavily involved in communicating scientific issues and have worked on the production of programmes including BBC’s Horizon and Channel 4’s Experimental.

Redbrick were lucky enough to be given a sneak preview of the film. The captivating sixteen-minute piece is based on strong scientific foundations, giving the audience a daunting reminder of where we might be heading. Amy develops a bacterial infection that antibiotics can no longer

What gave you the idea to develop a short film based around antibiotic resistance?

cure. The film explores the struggles that Amy and her father, Tom, now face. Does Amy still have autonomy, and the ability to live a normal childhood with friends, school and extracurricular activities, or is she to face quarantine due to the infection risk she poses to others which could result in societal mayhem?

Whilst the idea of authorities intervening due to resistant infection may seem foreign, the concept of quarantine due to

resistant infection is something very real and far closer than you may first think.

Described as, ‘one of the biggest health threats of our time’, the misuse of antibiotics is putting societies across the world in a highly fragile position. Antibiotic resistance is happening now, with infections caused by resistant bacteria killing more than 700,000 people a year.

The film features Lollie McKenzie, playing the character of Amy. Lollie has

recently been nominated for Best Young Actor at the Birmingham Film Festival.

She is best known for her role as the eponymous Matilda in the RSC production from 2013-2014.

Henry Douthwaite plays Amy’s father, Tom. Henry has vast experience in both Theatre and Television, and stars in the upand-coming feature film Off-Piste, due for release in 2015.

University of Birmingham’s Professor Laura Piddock was one of the science advisors for the film. As well as her role as a Professor of Microbiology, she is also Director of the global initiative, ‘Antibiotic Action’ which strives for and has successfully influenced policy change around the correct use of antibiotics. She commented, ‘We all take these drugs, and therefore we are all part of the problem; we need to be part of the solution. If we don’t get on top of this problem now, then I’m really quite concerned about what the future holds for my grandchildren.’

Having just been selected for a screening at the Birmingham Film Festival on the 26th November, Redbrick caught up with CATCH’s writer-directors Paul Cooke and Dominic Rees-Roberts.

and it didn’t take long for us to formulate a story, a narrative, and we ended up with CATCH!'

Where did the name CATCH

Paul: ‘Dom and I work predominantly on factual TV, particularly with a science come from? angle. We both have science backgrounds, Dom’s a doctor of Parasitology, I’m ‘just’ a Paul: ‘I don’t know where that came about regular graduate of physics. I was working from! We definitely ‘brain-stormed’ an on a BBC Horizon piece about antibiotic awful lot of different ideas. It kind of came resistance, and being a physicist it was along early on and it stuck. interesting, because I kind of knew about ‘I’m a big fan of a single word title, the issue but I didn’t know that much, and something short and snappy and obviously I think unlike a lot of science issues that there are multiple meanings to it. You catch perhaps the media and the press can make an infection, in a way Amy is caught in sound potentially more scary or serious quarantine, so it worked on a number of than they actually are, what I found know- levels.' ing a little about the topic, but then researching it for a documentary, was that when I What was the process of filmtalked to scientists in the field, the more ing CATCH? they knew about the issue, the more scared they were.

Dom: ‘We didn’t set ourselves a target ‘It wasn’t like they were saying ‘don’t as to when we would actually get CATCH worry about it, the media are making it out filmed and finished and we took quite a to be way worse than it actually is’, it long time in the development process, writreally was the case that people ing the script and re-writing the like Professor Piddock of the script and sending it to our sciUniversity of Birmingham, ence experts. were saying things like, ‘We crafted the story to ‘I’m concerned for my fit in with the resources we grandkids.’ had available. It was a ‘For me in my small cast to be filmed in mind, antibiotic a single location and resistance was we’d found a house in already something South London. We were people knew about also working on a small but something they budget, using much of didn’t necessarily our own money to fund know about on a perit. sonal level and I ‘We started the castthought that’s a really ing process which was interesting story to tell really interesting and it was not as a documentary but really close between Henry as a drama film.’ and another actor, but there was Dom: ‘Yes I something about think it was a pub Laura Piddock, Professor of Microbiology, Henry as he was realin Westfield in ly good with the child University of Birmingham Shepherds Bush actors that we were we had the idea!’ auditioning.’

Paul: ‘Was it really?’

Paul: ‘I think one of the main reasons Dom: ‘We’d been looking for a strong Henry was so good with the child actors idea to make a drama short film of and we was because he has a daughter about the wanted to make something that had a same age as Amy. When we were filming, strong scientific message behind it. When you could really feel him placing his daughPaul explained the idea to me, it was obvi- ter in that horrible situation and you could ous it was going to be a really strong idea really feel his performance which definitely

counted in his favour.’

Dom: ‘Paul had a contact who suggested we got in contact with Lollie, who plays Amy, who had been playing Matilda in the West End and we went to see her and thought she was really good. Fortunately, her mum was willing to read the script and she loved it, showed it to Lollie who also loved it and agreed to come in for a casting session. We very quickly realised she was a very good performer and pairing her up with Henry during rehearsals brought the whole thing to life.

‘Now we had the cast, and we were really buoyed by that. We had a location and our crew was coming together.

‘As we got the script and gave it to people, everybody was getting on board, feeding back and nourishing the project which was great so we felt like we had huge momentum and then the fortnight before we were set to film in London, the owner decided they didn’t want a film crew in their house and pulled out.

‘It was a really bitter blow because we felt like we had huge momentum and it all sort of fell apart.

‘In that two weeks we tried to find another location.

‘We were there thinking of places that

were really isolated and barren and miserable and Paul offered his parents’ house in Shropshire!

‘Paul’s parents, who are lovely by the way, were really understanding in letting us traipse around their house.’

Paul: ‘It goes all the way back to the fifteenth century. We wrote the whole thing with the idea that it would be a suburban story. It’s a very captivating house.’

Dom: ‘Funnily enough, I grew up 20 miles down the road from Paul’s family home, on the Welsh side so it was funny that we’d met four years earlier on a mas-

"You could really feel him placing his daughter in that horrible situation" ters cause at Imperial College only to discover that actually we were almost next door neighbours!’

Paul: ‘Hence the name of our production company, BorderPoint Films!’

Dom: ‘Everyone worked really hard, Piers, the Director of Photography, was

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great because he understood the limitations of our schedule. It was quite a lot to film in three and a half days and he really pushed everything forwards.

‘We got back completely elated to finish filming, but it took us a while to start editing.

‘We knew that we’d do an assembly edit and then try and get an editor on board who would polish it which is exactly what happened.

‘Alex Rees came into the project with his own very personal story of antibiotic resistance so he was very moved by what we were trying to do and really put in a lot of effort.

‘We did a Kickstarter campaign to try and fund post-production which was amazing. It felt like a huge risk, we hadn’t done anything like this before. The fact we were trying to do a film with a strong message was in our favour so we were able to rally support around it.

‘We showed it to some people and it was mixed feedback. The Executive Producer was moved to tears and we thought great, that’s fantastic!’

Paul: ‘Generally there were a couple of things that we tweaked.’

Dom: ‘One of the big ones was putting a caption at the beginning [giving the definition of antibiotic resistance]. We thought those dictionary quotes set the tone and worked really well.’

What were the biggest challenges you faced?

Paul: ‘I think one challenge we faced was getting the money together. It’s a very obvious challenge that any independent filmmaker faces. Originally it was going to be a much larger budget but as soon as we started showing it to people like Piers the Director of Photography, they were so enthusiastic, they provided us with lots of materials and worked for free on it. We realised people were so enthusiastic, that the budget started reducing and actually between my money, Dom’s money and our Executive Producers money, we could film it ourselves and worry about post-production later.

Resitant infection kills more than

700,000 people every year

13

Paul: ‘Or perhaps they’ll feel differently when they read an article about antibiotic resistance. They’ll remember CATCH and not just read stats, and the process of how bacteria become resistant but they’ll associate it with the film and make that emotional connection with the issue.

‘Our goals were always to get it into a good variety of festivals, to try and build up press as that’s a great way to get your film noticed. We’ve been very lucky that we have had some selections so far and we’ve hopefully got some more to come and we want to go to as many countries and continents as we can to get the film out there.

‘We want to get it in front of as many people as possible.

‘Interestingly, we’re working as hard now promoting the film as we were writing and making it! It does take a lot of time, staggeringly so, but it’s definitely worth it.’

‘Then, obviously the second challenge was post-production but we were blown away by the response we got on Kickstarter which was really humbling, it was amazing.’

Dom: ‘It’s funny because you do feel a bit exposed. You’re putting your passions for the public to decide whether it’s worthy or not so it was great to get the response we did.

‘If you desperately have a story to tell, you’ll always find a way.

‘The other thing is, at the heart of the project we wanted to get the message out and we realised the most important thing is that once we’ve finished the festival run, we needed to make it freely available for everyone to watch and that’s what’s going to happen sometime next year.’

How did your scientific advisors influence how CATCH was made?

Paul: ‘They were primarily involved in the scripting, and every so often we would send the script to our advisors. All of them were incredibly helpful and incredibly generous with their time.

‘We met with Timothy McHugh, Laura Piddock and Ruth McNerney a couple of

What is antibiotic resistance?

times to do the interviews with them.

‘We were mostly asking, ‘is this reasonable?’ We don’t want to be scare-mongering. We got their feedback on things we could also add in to increase scientific veracity.

‘The interviews we did with them, we were really glad we could do and they add to the back end of the project. If you see the film and want to find out more, you can go to the website and there are those nice online videos to find more about the factual side of the film.

‘The Royal College of Pathologists actually gave us a bit of funding to do the interviews with our advisors and we’re very grateful for that, they really supported us.’

"If you desperately have a story to tell, you'll always find a way" What is next for you both?

Paul: ‘In terms of our day jobs, we’re still very much making Factual TV but in terms of extracurricular filmmaking we’re working on a couple of feature scripts around similar areas. Not about antibiotic resistance, but more around our kind of unique selling point of being filmmakers but once scientists and so a couple of things we’re working on still have a scientific issue or a scientific basis at their cores.’

What are the intended outcomes and impact of CATCH? Dom: ‘I guess very generally speaking it goes back to the mission statement of trying to engage people emotionally with this topic. So the first thing we hope to achieve is that people watch the film and have some sort of emotional reaction, to the extent that they remember what the film was about, and feel moved to go away and find out more.’

In essence, antibiotic resistance means antibiotics cease to be effective at treating infection caused by bacteria. Resistance levels vary across bacteria and if one strain is resistant to a specific antibiotic, it is hoped an alternative drug will work. However, with resistance now being observed to what we call our ‘last-resort’ antibiotics, resistance is sending us down a slippery slope, to a place where all antibiotics are ineffective at treating infection.

"Without antibiotics, even the simplest surgeries could not take place"

Bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics through a number of different mechanisms. One way they do this is by producing a ‘pilus’ which is effectively a thin tube connecting two bacteria. A resistance gene can be passed down this thin tube from bacterium A to bacterium B and hence, bacterium B now possess the same resistance.

Just as mutations in human DNA can alter how our cells work, bacteria see mutations in their DNA, which can also lead to resistance. Antibiotics target specific aspects of the bacterial framework, such as the cell wall and if a mutation occurs here, the antibiotic will no longer be effective against its target.

Bacteria also have the unique ability to uptake DNA from the environment around them and incorporate it into their own genome. This means that if a resistance gene exists in the environment around them, they can acquire this gene and become resistant to antibiotics themselves.

What causes resistance to antibiotics?

Back in September, all 193 countries of the United Nations signed a global agreement to invest in preventing the problem of antibiotic resistance getting worse, only the fourth time they have signed an agreement of its kind. Antibiotics are vital throughout medicine.

Yes, they treat bacterial infection, but they are also used before surgery as a preventative of infection and used in patients undergoing chemotherapy. This means, without antibiotics, even the simplest surgeries could not take place and treatments such as chemotherapy could not happen due to the risk of infection.

Not only are antibiotics used for human medical use, but they are also used throughout agriculture and in antibacterial cleaning products. These are both areas contributing to the crisis. Our environment is not sterile and we all need to acknowledge this. If we continuously expose bacteria to antibiotic compounds they will get used to it. If you continuously hide behind a door and jump out and scare me, eventually I will learn that you are behind the door and I will begin to expect it. Bacteria do the same thing and if continuously exposed to an antibiotic, they can change their DNA so they are no longer affected by the antibiotic.

Why is it such a prominent topic of conversation?

What can I do to help prevent resistance?

Individual responsibility is absolutely essential. Antibiotic resistance is a unique medical crisis because it will literally affect us all. We have all been on antibiotics, we are all at risk of developing bacterial infection and as CATCH shows, the prospect of a post-antibiotic era is close. Ask your GP, ‘do I really need these antibiotics?’, of course if you do need them, absolutely take them, but make sure you take them as prescribed and always finish the course you are given. Encourage dialogue about antibiotic resistance among your peers and ensure everyone understands just why we need to protect the resources we have left.

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The New Library: A Critical Review Comment Editor Aamina Siddiqi investigates the problems that students have been facing in regards to the new Main Library Aamina Siddiqi Comment Editor @aamina_siddiqi

The new Main Library landed at university rather like a futuristic rocket ship. Its yellow and grey exterior alien to the beautiful red brick and brutalist concrete buildings that are scattered around campus. Described as a ‘cultural hub for the University and the city, with an exhibition and event space,’ the library opened on the 19th September and students were able to get a glimpse of the place in which they will be spending the remainder of their studies. The first view that one gets is of the spacious atrium on the ground floor that stretches all the way through to the skylight; flooding the entire library with natural light, a welcome change from the dark and dimly lit old library.

The old library that graced the centre of campus provided the best views directly opposite the clock tower but it was not without problems. Divided into dimly lit zones that was categorised by subject, there was only one socket per zone which caused many problems, especially with more and more students opting to use laptops to work from - unless someone was forward thinking enough to bring an extension cord.

The machines used to check out books were complicated and queues would build quickly; books to be returned would be piled on an overflowing trolley.

As the building required climbing stairs to reach a front entrance of

revolving doors, it was very inaccessible to those who use a wheelchair or had walking support. The new Main Library promised to be void of all these issues; it has drinking fountains to fill up water bottles on every floor, desks that are adjustable, the machines to take out books are very efficient and so is the returns process, generous sized lifts, and bright lighting. Eight weeks on, Redbrick investigates whether the new Main Library has integrated into students’ lives.

One of the biggest concerns that students have is not being able to eat inside the building.

There is a change.org petition entitled ‘Students should be allowed to drink and eat food in the library!’ with over 1,300 signatures. The main reason for allowing food and drink is that it is ‘unrealistic’ for students to leave their desks and computers in order to eat food, wasting valuable time in the process. The Library cafe is also smaller than the one in the old library, meaning there are less seats in the only room where students can eat and drink and, at the moment, it does not have a place to put dirty cutlery often leaving cluttered tables.

In response to the large number of students signing the petition, the Guild of Students will be launching a #FreeTheTea campaign on the 6th of December where they will be giving out free slices of cake and mugs of tea for students to partake in ‘civil disobedience’ in a library walk-in.

Representatives and Resources

Guild Office Brandon Hattiloney stated that the campaign started ‘as a response’ to general student complaints and the petition. He said that he ‘contacted the petition organisers and had a conversation with them. Afterwards I thought about ideas that we could do and decided that a walk-in in the library with cups of tea would raise the most impact and raise the issue.’

There is also another petition calling for the re-opening of old study spaces. Ali Robinson, creator of the petition, said the reason that he set it up is because he wanted to know if other students were experiencing the same problem. ‘I wanted the University to take direct notice of what students thought, without going through an intermediary like the Guild.

There's almost definitely a net loss of seats on campus for students to study which I feel is being masked by the opening of the new library.’ Robinson’s sentiments ring true as in the process of opening a new library, the University has closed down the old library, the Education Library and the Harding Law Library, moving all the building’s books into the new Main Library to add to it’s 40 miles of shelving. 86% of students we spoke to mentioned that finding a seat in the library, particularly during peak hours in the day, was extremely difficult. ‘The library has less study space than I expected. It is already full now and I dread to think what it will be like nearer exam time,’ expresses one stu-

The Library's Response: The provision of study spaces is an issue the University is concerned with, and library spaces are one part of that bigger picture.

There are, in fact, 400 more seats in the new Main Library and total seating capacity has not been compromised by the loss of the libraries which closed in the summer. Furniture from the old libraries has been recycled to create 150 extra study spaces in the Orchard Learning Centre. This year the library has already carried out a library space survey and a more detailed space utilization survey will be taking place early in the new year. We will use the feedback and other data to help us improve our spaces in the best possible way. Feedback we have received to date has been useful about making some changes to furniture layouts and putting in some extra spaces. This flexibility to change is one of the features we asked the architect to take into account when designing the building. The library is simply a lot busier than last year and that in itself has increased the pressure on our resources and on space. So far the new library is 33% busier and overall, across all our sites, we are about 12% busier compared to last year (in terms of footfall) and we are assuming the increase in footfall will be sustained.

Food and Drink

Key Texts

The library’s rules on eating and drinking have changed in that only water is now allowed inside the secure line. The rationale for this was to satisfy demand for maintaining a scholarly environment. Students can consume food (either purchased from the café or their own) in both the Library Lounge and the Library Café.

Since we opened the new library we have had feedback pressing for a change to allow eating and drinking across the entire library, but we have also had a great deal of feedback asking for us to enforce a more traditional silent study environment across the library too. We have to weigh up all student opinion on this and consider all the factors that would flow from any changes. We are monitoring the situation closely and are working on a plan for a pilot to allow food and drink in a larger area of the library. We hope that the results will help inform thinking, raise awareness among students of the full range of factors that must be considered, the implications of a change and for students with a range of views to give their opinion on the topic. A complete consensus on this issue will never likely to be achieved.

Library Services is working with Schools and Colleges to improve provision to key texts.

ResourceLists@bham was introduced to enable better visibility of the lists and also to improve the flow of information and speed up acquisitions processes. We have invested in more ebooks; usage increased by 23% last year as well as Patron Driven Acquisition initiatives with publishers i.e. your online choices drive what we make available through the library.

We have also changed our circulation policies and introduced dynamic loans; a system where the number of reservations on a title determine loan periods and recalls; and also inform additional purchases on our side. We have also introduced automated renewals; you don’t have to remember to renew a book and only have to return it within a specified time if someone else needs it. This is specifically designed to help with the circulation of key texts which come under heavy demand.

As for noise levels in silent spaces, we have tried to reduce volume of the automated announcements in the lifts. The purpose of the voice announcements are to aid those with visual impairments.

dent. One of the promises that the new library made was for there to be more seating, however the new library has 1,800 seats while the old library had 1,400 excluding those in libraries that are now closed. Brandon said ‘in terms of study spaces, the Guild will be having conversations with the relevant people. It is definitely something the University will have to have to address nearer exam time.

We want to correct the many issues that have arose from this building. It’s a huge investment and things have to be done to make sure that it works for students.’

The main motivation behind building a new library and its placement is to create a Green Heart on campus. It was considered more cost effective to build a new library than to renovate an existing one that was unsuitable as a 21st century building. In knocking down the old library and the car park behind it, the Green Heart will mean that the clocktower will be visible from the historic North Gates, restoring a view that was intended in the original plans for the campus.

This is an idyllic idea in theory but the question remains if it will be beneficial to students when existing study spaces cannot meet the demand. The new library is a building that has been over 10 years in the making, but it doesn’t appear as though students were considered in its conception.

Student Opinion "It reminds me of Heathrow Airport."

"It's shit. You can hear everything, even the elevator."

"The only thing they've solved is the socket problem."

"The new library is a better, user friendly experience."

"It’s really high tech but the WiFi is abysmal."

"It seems as though they have gone for style over substance.

It looks prettier than it is functional."

"It’s a lot cleaner and it’s nice and modern."

"The flexibility to change is a feature we asked the architect to take into account when designing the building."

FEATURES Sport

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbricksport www.redbrick.me

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Redbrick Meets: Gisela Stuart MP Editors Conrad Duncan and Anna Griffiths went to speak to Gisela about Brexit, Birmingham and women in politics Conrad Duncan Digital Editor @ConradDuncan1

Anna Griffiths Editor-in-Chief @AnnaPhoebee

Gisela Stuart does not fit the profile of the usual Brexiteer. As a German-born, longserving Labour MP, you wouldn’t suppose that she'd have reservations about the European Union, yet she was the passionate chair of the official Leave campaign.

Redbrick sat down with Gisela to find out why she split with her party on the most consequential vote in modern British political history.

If you subscribed to the belief that the Leave campaign was based only on blinded ideology, then Gisela Stuart is a clear rebuttal to that argument. Stuart’s voice was one of pragmatism in the Brexit campaign.

Throughout our interview, Gisela was keen to emphasise that she only spoke out once she had a clearer idea of what a remain vote would mean, that she had very carefully considered her options; she even states that if Cameron had come back having negotiated a deal that wasn’t ‘just talking about British exceptionalism, because it is much bigger than that, then I would have said let's give it a go’.

When asked about the fact that 85% of students chose to vote remain, Gisela replied that she thought it was presented to students that 'if you vote leave you become a social pariah, the TV sets would turn black and white and you’d just be thrown back into the dark ages'. Exasperated, she elaborated: ‘I’m not entirely sure that institutions and universities covered themselves in much glory during the referendum. As I understand it, you’ve all been sent emails that if you voted Brexit that the world was going to end. They took a very political stance. If you are at a university like Birmingham, life by and large is good for you, and if everyone around you is telling you the way to maintain your good life [is to vote remain] then of course you vote that way’.

"You tend to forget that whatever you want, Birmingham has it. We have everything [and] we're not very good at shouting about it from the rooftops."

Accusations of institutional bias against Brexit were common throughout the leave camp but what separates Stuart from the Nigel Farages of the world is how reasonable her argument is.

'I think that the EU continent has massive problems which it is just refusing to address. You have to address the 50% youth unemployment in Greece, the Italian banks are in a very fragile state, and Spain and Portugal have youth unemployment problems too. They have to change'.

Firm in her belief that ‘both sides have to change’, she argues that by leaving the European Union, Britain is taking a step in the direction of forcing Europe to address those problems. She holds that the referendum was never an argument between keeping the status quo and change. For her, when David Cameron’s negotiations with Europe failed to offer any substantial change to the UK’s relationship with the EU, the choice came between being pulled into a closer union with Europe and leaving. 'You either went all in or all out, the status quo was what we had. By putting [the referendum] here, he actually denied the status quo'.

Unlike some groups on the side of Brexit, Stuart’s case is not xenophobic or isolationist, and her unease with the Eurozone and deeper integration is more sympathetic with the electorate than much of the Remain campaign. She does not deny that there is a worrying strain of antiimmigrant sentiment emerging in the UK, but she also expresses a degree of scepticism towards claims that the referendum is to blame for it. Instead, she welcomes the outpouring of support from local communities against racially-motivated hate crimes with responses of 'total outrage, and total condemnation', arguing that while we’re unlikely to ever eradicate such attacks, we must remain vigilant in our actions against them. 'There is always a strand of nastiness in the general population and what you have to do when it rears its ugly head is deal with it appropriately'.

"It suits [the media] to have that sort of backlash from the American vote to wrap up with Brexit because they feel it undermines its credibility."

However, anti-immigrant sentiment is not just a concern for the UK, with the rise of Marine Le Pen in France and the election of Donald Trump both being seen as a legitimisation of racist ideologies. Many have attempted to draw a parallel between the success of Trump and Brexit, but Stuart is quick to oppose that idea. At best, she suggests it amounts to little more than 'lazy reporting' and at worst, an act of elitism by the mainstream media. In relation to outrage expressed by papers like the Guardian and the Financial Times in response to the referendum result, she argues that 'it suits them to have that sort of backlash from the American vote to wrap it up with Brexit, because they feel it actually undermines its credibility'. Yet, although she disagrees that Brexit and Trump are different cases, she does agree that they come from the same desire for a new approach to politics; one that is different to what the establishment is offering.

Make no mistake, Stuart is definitely not a Trump supporter; she describes his politics as one of bullying during our talk, and despite her misgivings, she acknowledges that she wanted to see a woman in White House. The issue of sexism became an increasingly prevalent talking point throughout the presidential campaign and it is an issue that has also dogged the Labour party in recent years. When we ask if she believes that Labour has a problem with women, her answer is hesitant but clear - 'I think our leadership has a problem with women', yet does not elaborate any further.

In relation to comments made by Jess Phillips, another Birmingham Labour MP, on misogyny in the political left-wing, Stuart says 'I think [Jess] asked perfectly reasonable questions [and] I think she deserved a proper answer and not to be condemned'. Phillips has been outspoken on discrimination towards women in politics, especially with abuse online, and Stuart speaks favourably of her attitude. 'To me, Jess is the kind of woman that we need to bring into Labour, in that, she is utterly authentic and speaks as she finds, but in a way that she’s got a sense of awareness and outreach'. Gisela also speaks warmly of Heidi Alexander, Lisa Nandy, and compliments Angela Rayner’s work as Shadow Education Secretary. As part of the original Blair intake of 1997, she seems to accept that the future of the Labour party is no longer in her hands but notes that 'having

done close to 20 years, I look at people like Jess and it gives me great comfort that the future is safe in their hands'.

Despite spending much of her time with him in the No Lobby of the Houses of Commons, voting against the party whip on European matters, Gisela does not support Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. Yet when we ask her about his conduct during the referendum campaign, which has been widely criticised by both Remainers and Brexiteers, Gisela was surprisingly sympathetic. She thought that he had been caught between ‘a rock and a hard place’; ‘he took on the recognition that you can do things as a backbencher, but as a party leader you have to collectively decide [what to do], and he had to take a different stance. I mean, everyone knows where his heart is’.

Since the election of Corbyn, Stuart has frequently been at odds with the popular direction of the party among its membership. However, her views appear to be closer to those of Labour voters in their traditional heartlands; the ones that widely abandoned them over Brexit. 'There are still a lot of my colleagues that are arguing that the Tories are making a bad go of Brexit in order to get Labour voters back, and you can’t do that'. Many of those voters supported the decision to leave the European Union and Stuart believes that the future of the Labour party rests on the ability to engage with their concerns. Unfortunately, she’s sceptical about whether Corbyn is the right person to do that, arguing that the commitment from many in the party to uncontrolled immigration is unacceptable to their voters, and that Labour needs to have a ‘credible immigration policy’. In response to focus groups, Stuart found that 'it’s not the numbers people object to, what they object to is the rules. Immigration policy should be that people are allowed in on merit, not based on geography'.

Stuart’s concerns are not just national.

As the MP for Birmingham Edgbaston, she represents the majority of the University of Birmingham’s first year students and in general, she is passionate about the future of Birmingham as a city. On the issue of student housing, she agrees that the rising cost of accommodation is worrying. 'What you want is decent safe accommodation, you don’t go to university to have your luxury penthouse. If you end up with a situation where there are ones who can afford the really high prices and there are ones at the low end of accommodation, I think that is taking us to a place where we really shouldn’t want to be'.

In light of Amber Rudd’s recent plans to

crack down on numbers of international students, she supports our Chancellor’s comments against the government’s hostile attitude towards foreign students. However, like many of her answers throughout this interview, her support comes with the note that she is still waiting on more information on the overall benefits of those students before making a final judgement, although she did seem sympathetic to the idea of removing international student figures from the national immigration cap.

Stuart’s positions on political issues are rarely definite and she expresses a clear interest in making sure she has the full facts before taking a stance. It’s in this way that she appears most at odds with the more extreme political world that Corbyn, Trump, and Farage all inhabit. Stuart’s political ideology is seemingly absent of idealism, built on the importance of compromise and pragmatism; a more politically loaded description would be to call it sensible politics.

6

"It's not the numbers people object to, what they object to is the rules.

Immigration policy should be that people are allowed in on merit, not based on geography."

Throughout our talk, there is never the impression that Stuart is reckless with her words. The issues she deals with daily are complicated and her answers respect the need to acknowledge that there are no easy answers in politics. However, the one thing she is unequivocal about is her excitement for the future of Birmingham. 'You tend to forget that whatever you want, Birmingham has it. We have everything [and] we’re not very good at shouting about it from the rooftops'. There’s a widespread belief that the city is going from strength to strength, seen particularly in the redevelopment of the city centre, and Stuart believes that it’s the city’s youth that we should be most proud of. 'To me, the most exciting thing is Birmingham’s demography [one of the] youngest and most vibrant [cities] you can have'. It should be reassuring to students at the university to know that their MP believes that they are the city’s greatest asset.

"We're moving towards a politics where you challenge the establishment all the time. Those who are prepared to challenge the establishment, actually don't like to admit it.

It's a sort of silent revolution."

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LIFE & STYLE

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbricklife

Did They Pull Out Too Early?

The Male Contraceptive Trials

Life & Style writer Caitlin Steele questions whether participants in the male contraceptive trials pulled out of the study too early Caitlin Steele Life & Style Writer

The recent publication of a study examining the effectiveness of a male contraceptive injection (or shot), and its subsequent abandonment, has caused many disbelieving questions to be raised, some obvious, and some intrinsically more complex. To familiarise those unaware, a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, revealed that male contraceptive injections can be successfully used to prevent pregnancy, working by suppressing sperm concentration. 320 healthy men between the ages of 18 and 45 were given a shot of 200 miligrams of norethisterone enanthate combined with 1000 miligrams of testosterone undecanoate over the course of up to six months. All participants were in monogamous relationships of at least a year. The injection was found to be approximately 96% effective at preventing pregnancy, an incredibly promising result, especially as a first trial (comparably, condoms are 98% effective, and the female injection 99%). However, due to side effects, including mood disorders, muscle pain, increased sex drive and acne, the study was dropped. Many wondered exactly why, as these sound remarkably similar (some almost identical) to the adverse effects associated with female contraception – all of which are approved by the MHRA

or the FDA. The NHS website lists disadvantages of the combined pill as “[may lead to] increased blood pressure” and “an increased risk of… blood clots and breast cancer”, while the female injection boosts further ‘disadvantages’, including “weight gain, headaches, acne, tender breasts, changes in mood and loss of sex drive”. All of these are incredibly similar to the symptoms reported above by the researchers – which many were quick to draw attention to - raising questions about the type of contraception we have today. As The Independent (Adam Watkins, November 2016) points out, would the female contraception we have now still make it to market today, if the male contraceptive injection has been pulled because of these unfavourable side effects? Nobody has halted widely used female contraceptives or questioned the severity of their side effects. However, though professionals may not raise these concerns, it seems women find them out all too frequently themselves.

"The hypocrisy at the base of the male contraception issue is clear" Even without looking at professional research, and simply viewing this as a 19-year-old girl, I know far too many cases of

friends (and myself) struggling faction with the method”. with contraception, including However, this desire may be severe mood swings, irregular and Western and not universal, as a prolonged periods, and weight 2005 study found approximately gain. It doesn’t take highly scien- 70% of men in Germany and tific tests to figure out that female Spain would be willing to take a contraception isn’t perfect – and male pill (if there were such an yet we willingly and acceptequivalent), whereas only ingly continue to take it.

30% men in Indonesia This raises further expressed the same questions – why willingness.

Studies suggest does the worry of The exploration contraception priof male contracepthe male marily fall to tives raises many contraceptive was women? Clearly, issues, including the stakes are far questions of higher (and will demand, necessity, always be), so it’s and the success of unsurprising the female contraeffective women will likely ceptives. The pill always want to be (and other female coninvolved. But whilst we traceptive methods) have have many methods of conbeen unequivocally empowtraception to choose from, there ering to women, allowing them are only two male specific ones: previously denied control over condoms, or vasectomy – with the their lives and bodies. It seems responsibility for the former often that until there is more demand assumed by women anyway. The for male contraceptives, the side effects coming from contra- responsibility will remain with ception are clearly the lesser of women. The hypocrisy at the base two evils when compared with of the male contraception issue is unwanted pregnancy, and women clear – men simply cannot be will undoubtedly continue putting expected to subject themselves on up with it, just as they have done a regular basis to a medical procefor years. dure that might make them spotty, But this recent study empha- bloated and irritable - side effects sises once more that it doesn’t which, for women, are regarded have to be like this. We may as a mere disadvantage in taking assume that incentive is a con- sole responsibility to protect cern, as typically men would be themselves from unwanted pregless invested in preventing the nancy. Perhaps in the meantime, outcome. However, the results of as we further research into male this study disprove this, with 75% contraceptives, we could also of participants stating they would focus on improving female concontinue using this type of contra- traception and lessening their side ception, “express[ing] their satis- effects.

96%

Top Five: Vegan Beauty Brands Katelyn Ryder explains which vegan brands are the best if you don’t like the idea of crushed beetles in your blusher or fish scales in your nail varnish

Pacifica

Elf

Lush

Real Techniques

B.

Pacifica is 100% vegan and cruelty free, however slightly on the pricy side. They do almost everything from vegan nail varnish to perfume so there is a lot to choose from!

They also do solid perfumes which are great for travelling and still smell amazing, perhaps even better than that not so environmentally friendly aerosol.

Elf is a much more affordable brand for all the student budgeters out there. Their makeup and skin care is 100% vegan although disappointingly they’re brushes are not. Elf is pretty much Avon for vegans plus with free shipping on all orders over £25, how could you not?

Lush are cruelty free and all of their vegan products are clearly labelled making it easy to spot them. Some of their products do contain eggs and honey though so watch out. They’re great for skin care as well hosting a range of gorgeous masks amongst other things.

As an added bonus everything from lush smells awesome, how can you walk past and not go in?

Real Techniques is a great brand for vegan brushes to get that perfect finish with your new cruelty free foundation.

Created by Samantha Chapman aka PixiWoo, the brushes are made from Taklon rather than animal hair. Not only is this great for animals but it is also a benefit for you as the brushes are suited to both powder and cream based products.

Superdrug’s own brand B. is also cruelty free and vegan as are many of their own brand products including moisturisers and shower gels. This is a one stop shop for all your vegan cosmetic needs and is easily available on the high street. They also have brushes and brush cleaner and are really affordable making vegan beauty on a budget easy!

LIFE & STYLE

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbricklife

Ask For Angela: Will it Improve Modern Dating?

Life & Style writer Charlotte Green questions whether 'Ask for Angela' is a step in the right direction or just a step too far In the new age of dating apps steadily becoming the preferred way of meeting new potential love interests, more people are encouraged to meet up with strangers which inevitably poses various safety risks. Many make a close connection with the people they encounter, however when the time comes to meet face to face with your date, although not always, it could be different from what you were expecting. This is where ‘Ask for Angela’ has offered help for these particular situations.

'Ask for Angela' is a scheme that has the potential to save women who are at risk or in an uncomfortable situation which they can’t easily remove themselves from. The campaign went viral after a Twitter user tweeted a photo of the poster which which appeared in bar toilets in Lincoln. The creators, Lincolnshire County Council, also included the phone number for Lincolnshire Rape Crisis to encourage women in danger to seek help.

Although it may not happen often, many find that their date is a completely different person than who they claimed to be or that they

may feel threatened. In a dangerous situation, it may be difficult for a person to find a way to leave without making the problem worse as they fear for further complications or of their dates’ reaction.

The simple code-word ‘Ask for Angela’ a l l o w s women to discreetly ask for help from the bar w h i c h allows staff to resolve the situation by calling for a taxi or attempting to intervene. The campaign has been h i g h l y praised causing many to question why this idea isn’t been used nationwide.

Despite the clear benefits of the scheme, to what extent should it be used as a means of getting out of bad dates?

In a case of danger the scheme is extremely helpful, but is it morally right to escape a date

when it simply isn't going well but there’s no threat? If this is the case many people could be abandoned on a date with no explanation. Bad dates can often be an experience for all involved as it can help people learn more about their own preferences, so is it not better to be honest with how you feel about your date rather than avoiding the situation, otherwise it wouldn’t be a learning curve for the other person either.

Rejection can often be an awkward topic to approach, women especially can often be victims of harassment after turning down someone’s attempts, and so the scheme can help women who fear the aftermath of being honest and rejecting their date. Women shouldn’t have to fear saying how they feel, therefore it is disappointing that schemes

such as 'Ask for Angela' have to be made in order to protect women from potentially threatening responses to their honesty. Depending on the situation, the reality is that a woman’s life could be dependent on how they deal with particular advances.

There are still pressing questions surrounding the scheme as the poster has left many curious; if the scheme does go nationwide, will there need to be specialist training for staff in order for them to be able to respond and react appropriately when they are notified of distress?

It’s understandable when a date is dangerous, but should women be encouraged to surpress their feelings out of fear instead of being outwardly honest? And finally, do men not deserve a similar scheme?

Not all uncomfortable dates are dangerous, but when the signals are there, it’s important that even in scary situations, women can rely on bar staff through schemes such as 'Ask for Angela' in order to offer them protection.

What do you think? Let us know @redbricklife

Emma Watson: Saving the World One Book at a Time

Life & Style writer Madeleine Bourne takes a look at Emma Watson's new mission - leaving books on the Undergound

Emma Watson is many things.

She’s been an actress, a model, an academic and an activist.

Now she can tick off her newest role as ‘book fairy’. And what a magically fabulous role is that.

The title of ‘book fairy’ all seems a bit of an enigma and not your usual job role. But Emma’s new venture is part of Books on the Underground’s initiative to engage your average tube-hopper with new and also used books. Over 100 copies of Maya Angelou’s memoir ‘Mom & Me & Mom’ were delivered by the ‘book fairy’ herself during Tuesday and Wednesday last week.

Maya Angelou, the famous writer and civil rights activist, resonates with what Emma Watson stands for. Having started out as a child star in the Harry Potter franchise as Hermione (the girl we all wanted to be growing up) the actress went on to study at Brown University (she’s smart too? Can we be her already?).

Having studied English Literature for her degree, it is

clear that reading is close to her heart. In 2014, she was appointed as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, subsequently helping to launch the campaign HeForShe, which calls for men to advocate gender equality, launching the star into the world of activism.

In January of this year, Emma began her feminist Goodreads book club, Our Shared Self, where women can discuss feminist ideas and encourage discussion on something that Watson is passionate about.

Each month, a book is selected for discussion: this month the chosen novel is Maya Angelou’s ‘Mom & Me & Mom’. The chosen book focuses on Angelou’s complicated relationship with her mother, whom the author

describes as ‘a fiercely unapologetic figure, imperfect but admirable.’ According to Emma, ‘this is perhaps the greatest window into what shaped Angelou as a writer and poet and a fitting end to a lifetime of amazing works.’

Watson’s ‘book fairy’ status required her to disperse these free books across the underground network in London, along with a handwritten note from the actress herself (it’s like getting a reply from the tooth fairy, but better!) She asked commuters to ‘take special care’ with these free copies, and that ‘when you are finished please leave it on the tube again for someone else to find.’

There is something incredibly joyful about this project-

Emma has been able to sprinkle a fairy dust of happiness across the Underground, with many commuters together keeping their eyes peeled for the book, therefore creating a community of goodwill. The actor shared posts via Instagram of her night time gift-giving, in turn spreading excitement for Books on the Underground’s initiative.

The organisation said ‘we are so excited to have such an amazing book shared by such an inspiring person as Emma Watson, and look forward to seeing the reactions of people who find them.’

Emma Watson also used her book campaign to respond to the American Election, tweeting: "Today I am going to deliver Maya Angelou to the New York subway. Then I am going to fight even harder for all the things I believe in."

If Emma Watson wants to pop along to New Street to work her magic and enchant us all, that would be absolutely wonderful.

17

FIERCE Cosy Jumpers Gone are the days of floaty summer dresses, bare legs and crop tops. But it isn't all bad news. Winter sees the return of big, cosy jumpers. Turning up to 9am seminars feeling like your still wrapped up in your duvet whilst looking chic is something we absolutely love now that the weather is so much colder!

Prince Harry & Meghan Markel Whilst Meghan in particularly has been receiving a lot of negativity, we could not be happier for the new couple! And, with both Prince William and Prince Harry having relationships with "commoners" it can only be a matter of time before one of us realises our childhood dream of being a princess... maybe!

Christmas Christmas-o-holics are rejoicing at the fact that it is now officially acceptable to talk about Christmas. With both Halloween and Bonfire Night over and done with, we can't wait to put up the decorations, dig out our Christmas jumpers and enjoy the festive spirit!

Body Shaming The internet has opened up a world of negativity with people regularly succumbing to nasty comments about the way they look. Carrie Hope Fletcher has most recently hit back with an empowering image of herself in a bikini showing off the "lumps and bumps" she is proud of. It's about time we all stop tearing each other down and instead try to build each other up.

Clothes Show Live's Move It has been announced that this will be the last year that Clothes Show Live will be held in Birmingham. For 27 years the event has been held at Birmingham's NEC but as of next year it will find a new home (and a new name) in Liverpool. We'll definitely miss having the annual event on our doorstep!

2016 This year has witnessed the death of numerous icons, Brexit, Breadxit and a shocking end to the American presidential election. It's starting to seem more like a horror movie than the brilliant year many people had expected!

Zoe Screti Life & Style Editor

FINISHED

FOOD

18

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbrickfood

Vs Foods Jadzia Samuel Investigates Christmas Drinks (that Costa Fortune) Christmas time: the two-month period which your heart loves and bank balance hates. Despite the cold, wet, miserable weather and severe lack of vitamin D as winter approaches, the light at the end of the tunnel is always the prospect of the cafe Christmas menus in November. Deny it all you like, there is nothing which warms the soul quite like an indulgent splurge on a little cup of diabetes.

However, as exciting as this all may be, it is time someone addressed the real pressing matters of November 2016: on an icy Friday afternoon after a long week of lectures, where do you go for a festive hot chocolate or latte??

Starbucks or Costa? Luckily, I have taken it upon myself to help relieve your anxiety on the matter a little. I decided to try and rate a selection of drinks from both menus and rate them as per taste, presentation and cream: drink ratio. I present you with my verdict: Starbucks’ Fudge Hot Chocolate Taste: 9/10 (This was unbelievably delicious – rich, creamy and sweet. I personally love a good sugary drink but for some this may be a little too sweet.)

Presentation: 10/10 (I mean, come on, it has golden chocolate shavings on top!)

Cream: drink ratio: 10/10 (Not so much that you are overwhelmed, but enough so that some lasts just on top right until the end of the drink.)

Costa’s Lint Hot Chocolate Taste: 11/10 (Waste your student loan on this. #overdraft) Presentation: 8/10 (Looks like melted chocolate, but not that exciting) Cream: drink ratio: N/A Starbucks’ Gingerbread Latte Taste: 4/10 (Waaaay to sweet – this drink tasted more sugary than gingery.)

Presentation: 6/10 (The candied ginger sprinkles were a nice touch, but it was nothing exciting.

Costa’s one has a little gingerbread man – keep up, Starbucks!)

Cream: drink ratio: 8/10 (As quite a milky drink already I felt that the amount of cream provided was a little unnecessary, yet it was pretty, damn good.)

Costa’s Gingerbread Latte Taste: 8/10 (full of gingerbread flavour, very sweet but not excessively so.)

Presentation: 10/10 (they have a mini gingerbread man on top and golden start sprinkles need I say more?)

Cream: drink ratio: 9/10 (pretty much perfect! The froth from the latte wasn’t even ruined by the cream on top.)

My favourite drink overall had to be the Lint Hot Chocolate because that was the best thing I have possibly ever tasted in my life. (Watch me wave goodbye to any plans to diet or save money!)

Yet even after this exciting journey, the question remains: which menu is the best overall? As my student-loan would only allow a limited number of takeaway coffees, I leave the rest of the story down to you, go forth and indulge.

Costa’s Black Forest Hot Chocolates and Starbucks’ Eggnog Latte awaits.

Food Online

Top 10 Most Popular Foodie Instagrams

As Instagram becomes rife with pictures of food, Redbrick gets in contact with some top bloggers Alex Reay As food blogging seems to be taking over the realms of everyday life, I decided to interview 2 of my current favourite food bloggers, Matt Adlard and Charlotte Webber.

Matt, more widely known known as Topless Baker, an alumnus student of UoB is hands down my favourite baker out there. I asked him to give us a little summary of himself, and learn all about how he started up his 40k following. To see more of Matt’s food, follow him on Instagram/ Facebook/Twitter @toplessbaker, and to learn how to make his yummy recipes visit and subscribe his YouTube and find his blog at www.toplessbaker.com.

Hi Matt, welcome to Redbrick food section! Can you tell me a bit about yourself?

I’m Matt, aka The Topless Baker. After 4 years at The University of Birmingham studying International Business, I moved to London where I worked in media and advertising for 3 years. Just over a year ago, while I was working, I started a small blog all about my adventures in food, and since then, have been growing my social following. I cook all sorts of home comforts, and unhealthy food, with the idea that food should be more than avocado on toast, and that you need to be able to treat yourself! I decided a few months ago to quit my job, and now I am Topless Baker full time!

That’s amazing! And why did you start your blog?

I moved to London straight

after uni and got really into cooking in my spare time. I would search all over the place for recipes, but never write them down, or forget which one I used. So, I decided to create a job as a way to house my recipes, more of a way for me to keep track of everything, rather than ever thinking someone else may use them!

How did you build a following? Was it difficult? Did you expect it to get so big?

The key to building a following is being consistent and creating some kind of content that is unique. I would love to say my following happened overnight but it was a lot of time and effort recording videos, practicing recipes, and eventually it started to gain some attraction. With a social following, you will find getting your first 100 followers is harder than your first 1000, and so on. Once you hit a certain point, it starts to snowball. When I first started, I didn’t even know where I was going to take it, so to be where I am now is a huge surprise. I hoped it could get big one day but I never thought it would happen so quickly.

I think just from looking at your recipes and photos, there is absolutely no doubt that you were going to get big so quickly! Do you think blogging is the future?

Absolutely - if you look at the

way people who are consuming content (and especially food), it’s all online, and it’s all video. Gone are the days of just tuning into a show on the tv, we all sit there now glued to our phones, tweeting and checking instagram over and over! Who knows what the next big thing will be, but I’m sure blogging and online video will be at the heart of it.

What’s your favourite dish to bake?

My favourite dessert growing up was my dad’s lemon tart, so when I started cooking properly, it was the first thing I had to conquer. After lots of failures, I finally made one to rival my dad, so I love to make that, as it was the first dessert that really set me on my way!

That’s lovely, I love lemon tart! Do you have any big plans for the future?

I would love to say I do, but I take everything one day at a time.

As I have said, I never thought I would get to this point so who knows what will happen next. I would love to do some formal training, especially to learn more about patisserie and bread. I’ve thought about a cookbook, or even hosting a show, but I haven’t found the perfect idea just yet!

Well, I look forward to following your journey and trying out more of your recipes. Thanks so much for chatting to me!

Charlotte caught my attention on Instagram a few months ago, and since then has built quite the following with her absolutely insane smoothie bowls and porridge recipes. She is still studying at UoB, so I asked her a few questions.

Hi Charlotte, tell us a bit about yourself.

Hi! I'm Charlotte. I studied BSc Psychology at UoB and I have started a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience here this year. I also run for the uni athletics club. My blog consists mainly of loads of healthy breakfasts and other stuff which is kind of relevant to my life as a health freak. Check it out at @charlotteemmma !

Why did you start blogging?

Studying psychology, I became interested in how the food we eat might affect our brains. So, I began doing a lot of research into nutrition and health and started following a lot of health and lifestyle blogs on Instagram. And I guess after a while I just began to fancy doing something myself! I wanted to share my passion for healthy food and illustrate that is doesn't have to be boring or difficult or expensive. I think it is so important for both physical and mental health that we put the right things inside our bodies and I just wanted to share that message.

That’s so great! How did you build a following/did you expect to get so big?

I suppose I just try to keep my blog varied and to post things that my followers can relate to. I also connected with a few companies whose products I really loved and they were extremely helpful in promoting my page and giving me advice.

It's kind of happened without me noticing to be honest but I feel like the more I give of myself, the better response I get; I think the more relatable a blog is, the easier it is for people to engage with.

That’s so crazy that companies can do that through social media. Do you think blogging is the new/next big thing?

I think it is becoming a really important way for companies to interact with their customers. You can get a real sense of a brand's ethos through the messages they spread on social media and I think that's really important to a lot of people. For me personally, a brand that is enthusiastic about its products and which shows an interest in its customers is much more likely to interest me than one that is impartial - so in that sense, blogging and social media can be really important for building customer relationships. I also feel that the

landscape of our social interactions has changed now social media is such a big part of our lives and that relationships are often built and maintained through the interactions we have online. I have found blogging to be such a wonderful way to connect with likeminded people and exchange ideas and advice. I have made some really great friends since starting my blog and I'm sure that's down to the wonderful sense of warmth many bloggers have towards each other; it is a really inclusive community and one which I am so happy to be a part of.

I agree. So, what's your fave thing to make?

Definitely banana ice-cream if you haven't tried it before you MUST! I just peel, chop and freeze 3 or 4 bananas and then blend them with a splash of milk and whatever flavours I fancy (peanut butter and chocolate is by far my favourite!). It's so quick and easy and tastes absolutely delicious!!

YUM!! I will definitely be trying that out. Do you have any plans for the future?

Blogging-wise, not really! I aim just to continue posting things that I love and hope that other people continue to enjoy them. I'm hoping to continue building relationships with other bloggers and to really throw myself into every opportunity I get (both within and outside of blogging!).

Amazing! I can’t wait to see and try some more of your recipes. Thanks so much for letting us chat to you!

Food Writer

Jamie Oliver 5.1m jamieoliver Ella Woodward 976k deliciouslyella Nigella Lawson 850k nigellalawson Symmetry Breakfast 646k symmetrybreakfast Clean Eating Alice 449k clean_eating_alice Madeleine Shaw 256k madeleine_shaw_ Izy Hossack 216k izyhossack Clerkenwell Boy 150k clerkenwellboyec1 Ed Kimber 111k theboywhobakes Anna Jones 108k we_are_food

Tamar Hope Food Editor

We also checked in with Samara LeMerle to get the insider info on her instagram: @Fithealthyproject.

When did you start your instagram and why?

I started my instagram about 2-ish years ago I believe?

Sometime around then. Basically, I had gone through a rough life patch and was looking into holistic ways of getting over depression and I came across 'plant based' living. I researched it, I scrolled through similar instagram accounts and I was like hey, why don't I just start doing this? I like pretty food, and it'll give me a way to get excited about making this change!

Where do you get ideas for your recipes?

I get ideas from anywhere/ everywhere - my childhood favourite foods, my mum's old recipes, other instagrammers, other cultures, anywhere really.

What’s your favourite dish that you’ve made?

Oh gosh my favourite dish... this is like choosing a favourite child. I loved the twix bars I made, or the icecream waffle sandwiches, or the oreo cinnamon scrolls, OOH or the kingston biscuit sandwiches hahaha oops that was more than one, my bad.

How did you come up with the name for your account?

Honestly, I just kept brainstorming until I came up with something catchy. To me, 'healthy' means more than just the physical aspect and is something that encompasses mental health as well - so that suited. 'fit' because I had become a shell of the fit, energetic person I was in the past and wanted to get that back, and 'project' because I believe we are all works in progress and I see the journey to overall health as an ongoing effort.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to start a foodie Instagram?

Hmmm the advice I'd give - be consistent in your posting, don't put too much pressure on yourself, do your own thing (aka don't just follow someone elses style because they're popular, you do you and likeminded people with respond to that) annnnd have fun.

FOOD

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbrickfood

Sweet Potato Awareness Month

Comment Editor Aamina Siddiqi investigates the facts behind the latest super food trend I love sweet potato. Generally British staple white potato as sweet speaking, potatoes are one of the potatoes are higher in fibre and most versatile root vegetables and lower in calories. In addition, they can be consumed in many ways can also benefit the regulation of for utmost enjoyment; baked blood sugar levels, even whole, chopped into pieces if someone is sufferand roasted, steamed and ing from diabetes, then mashed. The same thanks to their applies to sweet potalow glycemic 'The humble toes with the introducindex. White orange root tion of sweet potato potatoes confries to popular restain the chemivegetable is a taurant menu’s causcal solanine nutritional ing quite a frenzy. which can cause powerhouse' However, the sweet arthritic pain potato has plans for however sweet world domination as it potatoes can aid in has been hailed as a superreducing symptoms food. of arthritis due to their The humble orange root vegevitamin content, particularly table is a nutritional powerhouse vitamin C and A. packed with antioxidants and a The vitamin A in the form of multitude of vitamins. They are an beta carotene found in the orange incredible alternative to the starchy flesh variety of sweet potatoes has

Recipe: Sweet Potato Fries Tasha Smart Food Editor @tashanotsmart

Since these sweet potato fries are baked rather than fried, you can feel less guilty about having them as a snack. And being sweet potatoes, they are already better for you than the typical chip.

been recognised by scientists as being a life changing component to solve the issue of malnutrition amongst African children. In subsaharan Africa, vitamin A deficiency is at the lowest in the world with a 50% mortality rate. Symptoms include growth retardation, an impairment in the immune system, losing the ability to produce new blood cells, blindness and being more to infections. All this has been vastly improved with a biofortification approach which is when nutrients are added to food biologically by breeding the variety of crops poor people eat.

Orange sweet potatoes are not native to Africa but scientists have combined local sweet potatoes with others around the world to create one that is high in vitamin

You will need: 1 Large Sweet Potato A Pinch of Salt Sprinkle of Pepper 1/2 Teaspoon Chilli Powder 1 Clove of Garlic 1 Tablespoon Cornflour 1 Tablespoon Oil

A. 44% of Ugandan farmers grow a vitamin rich variety of sweet potat o meaning that it goes into the community and the bodies of children who need it. It is expected that 237,000 households in Uganda will be planting and eating the sweet potato by 2018. The success seen in this part of Africa is something that they can also implement in the rest of the continent and perhaps the world!

This proved that sweet potatoes are still the most wonderful vegetable, boasting a whole host of health benefits that can be gained gained by the consumption of a sweet potato. I know what my next meal is going to be!

Shake off extra cornstarch.

Place them back into the bowl and add the garlic, salt, pepper, chilli powder, and oil. Mix thoroughly.

Line them out onto the baking tray, and try to give them space to cook well.

Cook for 15-20 minutes, being sure to rotate as you go.

Turn off the oven when the fries look crispy and leave for a few more minutes in the warmth to let them brown a little more.

Serve as a side or as a healthy snack, accompanied with tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, or mayo - your choice!

Preheat Oven to 200 degrees, then line a baking tray with foil.

Cut your sweet potato into thin sticks to create a fry-like look.

Place sweet potato fries into a bowl or a freezer bag, and add the cornflour. Shake until you have an even, thin coverage.

19

Make Your Own: Katsu Curry Will Haynes Food Writer

This recipe should look and taste just like a katsu you might find in Yakinori or Wagamama, only fresher and for a fraction of the cost.

For authenticity, try to source your breadcrumbs and curry sauce from an oriental store (Seoul Plaza in Selly Oak for example).

This makes enough for about 4-5 portions.

Cooking time approximately 40 minutes.

You will need: For the sauce: Try to find a Japanese ‘golden curry sauce’ packet if possible, or if not, make your own version: 1 white onion 1 carrot 2 cloves of garlic 1 tablespoon of medium curry powder 1 tablespoon of soft brown sugar 1 tablespoon plain flour 1 tablespoon Japanese soy sauce 500ml chicken or vegetable stock For the chicken: 2 large skinless chicken breast 50g plain white flour, seasoned with salt and pepper 1 large egg 100g panko breadcrumbs (any light breadcrumbs will do) Vegetable oil for frying

Thanksgiving Recipes

Bring out your inner All-American with these totally Thanksgiving recipes by Food Writer Sahar Jamfar

Turkey Burgers Turkey is the centrepiece of any Thanksgiving dinner, but cooking a whole bird is a hassle and a lot of effort, so these burgers are perfect as an easy way to cook and enjoy a Thanksgiving-style turkey dinner.

You will need: 1 chopped onion 2 crushed garlic cloves 85g porridge oats 450g minced turkey 100g chopped dried apricot 1 grated carrot 1 beaten egg To serve: Cranberry sauce Burger buns and salad Method: Heat oil in pan and cook onion until soft. Add garlic and oats and cook for 2 more minutes. Once fried, tip into a bowl and set aside.

Add the rest of the ingredients

in the bowl and mix. Season with salt, pepper and then shape into 6 patties.

You can either fry, grill or oven bake the burgers. To fry, heat oil in a pan and cook the patties until they are cooked through. To grill, simply line a baking tray with foil and place under the grill, making sure to flip the patties every few minutes. To oven bake, first sear the patties in a frying pan then place in oven at 200C/gas mark 6 for 10-15 minutes.

Once the patties are cooked, prep burger buns and salad. Place a patty in each bun and add a tablespoon of cranberry sauce.

Accompany the burgers with anything you want but sweet potato fries are the recommended choice!

All-American Chocolate Cookies

Method:

What could be more American than peanut butter and chocolate cookies? Perfect to follow your Turkey burgers!

You will need: 300g dark chocolate 100g milk chocolate 100g light muscovado sugar 85g butter 100g crunchy peanut butter 1 egg ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 100g self-raising flour 100g large salted roasted peanuts Method: Preheat oven to 180C/gas mark 4.

Melt 100g of the dark chocolate and add the sugar, butter, peanut butter, egg and vanilla extract until it’s all mixed. Stir in the flour, milk chocolate, nuts and

100g dark chocolate until a soft mixture is made.

Drop big spoonfuls onto baking sheets and leave enough room in-between each cookie to spread.

Stick the remaining dark chocolate chunks into the cookies.

Bake for 10-12 minutes and make sure they are soft in the middle but darker around the edges.

Let them cool and firm up then enjoy!

Starting with the curry sauce, heat a little oil in a medium saucepan.

Add the garlic, onion and carrot and sweat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and beginning to caramelise. Stir in the flour, curry powder and sugar and cook through for a minute. Slowly add the stock, gradually to avoid lumps. Season with soy sauce, and then allow to simmer on a low heat while you cook the chicken.

Heat oil on medium in a large frying pan or wok; It will need to be at least 2cm deep. To prepare the chicken, slice each breast in half so that you have four thinner fillets. Spread the flour, egg and breadcrumbs on separate plates.

Coat each chicken piece in flour, then dip in the egg, and finally coat in breadcrumbs. Fry the breaded breasts for about 8 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oil and rest on some kitchen towel.

Slice the chicken diagonally, and serve on a bed of fluffy white rice. Sieve the curry sauce, and drizzle it over the dish, generously.

Enjoy!

20

TRAVEL

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbricktravel

Hidden Gem: Taiwan, Ilha Formosa Sally Chu Travel Writer

Taiwan, once called Formosa (Beautiful Island) by the Portuguese in the 16th century, is a small, wonderful island easy to fall in love with. Generally speaking, Taiwanese people are helpful, hospitable and friendly. An English-friendly environment, Taiwan welcomes people from all over the world. Make sure you have your travel essentials to visit Taiwan: passport, cash and extra stomach.

"Taiwanese people are helpful, hospitable and friendly..."

When it comes to Taiwanese food, most cannot resist its allure.

Bubble tea might be your first taste of Taiwanese cuisine, but there is a lot more to try! For breakfast, choose from a variety of traditional Chinese dishes such as stuffed buns (包子), pan-fried buns with soybean milk (水煎包), or western burger buns. For lunch, there is even more choice. To name only a few: feef noodles (牛 肉麵) are a classic Taiwanese dish. You may also want to try dumplings (水餃) with hot and spicy soup (酸辣湯). Alternatively, have a wheel pie (車輪餅) and grab a nice drink. If you’re adventurous enough, try some sticky tofu (臭豆腐), with Taiwanese Photograph by Wu Chan Hsu

kimchi or pig blood cake (豬血 ). Although they may not sound it, these are delicious and definitely worth a try!

Treat yourself to a nice hotpot in the evening. Ginger duck hotpot (薑母鴨), mutton hotpot (羊 肉爐) and sesame oil chicken soup (麻油雞) are great comfort foods in the cold winter. After a long day filled with food you probably can’t bear any more, but make sure you head to the night markets anyway. Cheap street food such as oyster omelets, braised food (滷味), flaky scallion pancakes ( 抓餅) and a lot more are all on offer here. The coffin board (棺材板) is a deepfried hollowed-out thick piece of bread filled with seafood chowder. It may sound scary but it’s truly a tasty delight! Moreover, in the fried chicken hall of fame, Taiwan deserves its own exhibit.

Not only has it made the giant fried chicken fillet (大雞排) a classic, but its popcorn chicken ( 鹽酥雞) is dangerously addictive.

For a traditional peek into Taiwanese culture, and to truly escape British culture, head to Taiwan for one of its three main festivals: Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-autumn Festival.

With the fast approaching Chinese New Year, everywhere is immersed in a fantastic New Year atmosphere. Visit the big street for new year’s shopping for the best way to blend yourself into Taiwanese festive period.

Shopping for some traditional food and sweets on Chinese New Year will bring you a tasty new

experience!

Meanwhile the Dragon Boat Festival takes place in summer and has a long history behind the tradition. Enjoy a dragon boat race with Zongzi (粽子), a pyramid-shaped glutinous rice dumpling wrapped in reed leaves- this is the traditional food eaten on the day. Mid-autumn Festival is a day when the family gathers together.

Traditionally, Taiwanese have moon cakes (月餅) on Midautumn Festival. Nowadays, outdoor barbecues have become a popular affair for friends and family to gather and enjoy each other's company.

"...enjoy fireworks and performances in the New Year's Eve countdown."

There are also some interesting celebrations for visitors. For example, you can enjoy fireworks and performances in New Year’s Eve countdown; light up a sky lantern and make a wish in Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival (平溪天燈 節); or appreciate the sand sculpting masterpieces in Fulong Sand Sculpting Art Festival (福隆沙雕 藝術季).

For things to do in Taiwan, head to the seashore! Give the Yehliu Geopark (野柳地質公園) a visit to see its beautifully seaeroded landscape that has given it the title of one of most famous wonders of the world. Wave

attack, rock weathering, and earth movement all contribute to the formation of such a rare and stunning geological landscape. You will be stunned by the extraordinary craftsmanship of Mother Nature who managed to delicately shape these magnificent rocks. All the rocks have been labelled different names depending on their shape. For example, here exists Mushroom Rock, Ginger Rock, Fairy’s Shoe and the famous candle shaped rock. On top of that, try to find the famous Queen’s Head - a rock in the shape of the queen’s head.

Enjoy the sunshine and the ocean in Kenting (墾丁), but be careful not to get sun burned!

Amazing outdoor sports activities like surfing and scuba diving will keep water enthusiasts and adrenaline-seekers smiling from ear to ear, while beautiful trails through gorgeous wildlife habitats will delight nature-lovers and families; there’s an activity for everyone at Kenting.

To really escape the hustle and bustle of metropolitan areas, head to the east of Taiwan. There is no denying that the east coast boasts a vast, sparsely populated coastline of beauty. Taroko Gorge (太 魯閣) in Hualien (花蓮) boasts gorgeous natural views that cannot be replicated elsewhere. The spectacular, dramatic cliffs of marble, deep-green forests, deep canyons, wild waterfalls and rapids are simply awe-inspiring.

Hualien is also the home to Amis, the biggest tribe in Taiwan. If you are lucky enough, you may be able to spot them!

A Postcard From... Pisa Travel Writer @ginospoc

When the evening sky is brushed with shades of peach and apricot, Pisa's prettiest strut down the Corso Italia in a release of passion. The daily ‘Passeggiata’ turns the town’s cobbled streets into a modern-day catwalk, for the grandest social event of the day.

So despite grand piazzas built on the fortunes of a history as a maritime republic – Pisa is a 'piccolo' city, where medieval Medicis and unifying Manzonis have lane foundations.

Cornettis and cannolis hide like jewels - crafted by the recipes of Tuscan Nonnas. So at Salza there's a chorus of 'un caffe' and the chatter of leaning towers. No

"...treat yourself to a hot spring in Beitou or Jaioxi..."

Taiwanese architecture is another massive draw to the country. Besides the well-known Taipei 101, there are many other aweinspiring architectural wonders.

Luce Memorial Chapel (路思義 教堂) in Taichung is a masterpiece designed by a noted architect Pei Ieoh-Ming. Alternatively, visit National Taichung Theater the first in the world to comprise an entirely beamless design with irregular curved walls.

Taiwan is a small but amazing island, and there is plenty to do, see and eat here. Buy a plane ticket, get your stomach ready, and let Taiwanese people warm you up this winter. But be prepared to be wowed by this wonderland!

Photograph by Wu Chan Hsu

Photograph by Sally Chu

Gino Spocchia

As a geologically active island, Taiwan is one of the top destinations in the world for hot springs.

Taiwan boasts the highest concentration and greatest variety of hot springs in the world. So treat yourself to a hot spring in Beitou (北投) or Jiaoxi (礁溪). While Taiwanese hot springs are wellknown, you may not have heard of a cold spring. The water in Su-ao (蘇澳) cold spring contains the highest carbon concentration of all the natural springs in Taiwan, and the only other cold spring of this type is in Italy.

wonder they called it the 'field of miracles', where the whitest marble illuminates the greenery that surrounds everyone's favourite architectural hiccup.

Whilst the tower is safe, be aware of the tourist tat and skip the traps of unauthentic eateries for the handiwork of Il Matino; from a non-stop furnace comes hot margaritas into the hands of the hungry. Go on to uncover gluten free gelato, golden arancini, and the gooiest pesto gnocchi in existence.

New worlds explode in the fruits and flowers of the botanical garden – under the care of Pisa’s University, and the oldest garden in Europe. Then stop at the ‘royal palace’ to ponder over Galileo’s planet discovery in the company of the Duke of Tuscany.

There's €1 key-rings and Papa

Francesco fridge-magnets if you desire, but also free art and fullon decor dressing the walls of the Palazzo Blue. You will find Pisa’s escape from the Plague of the 15th Century dramatised in the interior of the ancient church, San Nicola.

"The daily 'Passeggiata' turns the town's cobbled streets into a modern-day catwalk."

Students liven up the night and live on a liberal attitude.

Hence the bountiful buffets of

Aperitivo-hour at Bazeel, whilst students come together to relax on the banks of the River Arno.

There are undoubtedly 21st Century Michelangelos amongst them, for certain.

But, it’s at no. 71, on the Via Mazzini, that is the source of Italy’s existence. Refurbished after WWII bombardment, the house of Giuseppe Mazzini tells the story of the Risorgimento that bought Italy’s regions together in 1871. Artifacts and photographs bring the socio-political movement to life.

Across the Ponte di Messo Bridge, in the shadow of the moon, the Piazza XX shines in violet lights, setting the stage for golden trumpets that erupt with Fratelli d'Italia – the national anthem - and a gigantic 'Si!' (Yes!).

Photograph by Wu Chan Hsu

TRAVEL

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbricktravel

21

Cheap Trips: A Sunny Break in Skala Travel writer Sophie gives us her best tips on how to budget a getaway trip to Skala Sophie Woodley Travel Writer @sophiewoodley

When we think of Greek Islands, Kefalonia doesn’t seem to spring to mind, like Crete or Corfu.

However, it is regarded as one of the most beautiful and historically renowned islands in Greece. With a population of just under 40,000, and located in the Ionian Sea, Kefalonia is certainly a desirable destination for a short break. In particular, Skala - a small, picturesque village situated on the East Coast. Skala may not be the ideal destination for those seeking a boozy few days away, but it is certainly worth the trip. The endless beautiful beaches, historic landmarks, and the array of Tavernas, are renowned features of Skala, making it one of the most desired Greek islands to visit for holiday lovers. Although Skala is one of the smallest villages in Kefalonia, which may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it is a relatively short distance away from the main town, Argastoli.

Therefore, the choice is yours when it comes to deciding if you want a jam packed day full of shopping and partying, or if you’d prefer a more relaxed day on the beach and visiting Skala’s landmarks.

"... a desirable destination for a short break..."

Transport: When visiting an area like Kefalonia, with plenty to do, it’s recommended that you purchase a package holiday. This may seem off-putting at first, however, it’s the best way forward to get most out of your visit. Travelling in late July, to early August, is the peak season, so prices are expected to

be much higher than those in June, for example. If you visit in June, with the Thomas Cook travel package, the total comes to £275. This includes 7 nights, and a flight to and from Kefalonia International Airport. The package also involves a Thomas Cook representative who will help you travel around the island, if you wish to do so. For instance, a coach trip is run, which provides transport to the main sight seeing landmarks in Kefalonia.

This option, is of course, not comp u l s o r y .

However, the choice is certainly there for those who wish to travel outside Skala.

biking. However, regular buses run from Skala to Agastoli, (which is the most desired town to visit outside of Skala) for €3. So, your options are certainly not limited if you are interested in discovering other alluring locations within Kefalonia.

Accommodation: As mentioned previously, the most popular time of year to visit Skala is in July/August.

Therefore, it’s recommended to visit in May, June or September.

If you choose to book a travel packa g e w i t h

Within Thomas Skala itself, Cook for not much example, transport is the accomrequired. Due modation is Photograph by Sophie Woodley to the fact that situated in a the village is relafamily-run set tively small and of apartments enclosed, everything is known as ‘Poseidon’. within walking distance. This can This term relates to the Greek therefore provide an enticing “God of the Sea”, deriving from opportunity if you wish to walk old Greek Mythology - this along the renowned Skala beach couldn’t be a more perfect destion your way to dinner, overlook- nation for beach lovers. Situated ing the stunning sunset. The cob- just a 5 minute walk away from blestone paths and traditional Skala beach, this set of apartGreek houses provide a beautiful ments is in the perfect location. scene to admire as you explore the Despite the walk up the cobble wonders of Skala. Yet, for those stoned hill on a hot day, this of you who may like to delve accommodation is perfect for deeper into Skala, and its out- those who are on a budget. skirts, many bike and moped hire ‘Poseidon’ apartments are selfcompanies are available. The catered, and run by a Greek famaverage price to hire a moped is ily. Therefore, the environment of roughly €30 for up to 3/4 days. this accommodation is just right, It’s worth noting that the certainly as you feel settled from the warm less reliable, windy roads in Skala welcomes you receive as soon as and throughout the rest of you arrive. There are an array of Kefalonia, are hazards to those people who choose to stay in who do not have experience with Skala, ranging from students, to

the romantic elderly couples on a getaway break. Consequently, the ambiance within any accommodation you stay in, will vary.

However, considering Skala isn’t the place to go for those who are looking for an all-nighter orientated holiday, you can expect a relatively peaceful and relaxed atmosphere, wherever you go. A reliable review site - ‘booking. com’, has depicted these particular apartments as a delightful and pleasurable place to stay during your visit. Perhaps, the room’s balcony with a sea view is the cherry on the cake.

"...an array of people choose to stay in Skala..."

Spending money: On holiday, we all get the urge to splash the cash on things we know are completely useless, like plastic key rings which we know will break within weeks. For those of you who have the urge to do so, Skala is quite frankly the perfect place to go. Amongst the everlasting list of Tavernas, Skala is packed with small gift shops and tourist attractions. However, you won’t want to spend all of your money here, as there are plenty other things to do, throughout the day and in the evening. In relation to the Thomas Cook package, a trip is organised round the whole island, visiting sights such as the Mellisani Lake and the Caves of Drogarati. Although you can still do this if you do not opt for the package holiday, it will be considerably more expensive. This particular trip costs between €30 to €40, so you’ll certainly get your money’s worth considering how renowned these sights are. The Lake offers a mixture of sea and sweet water, offering clear blue waters as it’s reflected upon by

the sun; certainly an Instagram worthy site. Similarly, the Caves of Drogarati are an “impressive wonder of the world”, and are Kefalonia’s most famous and ancient spectacle. As the Caves date back to 150 million years ago, you wouldn’t want to miss this trip.

There are clearly things to do to keep you occupied during the day, similarly at night time, the selection of tavernas and bars are also highly likely to draw you in.

One bar in particular, known as ‘The Captain’s Bar’, is what Skala is famously known for. Not only is this due to the fact that celebrity Simon Pegg has been back on a number of occasions to visit, but also the cocktails will simply blow you away. Ranging from small to enormous and plain to sparkly, there isn’t something that won’t take your fancy. The average price for a cocktail here is €7, which is worth it when the bar tender offers free shots throughout the night.

Although there are clearly Captions go inways the corner of pictures numerous to spend your shouldn't hyphenated moneyandwhilst in beSkala, if you choose to stay in some of the apartments, such as those of ‘Poseidon’, you also have to budget to self accommodate. This is relatively simple, as there is a cheap supermarket just opposite ‘Poseidon’, as well as a luxurious bakery, if you feel like something different for breakfast one morning. Yet, if self accommodating is something which you don’t want to have to worry about budgeting for, then there are other places in Skala which offer all inclusive meals. However, this will be inevitably more expensive, and possibly not worth your money, considering how many wonderful Greek tavernas there are, which cannot be missed.

Overall, Skala may not be every student’s perfect destination, but it is certainly worth the visit. The hidden gems and stunning beaches will take you by surprise.

Top 3: U.S. Cities Hugh Thomas Travel Writer @hugh_tho

The United States, if Michael Moore, many non-Americans and countless political analysts are to be believed, is about to hurl itself, headfirst, down an immense helter-skelter of fuck-uppery. Our young cousins have entered a sort of puberty, characterised by vicious mood swings, existential dread and unsightly hair.

Uncertainty is the order of the day, and as for what’s on offer next, we can only speculate. As such, there’s a newfound urgency to American travel. Time is running out for you to experience the United States of America, in all her great, pre- ‘great again’ splendor.

1. San Francisco Los Angeles’ sister city, and costal hub of the Californian image, is so much more than a bridge and a prison. Aesthetically, this is a pleasing city to gaze at from your vintage tram car. There is much to be done, and much on offer. Visit the selection of gardens this beautiful city has to offer, lose yourself in its many fascinting museums and art galleries, and tickle your tastebuds on a trip to its famous winaries. Despite all San Francisco has to offer, on a sunny day, you’d be absolutely content with doing nothing at all. Eccentric architecture, unbridled street art, and rolling rural features pander to the raging hipster. A perfect day in San Francisco is one spent roaming the bay area. Grab a hotdog from Torpedo Wharf and ‘do’ the Golden Gate Bridge thing, before rambling your way towards Fisherman’s wharf for a quality sea-front dinner and quirky shopping experience at Pier 39.

2. Las Vegas

3. Washington DC

Put simply, Las Vegas is the epicentre of all American stereotypes. A ludicrous place of incredible proportions, Vegas spouts complete, unadulterated weirdness from its street performers to its themed hotels. Having quenched the thirst of your inner hipster in San Francisco, indulge your outer sinner. That being said, you needn’t be reckless to make good of your time in this desert paradise. A small budget stretches far. Gamble in the most famous of casinos, see the unforgetable watershow, and live, eat, and drink like a king for mere pennies.

The White House, Capitol Building and Pentagon are the obvious and unmissable lures of the U.S. capital. But, what few realise, is that all three can be toured by tourists. Further afield, Arlington National Cemetery, a site of immense proportions, is a sombre way to cap off an American vacation. The final resting place for over 350,000 war-fallen, presidents of years gone - including William Taft and John F. Kennedy – and many more notable figures, Arlington, and its spectacular panoramas of the capital below, showcase the very best of America.

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MUSIC

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbrickmusic

Live Review: PJ Harvey Letty Gardner Music Critic

Stepping onto the Starworks stage in a theatrical procession to a steady and eerie drum beat, Polly Jean Harvey is surrounded by her ten man band and in the middle of it all looks very small. But when the procession ends and the musicians take their place, she unabashedly becomes the central focus, commanding the audience as

"Harvey has been doing this for years; she has perfected her craft." well as the stage. Harvey has been doing this for years; she has perfected her craft, and at Wolverhampton’s Starworks Warehouse she gave a powerful and beautiful performance.

With a music career span-

ning almost thirty years, Harvey has a lot of material to choose from for her live shows, yet she made up a lot of her performance with her most recent work from her 2016 record The Hope Six Demolition Project and 2011’s Let England Shake.

The songs of her newest album, such as ‘The Community of Hope’ and ‘The Ministry of Defence’ , rely on the musicality of her heavily rehearsed band rather than just Harvey herself, and because of this, this was one of the best sounding gigs I’ve ever been to, with neither Harvey nor her band ever being a step out of time or missing a note.

Harvey was surrounded by incredibly talented musicians, proved to the audience when her guitarist gave an enthralling saxophone solo lasting an entire track,

and

then some.

Harvey no longer performs as a solo artist, with the band holding an almost equal spotlight. There were moments in the gig, however, when the band would step back and allow her to take the focus and perform some of her older songs. A truly sublime performance of ‘When Under Ether’ saw Harvey drenched in cool white light, gazing out at the audience and singing perfectly through the slow, mesmerising track. A few drum beats into ’50 Ft Queenie’ and the audience grew very excited, as this saw the gig take a change of pace, returning t o H a r v e y ’s energetic rock of the 90s.

Other animated moments were the performances of ‘Down By the River’ and ‘Bring

You My Love’, where Harvey returned to her earlier, deeper, haunting singing voice, away from her recent development of singing in a sweet, angelic, high-pitched voice. Starworks Warehouse was an incredible

"Harvey no longer performs as a solo artist, with the band holding an almost equal spotlight." venue, with a vast stage and lots of space. Its main arena had an outdoors festival feel, and the industrial sense of the venue made it a fantastic place for a concert.

Overall this gig was the most accomplished performance I’ve seen, in an incredible venue to a truly loyal crowd. This evening presented PJ Harvey as what she is: a perfectly rehearsed star and unforgettable performer.

Single Review: Metallica - Atlas, Rise!

Nicholas Burton Music Critic @Nic_the_Thinker

Metallica’s third single off their upcoming tenth album is a track full of classic Metallica riffs, with an inspirational chorus and instrumental that silences any doubts fans might have about the upcoming album and whether it’ll live up to Metallica’s legacy. It’s safe to say that only excitement should be felt for Hardwired...to Self-Destruct after the release of ‘Atlas, Rise!’

Similar to the length of their previous single ‘Moth into Flame’, ‘Atlas Rise!’ stands at a solid six and a half minutes running time.

With a classic lengthy riff-based intro the track already sounds like

Single Review: DAME Runaway Greg Woodin Music Editor @greg_woodin

This past weekend, DAME released their eponymous debut EP, performing to a sell-out crowd at the Sunflower Lounge.

Led by frontwoman Shannon Farmer, DAME’s charming indie pop sound is epitomised by lead single ‘Runaway’, which should whet listeners’ appetites nicely for the EP. Three staccato stabs of bass and kick drum signal the start of the song, sounding vaguely like a slowed down version of ‘Mansard Roof’ by Vampire

Weekend. Farmer’s vocals soon enter, dueting with some icy synth courtesy of keyboardist Dan Williams. The verses of the song showcase a spacious, ethereal instrumental, complete with atmospheric, London Grammaresque palm muted guitar, and a sombre pre-chorus suitably builds up to the song’s main event.

Following an enthusiastic snare hit ‘Runaway’ dives straight into The 1975 territory for a chorus complete with sunny guitar, shuffling rhythms and simple, catchy lyrics: ‘Cos I’ll be running away / I’ll be running away’. A melancholy mood weaves itself way through the song, felt in the mournful guitar that moans in vibrato over the song’s second verse and outro, but there is still a

sense of optimism left intact that seems to triumph over the sadness by the song’s end.

Overall, ‘Runaway’ is a pleasant listen with some impressively polished production that perfectly captures the band’s live sound. As lead vocalist, Farmer is compelling, delivering her melodies with bags of charisma and an appreciation of subtlety. With a full band now sharing the spotlight with her, she has gained the extra dimension to her sound that she arguably needed as a lone singersongwriter. Together, DAME have the talent to take their craft beyond Birmingham to the rest of the UK.

Metallica even before you hear Hetfield roaring into your ears, his voice sounding the best it has in years.

"The energy and effort Metallica are putting into this upcoming album is showing" The track moves at a steady pace before we’re exposed to an awesome pre-chorus that builds up the right amount of excitement for the best chorus off the new album yet - a powerful, uplifting chorus where the lyrics and riffs cohere beautifully. The combination gives the track a height similar to that of

Metallica’s legacy, at which point you can’t help but wonder if this is the best track off Hardwired.

Ultimately we will have to wait until 18th November before we can state such a claim, but rest assured Metallica fans, the band are creating music which they believe in, and which they’re trying to make as great as possible. The energy and effort Metallica are putting into this upcoming album is showing with each new single, and ‘Atlas, Rise!’ is no exception.

If you’re a fan of Metallica, or even just music, I’d recommend giving this new release a listen. It might convince you to purchase the upcoming album. For those who were already convinced, it will give your decision solid ground to stand on. A great Metallica single. I can’t wait for the album.

MUSIC

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbrickmusic

Live Review: Justin Bieber Natasha Afxentiou Music Critic @NatashaAfx_

Since entering the spotlight, Justin Bieber has never failed to create an impact, and his recent visit to Birmingham’s Barclaycard arena for the UK leg of his worldwide Purpose Tour was no exception.

As well as undeniable excitement, there was almost a sense of apprehension among the crowd before the show began. This may have been because Bieber had hit the headlines on the morning of the show for complaining to fans during his previous Birmingham performance about their ‘obnoxious’ screaming. Needless to say this created controversy and confusion, making it a common topic of conversation amongst fans waiting in the endless queues outside the arena.

floor was a sea of people as the live band began to play, sending vibrations through everyone’s feet.

All the biggest hits from the Purpose album were featured in the set. Justin began with ‘Mark My Words’ during which he was encased in a glass cube and elevated above the stage, catching everyone’s full attention. Some classic Bieber throwbacks such as ‘Baby’ and ‘Boyfriend’ were also included in the set which, unsurprisingly, the crowd went wild for. Most of the show was upbeat

and electric; however an acoustic segment found Bieber sitting on a red sofa in the centre of the stage.

Accompanied by a single spotlight, his guitar and an echo of voices from the crowd, Justin got to show off his vocals in stripped down versions of ‘Cold Water’ and ‘Love Yourself.’ This segment added a sense of intimacy to the show which can be hard to achieve in an arena of thousands of people.

Alongside the expected singing and dancing, there was a

number of surprises throughout the night including Bieber’s impressive drum solo which lasted several minutes. Child dancers also took to the stage, adding charm to Justin’s performance of ‘Children’.

Once we were out of the cold, the opening acts, Mic Lowry and The Knocks, created a buzzing atmosphere, but there was no mistaking when the main man himself was taking the stage. Any apprehension which may have been present was lifted, and excitement took over as the arena was shaken by screams as Justin dramatically emerged from beneath the stage surrounded by striking strobe lighting. Not an empty seat was in sight and the

Leonard Cohen Top 10 Songs

"One of the most visually impressive and exciting gigs I’ve been to" Overall, the show was one of the most visually impressive and exciting gigs I’ve been to.

Creative graphics, effective use of lighting, and a floating trampoline above the crowd during ‘Company,’ where Bieber and his dancers had fun back-flipping, kept the audience constantly engaged. There was always something to be in awe of during the performance. Incredibly talented dancers often filled the stage and brought the songs to life with impressive choreography. Their infectious stage presence kept the show alive and complimented Justin perfectly.

Everyone was feeding off the energy transmitted from the stage, which sustained an exciting atmosphere throughout the night.

Even though people tend to have varying opinions on Justin Bieber, and despite the controversy that sometimes surrounds him in the press, one thing you wouldn’t be able to deny after attending one of his concerts is that he is a great performer and knows how to put on an unforgettable show.

"Excitement took over as the arena was shaken by screams"

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1. Suzanne 2. First We Take Manhattan 3. So Long, Marianne 4. Bird on the Wire 5. Is This What You Wanted?

6. Stranger Song 7. Jazz Places 8. Tower of Song 9. Hey, That's No Way to Say Goobye 10. Hallelujah

Live Review: Kanye Fest Conrad Duncan Digital Editor @conradduncan1

‘If Kanye West plays in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?’ Anonymous It’s midnight. A man unceremoniously hands you a cardboard cut-out of Kanye West’s face, your ‘free Kanye merch’ for the evening, as you enter the ambiguous bar-club of the Velvet Music Rooms.

In one corner of the room, two men wearing heavy metal t-shirts play pool and awkwardly sway to the music, in the other a sparse group of around twenty people attempt to muster some enthusiasm for the sounds of Mr West’s ‘Heartless’. This is Kanye Fest: a travelling club night dedicated to all things West, and it promises to bring forth the slow unravelling of your soul.

But, before we get to the end, it seems only right that we should

start at the beginning - when your housemate Joel says that there’s a night dedicated to Kanye coming up and we should all go. Joel says that it’ll be a laugh and he’s already heard that some of his friends are interested. Joel also says that he’s seen pictures from other events and it looks popular.

Joel says he going to buy you all tickets. Joel even reassures you on the night that it won’t be awful. Joel is wrong. But Joel can’t admit that until it’s over. He has no other choice but to try to make this work and you have no other choice either.

But, I hear you ask, is there any fun at all to be had at Kanye Fest? Well, I would be lying if I said, categorically, no. So first, we should get all the stuff that worked out of the way before we continue 1: All the Kanye tracks: this was an obvious victory because, for all his sins, you can’t really

escape the fact that Mr. West has bangers to spare and I’m not going to hear Keri Hilson’s ‘Knock You Down’ in a club at any other time this year. That fact is a crying shame and I thank Kanye Fest for rectifying it.

2: The guy who came all the way from Warwick: this man is a hero and an idiot in equal measure and his attendance is surely the most chilling indictment of Warwick’s club scene imaginable.

If more people had this level of commitment to ‘the number one rockstar on the planet’ then maybe we wouldn’t have gotten into this horrible mess.

3: Nothing else.

By the end of the night it’s really quite hard to know who we should feel sorrier for here. Is it us - the foolish punters who have been stripped of our valuable money and time? Or the DJ - who must have dreamt up this moment as a child, imagining the crowd going wild as he gracefully mixes ‘Power’ into ‘Gold Digger’?

When things are finally brought to a close at the underwhelmingly early time of two in the morning, the atmosphere in the room is understandably mixed.

Of course, it’s always disappointing for a night to end so early but honestly, asking the man to go on under those condition would be

an act of cruelty. No one needed to see him suffer anymore.

Nevertheless, progress often comes from failure and we should not see Kanye Fest 2016 as a wasted opportunity. What can we learn from this abject and almost biblical disaster? It was an idea that came with a pure heart, asking the people of Birmingham to celebrate the work of rap’s greatest egomaniac in a friendly, welcoming environment. Whether you were a

"In fact, there was loads of room because no one bothered to turn up."

Yeezy fan from day one or just so happened to like that one about Paris that you’re not allowed to say the title of, there was room for everyone at Kanye Fest. In fact, there was loads of room because no one bothered to turn up. And was it really the fault of the makers of Kanye Fest that the event was so poorly attended? They gave us the chance to enjoy a night of

G.O.O.D. Music and some of the blame surely has to lie with the people of Birmingham for its failure. Are we simply not cool enough for a whole night of ‘Ye? Or are we foolish enough to believe that we’re in fact too cool for him? Would such a disaster have happened in Manchester or Leeds? Heck, have we even got to the point now where a Drake Fest would have been more popular?

Fair reader, if I was smart enough to know the answers to these questions, I probably wouldn’t have ended up at Kanye Fest 2016.

Yet, part of me is glad I did because as much as we all enjoy a traditionally successful night out, it is often seemingly irredeemable fuck-ups like this - those nights that feel like an episode of Peep Show with the jokes taken out that live longest in our memory.

Like all trauma, Kanye Fest will stay with me forever and I must learn to live with it, but we shouldn’t ever say that it was a complete waste of our time. At the very least, we now know what rock bottom looks like. It’s covered in cardboard cut-outs of Kanye West’s face.

Read the full article online!

CULTURE

24

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbrickculture

Review: Matilda Cambridge Theatre, London's West End

Imogen Tink

Tasha Smart

Culture Editor @imogentink

‘Had Elizabeth’s opinion been all drawn from her own family, she could not have formed a very pleasing picture of conjugal felicity or domestic comfort.’ Thus Jane Austen captures perfectly the domestic chaos and hilarity symbolised by one of her better known fictional families, the Bennets. A tale particularly close to my heart, having studied it for my dissertation, I leapt at the chance to see Austen’s Pride and Prejudice on the stage at the Birmingham REP.

"A journey of synth orchestra, power ballads, and strong scouser accents"…

Tasha Smart Culture Critic

Number of words

‘The first half page's is great, about a in this small girl who can move things with her eyes and about a terrible headmistress who lifts small children up by their hair and hangs them out of upstairs windows by one ear. But I’ve got now to think of a really decent second half.’ – Roald Dahl ‘86 In going to see Matilda at The Cambridge Theatre in London, I couldn’t help but be taken back to my childhood. Having been a fan of both the book and the film, I had high hopes, but was honestly unable to see how it could undergo a transformation into a musical. Roald Dahl does not disappoint with a tale full of the weird, the wonderful, and the downright unnerving, and this production lived up to its legacy.

"Roald Dahl does not disappoint with a tale full of the weird, the wonderful, and the downright unnerving..."

The set reflected the wacky world of Dahl’s, with its bright colours and disjointed quality, and the bookish theme was illustrated through words, alluding to the story, being written all around.

The characters themselves looked like they’d jumped from the pages – none more so than Mr and Mrs Wormwood. Dressed in neon clothing with strange patterns, and with even stranger hair, they brought Dahl’s creations to life.

My favourite character creation though had to be Miss Trunchball. The creators had a stroke of genius here, casting a man to play her. This gave her an imposing figure, of at least 6 foot, and meant she towered over everyone else on stage. This aided in her appearing as the archetypal villain and meant some moments, of her shouting at the children,

Review: Pride and Prejudice at the Birmingham REP

were actually quite terrifying for us in the audience. In saying this however, she is probably also the character to have elicited the most laughter. In making no attempt to feminise her, except for the edition of a ginormous chest, this meant that when she broke into song and dance it was not only ludicrous but also absolutely surreal.

Little Matilda must also be mentioned, in how impressive this child actor was. Forceful in her acting and with an angelic voice, she suited the role perfectly. The play didn’t skirt over the tragedy that is Matilda’s young life, and this emotion was channelled through the actress. Beginning with a rendition of ‘My Mummy Says I’m a Miracle’ (a song I’m sure will be stuck in my head for weeks), we see Matilda cut through it with what her own parents say she is, something the polar opposite to the other children’s experience. This more sorrowful undertone permeated the play, and it was only Matilda’s sheer resilience and the more upbeat numbers that prevented it from being a lot darker and a lot sadder.

Though the songs did vary in tone, they tended to always come back to a more up-tempo fun rhythm. The theatricality included in each musical number meant everyone was enjoying themselves, and sat alongside the costumes and set they formed complete cohesion.

The fun and childish theme, which came through in these, was further aided by the perfect reenactment of the fantastical elements of Matilda. Matilda’s magic is of course featured, and allows her to enact revenge on her evil headmistress in the form of a haunted chalkboard. Not to mention the unbelievable moment of a girl being hammer-thrown by her own pigtails, somehow successfully recreated in a theatre.

All in all, Matilda was excellent in production. Going into the performance unsure of what it would be, I was astounded by how enjoyable it was. The musical numbers had everyone engaged and enjoying it. The actors were amazing, and truly brought Roald Dahl’s work to life.

"Jane Austen has been captivating audiences and making us laugh for 200 years" It’s often difficult to adapt a much-loved novel, and in turn a much-loved television series– Colin Firth and his white shirt will be forever etched into my memory – and produce something both original and entertaining. Yet the acclaimed Regent’s Park Theatre production presents a fresh and lively adaptation of Austen’s classic, with each cast member making these much performed characters their own.

Tafline Steen portrayed a very articulate, yet tender and adolescent Elizabeth Bennet, just as Benjamin Dilloway was a haughty yet vulnerable Mr Darcy, both providing excellent depictions of Austen’s iconic romantic couple.

Their long-awaited kiss actually elicited a gasp from an audience member. The supporting cast, in the form of the Bennet sisters, Mr Bingley and a hilarious turn from Steven Meo as Mr Collins, Johan Persson

amongst others, provided an atmospheric backdrop to the yarn being spun.

However, it was Felicity Montagu’s explosive Mrs Bennet and Matthew Kelly’s much beleaguered Mr Bennet who shone, as they made Austen’s immortal lines their own. Particularly pertinent, I thought, was the placement of the first and last lines of the play in the hands of Mrs Bennet: ‘It is truthfully acknowledged that a single man in possession of good fortune must be in want of a wife’. Never did a sentence sum up one woman’s daily struggle as this does for Mrs Bennet. With five daughters to marry off quite literally for their own good, it is no wonder that their marriages dominate almost her every thought. Montagu captures perfectly both Mrs Bennet’s desperation and satisfaction she feels surrounding her daughters’ impending nuptials, all at once showing both her ridiculousness and her love for her children. Family is a prevalent theme in all of Austen’s novels. In Pride and Prejudice it is what drives Mrs Bennet to behave as she does; it also forms a strong bond between Lizzy and her sisters, and provides some of the most touching scenes throughout the play. Yet it also provokes one of the fewer, more serious moments; Lydia Bennet’s abhorrent treatment of her family, in eloping with Mr Wickham and her subsequent behaviour, results in her father’s rejection. It was only a passing moment, yet Matthew Kelly and Mari Izzard’s portrayal of a father rejecting his errant daughter briefly cuts through the comedy like a knife.

Not only was the performance of the company impeccable, but Max Jones’ set design enabled an elegant fluidity between scene transitions, creating a very stylised production. The rotating stage signified not only a transformation in scene, but time passing and the seasons changing, as the

events of Austen’s novel march on. The set itself allowed all members of the cast to be seen on stage, regardless of whether they were the focal point of the scene or not; this helped replicate the sense in Austen’s novels of the constant presence and observations of others, which is after all where Austen found much of her inspiration for her writing. It also heightened the comedy immensely, as we witnessed not only the statements of the unwitting characters, but also the amusing reactions of their eaves-droppers. In turn Tom Piper’s traditional costume design and Lillian Henley’s delicate musical score each contributed to the utter submerging of the audience into Jane Austen’s world.

"... the acclaimed Regent’s Park Theatre production presents a fresh and lively adaptation of Austen’s classic..."

As much as I enjoyed this evening’s performance, and I can assure you I truly did, it is not only a credit to Regent's Park Theatre, but a testament to the talent of Jane Austen herself. She has been captivating audiences and making us laugh for 200 years. As Lizzy Bennet herself says, "Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can". In a world where everyone takes themselves a little too seriously, let’s accept some advice from Jane and laugh at ourselves, and at each other! It might diffuse the tension and make life a little more bearable.

CULTURE

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbrickculture

25

Redbrick Meets: Iona Donnelly and Eve Laycock Ruth Horsburgh Culture Critic

In anticipation of reviewing ARTE’s production of Made in Dagenham later on this month, I was able to interview the leading lady, Iona Donnelly, and director, Eve Laycock, about what promises to be an enjoyable student production.

Firstly, tell me about ARTE as a society.

ARTE is a performing arts society that is part of ‘medsoc’ (The Birmingham Medical Society - a group of societies open to anyone who is part of the College of Medical and Dental sciences). We put on two shows every year, a musical in the first term and a play in the second. People in the College of Medical and Dental Sciences can get involved by auditioning to be in the cast, band, production team or tech team.

The name ARTE was picked 23 years ago by a group of students who started the society as a joke and I’m not entirely sure what it stands for exactly, but I do know it’s not PC! Since then the society has become increasingly serious, with improvements being made every year, as new people

with fresh ideas and talents join us.

are very dedicated prop and set builders who have been working hard to create the illusion of a car factory all on a student budget!'

A dispute at a car plant is not necessarily the most obvious choice for the set- Have you ever performed ting of a musical! What is in a musical before?

Made In Dagenham about?

Iona: 'Yes, I have performed in Eve: 'Made In Dagenham is a musical based on a true story about the women factory workers who worked in the Ford car factory in Dagenham, Essex in 1968.

It follows the group of women, led by Rita O’Grady (played by Iona) who make the brave decision to go on strike in order get equal pay with the men who also work at the factory. We follow the fight for equal pay from many perspectives including, the prime minister at the time, Harold Wilson, the American Director or Ford, the factory managers and of course the women themselves!

This moving and poignant musical is also bursting with comedy and intertwined with 17 show stopping numbers. Adults of all ages will really enjoy it.

'The many different settings in this musical has made staging and scenery quite a challenge! I have tried to be as creative as possible in order to display the many different locations. Some of the cast

many shows. My first experience of performing was when I played the title role in my primary school nativity of “The Grumpy Sheep” in which I had to stomp around the stage saying “Bah Humbug”.

Since then, I have taken part in many church pantomimes and other school shows. My favourite role was playing Velma Von Tussle in “Hairspray”. I also got the opportunity to perform in an off West End production of “Annie” at the age of 15 when I was a finalist in a singing competition. At university, I have taken part in all of the musicals performed by ARTE, most recently playing Mrs Sherman in “Fame” and I also took part in last year’s play “Noises Off” playing Dotty/ Mrs Clackett.'

How is balancing student work/stress with rehearsals going?

Iona: 'The musical does require a lot of dedication and time. We

started rehearsing in September and we have been rehearsing 3 times a week since then. Most recently we have been using the weekends as well (spending almost 20 hours rehearsing last weekend). But luckily Eve is the most enthusiastic and positive person and she creates such an amazing atmosphere in rehearsals. The cast, band and tech team are all really lovely, so even though it is hard work, it is also a lot of fun!'

charity special to one of the ARTE member's heart as it was the favourite charity of their grandparents, who both passed away this year. Raising money for the Edhi foundation is ARTE's way of honouring their memory and supporting that ARTE member.

The charity is devoted to helping those in need in Pakistan, where almost half the population lives below the poverty line. It provides the most reliable Pakistani ambulance service, shelter and education for orphans, emergency relief after natural disasters and acts of terrorism, and so much more to help people in their time of need.'

A great element about this production is that all the proceeds are going to charity, the Alzheimer's Society and the Edhi Foundation.

Why have these two par- Finally, why should people ticular charities been cho- come and see the show? sen?

Iona: 'With regard to the Alzheimer's Society, the number of people with dementia is steadily increasing and most people will probably know somebody that suffers from it. Therefore, it is a charity very close to a lot of our members’ hearts. It is an unforgiving disease. The charity provides support for families as well as research into a cure. A very worthwhile cause that needs as much support as it can get!

'The Edhi Foundation is a

People should come and see the show because it will be a great night full of hilarious jokes, amazing 60's music but also a beautiful and empowering story about women’s rights. Plus, all the proceeds go to charity!

ARTE will be performing 'Made in Dagenham' from Wednesday 23rd November - Saturday 26th November

Review: The Welsh National Opera presents The Merchant of Venice Will Gillingham Culture Critic

André Tchaikowsky’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, as performed by the Welsh National Opera, is a twentieth century realisation of the original, which twists the Bard’s prosaic lyricism into modern ideology and renders the culminating product as nothing short of a contemporary triumph.

The operatic play adorned the stage of the Hippodrome last night, on the Birmingham leg of its national tour. Under the skilful direction of conductor Lionel Friend, the curtain rose in accompaniment to a mellow orchestral symphony, which would go on to provide a magnificent complement to the opera throughout. At first light, we are introduced to the overarching plot which gives this reworking an additional layer to Shakespeare’s tale, as the eponymous Merchant lies on a chaise-longue under the eye of a psychotherapist, and begins to unravel the story of his homosexual, and unrequited, love for his friend and beneficiary, Bassanio.

Martin Wölfel, playing the Merchant Antonio, provides, with his soprano disposition, a sensitive aspect to the character which is otherwise unseen in Shakespeare’s original script. As we are opened into a minimal set, two large, cast-iron sets of drawers bookend an urban 1920’s financial setting, where we see Antonio as a recessive, coercible stockbroker, under the thumb of Shylock’s (Quentin Hayes) work-

place dominion. Antonio is reluctant to strike the infamous ‘pound of flesh’ bargain, and it is only his love for Bassanio (Mark Le Brocq) which causes him to go against his better judgement. As the act closes, an element of despair is introduced into the deal, where a desperate Antonio attempts to kiss Bassanio before he departs to pursue his heterosexual courtship of Portia. It is in this which we are made to understand the ambiguous despair which Antonio discusses at the opening of the play – it is not the fate of his ships which casts a shadow over his near-future, but rather his own undoing in facilitating the object of his love to leave him.

"... nothing short of a contemporary triumph..."

Act two opens into Belmont – a setting of 20’s rural Italy, featuring sun-kissed vines and deck chairs. Following the gravity of the opening act, the scene provides a cathartic comic-relief to the opera, as the several wooing ‘chest’ sections of the original are amalgamated into one. The delightful, and silent, depiction of the Prince of Aragon (Juliusz Kubiak) lollops brainlessly around the stage, while the Prince of Morocco (Wade Lewin) blows the door off the hopeless gold chest with dynamite. However, it is the exquisite vocal ability of Portia (Sarah Castle) which dominates the scene, ably embellished

by Nerissa (Verena Gunz). Their

assertive hand-offs and girlish advances of both each other, and their apt male counterparts Bassanio and Gratiano (David Stout), establish them directly as the superiors of the play, while around them the scene becomes one of sexual reverie in the 20’s summertime. It is they who dictate the men’s return to Venice, and it is from there that we are led into the climactic trial scene.

The original courtroom here is replaced by a white-walled cell, with only a handful of onlookers watching Antonio and Shylock facing up on opposite ends of a long table. The scene is an accurate, and moving, realisation of Shakespeare’s vision, with each onlooker turning to face away from Shylock (and the audience) as his core speech on the similarity of Jew and Christian unfolds.

Castle is once again central, commanding the room with a tempered, sombre (and yet evidently unlearned) argument for Antonio, her melodic range accentuating the scene in a way which the intended spoken speech otherwise wouldn’t.

At the close, it is the brief added epilogue which moves the audience to pre-eminent applause.

After reaching the generic end of the Shakespearian comedy, with all wrongs being righted, we return to the therapist leaning towards Antonio. In anguish, Antonio thrusts his head in his hands, before hurling his ring at the moon in despair. In a fell swoop, which lasts barely a minute, the formula of Shakespeare’s original is overturned to instead present a story of tragedy, which ingeniously entwines with Shakespeare’s

script without deviating. This operatic outing into the contentious, religiously charged world of Italy’s financial quarter boasts a flawless, multi-dimensional plot, which, if not seen to be entirely superseding the original, is at the very least a contemporary grounding in, and embrace

of, the current sociological climate, which will provide a new and intriguing perception to an already remarkable play. This is a sensational recreation, not to be missed.

Johan Persson

Johan Persson

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Friday 18th November 2016

@redbrickfilm

Review: Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them

Film editor George Griffiths was invited to the regional premiere of the Harry Potter spin-off to discover whether J.K Rowling’s Wizarding World is worth returning to George Griffiths Film Editor

There’s a familiar feeling to the start of Fantastic Beasts. We open amongst clouds, and as the titles swoop past us, a flurry of music bursts through. It’s music that people - including this reviewer - who grew up reading, watching and loving the Harry Potter franchise will remember all too well. And all of a sudden, Fantastic Beasts doesn't feel like the start of a new film franchise, it feels, for a fleeting moment, like you’re returning home.

It’s this kind of nostalgia that clearly inspired J.K Rowling to dust off her 120-page mocktextbook (written for Red Nose Day) and adapt it into what is now being called the start of a five-film long franchise. But the Wizarding World we arrive in at the start of Fantastic Beasts is not one that is familiar to us.

First of all, it’s the 1920s and we arrive in New York with Hogwarts drop-out Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne, dusting off his ‘quirky, loveable Englishman’ jacket) who brings with him a case filled to the brim with the titular fantastic beasts. Newt’s arrival is badtimed, the American Wizarding community is in crisis; a mysterious force is destroying the city and killing NoMaj’s (the American equivalent of a Muggle) and Scamander is, of course, embroiled in proceedings when the contents of his

case inevitably escape.

The first immediate point about Fantastic Beasts is that, like Philosopher’s Stone before it, it as an awful lot of worldbuilding to do to justify five films, so the majority of Rowling’s time - in her screenwriting debut - is spent introducing characters, concepts and plot points galore. Chief of her responsibilities is our new protagonist is Redmayne’s scatterbrained Scamander. And, let’s just put this to bed now, Newt Scamander is not Harry Potter.

For a start he isn’t some prophesied Chosen One with the weight of his world on his shoulders. In fact, he’s quite the opposite; he’s a reserved, former student of Hogwarts who was expelled for endangering student life who lives in the shadow of his w a r

h e r o b r o t h e r .

Redmayne starts the film slow,

avoiding eye contact and keeping himself to himself, before the events of the film demand him to step out of his shell to help solve the crisis.

The thing that struck me the most about Fantastic Beasts is that, actually, the titular beasts are a moot point, a smoke-screen to distract the audience from the real plot of the film. This is great, as Rowling does keep you on your toes with her (several) well-timed reveals throughout the films, but it does also render Newt’s beasts a bit pointless.

When the film shifts its focus back on them for a few fleeting set pieces, it feels like it’s something Rowling has to do and something that, really, has no bearing on the true plot of the film (which I won’t spoil here) at all.

For those expecting a return to the child-like whimsy of the first two Harry Potter films, Fantastic Beasts, on the surface at least, won’t disappoint. But what impressed the most was how Rowling and director David Yates stitched a dark shadow onto proceedings, with the distinct ominous hint that things are not as they seem in the Wizarding World. Indeed, these fleeting hints do have a large pay-off in the film’s last and most impressive twist - one that this reviewer didn’t even see coming.

Does it make sense? Not really, when you think about it.

But it got a collective gasp out of an entire audience, so that counts for something at least.

And it serves as a reminder that

Fantastic Beasts, whilst quite comfortably serving as its own stand-alone entity, is the first film in what everyone involved in the making of this movie clearly hopes will be a successful franchise.

"Rowling and director David Yates stitched a dark shadow onto proceedings" And ultimately, Rowling’s script mirrors this. Every character apart from Newt is not as well-drawn out as they could be.

They feel slightly hollow, which is a sentiment that could be extended to the film in general - a lot of fun, yes, gorgeous to look at, no doubt about it, but it’s so desperate to kickstart its own cinematic universe there’s not much beyond surface level.

Is there a Voldermort-esuqe villain for Newt and crew to battle? Well, not yet. Gellert Grindlewald (whom we were briefly introduced to in Deathly Hallows as Dumbledore’s archenemy and love interest) is clearly being built up as this franchise’s Big Bad, but before he’s introduced properly we have Samantha Morton (I forgot how much of an icy, intense cinematic presence she was) and her sadistic extremist Mary Lou, who wants to expose the

Wizarding World. Ezra Miller, who always manages to impress, sits in the shadows as Mary Lou’s adoptive son Credence, who hides a secret insider relationship to Colin Farrell’s authoritarian Auror, whose tasked with hunting down Newt and his animals, who he thinks is responsible for an array of city-wide destruction.

Is Fantastic Beasts the start of a glorious new franchise? For now, it seems so. Telling its own story whilst also managing to drop sparse hints of the destruction to come, Rowling and Yates, to their credit, have created a visually gorgeous and fully realised world here. Whilst its sentiments may be lacking in places - several developments clearly meant to be very emotional passed by without so much a flicker - you can’t fault the ambition clearly at work here.

VERDICT: Fans of the Harry Potter franchise will no doubt be enchanted with Fantastic Beasts, having been sledgehammered into submission by Rowling and the Hype Machine.

Sights are clearly being set on the future of the franchise before its even began, and thats to the film’s detriment but for the most part, it’s a whimsical and visually gorgeous return to a different kind of Wizarding World, and it’s all the better for it.

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Review: American Pastoral Does Ewan McGregor's adaptation of Philip Roth's acclaimed novel live up to its Pulitzerwinning source material?

Matthew Bruce Film Critic

Every so often a film comes along which tugs on the heartstrings so unexpectedly, to the point where the impact stays with you, long after you’ve left the auditorium.

American Pastoral is such a film, Ewan McGregor’s directorial debut, based on the Pulitzer P r i z e winning novel by P h i l i p Roth. The film tells of goodhearted

American businessman Seymour “Swede” Levov (McGregor) who marries a former beauty queen, Dawn (Jennifer Connelly), before settling down in the country and having a daughter, Merry. They seem the idyllic, wholesome American family, until Merry comes of age (the teenage Merry played by Dakota Fanning). Merry i s drawn to the harsh realities of racial violence and news of the Vietnam War in 1960s America and thus begins her insidious rebellion against pass i v e American society and her o w n comfortab l e ,

“middle-class” family, particularly her father. After Merry suddenly disappears and is accused of the bombing of a local post office, Levov begins his ceaseless quest to find her, putting himself in dan-

"This film is about the human condition" gerous and compromising situations as his eyes are opened to the society that is crumbling around him. The story is told retrospectively by Nathan Zuckerman (played by David Strathairn), one of Levov’s school mates, who acts as narrator via Levov’s surviving brother Jerry (Rupert Evans) at a high-school reunion in the mid1990s.

To an extent, the film is about the failure of the American dream and a country which is beset with inequality and problematic double

standards. The film’s release could not have been timelier or more poignant, with the recent election of Donald Trump as President, and the violence and divisions that his running has caused weighed against his dubious promise of making America great again. However, more than political, I feel that this film is about the human condition and our propensity for cruelty, often needless or senseless, particularly to those we hold or should hold most dear.

Overall, the performances are intriguing, with Connelly ably playing the part of the labouring mother trying to shake off her “beauty queen” image and who never sees eye-to eye with her daughter but whose absence brings on her descent into madness. Also, Fanning is wonderful in the part of the hateful and manipulative daughter. At this point in his film career, McGregor would seem irreproachable, even

if he doesn’t get the American persona quite right and over-eggs the pudding a little.

As for the cinematography, some of the long-shots of rural America at the beginning are beautiful, a counterpoint to the appropriately murkier scenes which come later. Moreover, Alexandre Desplat’s music score is both touchingly sad and haunting.

VERDICT: Against the general negative criticism this film has received so far, I want to speak out. American Pastoral is intensely watchable, if not entirely faithful to the novel, and with a few loose ends left untied. If this film doesn’t get award recognition, I will eat my hat.

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Friday 18th November 2016

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Review: Nocturnal Animals

Redbrick Film forgoes sleep to review Tom Ford's primal second feature and latest hopeful in the run-up to the Oscars these rednecks. Shannon's character, Bobby Andres, provides the mirror to the more hapless Tony who seems constantly nervy and on edge. Ford comments himself that he grew up in this crude Texan background and in being a more sensitive figure claims he didn't cope well, and so in many ways this film is deeply personal to the director as Tony is the incarnation of this, and indeed that Gyllenhaal is the perfect choice for such a figure of dismay.

Charlie Kerr Film Critic

Many might be sceptical of a fashion-designer-turned-director in his second only motion picture, but Tom Ford shows that there are indeed some exceptions to quitting one’s day job. In fact, Ford, in bringing his fastidiousness and creativity, shows that these two worlds have more in common than one might expect. Nocturnal Animals achieves what so many films fail to in its ability to create immersive story telling, using that very topic as one of the central themes of the film.

"Ford proves himself to be a master of directing as he delivers the most nervewracking scene of the film" At the heart of the film it is a story of revenge from one true artist to an imposter as well as a depiction of human growth and learning. Susan Morrow (Amy Adams) is an art gallery owner who seems to be disillusioned with the utterly superficial, materialistic nature of her life. Her

Jake Gyllenhaal leads Michael Shannon through the Texan wilderness in Nocturnal Animals

entire lifestyle seems to be disturbingly modernised to the point of vulgarity which she herself clearly bemoans. This is a world where baby-monitor apps take over the watchful eye of their absent parents and marriages occur between a heterosexual woman and a homosexual man.

Susan only expresses momentary shock to her own husband’s (Armie Hammer) infidelity. When a package is sent to her from her ex-husband, Edward Sheffield (Jake Gyllenhaal), to whom Susan admits she did a ‘terrible thing’, she cuts herself opening it, revealing the manuscript which will soon cut deep in a more visceral way.

We soon delve into this film-

Review: A Streetcat Named Bob Critic Flick Hemming assesses whether ailurophiles will be clawing at each other to get into this heartwarming comedic drama

Luke Treadaway and 'Bob' in A Streetcat Named Bob

within-a-film in which Sheffield is represented by Tony Hastings, a happily married husband and father to two characters whose similarity to Susan in looks and hair colour is overtly intentional.

At this point, Ford proves himself to be a master of directing as he delivers the most nerve-wracking scene of the film in which the family encounter a group of rednecks on a Texan highway at night and Hastings’ suburban family lifestyle spirals out of control. Elements in this simultaneous plot are reminiscent of No Country For Old Men as we are introduced to Michael Shannon playing a stoic, intimidating figure whose only concern is to help Hastings later in the film against

Flick Hemming Film Critic

In the dead of night, a street cat wanders through the open kitchen window of a recovering heroin addict. It may sound like the start of a joke, but is, in fact, a watershed moment in the lives of both James Bowen and the ginger Tom. After James uses his weeks-worth of food money on life-saving treatment for Bob the street cat, the loyal feline refuses to leave his side, even in the busy streets of London, and the two become inseparable. As a kind of morality story, A Street Cat Named Bob tells a tale of mutual recovery; in ‘adopting’ each other, the pair is rescued from their precarious positions at the edge of destruction.

Directed by Roger Spottiswoode, this attractively hopeful film, based on James Bowen’s best-selling autobiographical novel of the same title, depicts the life of a young man, alone and alienated, trying to piece together a new life in the unforgiving suburbs of London.

Although this depiction of life and of the city is, in many ways, quite charming, it does little to explore issues that the story raises. Homelessness, unemployment, addiction and the importance of relationships are all recurring themes, yet this rose-tinted depiction of the hard reality of living on the poverty line with an addiction does not properly explore them. I

"In many ways this film is deeply personal to the director" Meanwhile Susan recoils against the sheer virulence of the story, as what she reads is deeply disturbing. She soon begins to think about Edward and how they met and here the narrative shifts again to when they were together.

The past serves as a reminder of Edward’s fragile nature in contrast to Susan who reveals that he used to call her a ‘nocturnal animal’ given that she never sleeps.

The title of the film however reveals that a lack of sleep is perhaps not the reason for this nickname. The predatory nature of characters is constantly suggested. Tony seems to be hunted at night in the desert at one point

must admit that the scene in which James goes ‘cold turkey’ is rendered moving by the use of a mix of shots from the cat’s perspective, with long and medium shots presenting James’ physical and mental suffering, married with the emotive soundtrack. This scene arguably demonstrates the horrors of methadone withdrawal.

However, as this section is so short, not enough importance is placed on it as a turning point.

The effect here is that the buildup leads to a severe anticlimax.

This could be Spottiswoode’s way of preventing James’ suffering from being the central focus of the storytelling, instead allowing the importance of healthy relationships to take centre stage as the main message of the film.

However, the result was that the impact of this engaging sequence was undermined by its brevity.

"The pair is rescued from their precarious positions at the edge of destruction" Coming from a broken home and with a troubled adolescence, James is an emotionally unstable young man with a big heart. Luke Treadaway’s performance por-

and at another the Sheriff asks a suspect if he’s an owl for saying ‘who’ constantly. The title of the film is deeply associated with predator and prey, but Susan’s house at the beginning suggests that her identity with one or the other is vague as she pulls up to the steel gates of her house and they reflect the car lights back in her eyes. She is a deer caught in her own headlights and her house itself, made of glass walls, reflects the old adage about throwing stones.

The way the narratives in this film merge from one to another is a part of Ford’s plan to show how story-telling can be a powerful tool, and a dangerous one at that.

There is a scene where the film cuts to what looks like an execution about to take place, only for it to be revealed that this is just a painting in Susan’s gallery. Our feelings of dread are replaced by relief, but art’s hypnotic effect in this instance is telling of Edwards manuscript on Susan and the effect it eventually might have on her.

VERDICT: This film expertly achieves what it sets out to do and shows that Tom Ford should be taken seriously as a director. As a story of redemption and revenge it is unparalleled by any other film this year.

««««« trays a highly relatable character, flawed and besotted with Bob, a characteristic undoubtedly commonplace amongst the cat-loving audience. Although Treadaway delivers a thoughtful and sweet portrayal, at times I found his performance to be rather cheesy and even patronising. Scenes not only with the cat, which may be understandable since an actor working with an animal may also feel the need to overcompensate, but even with other actors appears exaggerated. It was rather disappointing that, despite featuring some wellknown British talent, including Anthony Head as James Bowen’s estranged father, and Joanne Froggatt as his drug support worker, this on-set mood was so particularly underwhelming as to damage my suspension of disbelief, as the portrayal strayed into the realms of children’s television.

VERDICT: A Street Cat Named Bob's failing the Bechdel test, lack of commitment to the quirky ‘cat angle’ shots in the cinematography and showcasing of some awkward overacting prevents it from being as politically vocal, sophisticated or as thought provoking as it might have been. Nevertheless, Bob and James’ tale is still an easy, heart-warming and familyfriendly film perfect for the holiday season.

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Friday 18th November 2016

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Star Trek: A Look at the Last 50 Years Bea Harvie

TV Commentator

In the Autumn of 1966, 50 years ago, Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Commander Spock (Leonard Nimroy) and the crew of the U.S.S Enterprise burst onto American TV screens for the first time. Much like Doctor Who, in the U.K several years earlier, I think Star Trek was a show before it’s time. So, 50 years later, why is Star Trek still so popular?

Star Trek has had an impressive run. In 1966, the show ran for three years, revolving around the crew of the starship Enterprise as they explored unchartered space and encountered new plants, species and people in the mid 2260’s, in the Milky Way Galaxy. The three year run was wildly popular with science-fiction geeks and engineering students in America, and after the show was cancelled, the re-runs led to a huge cult following. Since, there have been four series, many films, books,

animations, comics, and an alternate universe set of films that started in 2009, featuring Chris Pine as a younger Captain Kirk.

It was ridiculously successful, obviously geeky, and absolutely awesome.

"Captain Kirk and Spock are Friendship Goals" What is it about Star Trek that has made it so popular, to the point where there is yet another TV series planned for 2017? Star Trek has passed into pop culture folklore. Kids in playgrounds baffle each other with the ability to do the Vulcan hand gesture, whether they know what it is or not. The friendship between illogical Captain Kirk and painfully logical Spock are effectively friendship goals. It is a show that started with a minimal budget, way before the time of CGI and special effects (Seriously, watch-

ing the Original Series is hilarious). A show about adventure, friendship, scientific advancement, furthering knowledge, politics, and the inherent belief in human progress. We can ‘boldly go where no man has gone before’, we can see the breadth of human kindness, and imagination.

When people say Star Trek, they think of Captain Kirk, Spock, and the fact that there is an actual language from the show – Klingon, redshirts, and Patrick Stewart. It may come as a surprise to some people who do not know the show that well, that while Sir Patrick Stewart was a Starship captain, he wasn’t Captain Kirk. Instead, he was the captain of The Next Generation starship Enterprise-D, in the 1980’s.

Looking at the success of Star Trek, I think it boils down to the fact that the friendships forged on the Starships are so relatable, and so amusing. Spock and Kirk will go down in friendship history, Dr “Bones” McCoy’s yells of ‘Goddamit Jim!’ have been made

famous through Karl Urban in the on a TV show that wasn’t the revival series, but no ‘He’s dead maid. The show was considered Jim’ yet, which is unfortunate. extremely forward for its time. In Even in the earliest episodes, the the Next Generation they took it show was about friendships, step further, having different adventure, bravery and science. Federation species aboard the Human imagination stretched to Enterprise-D, including the first the limits!

Klingon officer. Voyager was capIt may be difficult to picture, tained by a woman, Captain in this extremely digital age where Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) everything is available at the press and ran for seven seasons. From a of a few buttons, but shows like diversity standpoint, Star Trek Doctor Who and Star Trek were was probably quite diverse for the absolutely crucial! Not just to the time periods it was filmed in. It sci-fi community (which I thank will be interesting to see how this them for) but development of later changes with modern retellings. shows, and probably to the develAs I said, we are lucky enough opment of technology! Looking at at the moment to be enjoying the the technology of the Original AU revival film series, with Chris series, Kirk has a small Pine as Kirk, Zachary Quintos handheld communicaas Spock, Karl Urban as tor device that Bones, and Simon looks like a Pegg as Scotty. It’s a Motorola flip pretty awesome phone, and in film series that 1977 voila we has recast the Star Trek was have flip 1966 crew perfirst aired on phones. In fectly in terms of September 8th the Next personality and Generation, looks. The suc1966 1987, Patrick cess of the film Stewart is series has lead to reading data the commissioning from what looks of a new TV series, like a tablet comStar Trek: Discovery puter, and guess what due for release in 2017 we have those too! Skype sometime once they can overtoo – there are many instances of come their current producer-justvideo conferencing in the 1990’s quit problems. It will be airing on series. And, the most recent com- Netflix next year, and I am excited parison we can make, in 1998, to see how the show has proone of the characters has on a gressed. Part of the fun of the four headset which records the things separate Star Trek TV series up to he sees – we now have virtual this point, is seeing how different reality headsets, and headsets that parts of the Federation work. can record. So, you can’t tell me Discovery is due to be set 10 years that Star Trek hasn’t been influen- before the current film revival tial. Tech that was considered series, when the relationship impossibly futuristic is now real. between the Federation (humans) Isn’t it amazing? and the Klingons are pretty fraught Not only technologically, Star at best.

Trek has always been a fairly So – why is Star Trek so popudiverse cast. Whoopi Goldberg lar? Because it is, primarily, about said in an interview that the pres- imagination, adventure and friendence of a black woman on the ship, and who doesn’t love that?

Enterprise in 1966, Nichelle Nichols as communications lieutenant Nyota Uhura, influenced her decision to become an actress, as a black woman had a main part

Married at First Sight: Would You? Abbie Pease TV Critic @pease_abbie

What would you do if I told you I had found your perfect match?

Presumably, you would be intrigued and want to meet them.

What if I then told you that to meet this person you would have to marry them at first sight? As a rational and sane individual I would expect you to be hesitant at this idea, and question why such a huge decision was necessary. A select group of men and women, from 2014 to the present, have taken this leap in order to find true love.

Acting as a social experiment, Married at First Sight gives normal people the opportunity to meet the person most suited to them (well on paper). By extension, it questions the fundamental cores of a relationship; what is most important when choosing to

spend your life with someone? Is it their interests, job, future plans, background, workout regime, favourite food? Or is it a basic component that cannot be foreseen, chemistry? Through redefining the institution of marriage, the show begs the ever-important question; can we plan love?

Married at First Sight has become a TV phenomenon.

Beginning life as a reality show in the US, the popular television series has since been aired in the UK and Australia, shocking and intriguing viewers. Taking the institution of match-making to the extreme, the programme uses experts in psychology, sexology and sociology to match wiling singles. Following this initial stage, the couples are filmed over a six-week period. In this short span of time the couples get married, go on honeymoon and live together, experiencing life events that most people undertake after years of consolidation.

There are many skeptics of the show who see it as tacky and desperate. I however see it as an extension of the already formed world of match-making that brings together so many singles in the modern day. Although the commitment of marriage definitely places the show at the extreme end of ways to meet people, critics may be surprised to know that the show has created some successful relationships. These successes include Courtney and Jason from the US and Erin and Bryce from Australia. Although the sometimes tacky nature of the reality show makes it questionable, it cannot be denied that - on the occasion - the experts are right. However, as expected there have been a fair share of failures, with couples such as Clare and Jono from Australia connecting so poorly that they dropped out of the experience before the series ended.

So why is it that only 22% of

couples on the show seem to continue their relationship beyond the six weeks? This brings us back to the question; what are the foundations of a successful relationship? Experts on the show claim that couples are paired on their interests, psychology, sexual attractions and experiences. If such factors are found to be unreliable in creating the perfect match then surely we cannot predict who it is that we are going to fall for? In the end, it all comes down to chemistry and attraction of one person to another, a conclusion that becomes overwhelming evident in the failed relationships of the show.

So would you? Would you hand your fate to a group of scientists in order to find the man or woman of your dreams?

Personally, it’s a no. However, as well as providing an entertaining reality series, Married at First Sight gives a small glimpse of hope to those willing to use

match-making services.

Despite the personal question that the programme poses, it provides us with some very good television. Married at First Sight makes for intriguing and fascinating TV that, like a compelling novel or drama, leaves you desperate to know what happens next. You find yourself routing for particular couples and wanting to see them make it through the six weeks. The public’s fascination with reality television and the notion of a social experiment makes Married at First Sight an obvious favourite amongst viewers, even if they wouldn't get involved themselves.

So would you get Married at

First Sight? Tweet us your opinions @Redbricktv

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John Lewis: Buster the Boxer With the year's most highly anticipated advert hitting screens last week, Tasha Smart reviews the John Lewis Christmas ad Tasha Smart Food Editor @tashanotsmart

With the increasing array of Christmas adverts arriving on our screen, there is one always anticipated above the others: the John Lewis advert. With a tiny snippet released earlier in the week, we caught our first glimpse of Buster the dog and the excitement certainly grew. It seemed the company had brought back the pull of adorable animals to tug at our heartstrings.

The scene is first set with a little girl bouncing on her bed, clearly a favourite activity, with Buster looking on. We then see her father building the clearly ideal gift of a trampoline.

As night comes and the parents get comfy on the settee, a vast array of woodland creatures ascend on the trampoline, treating this gift as their gift. Set to a magical cover of ‘One Day I’ll Fly Away’ by Blythe Pepino, we see them frolicking on the trampoline and a wonderful Christmas scene is set. But poor Buster is stuck inside.

You can’t help but feel emotional as Buster looks on in envy at his fellow animals enjoying themselves, and I’m not going to pretend a tear didn’t form. The wonderfully expressive face of Buster, played by four-year- old Biff, has you feeling a lot of emotions and we pray for his inclusion.

Spoiler Alert! Luckily the nextmorning, as the little girl runs to find her amazing present, Buster

is able to sneak around her and beat her to it. We get to watch Buster have an amazing time, as the music swells once again. With the pause of the music we hear his

"You can't help but feel emotional" joyous barks as everyone looks on in wonder, and it is here that John Lewis perfected their advert. We see them not taking it so eriously and making us laugh, not cry. It injects the fun that was missing from the previous year; something that is ultimately what Christmas should be about- having a good time!

Customer Director Craig Inglis, said: ‘2016 has certainly been quite a year, so we hope our advert will make people smile.’ I think we can all agree it has perfectly achieved this aim, adding a bit of light-hearted humour where it was certainly needed.

Buster, along with his wildlife friends (Halle the hedgehog, Betsy the badger, Otto the fox, and Sid the squirrel), will all be available in soft toy form.

The Wildlife Trust is this years charity partners, meaning that for every purchase 10% will go to

them. So not only can you own an adorable woodland creature, you can help protect them too – a positive impact of your Christmas spending.

There will of course also be a range of Buster goodies, from pyjamas and umbrellas to storybooks, and this year you’ll even be able to download a Buster Snapchat filter!

What's your favourite John Lewis advert? Let us know @redbricktv

Review: Planet Earth II TV Critic Izzy Detheridge reviews David Attenborough's much-anticipated return to our screens with the second series of the acclaimed Planet Earth

Izzy Detheridge TV Critic @ambitious_izzy

Sir David Attenborough soared back onto our screens this month for another ‘unparalleled’ milestone in nature documentary history with the remarkable beginning to the epic new series Planet Earth II. Addressing the audience from a giant hot-air balloon two miles above the snow-topped Alps, the authentic presenter we all know and love promised his 9.2 million viewers a revolutionary perspective on the world beyond the urban setting.

In this ground-breaking first episode, intrepid Sir Attenborough visits eight locations and captures the essence of surviving on islands that are lesser-well-known to the audience. We watch with anticipation as a pygmy three-toed sloth conquers a fast-flowing current on Escudo in Panama in the search for a mate, touched by his endeavour to succeed to the point of risk-

ing his life. Transported to the den of giant lizards in sizzling Indonesia, viewers are riveted by the plight of komodo dragons as they battle for the right to reproduce. The swelling music – composed by Hans Zimmer, head of score in the likes of The Lion King and Gladiator – paired with the stunning images gives an extra dimension to the danger involved in mere survival for these creatures, adding depth to Attenborough’s exquisitely-delivered “stories” crafted for each species to intimately envelope us in the action. Ultra-high-definition camera shots emotionally move the audience through a sifaka lemur baby’s first weeks in Madagascar’s spiny forests, with Attenborough’s knowledgeable narration giving us specific insights into the task of forging a living in extreme environments.

Soaring over to Fernandina in the Galapagos Islands, we are met with monstrous volcanoes that spit endless lava and clash with the roaring waves – and the stun-

ning creatures that tackle this adversity from birth. Newlyhatched seagoing iguanas emerge from the sand and hasten to join their parents on the craggy cliffs overlooking the sea, but the unforgiving terrain isn’t their biggest threat. Deadly racer snakes launch themselves from the rocks, bent on getting their next meal. Audiences all over Britain cover their eyes while the relentless serpents capture and asphyxiate endless new borns and one baby iguana watches, petrified. The ensuing mania when he decides to make a break for the cliffs, and narrowly avoids suffocation, was gripping. Describing this scene, editor Matthew Meech said he took cues from ‘Christopher Nolan, Scorsese and Spielberg [to] make the shots speak for themselves’, comparing nature documentaries to silent films which rely on ‘action/reaction [and] timing’. Then, it is evident that everyone involved in creating this tremendous feature is committed to delivering the very best.

Balancing out the terror experienced on Fernandina is expertly done with an endearing feature on a Buller’s albatross in New Zealand, who is waiting for his life-mate to return from a sixmonth separation. The heartwarming behaviour of these birds upon reuniting is captured perfectly, with producer Tom Hugh-Jones citing the ‘relentless pursuit of originality [and] time and love put into making the series’, most astoundingly the 2,089 shooting days involved in waiting for the best footage to record to present to us. Some of the most breath taking snapshots of the planet come from the landscapes recorded by the crew, particularly the Seychelles off the coast of Africa and Christmas

Island in the Indian Ocean.

Deceptively hypnotic, however, is the pisonia tree in the Seychelles, which is nicknamed “the birdcatcher tree” for its debilitating adhesive seeds that refuse fairy tern fledglings the right to fly, thus stripping them of nutrition on the forest floor. The notion of external challenge is echoed on Christmas Island, where the magnificent march of the red crabs is partially thwarted by human-introduced yellow crazy ants that are toxic to the crustacean. Attenborough informs us of the drastic figures: 80% of species that have become extinct in recent years have been islanders. This hard-hitting news is received sombrely by the audience, and encourages our respect for Attenborough to expand to encompass the world outside of our immediate surroundings.

All hope is not lost, however, as we see on the impenetrable Zavodovski Island in the Southern Ocean. The types of camera shot used in this location are eye-open-

ing as a panoramic view of the flourishing population of 1.5 million chinstrap penguins befalls us.

The slow-motion capture of the animals fishing in the lethal torrents to feed their young renders viewers tearful when presented with the crippling reality of inhabiting Zavodovski: many penguins don’t survive the jagged rocks, and the remainder of those who do tend to be bloodied upon resurfacing. In the “diaries” section of the programme, which details the crew’s experiences in the pursuit of footage, Planet Earth II producer Elizabeth White speaks of the scenes on Zavodovski as ‘heartbreaking carnage’, but adds how ‘sobering’ it was for the team to have intimately experienced the life of penguins inhabiting the island. Pleasing to see, too, is the immense respect that the entire crew has for the subjects of their recordings, ensuring that minimal disruption is incurred for the wildlife during their stay on each island.

This reinforces Attenborough’s bold message that humans are having a lasting negative impact on the Earth, but there are always solutions for living together in peace.

So far, Planet Earth II has shown the audience the understanding of the planet that we need in order to save what nurtures and astounds us outside of our daily lives – through only one episode.

Presented by the most respected pioneer in nature broadcasting and delivered in the highest definition to leave no technological stone unturned, with a soundtrack by an Oscar-winning composer to engage all ages, this series will undeniably be the greatest of 2016 and cannot be missed!

Planet Earth II can now be watched on BBC iPlayer.

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SCI & TECH

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbricktech

A Brief Look into Trump's Scientific Policies Ellen Daugherty Sci & Tech Editor

Being a notorious climate-change denier, and with many of his scientific views being labelled as a ‘disaster’ and a ‘tragedy’ for the future of research, Trump is set to shake the scientific world.

Climate Change Any progress made by Obama in the fight to tackle climate change is likely to be undone by the new president-elect. Trump tweeted in 2012 that, “The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive”, sparking anger amongst environmentalists.

However, people have seemingly forgotten his naivety in the subject. He still to this day, defends his outdated opinion and suggested that there is still much to be investigated in the field of 'climate change', despite scientists dedicating their whole lives to the cause and the plethora evidence supporting it.

He has made a slight effort to suggest the need for renewable resources, and has suggested the need for America to come energy independent and exploit all energy sources - including all of the renewables. However, many of you probably saw the ‘TRUMP DIGS COAL’ banners at his ral-

lies. Bringing back the coaling industry, with a focus on providing more jobs for miners, was a major strand in his campaign.

Although he may of tapped into a new group of voters, this policy is undeniably detrimental. He ignores the Environmental protection Agency’s (EPA) advice to reduce coal production, and does so at the cost to our planet.

Research He intends to cut funding for vital research, and with this has suggested completely axing the EPA all together. The scientific journal, Nature, has received many letters of concern from scientists who are worried about budget cuts. In addition, his vice president Mike Pence has expressed his views that embryonic stem cell research is not needed, despite Obama’s work to lift federal bans on such important research.

However, all hope is not lost.

Trump did once say he would cut funding to the National Institutes of Health that fund almost all biomedical research, but the likelihood of that ever actually happening is extremely small.

Although now the leader of the free world, Trump won't have the power to make drastic changes.

The scientific research policies will hopefully be dealt with by someone with more expertise.

Vaccines Trump still thinks vaccines are associated with autism, despite the correlation being proven false by scientists years ago. The original researcher was found guilty of serious professional misconduct.

He announced this during his campaign for his election as the republican candidate.

the country, America could lose out on its next ground-breaking researcher - all because they weren't given the chance of a top quality education.

Unfortunately, as far as science is concerned, the future is looking significantly bleaker since Trump was elected. This does not mean the end, but suggests more than ever that we need to stand up to fight for science to play a key role in improving the future.

Immigration His immigration policies will have some serious effects on who could contribute to science in the future. If he becomes as strict as he suggests on who he lets into

Anthropocene: Earth's New Era James Pettit Sci & Tech Editor @pettit_james

The Earth formed approximately 4.5 billion years ago, give or take a hundred million years. 3.8 billion years ago the first signs of life in the form of single cell bacteria evolved. Mammals did not appear until 200 million years ago.

By comparison, Homo sapiens are a bit late to the party, having been on Earth for only 200,000 years. In the vastly overwhelming abyss of the Earth’s expansive history, we puny humans have only been witness to 0.004% of it.

In this grand Earth narrative, what is a month? Recently, Brian Kahn wrote for Climate Central that ‘in the centuries to come, history books will likely look back on September 2016 as a major milestone for the world’s climate.’ But how can one September be claimed a milestone, compared to the past 4.5 billion of them?

One of the major markers of man-made climate change is the amount of carbon dioxide present in the Earth’s atmosphere in parts per million (ppm). For at least 400,000 years, CO2 concentrations intermittently fluctuated between 170 and 290 ppm. Then the Industrial Revolution happened.

From then onwards, rather than oscillating, the amount of carbon dioxide concentrated in the atmosphere kept rising, ascending rap-

idly year on year from approxi- up The Anthropocene Working mately 310 ppm in 1950, before Group (AWG) that the reaching 400 ppm this September. ‘Anthropocene’ era should be Although we have surpassed the established – our current geologi400 ppm threshold before, impor- cal epoch of human dominance. tantly this has never previously “The Anthropocene” was a occurred in September. As plants term coined by Paul Crutzen in in the Northern Hemisphere grow 2000, an atmospherical chemist and absorb CO2 over the summer who won the 1995 Nobel Prize for months, the start of autumn always Chemistry. Crutzen proposed this sees a cyclical low in carbon diox- geological epoch in order to stress ide concentration. ‘the enormity of humanity’s go in theascorner of pictures Whilst the difference between Captions responsibility stewards of the 1 ppm is negligible, this recent Earth’.and shouldn't be hyphenated data is more than anything symScientists have pointed towards bolic of where we are headed. The a variety of evidence asides from rise in CO2 is occurring at the fast- CO2 concentrations to suggest the est rate in 66 million years, and the Anthropocene. The manufacturing new milestone means C02 in the of plastic and the subsequent ubiqatmosphere will remain over uity of microplastics is likely the 400 ppm threshold for to leave fossilised records the rest of our lifetimes. of synthetic manufacHuman-produced poltured material for the lution has definitivegenerations that ly become a permafollow our own. nent fixture of the Radioactive eleworld in which ments that are of all wild animals we live and intermittently breathe. scattered across will die by 2020, Despite our the planet through and humans are measly 0.004% of the use of nuclear to blame relative insignifibomb tests also cance, human life leave definitive has fundamentally traces. and irrevocably changed We are currently the world to such an extent witnessing what is only that a new geological era has the sixth mass extinction of now been recommended to replace species in the history of complex our current formal epoch, the life on Earth. Recent information Holocene. In Cape Town this released by Living Planet Index August, the International predicts that 67% of wild animals Geological Congress was advised will die off by 2020, and humans by a group of scientists that made are to blame.

67%

Despite the abundance of definitive human imprints, the issue that will need to be determined for the Anthropocene to be formalised as a geological epoch, is the prerequisite of a “golden spike”. This is evidence that is captured in natural material such as rocks or ice that can be precisely dated to display the enactment of a globalised, permanent change in the Earth. For instance, the extinction of the dinosaurs and the subsequent end of their epoch 66m years ago is evidenced through a “golden spike” in the amount of sedimented metal iridium originating from a meteorite that collided with the planet.

Up for contention is the approximate starting point for when this “golden spike” occurred, and thus when the new geological epoch began. Some scientists have proposed markers ranging from as early as the first use of fire, to the industrial revolution.

The Anthropocene Working Group are advocating the geological marker of nuclear testing around 1964 as a clearer cut universal marker than the hard to distinguish boundaries of CO2 dips and pollen records. So, whilst Brian Kahn’s claim that future historians will remember this September as a major milestone in the Earth’s history may be slightly off, it does not sound so ridiculous. We are irrevocably changing our planet in an ongoing process of human domination.

Creature Feature: Platypus Ellen Daugherty Sci & Tech Editor

The platypus, a seemingly mix-and-match of different animal body parts. An interesting life history has led to this mammal having such obscure features.

Although the platypus is a mammal, it has various reptilian characteristics, such as webbed feet and the ability to lay eggs.

They are part of the monotreme order containing four species of echidna, and are all indigenous to Australia and New Guinea.

Monotremes diverged from the mammalian lineage around 200 million years ago. They split off from the mammals before the evolution of the placenta, thus they lay eggs, and still retain a strange mix of mammalian and reptilian characteristics.

Platypus’ have evolved electroreception as a tool for predation. Their bills, a reptilian feature, are covered in receptors that detect vibrations and small electric currents, called mechanoreceptors and electroreceptors.

These allow for accurate navigation in the dark waters.

The platypus is also one of the few mammals to excrete venom. The males release venom out of the back of their hind heel, through a venom gland called a spur. It is thought the venom is released during the breeding season only, suggesting it could be used for competition against other males, rather than a method to stun prey.

The platypus is an unbelievably interesting mammal, with its array of traits combining to create a creature unlike any other.

SCI & TECH

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbricktech

Potential New Zika Virus Therapy A protein in the blood of survivors of Zika could help to protect susceptible newborn infants Mia Iyer

Sci & Tech Writer

A recent breakthrough, reveals that there may be a way to protect babies in the womb from the harmful effects of Zika.

Zika is a virus which is spread via bite of infected mosquito, the same mosquito which transmits dengue and yellow fever. It’s main outbreaks have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the pacific. The symptoms are fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle pain and general feelings of unwell last for 2-7 days and the disease appears fairly mild. There is no treatment and usually taking rest, plenty fluids and painkillers is enough.

However, don’t let this fool you. Zika virus has gained a lot of press in recent years as its infection in pregnant women has been shown to cause congenital brain abnormalities, including microcephaly (under-development of the brain, causing an abnormally small head).

Zika has been associated with over 400 recent cases of microcephaly among newborn infants in Brazil. Not only that, Zika has also been shown to be a trigger of Guillian-Barré Syndrome (A rare condition where the immune sys-

tem attacks a person’s nerves).

Understandably, there is a huge fear in countries such as Brazil where Zika virus is endemic, especially as there is no treatment.

Also there is currently no vaccine in place, so trying to prevent mosquito bites is the only method of trying to prevent infection.

However, this new therapy may help.

A scientist team in the US have developed the antibody therapy from using blood products of people who have recently had and fought off Zika. Up until now, it

"Zika has caused over 400 cases of microcephaly in Brazilian newborns"

has only been successfully tested in mice, but the treatment had significantly reduced the amount of virus in the blood of the mother, and prevented it from crossing the placenta into the baby.

This could potentially lead to a huge reduction in the amount of microcephaly cases in countries where Zika is prevalent, and combat the current public health issue.

However, the researchers specify that this therapy is still in its very early stages. Years and years of testing will be needed to show that it will be effective for human women in the future.

In the meantime, other teams are focusing on developing a vaccine to prevent Zika infection in the first place.

Top 5: Amazing Animal Events You've seen the baby iguana vs snake battle from Planet Earth II. Now, Kara Watson looks at other spectacular animal events 5. Super Webs If you’re an arachnophobe, stop reading now. After bad flooding and the ground become waterlogged, tens of thousands of spiders that live on the ground start moving to higher ground. Because so many spiders have moved upwards, they form mass webs that can span an area of 800 metres.

To reach the higher trees and bushes, spiders use a technique named ‘ballooning’, where they shoot their silk into the air where it is caught by the wind, causing the spider to be swept off to higher ground. The species are mostly money spiders and juvenile wolf spiders, and are described as 'pretty much harmless'.

4. Orca Hunt

hunt including mock attacks. One individual will pretend to chase the dolphin, then pass by it. The dolphin, thinking it’s safe, will slow down. Unknown to the dolphin, another killer whale is lurking nearby to snatch it up. They also 'play' with the dolphins to encourage the infants to learn to hunt.

3. Sardine Run Billions of sardines migrate up the coast of South Africa from May to July. To this day no one quite knows why they do this. But where prey animals gather, the predators will follow. First, the dolphins will work together to round up the sardines into ‘baitballs’, which are about 10-20 metres in diameter. These dolphins form groups ranging from 100 to 30,000 individuals.

Killer whales, also known as orcas, are known for their intelligence and ruthlessness when it comes to hunting in groups. During the annual migration of dolphins and whales that passes by South Africa, pods of killer whales will hunt groups of thousands of dolphins.

They use clever strategies to

The sharks arrive, taking advantage of the dolphin’s organisation to grab some food. Great white's and hammerhead sharks come in their thousands. This activity pushes the sardines to the surface of the water, which is when Cape gannets, start their assault, diving up to 10 metres into the water to snatch some fish. The baitballs last no longer than 10 minutes, when all the sardines have been consumed.

would highly recommend looking up the footage if you haven’t seen it, the jump looks completely impossible.

1. Army Ants

2. Leap of Faith Barnacle geese nest in Greenland, high up on the sides of cliffs to avoid their predators.

Sounds like a good idea, right?

Unfortunately, geese don’t feed their young like most birds, and barnacle geese will only eat grass, far below on the ground. So, only a few hours old, these goslings must throw themselves off the cliff.

Once they jump, the little birds spread themselves out to parachute down the 400ft drop. The goslings have soft, flexible bones, so they can survive a few knocks from the fall. If all goes well, they reach the ground, and trot off with their parents to find some food, looking only slightly confused. I

Unlike other ant species, army ants make temporary nests called bivouacs, to house the queen while she lays her eggs and rests. Then, approximately 10 days after they are on the move.

Known as ‘raids’, the group of ants can be made up of 15 million workers, and can span 20 metres wide and 100 metres long. On their way, they kill anything in their path, using acid to melt their prey so that they don’t have to digest it. They’ll feed on insects, spiders, snakes, lizards, and they can consume up to 500,000 of these per day.

Could we ask "Siri, am I sick?"

James Van Hear Sci & Tech Writer @jimvanhear16

Scientists at Washington State University have developed a way to use your smartphone and a 3D printed ‘cradle’ to analyse biological samples, without needing lab facilities or equipment. This multichannel smartphone spectrometer (MSS) will allow quicker, easier and more portable diagnosis for doctors and clinicians, giving results that are 99% accurate to the equivalent lab-based test.

Lab-based analysis of samples is accurate, but often long and costly. Cutting this step from diagnostic testing has numerous benefits. Point-of-care (POC) testing allows patient diagnosis in a doctor’s office or an ambulance. It can also provide an easier method of detection for diseases in places which suffer from poor public health facilities.

Li-Ju Wang and colleagues have shown that their MSS exhibited almost the same sensitivity and accuracy as the equivalent lab-based technology.

Testing for the IL-6 molecule, known to be involved in a number

of cancers, they found more accurate and sensitive results compared to the lab-based equipment.

However, this process currently requires a ‘whole blood’ sample, which has to be done in the lab. If it could be adapted to using just a normal blood sample, this sort of technology could allow for a broad and quick screening process for multiple cancers simultaneously.

Existing mobile POC tests can only examine one sample at a time, allowing accurate but slow clinical readings. The smartphone ‘cradle’ was designed to allow multiple samples to be examined

at once. The information from the camera gives indications of the patients' health.

This portable technology could be used in regions of the world with limited access to health facilities to provide a fast and broad examination of patients. There are countless markers for a number of conditions that could be tested for while avoiding long and costly lab tests. The use of smartphones means that the data can be easily exchanged between doctors, increasing connectivity in regions with poor public health facilities.

31

Pharmacies vs GPs: What's best for your sore throat?

Stephanie Smith Sci & Tech Writer

New guidelines published under the NHS are telling patients to go to the pharmacy instead of their GP to get treatments for sore throats.

After successful trials a new programme: “The sore Throat Test and Treat Service”, will be rolling out across the country within the next year, announced NHS chief executive Simon Stevens. The programme aims to reduce the number of patients who are visiting GPs and being prescribed antibiotics unnecessarily. A small trial was run in 35 Boots stores over the past 6 months, and saw patients with sore throats being tested at the pharmacy to see if they needed antibiotics. Those who did were able to get them prescribed there, which saved them having to go to the GP. However, the service found that 90% of people with sore throats, actually had a viral infection, so antibiotics would’ve been no use to them. This test saved them from taking antibiotics unnecessarily.

The test involves having a throat swab taken and has a waiting time of about 5 minutes to produce the result much quicker than going to a doctors surgery. If it is decided that antibiotics are not needed, then alternative remedies for colds and coughs are readily available at the pharmacy. Regardless of the cause of the sore throat, you will be able to leave with something which will help to relieve the symptoms.

It is thought that 1.2million people visited their GP with a sore throat last year, and 6 in 10 of them were prescribed antibiotics, even though only about a tenth of them actually had a bacterial infection. If you have a viral infection, antibiotics will not help to kill the virus. Taking antibiotics unnecessarily can kill the good bacteria which live in our gut. This increases our chances of suffering from other bacterial infections in the future. At a time when increasing resistance to antibiotics is becoming a global concern, this new method will help to relieve the pressure on GPs to prescribe antibiotics unnecessarily.

In addition to helping prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance, and the emergence of the so called “superbugs”, this programme is hoped to save the NHS about 34 million, and will also free up GP appointments for others. Yet with cuts also being planned in the pharmacy sector, some are worried that pharmacies will not be able to cope with the additional demand.

32

GAMING

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbrickgames

Redbrick Gaming's Winter Wallet Survivial Guide Writer Will Gillingham guides us through the blizzard of triple-A's for this holiday season

6.

CALL OF DUTY: INFINIte WAreFAre

After riding in on a wave of negative criticism since its announcement trailer back in May, Infinite Warfare is due to release on November 4th. Going to the exhausted futuristic setting and the contentious space combat, you’d be forgiven for having discarded this one, but it just may be worth reconsidering.

Infinity Ward’s first outing since Ghosts back in 2014 looks to be packed full of enough fresh gameplay and novel storytelling to share the stage with its acclaimed competitor Battlefield 1. Add to that an A-list cast with Game of Thrones’ Kit Harrington as the main antagonist, coupled with Infinity Ward’s first foray into the series’ Zombies mode, and the most critically condemned outing in the Call of Duty series could still be something quite special. Keep an eye on it – it may be worth a spot on the Christmas list.

5.

Dishonored 2

The sequel to Bethesda’s steampunk tale of assassination, magic and revenge is shaping up to take the mantle from its well-received predecessor. Based fifteen years after the events of the first game, the prosperous empire under Emily Kaldwin is thrown into chaos after she is suddenly dethroned by a nebulous outlander. With the option to take the reins of either the protagonist of the first game, Corvo Attano, or Emily herself, the game is packed with new gameplay mechanics, gorgeous visuals and a story rich enough to threaten the knife-edge pacing of the first game. Forget waiting, this should already be on your preorder list. Our editor James Marvin's raving review should be more than enough to sway you if it isn't.

4.

WAtch Dogs 2

The first instalment in the Watch Dogs franchise was received in 2014 to a hail of mediocrity. The graphical downgrade from earlier press demonstrations to the lacklustre story and contrived mechanics resulted in reviews being far below its predicted yield. Don’t let its shaky beginnings dissuade you from this sequel, however; the developers have stated their intention to take risks in order to produce a completely new experience in the city-hacking IP. This, in addition to the new, characteristic protagonist, improved gameplay, and in promising a covert rebellion narrative means that this sequel shouldn’t be viewed standing on the frayed coat-tails of its predecessor. Wait to see what the critics have to say, but expect it to be on the wish-list shortly afterwards.

3.

Pokemon Sun & Moon

The seventh generation of what is arguably Nintendo’s flagship IP for its handheld consoles returns in a deserved buzz of anticipation. Although at its core it repeats the tried and tested RPG element present in all previous installments, enough is new to warrant interest. Along with the usual plethora of new Pokémon, Game Freak have redesigned certain Pokémon from older generations to acclimatise them with the new region, Alola, changing not only appearance, but also type and abilities. Coupled with this are the new powerful ‘Z-moves,’ able to be used only once per battle, ensuring an overhaul to the regular formula. With the return of the 3-D style and mega-evolutions from X and Y, expect to feel you’re missing out when, after assuring you they’re too old for Pokémon, your friends all pick it up anyway.

2.

FinAl FAnTAsy xv

After being in development for ten years, the highly anticipated fifteenth installment in the Final Fantasy franchise is finally surfacing. Heralded as a significant departure from the thematic universe of the series thus far, the game employs a darker setting, following Noctis in his quest to retake Eos, a fantastical mirror of Earth, from the tyrannical empire of Nilfheim. With the previously inherent turn-based combat-system being replaced by an action-based system similar to that of Kingdom Hearts, as well as introducing the series’ first fully open-world environment, this game has all the hallmarks for Game of the Year. Passing up on this would be nothing less than sacrilege. Even our editor James Lentschner would think so.

1. The LAst GuArdiAn Coming from the revered directors of the award-winning Shadow of the Colossus, the brief insight which has been revealed of this game is enough to put December 6th in your calendar. An ambitious take on the buddy-genre, the narrative follows a young boy who befriends a giant, winged mammal named Trico, and documents their navigation through a dystopian, Aztec setting.

Although details of the story are remaining guarded, the harmonious puzzle gameplay where both characters must help each other to progress has been said to allow a deep emotional attachment to develop between the two characters.

Don’t be put off by its intangibility, however – if previous games are anything to go by, there is no reason to doubt the developers’ story-telling capability.

Wait for reviews, but watch this space.

GAMING

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbrickgames

33

Review: Shu Roshni Patel Gaming Editor

I won't lie, when I am playing a sidescrolling platformer I can often get caught up in the flurry of the finish and miss the often stunning visuals. This was not the case with Shu however, where the distinct and graphic art style permeates every frame of your speed run to the final checkpoint. Winning awards and stunning many critics, I knew I had to play more than the EGX demo to truly find out what all the fuss was about.

Shu is all about a young bird whose village has been ravaged by an evil unrelenting monster storm, which has slain their village elder and scattered their people. It’s all up to Shu to travel through the world to uncover the secret to defeat the storm and restore the peace that was lost. Picking up surviving villagers along the way, Shu benefits from each of his companion’s unique abilities to help him better run through the

levels. From abilities such as more powerful jumps to break boxes and jump higher, to abilities that open flower platforms, allow you wall jump, walk on water and even slow time. The more characters you collect, the sooner it becomes apparent that you’ll need to remember what each character does to help to finish the level.

"It becomes apparent that you'll need to remember what each character does" I really enjoyed this game and it was great to go back a few steps from the EGX demo, to not only learn features and controls better, but to also get the narrative element the timed demo competition had to do away with. While there

was no dialog, it was fun to collect Shu’s villagers along the way and having the path become easier to traverse as a result. The game is very reminiscent of the old Rayman games, and the helpfully placed glowing butterflies, which reminded me of the Lums, guided me to where to go next and suggested other avenues of exploration. While the game was a sidescroller and the usual direction was forward, it wasn’t uncommon to backtrack a bit to complete other objectives and pick up collectibles, all of which could be done at a leisurely pace before the storm reared it’s ugly head.

Usually I’m quite good at picking up games and learning the controls on the fly, working my way through somewhat steadily without any issue. Though there was a bit of a learning curve when the screen flashed ‘Run’, depending on your speed running prowess. Thankfully, the generously placed checkpoints and replenishment of to five lives upon reaching each, which made it much easier.

"It's not long before the adrenaline amps up" This turned the impossible into extreme trial and error races, where you had six chances to reach the next checkpoint before it was game over and you had to begin the level again. While the first ‘Run’ section I encountered was just a runaway water wheel that tried to flatten Shu and I, it’s not long before the adrenaline amps up as the storm relentlessly chases you through the final portions of the levels. Each death gives you a chance to learn more about the section to the next checkpoint, effectively allowing you to feel it out to coach yourself to better time your jumps and glides to move faster and more efficiently.

Developed by Secret Lunch and Coatsink, the game is beauti-

fully designed, with art so striking and integral to the game it’s impossible to miss and not marvel over.

Overhauled in 2015, for a delayed launch in October of 2016, the game has been tweaked and honed to run beautifully on PC and PS4.

It’s also soon to be launched on PS Vita, where I think the game will work really well, immersing the player despite the small screen.

With 15 levels to play and 10 different characters to pick up and work with, this game is great fun, if a little bit short. Depending on the speed running skills you’ve developed through the game, you might be tempted to replay each of the levels again to achieve better personal bests, collect forgotten collectables, or challenge your friends or the world leaderboard to see who’s faster. Odds you’re all faster than you think, as the unforgiving storm rolls in.

Review : Dark Souls 3 - Ashes of Ariandel Will Gillingham visits the Painted World of Ariandel in his review avoidable to the passing casual.

However, the gamer considering purchasing Dark Souls DLC is no casual gamer, and this is sure to satiate the Souls hit which they’ve been missing out on. Bearing one of the most gruelling boss fights in the series to date, Dark Souls vet-

"You are unwanted in this bleak land" Will Gillingham Gaming Contributor

The Painted World of Ariandel is, at first sight, an unforgiving woodland, caught in a snowdrift. Trees frozen in the shape of haggard women line the path, and packs of ice wolves support wandering warriors in their prevention of your progression through the wilderness. Further along, a rope bridge teeters over a crevasse, leading to a cathedral on a hill, and it is here that, sitting among hundreds of canvased paintings of herself, Sister Friede tells you to return home. This sets the mood for the DLC – you are unwanted in this bleak land.

Betraying her wish and continuing your quest will lead you on through the grieving village of

"This is sure to satiate the Souls hit which they've been missing out on" crows and onwards through the layers of the tightly wrapped story, which Dark Souls does so well.

The first Dark Souls 3 add-on may not provide regal visuals to match those of the Crown series of DLC from Dark Souls 2, or unravel a story which tugs at nostalgia in the same way that the Artorias of the Abyss DLC did for the first game, but it certainly offers an experience that is altogether Dark Souls.

By offering no new achievements or trophies (as previous installments have also done), it is likely

erans should be eyeing up the DLC just for bragging rights. With the further option of straying from the beaten path in order to challenge the Millwood Knights, and the chance to take down a second boss (should the hidden path be found), this cold and desolate addition to the world of Dark Souls 3 is enough to rekindle the fire in the hearts of any lovers of the Souls series.

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CAREERS

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbrickcareers

How to make it (not break it) into Marketing In this edition, Redbrick Careers highlight how to hack the marketing industry, the shift to digital marketing, and help you evaluate whether it could be a good fit for your graduate life

Industry Breakdown Mira Lodhia Careers Editor

Marketing Marketing is the umbrella term assigned to careers in public relations and advertising that refer to promoting a product, person or campaign.

It is also the process through which the strategy for promoting the product is developed, which includes identifying the target market and conducting market research.

As one of the most popular routes for graduates, marketing schemes and graduate jobs are plentiful but competitive. Those interested in a career in marketing can find graduate schemes within most large companies from RBS to Nestle, and with smaller marketing firms such as GrowBeyond, run by one of University of Birmingham's alumnus. A career in marketBanking ing is varied and fast paced, requiring those working in the sector to be creative, focussed, and great communicators.

Advertising Once marketing have decided that a product needs to be advertised, it is handed over to either an in house advertising team or an advertising agency. Unlike public relations, advertising is about promoting and getting people to buy into a product or campaign, usually through television, radio, publications, posters and billboards. Careers in advertising cover an exciting range of jobs from account managers, who are charged liaising with clients and managing their needs, to positions in the creative side of advertising that involve developing the artwork and campaign behind the products. At its core, advertising is the ability to sell a product. It seeks to persuade the buyer in favour of a product in the most cost efficient way possible.

Those in the advertising industry require good interpersonal and communication skills, creative ingenuity and business acumen.

Public Relations A business's success depends on its reputation, and so public relations careers are centered around maintaining this sense of goodwill between organizations and the public. Public Relations (PR) is thus the sustained effort on behalf of the business to manage its reputation with the general public, according to the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

Implicit in PR jobs are the planning, writing, and producing of public strategies, campaigns, interviews and press releases to sustain a good image of the business or organization you’re working for. Consequently, being an effective oral and written communicator is key.

Furthermore, as a Public Relations officer you could be working for a consulting body, a retailer, private company, charity, NGO, or a marketing/advertising body.

The options are endless!

Week in Careers IsThis Marketing, PR, or Advertising for You? Louise Dean

Careers Contributor

Marketing, advertising and PR are the mechanics behind any successful business. They determine how things sell, how the consumer resonates with particular brands, and how different companies are portrayed in the media. I took the opportunity to go to the Careers Network's ‘Careers in Advertising, Marketing and PR’ evening, to find out more about these exciting industries, and to understand from the guest speakers, who have a wealth of experience in the field of communications, what it takes to stand out from the crowd.

The evening was split into three breakout sessions, and everyone chose to attend two of these sessions with guest speakers of your choice. I chose to listen to the PR and Marketing sessions. In the PR talk, I listened to the experience of Laura Westcott, the Account Director and Ian Stanley, Media Consultant, of McCann PR and Social, a leading PR agency in the UK who represent a number of household names, including Chupa Chups, Fiat, Npower and PwC, to name a few. We learnt about what to expect in a day of working in PR, which would involve engaging in media relations, liaising with journalists, and what particular areas are currently growing in the industry, such as representing upcoming bloggers.

We learnt about some of the

projects which McCann have been involved in, from working with Screwfix, a tools provider to tradesmen, where they organised a football kick-out campaign with football legend Chris Kamara, to campaigns which utilise social media.

This would include making Snapchat filters to promote events.

In the marketing breakout session, we listened to Ria Blagburn, the founder of GrowBeyond. She talked about the skills required to be successful in the marketing industry, including being creative, good with data and with understanding people.

S h e emphasised that it is essential for a marketer to identify a problem that customers are experiencing, and how that problem can be solved through a particular product. We carried out scenarios in groups where we thought of a well-known brand, identified who the target audience was and the problem the brand might have. We then came up with a campaign for how they could improve the products they sell.

After the two breakout sessions, we listened to a Q&A session, where we learnt about the scheme

offered by Creative Director of advertising company Steve Price’s Superdream campaign called ‘Beehive’, where students can win paid work placements. ‘Beehive’ is definitely worth applying for as it is designed to help students get their foot in the door of these creative industries.

This was a very informative and useful event, as the experts passed on tips on how to get into these industries. Here are the highlights of their advice: have lots of hands on experience, write a blog, have active social media accounts, follow accounts of companies and individuals who you find interesting, read the news and identify what specifically interests you.

Although Marketing, PR and Advertising are all competitive, keep persisting and eventually you will get experience which will springboard your career in these industries. If you’re a good communicator, enjoy writing, appreciate good branding and enjoy keeping up with the news, then a career in marketing, PR and advertising should definitely be considered!

The Shift to Digital and Beyond Lael Hardtman Careers Editor @ehardtman

Marketing as an industry increaingly finds itself at a crossroads.

Traditional advertising often has to contend with newer forms of management, expanding its base to encompass the changes the digital age has bought forth.

Traditional marketing is all around us, so much so that we don’t even notice it. It consists of commercials (on both TV and radio), flyers, billboards, posters etc. Digital marketing is thus its logical opposite, and includes, but is not limited to, building a company website and utilizing popular social media to better increase brand recognition on the internet (YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook). Traditional marketing allows a business to easily reach its target audience, but in an increasing digital age it’s important for businesses to compete globally. This is best accomplished through the internet and social media.

The reasons for the shift are far from inexplicable. Forbes argues that 'budgets shift to fund digital marketing campaigns and more personalized customer engagement.' But the shift to digital marketing also speaks to a broad trend, one geared towards a changing market ecosystem which increasingly requires collecting, analyzing, and properly utilizing data, as well as tapping into an emotional space through virtual means.

Abode, by switching to an 'always on marketing strategy', enabled by digital marketing, has resulted in the multimonth timescale having been shrunk to weekly meetings. This results in rapid fire evaluation, but also has resulted in a 'culture of intensive crosscollaboration between marketing, product management, IT' that was previously unfounded in traditional marketing means. Furthermore, consumers are no longer isolated; through technology they are able to form communities by which companies can then target, and thus digital marketing gives consumers the ability to give feedback on products and campaigns, leading to increased interaction both offline and online, and deepening the divide between digital and traditional marketing. As much as the marketing industry is in the process of evolving, however, the fundamentals remain the same: human creativity and ingenuity still run the game.

This Week in Careers Junior PR Executive (Ruder Finn UK) Work with a cutting edge, multi-award winning, integrated agency on issues of health and medicine, gaining first-hand experience on executing industry-lead campaigns.

Unilever Future Leaders Programme - Marketing Join one of the largest consumer goods companies in the world and bring to life new consumer campaigns and projects. Apply for this 3 year grad scheme now, and hone your creative flair and business acumen!

International Graduate Programme (Chivas Brothers) Join the international company responsible for the marketing of Scotch whisky and English Gin. This 2 year joinery will enable you to develop expertise in branding, marketing, and global networking in an international office!

CAREERS

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbrickcareers

35

Careers Insider:

Spotlighting sucessful graduates An Interview with Ria Blagburn Lael Hardtman Careers Editor @ehardtman

In lieu of this week's theme, we got in contact with Ria Blagburn, a successful UoB graduate who went on to start her own marketing business. Here she outlines some of the key skills needed to suceeed, and what a day in the job entails. She was also a part of the Careers Fair's talk Marketing, Advertising, and PR!

GrowBeyond, a sales and marketing consultancy that helps startups and SMEs to acquire more customers.

How did you end up at your current job?

I’ve been working in marketing for most of my professional career, having started in retail after I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do following graduation. Prior to starting my own company in January this year, I was Head of Marketing at a web design agency for three years, where I worked with a huge range of clients and built up the experience needed to go it alone. I’m very fortunate to have a great business partner who is strong in the areas where I’m not; we compliment each other really well.

What does a day at your job generally entail?

Please introduce yourself My name’s Ria Blagburn, and I graduated from University of Birmingham in 2009 with an MSc in Applied Meteorology and Climatology. I now run

There isn’t really a standard day when you work with multiple clients, as they all have different needs and objectives for growth. Generally, my day will involve a bit of admin, such as managing the business and doing the bookkeeping, before either meeting with clients or carrying out work from home or in the office. One of the biggest bene-

What's in a Public Relations?

Aamina Siddiqi Comment Editor @aamina_siddiqi

The saying goes that any publicity is good publicity, and that is the motto of a practitioner in public relations. A PR typically works to get free publicity for their client but a career in PR involves the way the organisation and individuals communicate with the media and the public. They have a responsibility to control what information is released and to advise clients on what to say to the press. They are very much behind the scenes but what they do makes all the difference.

PR is a very important sector in a digital age where bloggers and Instagram trends dictate the future. Sending things to the right person who will publicise it for a small fee, but in exchange will bring a large audience, is where the future is going. When the publicity is right, it can be a huge boost to the business. A recent game called ‘Best Fiends’ in the form

of a mobile app benefitted greatly from getting YouTubers to advertise their game by sponsoring videos and had over 1 million downloads on the Google Play Store.

The main skill that is required from individuals who want to become a PR practitioner is excellent communication. You must be able to present infor-

mation to clients or meet with groups of people that are important to your client. Writing skills are also important as PRs will write annual reports, press releases,

fits of running your own business is the flexibility; whilst I usually work a normal 9-5:30 day, I’ll sometimes do a bit at the weekend or in the evening. I recognise when I’m not being productive, so will work at times when my head’s in the right place (even though that can be 10 o’clock at night).

Name one way in which working in your industry has surprised you.

One thing that I think people don’t realise about marketing is how much psychology goes on behind the scenes. It’s traditionally seen as a very creative field, but a great marketer needs to also be good at understanding people. The best marketing strategies will strive to work out what the problem of the target audience is, then pitch the product or service in a way that solves that problem. This requires marketers to challenge assumptions and really dig deep to truly understand who they’re trying to reach, oth-

articles and newsletters. These skills can be achieved during your time at university by getting involved in societies and taking on an active role that involves representation, marketing and communication.

Examples of these can be a social media secretary, marketing officer and media representive.

Being a PR practictioner isn’t a usual 9 - 5 job, so the ability to multi-task and manage time effectively is vital.

You must also keep up to date with recent news and trends.

There will be situations when you have to assess damage, handle crises and manage social media accounts. Those who followed the US elections will know Donald Trump’s PR team took away his Twitter account and took charge of themselves.

If you are an individual who is able to work under pressure to strict deadlines and can identify problems and predict their consequences, then a career in PR might be the one for you.

erwise the campaigns they work on will be nowhere near as effective as they should be.

It’s not just a case of sending out a few Tweets and hoping for the best.

What do you think a career in marketing can offer a graduate?

Marketing’s a really rewarding career for people who like to have an impact.

There’s a huge amount of satisfaction that comes with planning, executing, and analysing a successful marketing campaign, and it’s a great industry for anyone looking to make their mark. Creativity is always rewarded, but so is experimentation - not everything you try will yield the results you want, but it’s those who can learn from their results and do better next time who’ll really excel in this field.

"Creativity is always rewarded, but so is experimentation." had to quickly learn in order to run my own business, I have to rely on the four core abilities that I think all proficient marketers need: you need to be creative, because you will have to come up with new ideas; good at writing, as a lot of modern marketing is content-focused; great with data analysis, because you’ll need to approach marketing campaigns in a very scientific way and analyse your results; and excellent at understanding people. Modern marketing is all about effective communication, working out what people want, and letting them know that you can provide the solution to their problems.

What are the types of skills you find yourself relying on a day to day basis?

Aside from the skills I’ve

Join Redbrick Careers!

Would you like to help put the Careers section together for Redbrick?

Whether you have an interest in the more traditional routes and grad-schemes, or are curious about emerging roles in unusual industries, come and talk to us about contributing to Redbrick's newly established section. The role really is what you make it!

Writing positions are available. If you're interested, send an email to careers@redbrickonline.co.uk

Sport

36

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbricksport

Prem ‘Keepers Keep Keeping It Out Harry Wilkinson Print Editor @harry_wilks

With the likes of De Gea, Lloris and Courtois, the English first division is graced with three of the best 'keepers in the world.

Upon looking beyond the top sides, too, it seems that nowadays every team in the Premier League has a top quality goalkeeper. The beginning of this season has illuminated just how impressive the range of 'keepers present in the Prem is; some of them in the form of their lives.

It seems there are no jokes anymore. Even Heurelho Gomes, whom many have liked to mock, proved last year that he is no joke - winning Watford's player of the year. His most notable performance was at the Hawthorns, whereby he saved two penalties, allowing Watford to win 0-1. A similar feat was achieved by Everton 'keeper Maarten Stekelenburg quite recently, when he saved two penalties away at Manchester City.

There was a time when there always seemed to be some joke about a 'keeper; they were someone who was always mocked.

Peter Enckelman is a great example, famous for making catastrophic blunders in both Second City derbies in the 2002-03 season.

Here are some other names to reminisce on: Gabor Kiraly, Andy Dibble, Roy Carroll, Fabian Barthez (he still seemed to be a joke despite actually being quite

Print editor, Harry Wilkinson, explores the abundance of talented goalkeepers in the Premier League

well-renowned, perhaps due to the famous Di Canio, offside goal).

To focus again on the brilliance of the current 'keeper crop, the amount of English talent between the sticks is remarkable.

With Fraser Forster, (Southampton); Ben Foster (West Brom); Tom Heaton (Burnley); Jack Butland (Stoke), Jordan Pickford (Sunderland), England selectors are certainly spoilt for choice. Of course, there is also the current England number one, Joe Hart, who is on loan at Italian side Torino.

From this list of goalkeepers, the one I am most excited about is Jack Butland, who - although he is currently injured - proved last year that he has the potential to be one of the best in the world, and I don't say that lightly. Unlike most of the others in the list I just gave, Butland is actually very young for an established goalkeeper (aged 23), so is sure to improve with time. I would hypothesise that the optimum age for a goalkeeper is around 28 - a healthy balance between agility and experience, which is incidentally about the age of Forster (28), Hart (29) and Heaton (30).

At 22 years old, Jordan Pickford is another player who can only improve, although I would contend he is yet an established Premier League goalkeeper. Recent form has shed some bright light on Pickford, most notably in the game which saw Sunderland beat Bournemouth.

The Washington (a town in the district of Sunderland) born man made a myriad of important saves, including one miraculous stop from a shot by Josh King.

In the years commencing the fight for England's top spot between the sticks is sure to be very intriguing. The main question being whether Joe Hart will retain the coveted number one shirt for the 2017 World Cup (providing England qualify of course)?

Now, whilst discussing the question of who is the best 'keeper in the league, I think it's only necessary to mention who I said in the previous season and how this

"In the years commencing the fight for England's top spot between the sticks is sure to be very intriguing" has changed. Around this time last season I asserted that Thibaut Cortious was the best in the league, and I remain confident that at that time - after the season he had prior with Chelsea - this was correct. However, now, my position has changed slightly. He has moved down to third on my list - not really for his own faults, but for the continued extraordinary progression of Hugo Lloris and David De Gea. To be thorough in regard to recognising Courois' class though, it should be mentioned that he has managed to

keep five straight clean sheets.

Although, I would hasten to add that clean sheets are a very insufficent way of measuring a goalkeepers ability- this phenomenon best represented by Petr Cech's (the most overrated player in the Premier League) clean-sheet record.

Anyway, to call on superiority between these two players is so marginal, that I'd almost be tempted to cop-out and call it 'joint first'. But honestly, I'd prefer to call on it - if only to cause some minor annoyance to Manchester United fans. So, for his formidable presence between the sticks, his extraordinary consistency, and his lack of weakness in literally any areas of goalkeeping, Hugo Lloris is my Premier League number one. But, to ease the pain of the crying De Gea fan boys, I would have to admit that the save of the season so far has to be David De Gea's, following a shot

by Coutinho in the 0-0 draw on 'Red Monday'.

Still, to go back to praising the other on-form 'keepers in the Prem, it would seem rude not to give some recognition of Tom Heaton's recent exploits. He has been absolutely unreal for Burnley; an embodiment of their overall over-performance and form. His showing at Old Trafford is perhaps best represented by providing the Manchester United shooting statistics for that game: 37 shots, 11 on target, 0 goals.

Many will render the chances of Burnley staying up are in direct correlation to Heaton's form; so Clarets fans can only hope Heaton can retain his nominative determinist status by remaining, well and truly, on fire.

But what has caused all this recent surge in goalkeeping talent? Is it better facilities? Better coaches? Better information (e.g. video analysis of a player's pastpenalties, allowing the placement of their next penalty to be predicted)? I would theorise that the cause is a combination of each of these aspects, plus an added, unspoken incentive from each club. Goalkeepers these days must be as athletic as any other position; the physical demands (in terms of agility, balance etc.) more challenging than ever before. Not to mention the mental demands, which is sure to be more straining than ever with the added pressure caused by superfluous money in the game. But where there is struggle, comes forced improvement in order to ensure capability.

It seems the added strains of being a Premier League player has forced clubs to leave no stone unturned when it comes to preparing them for the league's intensity, including their goalkeepers.

It is important that the fantastic, consistent showings from goalkeepers in the Premier League are recognised and commended.

As a man who finds a 'worldiesave' more satisfying than a 30 yard-screamer, I hope the jawdropping saves and miraculous performances continue, if only to spite those ego-twisted strikers.

There are seven 'keeepers who have managed to save two penalties in one game since the Premier League's inception. As mentioned, Stekelenburg and Gomes (who's done it twice) are amongst them, who are the other five?

Answer: Mark Bosnich, Pavel Srnicek, Edwin van der Sar, Brad Friedel, and Jussi Jaaskelainen

Sport

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbricksport

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WSL1 Team of the Year 2016 Online editor, Nancy Frostick, provides her picks for the Women's Super League Team of the Year Nancy Frostick Online Editor @nancyfrostick

After a brilliant Women’s Super League season across both divisions, it's time for my Garth Crooks style ‘Team of the Year’, showcasing the eleven best players in domestic women’s football - all lovingly hand-picked from WSL 1. Hopefully my team shows a little more tactical nouse than some of the rather bizarre formations often chosen by the BBC pundit, although I too have fallen into the trap of a very attacking line-up.

Firstly, a note to the highly commended players who didn’t quite make the cut – Keira Walsh, Danielle van de Donk and Izzy Christiansen have all had excellent seasons. Another notable omission (for which I expect considerable and justified judgement) is that of golden-boot winning Chelsea striker Eniola Aluko – but then she’s been left out of Mark Sampson’s England squad for some time now, so great minds obviously think alike. Finally, before getting down to the nitty gritty of who has made it and why, a shout-out to WSL 2’s finest this season: Sarah Wiltshire, Ellie Curson, Jodie Brett and Claire Emslie have all been outstanding, and those players come from the two promoted sides

Yeovil and Bristol City alone. So here it is, gather around and listen intently, my 2016 WSL 1 Team of the Year:

and in tackles, a brilliant leader for club and country and with the ability score a mean free-kick too, Houghton was the first name in my XI.

GK – Karen Bardsley (Manchester City): the England shot-stopper only let in four goals this season - three of which were penalties. Even though she had one of Europe’s best defences in front of her, there’s no arguing with the importance of a reliable ‘keeper between the sticks. This season Karen Bardsley has been head and shoulders above the rest (except Jill Scott, she’s very tall), so she was one of the easiest names on my team sheet.

CB – Aoife Mannion (Birmingham City): Mannion is one of a few young players in WSL 1 who had a stellar season it wouldn’t surprise me if she gets a call-up from Mark Sampson soon. An absolutely outstanding match in the Continental Cup Final topped what has been an impressive season for Mannion and Birmingham City; their defensive record speaks volumes to her performances in 2016.

LB – Claire Rafferty (Chelsea): Whatever happened to praising full backs that can defend? Despite the popularity of modern leftbacks who can whip in a wicked cross – which Rafferty can and does do on a regular basis for Chelsea – you can’t argue with the fact that when a strong challenge needs to be made, the Blues’ longest serving player will be there and will most likely come away with the ball.

CB – Steph Houghton (Manchester City): After this season, there is absolutely no doubting that Steph Houghton has fulfilled the hype that was born out of her performance at the 2012 Olympics. Solid in the air

RB – Lucy Bronze (Manchester City): I’ve previously argued the case that Lucy Bronze is the best right-back in the world, and I stick by that; she is part of the reason very few have got through City’s defence and is always a threat going forward. She’s the best, case closed.

LM – Karen Carney (Chelsea): Who knew it was possible for Karen Carney to get even better?

Since her move to Chelsea she has been rampant down the wing, causing all sorts of trouble with her attacking flair and skill. When she’s on the ball it always looks as if something will happen, and the good news is she does the same when she pulls on an England

shirt too.

CM – Millie Bright (Chelsea): Millie Bright is another player who has broken through to become one of the stars of the WSL this season. Outshining the likes of Katie Chapman and Ji So Yun in Chelsea’s midfield is no easy feat, but is something Bright has managed through her excellent ability to shield the defence and break up play.

CM – Jill Scott (Manchester City): This season Jill Scott has been the rock in the undefeated champions’ midfield, linking defence and attack, and generally being everywhere on the pitch at any given moment. She’s also chipped in with a few goals and gets massive respect for representing all the tall girls out there who are as good with their feet as they are in the air.

Redbrick Sport fans will know this is quite the statement. She’s pacey, quick-footed and when cutting in onto her favoured right foot has the potential to produce something very, very special (see her goal in the FA Cup Final for evidence if you don’t believe me).

ST – Jane Ross (Manchester City): She has looked a shoe-in for the golden boot all season (pun shamefully intended) and has been vital in getting City over the line when it counts in some competitive games. Considering this is Ross’s first season in the WSL after a move from Vittsjo GIK, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s even more prolific next season.

RM – Nikita Parris (Manchester City): If you’re looking for pace, look no further than Nikita Parris.

Providing attacking threat and with ever-clinical finishing, this season has been a breakthrough one for the City winger for both club and country. Did I mention she’s really fast?

ST – Danielle Carter (Arsenal): My love for Danielle Carter runs as deep as Dan Steeden’s feelings for Antoine Griezmann – avid

UFC 205: McGregor Makes History Toby Green Sports Writer

The Irish fighter Conor McGregor made fighting history on Saturday November 12th in Madison Square Garden New York. The featherweight champion became the first fighter to simultaneously hold two UFC belts, as he claimed Eddie Alvarez’ lightweight belt two minutes into the second round of UFC 205 with a knockout.

Never before has a UFC champion held belts from more than one weight division at the same time - in fact, UFC president Dana White claimed that McGregor would not be able to do this as Conor has consistently refused to defend his featherweight title, rejecting any featherweight fights, instead chasing his dream of slinging a belt over either shoulder.

Nevertheless, history was still made. McGregor truly dominated the octagon ring during the fight, knocking Alvarez to the ground three times in the first round.

Alvarez, already thrown off by his appalling first round, lasted only 3 minutes into the second round.

Conor knocked Alvarez to the ground with three successive punches. This time Eddie didn’t recoup his fall. After the fight Conor claimed, 'Eddie is a solid competitor, Eddie is a warrior, but he shouldn't have been in here with me and that's just the truth of

it.' McGregor is known for his cocky demeanor, consistently flaunting his wealth over social media and appointing himself the 'King of New York'. However despite his personality traits, claims do appear true, as evident by his humiliation of Eddie Alvares.

"Hearing people you have never met cheer the name printed on your chest with enthusiasm creates an additional desire to conquer the challenge" After the fight Alvarez admitted to losing his game plan, intending to take the fight to ground, playing on McGregor’s weakness with ground work, thus exploiting his advantage. However the fight primarily stayed on feet, exchanging boxing blows, as is McGregor’s strength. Conor is undisputedly a superior boxer to Eddie Alvarez - in the past there was talk of Conor fighting the boxing champion Floyd Mayweather, claiming 'It would take me less than thirty seconds to

wrap around him like a boa constrictor and strangle him.' However this has since lulled. But perhaps now that McGregor has succeeded in his dream of gaining a second belt, he will be looking to take on the boxing champ.

This isn’t the first time that McGregor has changed fighting history though. In December 2015 at UFC 194, Conor beat Jose Aldo in a record breaking UFC knockout time of 13 seconds.

McGregor’s record breaking and high popularity lead him to announce, after the fight with Eddie, that he wants a share in ownership of UFC. The company was sold for an estimated $4bn over this summer and a major reason for the price being so high was due to McGregor’s notoriety, bringing in a vast amount of interest and seriously promoting the UFC franchise.

Conor called out the new owners of the UFC, suggesting, 'The new owners better call me' and stated he would not comply without being giving his fair share of ownership for making UFC what it is. His ability to make this threat was made evident by UFC 200 when President White cut McGregor from the card for not complying; the revenue for that UFC event took severe hits.

Conor is undisputedly the face of UFC and as he claims 'the face of the fight game' in general. And now with his dual-belt status he

has never been in a stronger position to push his boundaries with the UFC, even verbally attacking Welterweight champion Woodley and hinting desires at his belt.

As McGregor breaks more records and gains more status as a champion, it is exciting to see

what comes next out of the Irish fighter. However, for now, he says he intends to take a break, enjoy his two belts, and has announced his girlfriend’s pregnancy. But it is likely this will not be the last we here of ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor.

Sport

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Friday 18th November 2016

@redbricksport

Tenth Time Lucky for Hamilton in Brazil The penultimate race of the 2016 Formula One season was last weekend - Nicola Kenton and George LilleyMoncrieff round up the action from Sao Paulo Nicola Kenton Online Editor @QueenNikNak

With the momentum in the Drivers' World Championship firmly in the hands of Lewis Hamilton, the Formula One roadshow rolled into Interlagos.

However, the Brazilian Grand Prix has been a place of mixed fortunes for the Brit. Hamilton has never won the race but he also secured his maiden world title at the track in 2008. It had been a good weekend for Hamilton who topped two of the practice sessions and managed to take pole position ahead of his team-mate, but how would they fare in the race?

In typical Interlagos fashion, everybody woke up on Sunday morning in Sao Paulo, Brazil to see the circuit covered in puddles.

The weather has always been a massive contributor to an exciting race and especially one where the World Championship is on the line. As the race drew closer, the rain did not ease and it was being debated whether the race would start under a safety car or not. On the way to the grid, Romain Grosjean - who performed so well in qualifying for Haas - aqua planed coming up the hill and crashed into the wall. As a result of the crash and persistent rain the start was delayed.

After a ten minute delay the

race began under the safety car.

For the first seven laps, the field followed Bernd Mayländer around the Interlagos circuit. However, racing finally got underway on lap 8 and Hamilton pulled away from the field. Verstappen proved that he could drive in the wet, overtaking Räikkönen nearly straightaway and gaining on Rosberg. It was not the best start for Vettel who spun and lost places down the field; there were then

"Hamilton had a comfortable race at the front and did what was needed to close the gap in the championship again"

saw the stranded Sauber. Red Bull pitted both their drivers, one before the pit lane had closed and the other after, as the safety car came back out.

Five second penalties were handed out to Ricciardo for pitting whilst the pit lane was closed and Massa for overtaking before the safety car line. Mayländer drove the field around the circuit for the next seven laps while the debris was cleared away and the race began again on lap 20. As soon as the race was restarted, Räikkönen lost his car on the last corner and catapulted across the main straight with many drivers having to take avoiding action as the Finn was left helpless in his stricken Ferrari.

The safety car then was recalled before the race was immediately red-flagged.

A lengthy delay in proceedings saw the cars static in the pit lane for 35 minutes before the race resumed under Mäylander's control. However, after another eight laps the race was red-flagged again much to the dismay of the Brazilian crowd. After a delay of a similar amount of time, the race began under the safety car once again with all cars starting on the full-wet tyres again. It was looking as though the race would be time limited; however, 75% would be competed and therefore full points would be awarded.

Hamilton once again controlled the front of the race, while Rosberg was put under pressure

Analysis of Max Verstappen's Marvellous Drive George Lilley- Moncrieff Overtaking 11 drivers in 16 laps on a dry circuit is an Sports Writer incredible achievement in itself, but to do it in torrential Mercedes were left to eat their rain just proves why so many words after Max Verstappen believe that Max could put on a masterclass in over- become a multiple world taking throughout the final champion within the next 5 third of the race. Mercedes years. Reminiscent of Senna’s boss Toto Wolff, having been performance at Monaco in reported to have contacted the 1984, or Schumacher at the Dutch driver’s father to Spanish GP of 1996, Brazil request that he tones down 2016 may well be looked any erratic driving in lieu of back on as one of the greatest the ongoing championship drives of F1 history, and cerbattle, stated post-race that the tainly one that marked Brazilian Grand Prix had been Verstappen as a cut above the the “Verstappen Show”. rest of the pack.

by Verstappen and the Dutchman made his move into the first corner. However, Red Bull pitted several cars including Vettel who both drivers on lap 40 and 43, decided to switch from full-wet to respectively and took a gamble on the intermediate tyres. Apart from intermediate tyres. The race conthe occasional spin, the cars tinued as normal until lap 48 seemed to be coping until Ericsson when home star Felipe Massa had also lost his car going into the last a similar incident to Ericsson and corner - he ended up hitting the ended up blocking the pit lane wall and was stranded in the pit entrance. Emotional scenes folentrance. This was a precarious lowed as Massa saluted the crowd situation as the visibility was with his Brazilian flag and walked limted leaving other cars to draback up the pit lane, where he matically brake as soon as they was greeted by his Williams colleagues, given a salute by Mercedes and embraced by Ferrari before his family joined him.

The safety car was required again until lap 55. The Red Bull duo had realised that the intermediate tyres were not working to their full potential and had changed them for full-wet tyres on laps 52 and 54.

The final laps were also known as the Max Ve r s t a p p e n show.

The Dutchman was the fastest man on track and made his way Lewis Hamilton has now won at 24 different circuits – more than any other driver in history. through the field from 14th and ended up

Campus Sports Results November 16th

Badminton (men's) 1sts 7-1 Warwick 1sts Fencing (men's) 2nds 52-135 Warwick 1sts Golf 2nds 3-3 UoB 3rds Lacrosse (men's) 2nds 12-6 Staffordshire 1sts Rugby (women's) 1sts 32-0 Leicester 1sts

on the podium. Hamilton had a comfortable race at the front and did what was needed to close the gap in the championship again.

Rosberg was not as comfortable as Hamilton, but due to Red Bull's strategy risks benefitted from being too far ahead of the Verstappen charge. Perez came

"Abu Dhabi will play host to a world title deciding race once again" fourth, Vettel ended up in fifth, Sainz was sixth, Hulkenberg finished seventh and Ricciardo was eighth. Brazilian Felipe Nasr had a great race to end up in ninth and Alonso grabbed the last point in tenth.

Next up is the last Grand Prix of the year. Abu Dhabi will play host to a championship deciding race once again, as in 2012 and 2014. The current permutations are that Hamilton has to finish 13 points ahead of Rosberg to win the title, which is the equivalent of the Brit winning and his teammate finishing in fourth thus giving the Brit a 1 point lead and the title. In the event of a tie in points, the Championship goes to whoever has the most first places and if this tied, then it goes to second places etc. However, after Brazil both Rosberg and Hamilton have won nine races each this season and even if Hamilton wins in Abu Dhabi, there's no guarantee that he will be World Champion again so this rule is unlikely to come into force.

Badminton (women's) 1sts 8-0 Leeds 1sts Football (men's) 2nds 0-0 Worcester 1sts Hockey (men's) 2nds 1-3 Leeds Beckett 1sts Lacrosse (women's) 2nds 14-9 Cambridge 2nds Table Tennis (men's) 1sts 2-15 Nottingham 3rds

Sport

Friday 18th November 2016

@redbricksport

39

UoB Men's 1sts Football Team Trounce League Rivals Stirling with Major Victory Alex Alton

Football Correspondent @_alexalton

The Lions' have had a troubling start to the season, claiming just two points from their first four games in the Premier Division.

Their opponents- Stirling, had made a much more positive start to the campaign with 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses from 5 games.

UoB started with fantastic intensity and, encouraged from the side-lines, the home side took

Alex Alton reports from Metchley 3G on UoB's barnstorming victory over Stirling to surge up the league table. a brilliant 5th minute lead with a wonderful finish by number 10 Jack Davies after some exquisite build up play.

This ability to pass through the thirds of the pitch seemed to be very effective for Birmingham all day long, with another goal coming their way in the 12th minute.

Davies once again showed a

mixture of placement and power to slot the ball comfortably in the bottom right corner of the goal.

This was a brilliant start for Birmingham and from the opening exchanges it felt like the league table was lying.

Although Stirling seemed to be reasonably competent, Birmingham were playing an irresistible style of fluid, passing

"It was a brilliant half of football for Birmingham, who finally seemed to be getting the result they deserved on the reflection of their performance, displaying an impressive fluid style."

football which proved to work a treat on the day.

The game was all but out of sight of Stirling in the 26th minute as the referee awarded a penalty to the home side. This was put away comfortably, the ball going to the keeper’s right as he dived the other way.

If there was any doubt as to the outcome of the match at 3-0, it was surely beyond all reasonable doubt that the Scottish side could find a way back into the game in the 28 th minute, when the referee proceeded to award another penalty to Birmingham.

Once again, this was slotted home, resulting in a hat trick for Jack Davies.

There was not to be a fifth goal without reply for Birmingham however, as Stirling responded in the 34 th minute with a powerful header which sailed into the left corner of the goal.

Just before half time, some beautiful individual play by striker David Rogalski resulted in another goal for Birmingham.

The striker found his way to goal by twisting and turning through two markers before placing the ball in the bottom right corner of the net.

The half time score line allowed Birmingham to express themselves even more in the second half, with centre half AJ Adelekan showing some fancy footwork

that belied his role as a centre half in the match.

The 51st minute saw another Birmingham goal, with a low cross coolly converted by Birmingham’s number 8, who was isolated and allowed to finish calmly.

Perhaps the best goal of the game though displayed the efficiency of the whole side. After a series of passes between the UoB players, Adelekan began a marauding run down the left hand side of the pitch, using his strength to shrug off multiple markers.

He passed to number 7, who finished off the move with expert precision from a seemingly impossible angle into the roof of the net.

The closing stages of the match were reasonably timid with Birmingham displaying their dominance by effectively shutting out a frustrated Stirling side who lacked direction in attack.

All in all then, this was a fantastic performance for the UoB 1sts, in a game which saw the culmination of their hard efforts and perseverance in order to achieve this impressive result.

This will surely send a message to other teams in the division that Birmingham are a serious proposition and will be harder to face than the 2 points in the 4 first games might suggest. A joy to watch.

Final Score: Birmingham Lions 7-1 Stirling

A View from the Stands: A Spectator's View of xpLosION Sam Harrison Sports Writer

Both sides put on erratic performances as the Killer Bees beat the Lions 10-7.

The Lions should be disappointed with the result, as they had opportunities to put the game away, especially late on as the offense finally started to find its rhythm in the fourth quarter through a strong running game.

This was a feature of the offense all day long, though the team often opted to pass on second and third down after decent first down

Basketball (men's) 1sts 94-77 Oxford Brookes 1sts Football (women's) 2nds 3-1 Derby 1sts Hockey (women's) 1sts 0-1 Edinburgh 1sts Netball 2nds 42-44 Nottingham 1sts Table Tennis (women's) 1sts 0-5 Nottingham 1sts

gains running the ball. It appears that there was an effort to create big plays, with multiple deep passes attempted throughout the game, despite the only big completion coming on one of the first offensive plays of the game.

In three years of XpLosION, I have never heard the crowd as quiet as they were this year. This may have been because there was no rhythm in the game, with possession often changing hands.

But, when the final whistle went, the only sound to be heard was the cheering of the Bath players as the Birmingham crowd was stunned into silence by the first XpLosION loss in its history.

Basketball (women's) 2nds 44-25 Lincoln 1sts Golf 1sts 5.5-0.5 Nottingham 1sts Rugby (men's) 1sts 39-22 Durham 1sts Tennis (men's) 1sts 10-2 Notts Trent 1sts

First xpLosION Loss for Lions in 12 years 18.11.2016 Harry Wilkinson explores the talent of Premier League goalkeepers

Page 36 Tobias Green

reports on Conor McGregor's victory in UFC 205

Page 37 Alex Alton reports from Metchley as the UoB men's 1sts breeze past Stirling

Page 39 For more, follow us on Twitter:

@redbricksport

Photo credit: Freddy Nevison-Andrews

Ben Garrett

American Football Correspondent

The Birmingham Lions held their twelfth Xplosion on Saturday and it was a real spectacle to say the least.

The Bath Killer Bees came up and gave the Lions a tough game. Within the first quarter the Bath team had taken the lead with a field goal to make the score 0-3. The Lions’ defence performed very well throughout the game with some hard-hitting sacks by number 94 Will Stone. Also, defensive

back Aidan Roddy performed very well by testing the Bath offence with some very impressive bat downs and tackles. At half time the score was still 0-3 but some very good drives from the Lions offence placed them in a good position to score and a very good run from Elliot Walters, Lions’ running-back, led to a Lions touchdown.

Unfortunately, the Bath defence scored an interception to win the game 7-10 but the Lions’ offence and defence fought to the very last play where the Lions came within inches of scoring again to win the match.

At half time, the dance society put on a very entertaining performance and the Birmingham Pussycat Cheerleaders did a very impressive routine containing several lifts and flips. Then after the game had finished the event was capped off with a big firework display over the pitch.

'A View from the Stands' on page 39