Concrete - Issue 281

How was it for you?

Read the full sex survey results inside. Turn to pages 12-13.

UEA’s Student Newspaper Issue 281 Free Tuesday 5 March

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Food for thought as hygiene risks are revealed at Norwich eateries

ConcreteUEA

Election highlights Full coverage and results on page three

Norwich Liz Jackson News editor

Recently publicised Food Hygiene ratings for Norwich’s restaurants and takeaways have revealed some surprising and unsavoury facts about the city’s eateries, which include several student favourites.

According to the Norwich Evening News, some 153 food establishments achieved a rating of 2/5 or lower and some were reported to be infested with “rats and cockroaches”. Thankfully, the Union’s food establishments have all earned a rating of at least 3/5, with the Union Food Outlet and Paper Shop achieving 5/5.

Among the restaurants and takeaways to have earned a rating of 2/5 or less (as seen on Norwich City Council’s “Food Hygiene Standards” website) are Lim’s Fish and Chips and Royal Tandoori, both situated on Unthank Road and frequented by students. Observations listed in the public report on Lim’s from July 2012, which achieved a rating of 2/5, revealed that sausages were stored in a “fridge” in the main counter that had an actual temperature of 14C, some

Campaigns and hustings: 23 candidates answer questions - but no free pizza

Philip Thomas of the raw meat being stored had no listed best before or use by date, and the curry cooker, sausage freezer and drinks fridge were considered so dirty that they contravened food hygiene standards.

At Royal Tandoori, which achieved the lowest rating of 0/5 or “urgent improvement necessary” as of December 2012, the report stated that ready to eat foods such as lettuce were stored next to raw meat among other crosscontamination risks that could lead to the spread of the potentially-fatal E-coli 0157 bacteria. There was no soap or towel provided in the staff w/c at the time of inspection, and the inspector notes that they suspected the food temperature

ENVIRONMENT P.14 MUSIC

DOLPHINS AND SEX

THE ERECTION SELECTION

probe had not been wiped down between uses, and that staff were not disinfecting kitchen surfaces often enough.

In the main city area, establishments Lola Lo’s and La Tasca achieved 2/5 each in September 2011 and January 2012 reports respectively. The report for Lola Lo’s noted a “growth of black mould” in the ice machine. At La Tasca, the inspector observed mould in the ice-making machine and noted that squid was being defrosted in the same sink where fresh salad and herbs were being washed, without being disinfected between uses - posing a contamination risk.

Continued on page four.

V.4 GAMING

BIOWARE AND ROMANCE

Voting opens: many students struggle to vote online - high usage blamed

The results are in: find out who your new Union officers are on page three

V.19 LIFESTYLE

P.19

CONSENT: YES MEANS YES

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concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk

Editorial

Issue 281

Contributors

Editor-in-chief | Amy Adams concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk Managing Editor | Chris Teale concrete.managingeditor@uea.ac.uk Online Editor | Harry Slater Deputy Online Editor | Luke Boobyer concrete.online@uea.ac.uk News | Philip Thomas & Liz Jackson concrete.news@uea.ac.uk Comment | Ciara Jack concrete.comment@uea.ac.uk Global | Robert Norris concrete.global@uea.ac.uk Features | Lauren Cope concrete.features@uea.ac.uk Environment | Tim Miller concrete.environment@uea.ac.uk Science & Tech | Rebecca Hardy concrete.science@uea.ac.uk Travel | Polly Grice concrete.travel@uea.ac.uk Lifestyle | Emma Williamson concrete.lifestyle@uea.ac.uk Sport | Billy Sexton & Sam Tomkinson concrete.sport@hotmail.co.uk Copy Editors | Sidonie Chaffer-Melly & Charlotte Cox concretecopyeditors@gmail.com Chief Photographers | Elizabeth Margereson & Chloe Hashemi concrete.photography@uea.ac.uk Distribution Manager | Steph Gover

News | Chris Teale, Philip Thomas, Liz Jackson, James Lillywhite, Drew Nichol, Robert Staniforth, Chris Thomson, Billy Sexton Comment | Ben Beebe, Livvy Brown, Saul Holmes, Andrew Ansell, Nile Pennington, Peter Sheehan Global | Robert Norris, Grace Jones Features | Polly Grice, Lauren Cope Environment | Claire Walker, Suhailah Ali, Chris Teale Science & Tech | Anna Grieve, Rebecca Hardy, Chris Teale Travel | Rachael Lum, Sam Tomkinson, Marta Catalano, Polly Grice, Ciara Jack, Chris Teale, Lucy Harford Lifestyle | Ellen Thornton, Lydia Clifton, Hattie Grünewald, Sidonie Chaffer-Melly, Emma Williamson Sport | Sam Tomkinson, Chris Teale, Matthew Everett, Charlie Savage Proofreaders | Charlotte Cox, Sidonie Chaffer-Melly, Caitlin Gray, Stephenie Naulls, Tom Duffy, Tom Ritchie, Chris Teale, Amy Adams, Oliver Balaam Photographers | Whye Tchien Khor, Ga Chun Yau, Ian Weir, Holly Maunders, Ciara Jack, Harriet Jones, Philip Thomas

Corrections

Senior editors are heavily involved in the production of the newspaper and the website. Positions include deputy, managing, Venue and online editors.

Applications are now open and will close on 18 March. For more details go to concrete-online.co.uk/concblog

•

In the article “UEA Masters students sleep rough for Sleep Easy”, the statement “39% of people aged 16 to 25 are homeless” should read “39% of homeless people are aged 16 to 25.”

Editorial

05/03/13

Senior editorial 2012-13: applications now open

The Editor’s Column We’ve had a lot of late nights in the Concrete office this week. It began with a frantic liveblog of Union election hustings; as the week progressed we appointed the lovely Sidonie ChafferMelly to take charge as next year’s editorin-chief; and it all reached its climax with the publication of the sex survey.

I’ll admit, this is the issue I’ve been most anxious about all year. I seem to spend half my life criticising the media for its representations of sex and sexuality.

And it’s not difficult either – everywhere you look there are conflicting messages about how each gender should look, act and feel. Broaden your gaze to include the messages surrounding sexuality – who we should like, why we should like them, and what we should do about it – and the world can become an increasingly terrifying place.

There are many articles across this

issue discussing sex and sexuality in great detail, from the serious to the lighthearted. Comment has some great pieces about recent – often appalling – representations of women. Lifestyle includes some fantastic pieces on polyamory and consent. Sport tackles the issue of homophobia. (Get it? Tackles?

No?) Venue, meanwhile, have embraced the theme with characteristic charm.

I hope you enjoy this issue as much as we have (resisting a “was it good for you?” joke). While we’ve tried to treat certain issues with the respect they deserve, we also want to celebrate the diversity of sex - as something which, at its best, is a lot of fun for everyone involved. Let’s not forget, guys: sex is hilarious.

Have a lovely week. I hope you felt as awkward reading this as I did writing it.

Amy Adams Editor-in-Chief

Letter to the Editor Dear Editor, Last week in Concrete, my eyes were drawn to the article on the Pope Benedict XVI’s announced resignation, written by Jess Brown. Being a practising Catholic, I found the tone of the piece condescending, humiliating and uncouth.

It was the unnecessary snide digs at my tradition that I, and others, felt belittling. Repeated reference to the Church’s teachings as “archaic” carries with it a certain notion that this is an old fashioned, outdated, religion that our secular society can’t wait to be rid of, like a lingering disease. This thought is exemplified in the final phrase where Brown makes her general reaction to the Church analogous to the way she “might react to a racist grandparent; roll your eyes and tweet about it when they say something particularly ridiculous.” Is it hard to see how this could be considered

Tweet of the Week Maxie Gedge @MaxxxieGravy Voting in the #UEA student elections. If I was voting based on the music used in the campaign vids I’d vote for NO ONE.

a demeaning comparison? Why? As a Catholic, I feel labelled as one who also endorses the preposterous, “archaic”, ideas of this “racist grandparent”. But I react to the Church with reverence as I do to a grandmother who has lived through wars and bears a wisdom that surpasses my intellect: I embrace Her. I must also briefly comment on last week’s front page headline: “CU in homophobic dispute”. A speaker commenting on his disagreement with gay marriage, whether rightly or wrongly, has NOTHING to do with homophobia, which is “an extreme and irrational aversion to homosexual people.” To publish such a title is to tarnish the name of the CU, sacrificing their reputation for the sake of an eye-catching headline. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

Kieran Driver Philosophy Undergraduate

Contact Us Union House University of East Anglia Norwich NR4 7TJ 01603 593 466 www.concrete-online.co.uk www.concblog.wordpress.com Editorial inquiries / complaints concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk concrete.venue@uea.ac.uk Got a story? concrete.news@uea.ac.uk

Concrete welcomes all letters and emails, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Letters should be addressed to the editor-in-chief, and include contact details. All emails should be sent to concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk. We will consider anonymous publication, and reserve the right to edit for length and clarity. Anonymous article submissions are permitted. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the newspaper. No part of this newspaper may be reproduced through any means without the express permission of the editor, Amy Adams. Published by UUEAS Concrete Society ©2013 Concrete BMc ISSN 1351-2773

News

05/03/13

Issue 281

concrete.news@uea.ac.uk

Students struggle with online voting

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Despite a turnout of nearly 3,000 votes in five days, many students found difficulty voting online University Chris Teale Managing editor The Union of UEA Students officer elections had a record turnout of 3,041 votes, up 65.73% from 1,999 last year, as students voted to elect next year’s four full-time student officers and a further 13 part-time officers.

The number of votes reached this year exceeds the previous record of 2,119, which was achieved in the 2010 elections.

Last year’s mark was passed on Sunday 3 March, when there was still over a day left before the elections closed.

However, some students were left frustrated during the voting period in the elections as the online system ran into difficulties that prevented them from voting.

The technical issues were somewhat avoided thanks to the introduction of paper voting in the LCR, which received over 500 votes after being open for just three days.

On their official Facebook page, the Union blamed “too many people trying to vote” as the system provided by Nudge Digital apparently could not cope

with the sheer volume of traffic coming to the voting website.

Another issue that occurred with online voting was that those who had voted in last semester’s by-election were not able to vote online, although this was resolved within five minutes of the problem being raised on the first day.

Election fever had swept across campus since campaigning officially opened on Monday 25 January, with hustings being hosted in the LCR the following day in which the full-time officer candidates put forward their case to be elected.

Unfortunately, the technical problems with online voting began almost immediately after voting opened on Thursday 28 January, with the system only breaking intermittently to allow people to vote.

However, this did not deter voters, and the Union’s Communications officer and deputy returning officer for this election Matthew Myles believes that despite the problems they faced, the elections shows that students at UEA are becoming more engaged with student politics.

“We’re delighted with this year’s

turnout as it shows that UEA students really want to have a say in how things are run at UEA, the Union and in the UK,” he said. “Hopefully the university will start listening to us and considering us partners in our education.

“The high turnout is a product of several things, but is a symptom of a generally more engaging and relevant year for the Union; we’ve achieved a lot for students so far and it’s not gone wholly unnoticed.

“We also introduced a combined paper and online voting system, had more candidates and trained them better than ever before, were better at planning for this year and worked well as a team.

The candidates were also superb and worked really hard.

“We would like to say thank you to everybody who voted and everybody who stood for election – your efforts lay the foundation for making positive changes for students at UEA.” Anyone wishing to give the Union any feedback on the election can do so by emailing union.info@uea.ac.uk, by filling in a comment card at any of the Union’s services or via their official social media accounts.

Part-time officers Environment: Emma Silk (667) Runner up: Sam Alston Ethical Issues: Lauren Sloan (956) Runner up: RON International: Tu An Go (374) Runner up: Asif Nawab LGBT+: Holly Staynor (341) Runner up: Daniel Rowe Mature Students: Trevor Killeen (599) Runner up: RON Non-potfolio: Ella Gilbert (153) Freddie Meade (272) Sebastian Bachelier (188) Joe Raynes (223) Students With Disabilities: Daniel Delargy (479) Runner up: RON Womens officer: Rachel Knott (515) Runner up: Cadi Cliff

The winners: full-time officer positions

Louise Withers-Green

Rosie Rawle

Bintu Foday

Joe Levell

Academic officer

Communications officer

Community & Students Finance Rights officer officer

How do you feel?

Really relieved, shocked and happy – it’s over, oh my gosh it’s over!

How do you feel?

Very confused. I had to just check the names, but they were alright and my name was at the top – which is quite mad.

I guess people like dinosaurs.

How do you feel?

I don’t know what to say - I wasn’t even here [for the announcement]. It’s so overwhelming. I can’t believe I really won.

How do you feel?

I’m relieved to have been elected again this year for Finance Officer, I’m really pleased.

What policy are you most looking forward to implementing?

Having at least one day between exams.

What policy are you most looking forward to implementing?

Welcoming new students and introducing them to the Union.

What policy are you most looking forward to implementing?

Nightlife. It’s something that when talking to people, a lot of people were concerned about it. Especially with the assault that happened on Bluebell Road.

What policy are you most looking forward to implementing?

Individual student society training, because that needs to happen, and the new Union Mega-shop opening. The shop is going to be amazing.

Number of votes: 1040 First runner up: Zoe Phillips Second runner up: Astrid Simonsen

Number of votes: 742 First runner up: Eliot Fallows Second runner up: Russ Khroma

Number of votes: 957 First runner up: Alex Valentine Second runner up: Richard Laverick

Number of votes: 906 First runner up: Moji Adegbile Second runner up: Connie Tooze

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concrete.news@uea.ac.uk

Issue 281

05/03/13

News

Could the Union be fun? Student disciplinary

University Robert Staniforth News reporter

The writing really was on the wall at the end of last month as the Union of UEA Students asked students to write their ideas to help form their new three-year plan. Discussions lasted five days and took place on a whiteboard wall in the Hive and online.

Discussion was mostly positive, with diverse and varied topics and ideas. However, one topic in particular divided students: the suggestion that the Union should change its current values of “Democracy, Collectivism, Empowerment, Equality, Sustainability and Quality”, to “Democracy, Diversity, Equality and Fun.” The inclusion of “fun” caused debate on the wall, with students singling the

word out as a stumbling block for the Union’s suggestion. Critics of the proposal argued it was condescending and that the Union should stop “forcing fun”, while others labelled it “patronising”.

Others supported the argument that fun should be one of the Union’s values, with some commenting that it emphasises the fact that the Union should be a welcoming organisation to be a part of.

However, fun was not the only value receiving scrutiny, with many saying that the old values should remain in place.

One individual suggested that the Union’s values need to show that students run it, which was argued would not necessarily be shown through the new values.

The Union will now look to take on board students’ comments and ideas as they form their new three-year plan.

Safe sex station vandalised again

Philip Thomas University Philip Thomas News editor The safe sex station in Union House was vandalised for a second time, when condoms were maliciously damaged.

Consequently the station was closed again, not long after reopening.

Union LGBT+ officer Richard Laverick said that having spoken to the principle of City Academy, the Union believed the students involved in the previous incident had been disciplined and it wouldn’t happen again. However, a small number of students were asked to leave Union House, after being witnessed crawling across the Hive balcony at 4:30pm on Monday 25th February. An immediate inspection of the safe sex station revealed that condoms had been pierced, leaving them useless and potentially dangerous.

The Union reassured students that it

believed no compromised condoms had been taken, and subsequently removed and discarded all condoms on the table.

Laverick told Concrete: “It’s great shame that this has happened, and we will be speaking to the police in the coming week.” He estimated that the cost of the damage is between £200 and £250.

He emphasised that: “Whilst we get these condoms for free, it puts our relationship with the charity from which we get the condoms in jeopardy.” He confirmed that the station will be closed for the foreseeable future, but the Union hopes to relocate the safe sex station, and possibly establish a “satellite station” only accessible by campus card.

Laverick reassured students who have recently used the facility that the condoms are safe. In the meantime, condoms can freely be obtained from the student officer centre, the Medical Centre, Nightline and the Union Advice Centre.

action dropped

University Liz Jackson News editor Disciplinary action brought by UEA against two students over their role in an “anti-tax avoidance” protest outside a Grant Thornton stall in October 2012 was dropped last month. Two students who were accused of “aggressive and intimidating behaviour” had their cases turned away from a hearing by the Senate Student Disciplinary Committee, and the case was then dropped altogether by the Student Disciplinary officer.

According to one of the student protesters involved, they had planned to hand out leaflets to students attending a Grant Thornton drop-in session at the Careers Centre on campus, but changed their protest location when they learned that the company had been moved to Union House and given a stall for the recruitment of students. The group of six students situated themselves near to the Grant Thornton stall and made several speeches through a megaphone whilst distributing leaflets highlighting the company’s alleged involvement in assisting major business clients with tax avoidance schemes.

Following the students’ protest, the UEA Careers Centre lodged a complaint using a witness statement from a Grant Thornton employee at the careers event.

During the subsequent investigation, the university allegedly tracked down the identities of at least one of the protesters using their Twitter and Facebook activity, including tweets relating to their attendance at the protest.

One of the participants said that three months later both students received a “vague” letter informing them that their case was being referred to the Senate Student Disciplinary Committee. They were accused of violating university regulations on general conduct,

including articles 1 and 2 of section 10 regarding disrupting visitors’ lawful business and causing nuisance, and section 12 regarding the safety of visitors and students.

After two weeks, the students were informed that the Committee would not be hearing the case and they were referred back to the Disciplinary Officer for a meeting where, according to one of the protesters, the students were not deemed to have violated any regulations.

Elliot Folan - one of the students involved in the disciplinary action - said to Concrete that the university’s process for deciding whether cases will be heard was inefficient, and initial resistance from the university to provide the accused students with further evidence and information about their case subjected him to unnecessary anxiety, “which the university management did nothing to alleviate”.

He says this was exacerbated by the fact that he suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome - something that he claimed had been mentioned to the university several times in email conversations.

Folan commented: “I feel that the university refused to take account of my disability and tried to suppress my democratic right to peaceful protest.”

He added that the university’s Careers Centre openly admitted to lodging the complaint because of concerns about damaging the relationship between UEA and Grant Thornton, which he finds “worrying”.

The university responded: “The university does not comment on individual disciplinary cases as they are, and must remain, strictly confidential.

Policies and procedures on student discipline are published in the UEA Academic Calendar and available for all students to consult. See http://www. uea.ac.uk/calendar/section3/regs(gen)/ disciplinary-procedures”.

Food hygiene risks in Norwich Continued from page one.

When asked for comment, the manager of La Tasca said the restaurant had another inspection last month and were praised for their cleaning procedures, earning 100% in several assessments and 5/5 overall.

Royal Tandoori said they were currently undergoing retraining and had made many improvements since the report, which they hope will be reflected in future inspections. Lola Lo’s management said there has been a complete change of management since

the inspection and they currently deep clean the ice machine every week. Lim’s Fish and Chips said that they now record all temperatures and have improved their disinfection procedures.

It is currently not mandatory for food establishments to display their Food Hygiene rating, although recent ratings can be accessed through the Norwich City Council’s web page: www.norwich.gov.uk/environment/ EnvironmentalHealth/FoodSafety/ FoodHygieneRatings/Documents/ FoodRatings.html

News

05/03/12

Issue 281

concrete.news@uea.ac.uk

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Council hopes VC will New prostate cancer Acton their concerns research project at UEA Philip Thomas

University James Lillywhite News reporter Medical researchers at the University of East Anglia have launched a new project to improve treatment for advanced cases of prostate cancer.

The project is headed by cancer genetics specialist Professor Colin Cooper and senior lecturer Dr Dmitry Pshezhetskiy from UEA’s Norwich Medical School. Worth £250,000, the new research hopes to improve chemotherapy techniques and result in longer life expectancy for those affected.

The funding comes from Prostate Cancer UK as part of a new research strategy. The charity has pledged to

Vice-chancellor Edward Acton with Union Council chair Moji Adegbile University Philip Thomas News editor UEA’s vice-chancellor, Edward Acton attended Union Council on Thursday 28 February, where councillors questioned him about university policy. He was accompanied by academic pro-vice -chancellor Nigel Norris.

In an address to Union Council, Acton stressed the economic importance of universities, outlining UEA’s corporate plan to improve academic standards. He went on to describe the building projects on campus, including new residences and teaching facilities. Acton continued to discuss university funding and admissions, explaining “market” conditions, whilst emphasising the importance of supporting international students.

Following the vice-chancellor’s speech, the floor was opened to questions. Firstly, international officer Astrid Simonsen asked whether the university would act upon the Council’s recommendations to make special provisions for Syrian students struggling financially. Professor Acton explained that the university wouldn’t commit waiving fees, and had no precedent of doing so in similar circumstances, describing such a measure as “a little bit more complicated.” However, he said: “We are monitoring very closely the situation, because the knock-on effects of somebody being unable to pay their fees is very immediate.”

Councillor Cal Corkery asked about an alleged “crackdown on political leafleting,” including leaflets to save the Music School distributed during an open day, and others opposing a Grant Thornton careers stand

on the principle of their involvment in tax avoidance schemes. Corkery claimed that such action was detrimental to the university’s commitment to dialogue. The vice-chancellor responded, saying: “If they are discouraging prospective students, then they are not in UEA’s interest. I’m worried why such leafleting might have been discouraged.”

In response to a query regarding the comparatively low block grant awarded to the union, Acton said he was “conscious” of the issue and “dialogue must continue.”

Union Communications officer Matthew Myles asked whether UEA would implement more creative methods of education in which students are “partners” in cooperation with the university.

Norris explained that the “learning and teaching committee had been particularly responsive” in “paying attention to results of NSS and student feedback,” saying that there are “many things that can be done to improve learning, teaching and particularly assessment.” He said that the university would be investing more into staff training, assessing newly-appointed lecturers on their teaching skills, and further utilising technology.

Lastly, Professor Acton was asked about the future provision of faith and pastoral facilities on campus. Professor Norris replied: “We are currently consulting both with the chaplaincy and with representatives of faith communities outside of the university about appropriate representation on the consultative committee. “ He revealed that the university also desired representation from the Union’s faith group on the committee.

A recording of the full Council session can be viewed online.

award 17 grants to research centres nationwide in order to encourage further investigation into the disease.

Professor Cooper said of the project: “The chemotherapy drug docetaxel is one of the last options available to men with advanced prostate cancer, but unfortunately it often stops being effective after only a few months. We hope that, with this generous grant from Prostate Cancer UK, we can develop a new way to target the chemotherapy to the cancer cells and deliver a more effective treatment so that more men can survive longer in the future.”

More than 10,000 men are killed each year by prostate cancer. For more information on the disease, visit Prostate Cancer UK at prostatecanceruk.org.

UEA defies national fall in postgraduate applications National Drew Nicol News reporter UEA has said that postgraduate applications have remained strong, despite a national fall.

Figures released by the universities minister David Willetts revealed an 8.5% drop in applications for post graduate courses over the last two years. The number of UK graduates choosing to remain in higher education fell from 171,210 to 156,600 between 2010 and 2012.

Some UEA students commented that the increased fees of post-graduate courses are now too expensive to justify.

One student, who is hoping to gain a place on the newly-created MSc Advanced Business Management course, says he is only applying because the university is offering an additional £3,000 scholarship on top of the £1000 offered to all students who remain for MA courses.

They said: “It just makes it better value and less of a risky investment if I don’t get a job afterwards.”

Alternatively a third year history student remarked: “I just can’t justify to my parents or to myself staying on for another year when I could be out getting a job.”

The National Union of Students identified the increased fees and the lack of “targeted state support” as factors behind the slump in applicants, arguing

that a £9,000 fee in addition to already accumulated undergraduate debts was simply too daunting a prospect for graduates.

Meanwhile, Labour MP Gareth Thomas told The Independent: “The British economy needs its postgraduates more now than at any time before.

More and more of Britain’s future jobs are going to depend on cutting-edge research, imaginative new technologies and knowledge-based innovation.

The drop in postgraduate numbers is a further sign of the crisis in higher education funding.”

A UEA spokesperson said the university had resisted the national trend, saying: “The University of East Anglia has performed extremely well in a challenging period for the higher education sector. We met our admissions targets for the 2012/13 intake within just 30 places. This suggests applicants continue to recognise UEA’s excellent academic reputation and the outstanding student experience we offer. “ They concluded: “There has been no reduction in applications for taught postgraduate courses in 2013/14.

Applications from home/EU students are marginally higher than the previous year, while international applications are significantly higher. It is very early in the cycle to make accurate predictions but we are expecting strong overall levels of postgraduate recruitment across all four faculties.”

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concrete.news@uea.ac.uk

Issue 281

Oxfam strategic adviser gives talk on future of development at UEA

Medical students without jobs after exam errors National Billy Sexton News reporter

University Chris Thomson News reporter In a visit to UEA last week, Dr Duncan Green, senior strategic advisor for Oxfam delivered a speech as keynote speaker for the School of International Development’s “Working in Development Forum.”

The talk highlighted what he sees as new challenges facing the developing world, including important conclusions of his new book From Power to Poverty. After a lively Q&A and a popular book signing, Concrete interviewed Dr. Green about his book and thoughts on alleviating poverty.

Talking about the motivation for writing his book, he asserted “The thing Oxfam has in its advantage is lots of experience on the ground, so we wanted to build on that. We found that there was a lack of an NGO narrative on development strategy. Oxfam has been going for over 70 years, and we found the marketplace on development thinking was dominated by aid economists; people telling the story in a different way from us. So we pulled together with lots of NGOs to write about how we can alleviate poverty.”

“In a sense we have done a great job picking the easy to reach fruits in alleviating poverty, but finishing the job is far more difficult” Dr. Green hoped his book would help a shift in the way people think about development. When asked if he had noticed a change in peoples’ attitudes, he had observed: “a lot more people are thinking about the relationship between people and countries, which is at the very core of the book’s arguments. We are starting to hear about the importance of active states and citizens in making change, and I hope the book has been part of influencing that.”

The book talks at length about “active citizens,” and Dr. Green went on to explain a little more what this means: “It’s what do you do with those around you to improve your life and the lives of others.

That could be anything from being active with your children’s school, student or trade union. These things are expressions of voice and opinion and the opposite of cynicism and inaction, and that’s how we are going to make effective change.”

On the challenges faced by developing countries today, Dr. Green explained that: “The big challenge is to keep development moving forward when climate change is beginning to unravel. Aside from that, what do you do when a government has

News

05/03/13

Dr Green Hands a copy of his book to Steve Russell, Head of The School of International Development. no interest in its people? What do you do in the most arid countries? In a sense we have done a great job picking the easy to reach fruits in alleviating poverty, but finishing the job is far more difficult.”

He also mentioned that poverty is not a problem of money anymore, but of “who has got what.” When questioned on this and what it meant for the role of NGO’s like Oxfam he asserted: “The important thing now is not our money principally, but our knowledge and how you can help build citizens voice in politics. For example in Tanzania we are doing loads of work trying to help local authorities listen to citizens. The basic purpose is to increase peoples’ voice, and that’s a very different mind-set from giving people money. However, it’s not an easy thing to do; you need good people, lots more UEA graduates!”

When asked about the role governments play in developing states, Dr Green replied: “I think we are re-thinking our relationship with governments, there

is a bit of thinking that government is bad, I don’t share that, I think they are essential to the solution.”

“The basic purpose is to increase people’s voice, and that’s a very different mind-set from giving people money.”

He continued: “So a lot of what we do is convening and brokering; bringing people who wouldn’t usually talk together to find solutions. For example, in Tajikistan we have had a big impact on water security, not by building wells, but just by getting government into rooms with important stakeholders to sort out the problems together. So there needs to be a lot of facilitation rather than thinking we have all the answers.”

Duncan Green’s book From Power to Poverty is available online and at Waterstones on campus.

Read the full interview online.

Job offers have been withdrawn from thousands of medical students after it was revealed that there have been scoring errors in crucial final year exams.

7,200 students were offered jobs as junior doctors, only to be contacted later by the examining body. All offers were withdrawn due to apparent marking mistakes.

It is believed that the errors were caused by the automated marking system being unable to read ink stained photocopies. The UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) will now mark some 1,200 papers manually and aim to clear the a backlog within seven days.

The UEA press office revealed that 162 final year UEA students have been affected. “Exam answers are currently being double-checked and it is expected that UKFPO will re-notify students of their allocations at the end of this week. Understandably the situation has caused anxiety among the students, and staff are doing everything possible to support them at this time.”

There are worries for hospitals too.

If medical students are sent elsewhere, hospitals will be required to provide extra cover. On top of this, medical graduates could miss the August start date if they are waiting for criminal record and other checks that can take up to eight weeks to process. These checks cannot be carried out until placement has been confirmed.

With jobs at risk, an embarrassed Department of Health has declared the error to be unacceptable and insisted that the examining body were working quickly to resolve the crisis.

Comment

05/03/13

Issue 281

concrete.comment@uea.ac.uk

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Would I rely on the male pill?

The ongoing development of the male combined-contraceptive pill has attempted to broaden the contraceptive Ben Beebe Comment writer

A male equivalent of the birth control pill has been in question since the release of the female-only pill in the USA in 1960.

The long-standing reassurance that a male pill is “one step away”, has led to it being lauded as some sort of miracle contraceptive for years.

The creation of such a pill is believed to have social benefits, too - most notably that it will end the cultural perception that contraception is entirely the responsibility of women. Indeed, besides the risky withdrawal option or the rather more permanent vasectomy, a male pill is the only option that men have, bar condoms.

That is, until the ever-promised but never-realised male contraceptive jab appears, which promises to block sperm production with monthly injections.

In terms of a male pill, the central issue scientifically speaking is that is not currently possible to completely but temporarily inhibit sperm production.

The issue currently is trying to create a pill that halts the production of sperm cells with minimal side effects. The most recent hormonal compound, a combination of testosterone and progesterone, has been

options for men. Ben Beebe decides whether the biological difficulties would sway his decision. found in trials to inhibit sperm production, yet some men still produce sperm to cause pregnancy. The reason for this occurrence is currently unknown, although it is thought to be a genetic factor or related to ethnic origin. This leads to the next

issue, which is the reliability of a male pill should one be created.

The issue of sheer numbers is the main problem. The millions of sperm produced by a male per day make guaranteeing a 99% plus success rate an issue, unless

another form on contraception were used as well. Other methods are not only proven effective, such the implant for women, but also do without maintenance issues, as the pill requires taking daily. A male-equivalent pill would also carry the key problem that the female pill does lack of protection against STIs, making it less suitable to the more promiscuous.

Financially speaking, too, a male pill would also be costly and prescriptionbased, which most would have to pay for.

Comparatively, condoms are available cost and hassle-free.

Yet, the advent of a male pill would actually bring some benefits. The hormonal balance would keep sideeffects minimal, a problem which is very common with the female equivalent.

Also, in terms of those in relationships there is also the benefit of added intimacy.

Personally, however, the male equivalent of a pill would always leave concern.

Considering the enormity of the task it is designed for, a male pill needs to match or surpass the tried and tested methods of birth control already available before I would use it comfortably.

Reeva Steenkamp and the press The tabloid premise that ‘sex sells’ has lead to irresponsible and immoral coverage of Reeva Steenkamp’s recent Livvy Brown Comment writer

In the early hours of 14 February, police were called to the home of South African Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius. There, they found the body of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

She was shot under mysterious circumstances. The story was picked up by newspapers across the world and spread quickly.

The resulting media coverage was explosive and relentless. The vast majority of the coverage centred upon Pisorius: his sporting achievements, his recent behaviour and his psychological state. The story focused solely upon the fall of a sporting hero. Steenkamp was reduced to a detail in the story: Pistorius’ girlfriend, lover or alleged victim.

The most repellent characteristic of the media coverage, however, was the way in which the media treated Steenkamp. The Sun, in nauseatingly

death in South Africa, argues Livvy Brown. typical fashion, emblazoned their front page with a bikini-clad glamour shot. The difference on this occasion, however, was that the “bikini babe” was the recently deceased subject of a murder investigation.

This shameless sales ploy exploited Steenkamp’s tragic death. A large portion of the front page was taken up by Steenkamp’s glamour shot, alongside a tasteless and sensationalist headline. She was referred to, condescendingly and judgementally, as Pistorius’ “lover.” Little focus was placed on who Steenkamp was, and how she had spent her life.

She was reduced to a glossy bikini shot, immortalised in newspaper print.

The Sun was by no means alone in this sexualised coverage. Countless other newspapers followed suit, dedicating equal sections to Pistorius’ heroic sporting achievements and Steenkamp’s

breasts. The media coverage was the latest, and most repugnant example of the tabloid motto: sex sells.

The coverage of Steenkamp’s death was told in a manner better suited to the trailer for a Hollywood thriller. Yes, Steenkamp was a glamour model, and yes, she was also Pistorius’ girlfriend.

Her identity, however, does not stop there. Steenkamp was not defined by her relationship, or her appearance. She was a human being, with human feelings, ambitions, experiences and passions.

The story is a tragic one, of a needless death. This is not the story of the death of a bikini-clad glamour model, Pistorius’ girlfriend, his lover or his victim.

This is the story of the death of a woman: a law graduate; a model; an advocate against rape, domestic violence and bullying; a daughter; a sister and a friend. Her name was Reeva Steenkamp.

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concrete.comment@uea.ac.uk

Issue 281

Comment

05/03/13

Hollywood porn: a bad influence Is the mass production of Hollywood-style porn films a force for bad? Saul Holmes argues that the industry could potentially damage some people’s self-esteem in their sex lives. pervasive industries in the world apparently everyone is sneaking a peek at some online bonking.

In 2009 researchers at the University of Montreal failed to find any men in their 20s who had never seen porn, while it is estimated that six out of 10 women have watched it. According to online statistics, the average age for a child to first view pornography is 11. So it would be fair to state that hardcore heterosexual porn has an impact on the sexual development of a lot of people.

“Pornography is a circus, ranging from the laughable to the uncomfortable and even disturbing, rarely finding a healthy middle ground.”

Rule 34 of the internet states: “if it exists, there is porn of it”. Summing up the effects of porn seems to be an

impossible task. The advent of free internet pornography has made it one of the most widely accessible and

No doubt porn has revolutionised sex, opening people’s eyes to a staggering variety of ways to bring each other off, but some of the influences of porn have become very negative. Think about it, if a woman watches porn, she will be

confronted by shaved vaginas, clown make up and demeaning behaviour.

Pornography is a circus, ranging from the laughable to the uncomfortable and even disturbing, rarely finding a healthy middle ground. Women look like cheap plastic dolls that have come to life.

The effects of porn on men can be even more set in stone. There is an obvious pressure that “size matters” in porn; anything less than a clown shoe of a phallus is something to be ashamed of.

Perhaps the strangest thing about porn is the lack of emotion. Sex occurs almost spontaneously, as if being physically attractive will automatically make every other human being on the planet want to have sex with you.

Obviously, this doesn’t work in the real world, as even having a drunken one night stand leads to gaining a small understanding of someone’s personality.

Porn needs to be viewed as what it really is: silly entertainment, rather than educational or representative in any way. Sex doesn’t have to be soppy “lovemaking” in order to be enjoyable for everyone, but it shouldn’t be pornographic banging either.

Where has Simon Wright gone?

Andrew Ansell Comment writer Earlier this month, an early day motion put to the House of Commons called for the restoration of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).

The failure of local Liberal Democrat MP Simon Wright to support this motion underlines his indifference to student issues. Responsible for representing a large community of students, Mr Wright has failed to show solidarity with and support those who he will seek to re-elect him in 2015.

The motion recognised that EMA had allowed 16-19 year olds from some of the poorest families access to further education. Education stands as the best route out of the poverty trap. Wright has failed to be a standard bearer for striving students. Research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies showed attainment at

GCSE and A Level by EMA recipients had risen by 5-7%, and by even more for those living in the most deprived neighbourhoods.

Additionally, RCU Market Research Services found that EMA had motivated learners to work harder.

The impact of the abolishment of EMA has been detrimental, with UCAS figures for the last academic year showing 56,000 fewer students choosing further education. After voting with the Conservative-led government and supporting EMA’s abolishment in 2011, Simon Wright’s failure to support this early day motion signals his continued support for a policy that will only stagnate society.

With recent research exposing the depressed living standards of middle to low income families in Britain, coupled with the use of food banks doubling under this government, the necessity for an educational maintenance allowance is as apparent as ever.

Only a small investment to restore EMA would broaden the opportunities of many.

Adam Smith in The Wealth of Nations understood that in order to increase GDP,

Harriet Jones investment in human capital is a necessity.

Simon Wright has stood silently by as the chance to stand by the

students who elected him has come and gone. Students, ask yourselves, where on earth is Simon Wright MP?

Comment

05/03/13

Issue 281

concrete.comment@uea.ac.uk

Cameron’s jolly to India

Nile Pennington Comment writer India’s economic progression in recent decades has been startling. With a population of more than a billion, India’s economy has grown so rapidly that it is now the third largest on the planet. It is now undoubtedly a powerhouse in the international economy, yet its potential has yet to be tapped. Belgium currently trades more with India than Britain does. During the period from 2011-2012, Belgium exchanged $17.6bn worth of imports and exports. Trade with Britain, on the other hand, was valued at only $16.3bn.

Last week, David Cameron led a British trade delegation, the largest of its kind to date, on a four-day trip to try and bolster economic ties between Indian and British businesses. Considering the strains being placed on the British economy, this trip could not have come at a better time.

Britain needs India, and it should be the case that India needs Britain. New markets in developing nations need investment and trade as much as any other, if not more, and securing investments and trade deals now allows British business to gain a foothold in India whilst it is still on the rise.

I am no great supporter of David Cameron; in fact I vote against his party at every given opportunity and would

9

happily do so tomorrow. However, I must give credit where credit is due. For a sitting British prime minister to commit to British business and seek to promote it throughout the world must send the right signals, and very much sets the tone for the future of Anglo-Indian economic relations.

Business leaders on this trip would have undoubtedly benefited from their association with the prime minister. It often seems true of life that success is very much a case of who you know and not what you know. British businesses know they have potential and have much to offer to the Indian market, but their link with the PM must have played in their favour. Their association with him very much suggests that they offer the best of British, sending a clear message to potential investors that these businesses are the finest trading partners Britain has to offer.

Cameron’s trip, whilst punctuated by the usual diplomacy and formalities of a state visit, was the perfect opportunity for British business to buck the trend of decline and gain a standing in the world’s third largest economy. Investments made during the short visit will create jobs and revenue for Britain, and if these deals produce favourable results, perhaps the door will remain open to more deals in the future.

Hilary, Kate and the Mail Online Peter Sheehan Comment writer “Context is all,” wrote the novelist Margaret Atwood. The media’s reaction to Hilary Mantel’s apparently “venomous attack” on the Duchess of Cambridge neatly underlines the point.

At the beginning of last month, Mantel gave a thoughtful and considered lecture in which she explored her reaction to monarchy, both as it stands today and as it has in previous centuries, with wit and perspicacity.

True, she spoke of Middleton as a “jointed doll” and a “shop-window mannequin” with a paucity of personality.

But if you actually read the piece, you see that this is how Mantel accuses us of seeing the duchess.

No matter. These phrases have been seized upon by the press. Mantel is now a traitor and a fat, jealous old woman. The Daily Mail is kind enough to point out that she is infertile and that she gained four stone after surgery. David Cameron and Ed Miliband weighed in, each decrying the same fat, jealous woman for a lecture that, one suspects, neither had read.

Anyone who does take the time to read Mantel’s speech in full cannot but come to the conclusion that she makes a good point. The institution of monarchy has a pernicious tendency to consume its inhabitants and to suppress their humanity. They are a public property and a public spectacle. They are idols, yet they are gawped at like circus animals. “Royal persons are both gods and beasts”, says Mantel.

The novelist does not fixate on the Duchess of Cambridge - far from it.

She discusses royal bodies from Marie Antoinette to Henry VIII. The impression given by the press that she devoted her lecture to focusing her jade-eyed jealousy on a vulnerable young woman is false.

Her eloquent broadside is directed at us.

Indeed, by reacting as it has done, the media has proved Mantel right.

Atwood, too, makes a good point.

Context is a fundamental part of understanding. By focusing only on a few select parts, we frequently miss the meaning of the whole. The press’s wilful ignorance of this fact in its coverage of Mantel’s lecture prompts the question: who’s bitching now?

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concrete.global@uea.ac.uk

Issue 281

05/03/13

Global

Syrian students urge university to waive fees Robert Norris Global editor As the conflict in Syria continues to ravage the country, Syrian students studying in the UK are facing mounting tuition fees that many are unable to pay.

This is due to the cancellation of government scholarships within the country and the difficulty families are having wiring money to help support students.

Those who cannot afford to pay the tuition fees face the possibility of expulsion from university and the threat of being deported back to Syria, where their lives could be in danger.

UEA currently lists that there are four Syrian students attending the university, but there are also students currently studying a foundation course at INTO who have not been accounted for in this number.

Odai, a Syrian PHD student studying at UEA spoke to Concrete about the situation: “Everything has collapsed in Syria because of the war and we think that it is the responsibility of the university to protect people who are suffering under these conditions.

“We want the Syrian students here at UEA, and across the UK, to be able to finish their studies and help them later on to find a job whether in the UK, Europe or in neighbouring countries. If students can’t pay their fees they have to go home right now.”

International students who cannot pay their tuition fees are usually expelled from university and have only 60 days to remain in the UK until their student visa expires and they must return home. The UK Border Agency however stated in January that students from Syria who lose the right to study in the UK can remain in the country until 15 March 2013, but there is yet to be any information over what will happen to students after this date has passed.

Some Syrian students have expressed concern that if sent back to Syria they may face imprisonment for stating their opinions over President Bashar alAssad’s regime through the use of social media and writing critical articles for newspapers and websites while abroad.

Odai stated that he had issues with the regime and, being an activist, was unsure of what would happen to him if he had to return to go home. However, he made it clear that not all Syrian students currently in the UK are against the regime.

Odai and other Syrian students feel that the issue regarding the payment of tuition fees should not be a political, but a humanitarian one.

Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts stated: “The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is doing everything it can to support Syrian students in the UK who are encountering difficulties due to the current situation

in Syria.”

Foreign secretary William Hague also stated that it is up to the universities themselves to come up with a solution for the issue. So far UEA has not implemented any sort of fee waiver for students from Syria.

Odai claims that the Syrian students need their fees to be waived.

“If you postpone the fee there’s no way that the Syrian student can get the money in time to pay their fees. It will take them 10 to 20 years” The motion to pressure the university to waiver fees for Syrian students has been backed by the Student Union.

When asked about the situation at Union Council on 28 January, Vice-Chancellor of UEA Professor Edward Acton said: “I am not going to say that we will waiver the fees, but let me assure you

that we are watching very closely because we wouldn’t want to see a young person’s life disrupted.” He explained that they had not waived fees in the past for students from Iraq or Gaza.

Other universities across the UK such as the University of Salford and Leeds have already acted, helping students through hardship fund schemes or deferring tuition fees.

Many students involved in the campaign at UEA believe the next step now is to start a campus-wide petition to show support for Syrian students.

The campaign group Avaaz has set up a petition to urge the UK government to guarantee that students from Syria can complete their university education in the UK. The petition can be signed online by visiting the Avaaz website, www.avaaz.org

Fears of violence plague Kenyan elections Grace Jones Global writer Kenya’s general elections that took place on 4 March 2013 have been overshadowed by growing concerns over escalating inter-communal and ethnic violence, in what has been feared to be a repeat of the 2007-8 election-related clashes.

Kenya’s increasingly volatile political situation has already claimed more than 477 lives and has left another 118,000 people internally displaced since 2012 according to a report commissioned

by Human Rights Watch. Incidents of violence caused by inter-ethnic tensions have rapidly increased in the lead-up to the general elections.

In Kisumu, leaflets have been handed out requesting the eviction of Kikuyu and Kalenjin tribes who are politically-allied to the Jubilee Alliance. Reports suggest this is part of a deliberate attempt to incite ethnic and politically-motivated violence by people of the Luo tribe in the lead-up to the elections whose politicalalliance traditionally remains with the opposition; presidential candidate Raila

Odinga and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).

Across Kenya, many shops were closed, fearing a re-run of the postelection crisis of 2007-8, which has been deemed as the worst ethnic violence Kenya has ever witnessed. The sustained and escalating violence has been fuelled, by the government’s failure to tackle the root causes of the post-election crisis and deliver the reforms promised under the new constitution of 2010.

The 2007-8 general elections dissolved into chaos as allegations of corruption and electoral manipulation sparked violence between opposing political supporters, leaving over 600,000 Kenyan’s internally displaced and over 1,300 people dead.

Political support for the two major political parties in contention - the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) led by Raila Odinga and the Party of National Unity (PNU) spearheaded by Mwai Kibaki - was drawn on ethnic grounds and resulted in crimes of genocide 2007-8. Claims that both leaders further incited and planned the violence have been denied by both parties.

The ratification of Kenya’s new Constitution in 2010 attempted to resolve these underlying tensions and signalled a period of renewed optimism by taking steps to decentralise governmental infrastructure, reduce corruption at a provincial level, restrict presidential powers and to further promote national unity.

With many proposed reforms stalled or abandoned due to financial constraints, little has been done to address these issues. Evidence has arisen to suggest the government is in fact legitimising and widening the ethnic divisions, instead of promoting national unification. A recent report by Human Rights Watch suggests the government are significantly favouring the Kikuyu peoples - with the offer of new homes, money or land and discriminating against the Kalenjin peoples, by refusing to issue them landownership documents.

Whilst the judiciary and government seem to have been ineffective in holding the perpetrators of the election violence culpable for their crimes, the International Criminal Court have

indicted four politicians on charges of crimes against humanity in relation to their role in violence during the disputed elections.

Two of the indicted current deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and former minister William Ruto, previously political foes became running mates, vying for presidential and vicepresidential positions respectively.

Both deny any responsibility in the post-election violence or in harbouring secondary motives for the new alliance as a means of exploiting voters with Mr Kenyatta claiming: “Our alliance is not for fighting anyone. We are uniting on behalf of the people of Kenya.” The trial previously due to commence in April 2013 is to be delayed subject to approval

by ICC judges, giving the election frontrunners temporary release to focus on their electoral campaigns.

The stakes remain perilously high for the 10 million Kenyans who were expected to vote on 4 March. The echoes of five years ago have left many frightened of the outcome and the potential ramifications of the election.

Features

05/03/13

Issue 281

concrete.features@uea.ac.uk

11

Stereotyping in the media: moving forward?

Features writer Polly Grice argues that TV programmes aren’t doing enough to dispel stereotypes concerning sexuality

Today, gay characters are more included in primetime TV shows than ever.

EastEnders aired its first gay wedding last year while in Corrie, the soap’s first ever lesbian, Sophie Webster, made it all the way to the aisle, before the traditional soap-wedding disaster occurred and the whole day was ruined. EastEnders’ first lesbian kiss back in 1994 prompted a record number of complaints to the BBC by viewers who felt it was inappropriate, so the fact that these characters have even made it onto our screens is a huge step forward for equality for the LGBT+ community.

Whilst it is undeniably a good thing to have homosexual characters in primetime shows, unfortunately it isn’t enough to have a token gay person living on the Square and be done with it. With LGBT History Month only just over and the British government’s plans to legalise gay marriage barely a month old, now more than ever, we need to seize the opportunity to get this right.

Fictional on-screen characters may be the only impression the average viewer has of a person belonging to a minority group. This means viewers can form ideas about the gay community as a whole based on the actions of the few

fictional characters they seen on their screen. Are all gay men as flamboyant and Cher-obsessed as Jack from Will and Grace? Do they love show tunes as much as Glee’s Kurt? Of course not, and it would be insulting for anyone to say so. Which begs the question, why are we obsessed with portraying gay men this way? It wouldn’t be acceptable to so consistently portray another minority group in a certain way, so why are the vast majority of gay men in TV shows so camp? Not that there is anything wrong with being camp - quite the opposite, in fact. But why is it such a common portrayal on mainstream shows?

“Gay characters seemingly aren’t allowed to have a storyline other than being gay; it’s always central to their plot, the be all and end all of their value to the show.”

And women have it no better. Over on Casualty, the short-haired “butch” lesbian Dixie was so desperate to hide her sexuality from her dying father that she married a man to convince him she was straight. What kind of message is that sending?

Gay and lesbian characters in drama

shows seem to be constantly bullied about their sexuality, questioning themselves or coming up against rampant homophobia which, worryingly, is not always challenged. While this does sadly happen in reality, would it be so hard to have a mainstream, happy, gay couple who suffer no inner turmoil every once in a while? Sure, rule 101 of writing a good soap is that nobody is allowed to be happy, but why do they always have to be miserable because of their sexuality?

Gay characters seemingly aren’t allowed to have a storyline other than being gay; it is always central to their plot, the be all and end all of their value to the show.

Often, the characters seem to have long periods of denial about their sexuality, then try to hide it, and finally come out to mixed reactions from friends and family.

It’s been done time and time again and frankly, it’s getting boring. Why must a character’s homosexuality define them?

Back in 2006, gay rights charity Stonewall did some research into the representation of LGBT+ on the BBC and found that shockingly, gay lives are five times more likely to be portrayed in negative terms than positive ones. What’s more, during 168 hours of programmes, gay lives were represented positively

for just six minutes. Stonewall went as far as suggesting that “lesbians hardly exist on the BBC”, finding that on the rare occasions when the corporation’s programmes did make references to sexuality, a whopping 82% were about gay men. Interestingly, when gay couple Christian and Syed were shown in bed together on EastEnders, the “Beeb” responded to complaints by ever-so politely reminding the British public that civil sex partnerships had been legal for a long time in the UK at this point, and that “the BBC cannot discriminate by treating gay characters differently to heterosexual characters.”

The fact is that it’s not enough to just give gay characters screentime. We must also think carefully about the way they’re represented and the message this sends to people in our country. The blessing and the curse of TV is that it has the power to influence us enormously, to shape our thoughts and to reinforce or dispel the stereotypes we have of minority groups. It’s high time the media was used to challenge homophobic bigotry and portray gay, lesbian and bisexual characters positively and accurately, and to banish the clichés once and for all.

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concrete.features@uea.ac.uk

Issue 281

Features

05/03/13

The Concrete Sex Survey 2013 TS

C A F E H T : YES t have sex?

rs e did you fi At what ag 2.4% Under 13: 2 % .4 6 13 - 14: % 15 - 16: 21.9 % .3 0 3 : 17 - 18 % .2 4 1 : 19 - 20 % .9 2 : 21 - 22 22+: 1.9%

% 16 - 20: 4.5 % 21 - 30: 1.7 % 31+: 15.6

x in

ver had se Have you e Yes: 65.5% No: 32.5% % Unsure: 2.1

ce? a public pla

x last? long does se w o h , e g On avera tes: 9.5% you had? n five minu e a v a th h ss rs e e L n sexual part tes: 4.9% How many 5 - 10 minu utes: 14% 1 - 3: 37.6% 10 - 15 min utes: 33.5% 4 - 6: 16.3% 15 - 30 min % 7 - 10: 8.8% 30 - 45: 16.7 tes: 7.8% u .% 6 in : m 5 11 - 1 45 - 60 .6% % an hour: 13 16 - 20: 5.1 More than % ht stand?

21 - 30: 3.7 ad a one nig h r e v % e .5 2 u 2 o y 31+ ne Have ore than o m 2.2% h 6 it s: w e Y x had se r e v e u o y me)?

Have No: 34.2% (ie threeso e c n o % t a n perso Unsure: 3.5 % .7 8 2 Yes: sturbate?

No: 65.9% Do you ma % Unsure: 5.3 es: 82.5% u had Y o y e v a h ers No: 11.7% xual partn se y % n a m How Unsure: 5.8 to UEA? g in m o c e sinc sturbate? do you ma 0: 5.1% How often nth): 12% . once a mo ek): 21.4% 1 - 3: 47.0% Rarely (e.g e . onc a we .g (e y % ll .4 a 3 n 1 o : si 4-6 Occa 7 - 10: 6.2% % 11 - 15: 6.3

How many of the Five Ls have you done?

Lake: 30.4% Laundrette: 25.7% LCR: 22.7% Lecture theatre: 25.2% Library: 31.9% None: 64.6%

y F r e q u e n tl % week): 27.3 a (e.g. twice Daily: 39.3% l sex? er had ana v e u o y e v Ha Yes: 50.8% No: 46.4% % Unsure: 2.8 ral sex? ver given o e u o y e v a H Yes: 92.4% No: 4.8% % Unsure: 2.8 d oral sex? ver receive e u o y e v a H Yes: 94.5% No: 3.2% % Unsure: 2.3 ys? n any sex to Do you ow Yes: 48.5% No: 48.5% Unsure: 3% during in role play rt a p n e k ver ta Have you e sex?

Yes: 39.7% No: 56.1% % Unsure: 4.2

Have you ever had an STI? Yes: 24.7% No: 70.3% Unsure: 5%

Do you use any methods of birth control or contraception?

Yes: 75.1% No: 23% Unsure: 1.9%

Where would you go for information on sexual health?

Medical centre: 44% Internet: 74.1% Friends of family: 19% Union or UEA Advice Centre: 4.7% NHS or GUM clinic: 28.8% Unsure: 5%

Have you ever had difficulty obtaining contraception or sexual health appointments from UEA medical services?

Yes: 11.4% No: 54.3% Unsure 5.3% N/A: 29%

No: 7.4% Unsure 15.6%

69.2% of respondents are hetereosexual, 6.6% are gay, 4.3% are lesbian and 19.9% are bisexual.

YES: HEALTH AND ATTITUDES

Have you ever had unprotected sex?

Yes: 79.3% No: 19% Unsure: 1.8%

If yes, which methods do you use the most?

Condom: 72.1% Femidom: 4.4% Combined pill: 44.6% Progestogen-only pill: 10% Contraceptive injection: 5.4% Contraceptive pill: 4% Diaphragm/cap: 3.4% The coil: 5.7% Implant: 10.6% Dental dam: 4.6%

Yes: 77%

Do you feel there is sufficient information available on campus?

Yes: 52.6% No: 23.8% Unsure: 23.6% Have you ever had sex under the influence of drugs or alcohol?

Yes: 90.2% No: 8.4% Unsure: 1.4% Have you ever struggled with sexual performance issues?

Yes: 33.1% No: 62% Unsure: 4.9%

Do confidence issues ever affect your sex life?

Yes: 43.3% No: 52.1% Unsure: 4.6% How confident do you feel with your naked body?

Very confident: 32.4% Fairly confident: 41% Not confident: 22.8% Unsure: 3.8%

What three are most important in a partner?

Appearance: 53.9% Humour: 61.2% Intelligence: 49.3% Similar interests: 36.5% Sexual compatibility: 40.4% Political persuasion: 9.1% Potential future; 15.7% Religious beliefs: 9.3% Respect/attitude: 37.1% Comfortable with friends and family: 21.9%

Do you feel increased pressure to have sex since coming to university?

Yes: 32.7% No: 64% Unsure: 3.2%

How important is sex in your romantic relationships?

Very important: 55.8% Fairly important: 33.8% Not important: 6.9% Unsure: 3.5%

Do other people’s sex lives impact on your daily life?

Yes: 26.3% No: 67.5% Unsure: 6.2%

How important is sex in your life overall?

Very important: 38.2% Fairly imoprtant: 44.1% Not imoprtant: 16% Unsure 1.7%

How comfortable do you feel talking about sex and sexuality?

Very comfortable: 57.9% Fairly comfortable: 33.7% Uncomfortable: 7% Unsure: 1.4%

Do you think it is ever acceptable to cheat on a partner?

Yes: 26.3% No: 65.1% Unsure: 8.6%

concrete.features@uea.ac.uk

Well we’ve asked you nosy questions and found out your most intimate details, and here are the results. The survey was taken by a massive 1,300 students, 45.3% of which were male, 38.6% female and 16.1% transgender.

NO

Have you ever had sex (including genital, oral, anal)?

Issue 281

05/03/13

Do you masturbate?

Yes: 74.1% No: 20% Unsure: 5.9%

Do you feel increased pressure to have sex since coming to university?

Yes: 48% No: 40% Unsure: 12%

Do you use any methods of contraception/birth control?

Yes: 15.6% No: 83.1% Unsure: 1.3%

Have you ever had difficulty obtaining contraceptives or sexual health appointments from UEA medical services?

Yes: 0% No: 35.9% Unsure: 2.6% N/A: 61.5% Where would you go for information on sexual health?

Medical centre: 51.3% Internet: 78.9% Friends or family: 35.5% Union or UEA Advice Centres: 5.3% NHS and GUM clinics: 30.3% Unsure: 3.9% Do you feel there is sufficient information available on campus?

Yes: 50.6% No: 7.6% Unsure: 41.8% Do confidence issues ever affect your sex life?

Yes: 63.9% No: 23.6% Unsure: 12.5% How confident do you feel with your naked body?

Very confident: 9.3%

ad an STI. W

Do other people’s sex lives impact your university life?

Yes: 28.9% No: 67.1% Unsure: 3.9% How comfortable do you feel talking about sex?

Very comfortable: 15.8% Fairly comfortable: 55.3% Uncomfortable: 18.4% Unsure: 10.5%

If yes, which methods do you use the most?

Condom: 41.7% Combined pill: 33.3% Progestogen-only pill: 25%

Chlamydia: 72 Gonorrhea: 57 .2% .5% Herpes: 61.3% Hepatit Human papyis: 50% loma virus: 51.9%

Are you surprised that almost a quarter of us have apparently slept with 31+ people? Thanks to all who took part, and enjoy reading the results! For an in-depth analysis and extra quotes, head to www. concrete-online.co.uk/sex-survey-results

Fairly confident: 42.7% Not confident: 41.3% Unsure: 6.7%

How often do you masturbate?

Rarely (e.g. once a month): 11.1% Occasionally (e.g. once a week): 23.8% Frequently (e.g. twice a week): 34.9% Daily: 30.2%

24.7% have h

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hich STIs hav

e you had?

LGB: 43.9% Pubic lice: 62 .7 Scabes: 49.5%% Syphilis: Yeast infectio51.9% ns: 60 HIV: 46.7% .8%

Which three are most important in a partner?

Appearance: 46.6% Humour: 56.2% Intelligence: 61.6% Similar interests: 54.8% Sexual compatibility: 15.5% Political persuasion: 1.4% Potential future: 24.7% Religious beliefs: 11% Respect/attitude: 45.2% Comfortable with friends and family: 23.3% How important is sex in your romantic relationships?

Very important: 10.7% Fairly important: 26.7% Not important: 16% N/A: 46.7% How important is sex in your life overall?

Very important: 6.7% Fairly important: 29.3% Not important: 25.3% N/A: 38.7% Do you think it is ever acceptable to cheat on a partner?

Yes: 5.3% No: 84% Unsure: 10.7%

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concrete.environment@uea.ac.uk

Issue 281

05/03/13

Environment

Climate change may have caused dinosaur extinction Suhailah Ali Environment writer For most animals, being male or female comes down to genes; the X and Y chromosomes if you’re a human or the Z and W if you happen to be a bird.

However, some reptiles have a different means of determining sex; temperature. The development of sexual characteristics is controlled by similar, conserved genes across a range of vertebrates, but the mechanisms which trigger these genes come in two flavours; genetic sex determination (GSD) and temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD).

Interestingly, this may have something to do with why natural selection turned

against dinosaurs. Although the sexdetermining mechanisms of dinosaurs can only be inferred, some researchers believe TSD preceded GSD in the archosaur lineage.

The only remaining archosaurs are birds and crocodilians, the former using the aforementioned genes to determine sex, the latter the temperature of egg incubation. GSD evolved independently in mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds which suggests it provides significant evolutionary advantages. It may be selected for in unstable environments, as it assures a balanced sex-ratio. But once it has entered the scene, it may displace TSD because of the gene’s own selfish interest (we are, after all, survival machines controlled by “selfish genes”,

as described by Richard Dawkins.

The question remains: why were dinosaurs unable to survive the global catastrophe (think meteors and dust clouds) of 65 million years ago? A recent study conducted to determine if TSD species were more vulnerable to extinction than their GSD counterparts found that, strangely enough, the former fared better.

It is possible that TSD species can respond to temperature changes by changing optimum temperatures of incubation and altering nesting sites, and that turtles and crocodilians had co-occurring traits which helped them

survive. Their aquatic habitats may have also offered some protection against the extreme effects of environmental change, whilst more vulnerable dinosaur sex ratios skewed in favour of males, with populations unable to recover.

Reproduction is but one piece of the global extinction puzzle, but it appears as if dinosaurs not being able to find dates could be a part of that. Recent models have predicted that tuataras and sea turtles may undergo similar skewing due to climate change. Although they appear to have more adaptable modes of TSD than dinosaurs, the unprecedented rate of change may prove insurmountable.

Take a swim on the wild side Claire Walker Environment writer You may have heard the common myth that dolphins have sex for pleasure, but is it true? Well, it’s difficult to tell what an animal finds “pleasurable,” as nobody can know for sure how they experience the world.

What reason would animals have for engaging in intercourse if not for reproduction? Sex is quite an energetic act, so there’s generally no point in animals wasting precious time and energy on it when their genes are not likely to be passed on. Females tend to give off cues when they’re fertile and reject males if they’re not.

Only a few intelligent social mammals, including dolphins, ignore these cues and have sex at all stages of the female menstrual cycle, not just around ovulation.

This suggests that sex in these species has evolved beyond reproduction to serve additional functions, such as reinforcing social bonds and reducing breeding

competition. In fact, bottlenose dolphins have been caught in the solo act and also exhibiting some interesting “finning” action, but that’s not all.

One type of sex certain to not result in offspring is that between members of the same gender. As we are just beginning to realise, homosexuality is widespread in the animal kingdom; bottlenose dolphins are definitely no exception.

Homosexual behaviour in males includes penis to genital slit or anal penetration and even blowhole sex (nature’s only example of nasal sex), whilst females have been observed engaging in “beak-genital propulsion” – basically, cunnilingus while swimming gently forward. Bottlenose dolphins have also been known to form intimate and affectionate homosexual relationships.

Add to this the fact that some animal species masturbate and engage in promiscuity, and animals are far wilder in the bedroom, and perhaps more like us, than we once thought!

Stork migration to be researched Chris Teale Managing editor The university is to launch a new research project into why storks are launched their migratory patterns.

Since the 1980s, the birds have stopped annually migrating from Northern Europe to Africa, and the research carried out by UEA’s School of Environmental Sciences in collaboration with the British Trust for Ornithology and researchers in Portugal will look to understand why.

In folk tales, the storks’ strong white wings carried babies to their parents around the world, but now the birds live in Spain and Portugal all year round rather than take their annual migration.

Fifteen adult white storks will be tracked for a year using GPS to investigate why they have changed their migration patterns, with researchers investigating the link between climate change and feeding habits to predict the species’ future distribution.

The project is led by Dr Aldina Franco of the School of Environmental Sciences,

who said: “These birds have changed their behaviour very radically. The number of storks spending their winter in Portugal has increased hugely from around 1,180 birds in 1995 to more than 10,000 in 2008 and numbers continue to grow.

“By tracing their movements, we will look at how important these rubbish dumps are for white storks in the wintering and breeding season.

“They are also breeding in new areas in the north of the country – and we think this may be because the climate has changed to become more suitable for them. So climate change is another likely factor.

“Some birds seem to move much more than others and some use rubbish dumps more frequently than others. We will watch to see if they all decide to breed in Portugal or if some will leave Portugal to breed elsewhere in Europe.”

“With so many migrants in decline, trying to understand how and why they are staying in one place is an important step forward in trying to understand what their long term future may be.”

Science & Tech

05/03/13

Fifteen facts about the science of sex Anna Grieve Science writer 1. Scientists at Northwestern University have discovered that infants who gained weight the fastest went through puberty sooner and had a higher number of sex partners later in life. They also largely kept a more athletic or lean build in their adult life, regardless of gender.

2. For a reason still baffling scientists, heavy-set or overweight women orgasm at a much higher rate during intercourse than average or underweight women; regardless of health.

3. In a 25-year study which involved over 5,000 men split into straight and gay groups, scientists that measured their penis sizes published results that showed that the gay men, on average, had 1.33 inches over the straight men. Gay men also won in the width department as well.

4. Women are more likely to cheat on their partners when their chances of getting pregnant are at a peak (usually the week before her period). The hormone fluctuations during ovulation also make women more attracted to aggressive,

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concrete.science@uea.ac.uk

athletic men.

5. If you are a female and your ring finger is longer than your index finger, you have more testosterone in your body than the average female. If you are a male and your index finger is longer than your ring finger, you have more oestrogen in your body than the average male.

6. A survey in the United States found that caucasian women are most likely to engage in anal sex.

7. Women prone to constant migraines have higher sex drives than those who don’t.

8. How men behave right after sex with a certain woman for the first time determines if she is ever going to have sex with him again.

9. Researchers reported in March that the phenomenon of “coregasms” is real. These are orgasms caused by exercises that tense the core abdominal muscles - in other words, gym-friendly orgasms, no touching required.

10. An experiment was carried out using 10 men and 10 women who were rated on a scale of 1-10 using the golden ratio for attractiveness. They were put into a room, where they all had to wear full-coverage body suits that only showed their face, and had their ranking number on their forehead. Unaware of their own ranking number, they then had to try to partner up with someone but had the freedom to offer or deny the partnership with hand movements.

The results of the experiment were very

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interesting; no one got anyone that was more than two numbers below or above their rank, and higher ranked people went straight for each other, lower ranked people went straight for each other, and those in the middle kept getting denied until they got their appropriate partner.

11. A study published this May in the journal Archives of Sexual Behaviour found that in women, high testosterone was associated with a greater interest in masturbation, but less interest in orgasming with someone else.

“44% of women find it impossible to enjoy sex with a man who is not their intellectual equal.”

12. A study of 19,000 U.S college students found that, while only a minority of students judged women more harshly than men, young people still do judge people for having a high number of sexual partners.

13. 44% of women find it impossible to enjoy sex with a man who is not their intellectual equal. Just 31% of men share this problem.

14. A recent study found that sexual arousal diminishes disgust and can encourage us to have sex with partners that we would otherwise find unattractive.

15. Research carried out in November 2012 discovered that early human Neanderthals commonly engaged in sexual activity with species outside their own.

HIV research breakthrough New stammering treatment Rebecca Hardy Science editor

Chris Teale Managing editor

An article published in the Journal of Proteome Research has identified 25 human proteins that can be captured by the HIV-1 virus, the most infectious HIV subtype.

The research, done by scientists at Johns Hopkins Medical Group, suggests that this discovery could be critical to understanding how the virus can adapt and spread as quickly as it does.

When a new HIV particle emerges from an infected human cell, it wraps itself in membrane and proteins from the host cell, which means effectively disguising itself from the immune system’s sentinels.

Scientists believe that some of these proteins are specifically “chosen” by the virus in order to enhance its ability to survive.

Although the HIV-1 strain can capture more than 25 proteins, it is believed that these are the key ones as they have been found in HIV-1 viruses coming from two different types of infected cell, and the other proteins are simply caught up in the viral packaging.

In short, these proteins are transferrable

A new online treatment is being pioneered by researchers at the University of East Anglia to help some of the 70 million people around the world who stammer.

The treatment is funded by the National Institute for Health Research as part of their Research for Patient Benefit Programme and looks to help those who stammer with social anxiety, something that they may experience.

Around 720,000 people in the UK experience stammering, with recent films like The King’s Speech helping to raise awareness of the condition and ways it can be treated.

This new treatment will see participants take part in a trial of online computer-based sessions, which will last four weeks.

The project is led by Dr Jan McAllister from UEA’s School of Allied Health Professions. She said: “For many children who begin to stammer, the condition will resolve itself - either spontaneously or with therapy. But for some people, stammering persists into adulthood and can be the source of negative reactions,

between completely different cells and can therefore spread rapidly without the knowledge of the host’s immune system.

Dr David Graham, the senior author from the research team, said: “Human proteins incorporated into viruses could potentially be used to find, and selectively kill, cells harbouring HIV, but the problem is that HIV can steal hundreds of different proteins unique to each cell type that it infects, leaving too many targets for researchers and drug companies to chase after.”

By focussing on these proteins, it could make diagnosis and more specific treatment courses a real possibility for the future.

including bullying, from others.

“Our research will look at whether taking part in online computer-based tasks could help. This approach has been successful for people who have high levels of social anxiety who do not stammer.

“We hope that the treatment will have a very real and positive impact on the lives of people who stammer by providing an alternative or adjunct treatment for social anxiety.”

Researchers will measure social anxiety and speech fluency immediately before and after treatment, and then again after four months. Participants will be randomly allocated to the treatment condition or to a placebo control condition.

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concrete.travel@uea.ac.uk

Issue 281

Travel

05/03/13

The hustle and bustle of Hong Kong Rachael Lum Travel writer It is densely populated, full of hustle and bustle, but Hong Kong remains a unique cosmopolitan city that should not be missed.

Its biggest pride is arguably the Victoria harbour and its breath-taking skyline, which has been ranked as one of the world's best (see right). Because of the compact nature of Hong Kong, the cityscape is picture-worthy from many different locations.

The best place to view this is from Victoria Peak. There is the Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum there as well although some people would find it a little touristy. What most people prefer to do instead is to head to the observation decks by dusk and watch the city lights flicker just as the skies darken, or walk along the pathways amidst the romantic atmosphere at the summits.

Without a doubt, the beauty of Hong Kong's panoramic scenery is most evident during the night. The Symphony of Lights brings the skyscrapers to life at 8pm each night with laser displays and colourful illuminations. Most people tend to view this spectacle at the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront as this is where the synchronised music and narration will play.

It would also be worth heading to the waterfront prior to the light show to see the Avenue of Stars. This is the eastern version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which honours the celebrities of Hong

Kong’s film industry including the likes of Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee and Michelle Yeoh.

The flea markets are another of its notable feature, if not for the cheap merchandise then for their liveliness and local colours. The Temple Street Night

Market (also known as Men's Street) and Ladies' Market are both equally popular shopping destinations. Apart from the usual souvenirs and trinkets, you could also find clothes, accessories and electronic goods. You could also spot busking Chinese opera troupes or

fortune tellers. It is common practice to haggle over the price, so you shouldn't be afraid to negotiate for better bargains.

Even if you aren't too keen on shopping, you should give the street food a go as that way you get a truly local experience. There are many stalls in the night markets and around the city selling delicacies such as claypot rice, fish balls, roasted pigeon and milk tea.

For the more adventurous, try “stinky tofu”, which is deep fried fermented tofu with a very pungent odour (it actually tastes a lot better than it sounds or smells). Hong Kong is also famous for its dim sum, bite-sized snacks commonly eaten for brunch, which can be found in many restaurants.

For families, Disney fans or those determined to complete their Disneyland checklist, Hong Kong Disneyland is an obvious option. Compared to its equivalent theme parks from other countries, it is relatively small but it does make a distinction by incorporating Chinese culture into the park.

To escape the concrete world there is the Nan Lian Garden, a public park built in the middle of a residential area in Kowloon. It has tranquil features and landscapes, including a fountain and tea house, the style reminiscent of the Tang dynasty. Located next to it is the Chi Lin Nunnery, which houses gorgeous Oriental architecture and gardens.

If anything, Hong Kong is a lovely place to visit if you want to enjoy the nightlife and stimulate your senses in a different way.

Sun, sex and suspicious pricing Sam Tomkinson Travel writer For groups of males and females looking for a party holiday, Sunny Beach Bulgaria is the perfect destination. Situated on the Black Sea coast, Sunny Beach offers an eight-kilometre stretch of beach which perfectly complements the warm weather, and brings close to 300 days of sun and temperatures above 30 degrees.

Along the beach there are a variety of bars, with many comparable to those in the Caribbean with their cream loungers, idyllic wooden bar areas and endless choice of cocktails creating a serene, even romantic, setting.

In terms of activities there is the usual offerings you would expect such as jet skiing and pedalos, however the extortionate prices may distract some holiday makers.

On the strip you will find every craving for alcohol and lustful encounters catered

for. With the price of a pint of local beer averaging 40p and measures of spirit in cocktails thrice exceeding those offered in the UK, those with a thirst for alcohol will have their needs satisfied. The clubs and bars have an air of class to them as they are not yet infected by the archetypal “British holiday goer” unlike Magaluf.

This class is quickly swept away by scantily-clad women and topless men scouring the dance floors for easy sexual thrills, relieving any fear that this is anything less than a holiday of excess.

Disappointingly for most, hotels are very tough on outsiders entering the premises so finding your exotic pleasure is the least of your worries. Authorities are another issue as the lack of Anglicisation means that displays of a disreputable nature are met with a firm hand.

Boasting beautiful beaches and a salacious strip, Sunny Beach is a must for those drawn towards the more hedonistic side of life.

Travel

05/03/13

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concrete.travel@uea.ac.uk

‘Staycations’: tourism in your own country Marta Catalano Travel writer Many people think that to step out of your comfort zone, venture, explore and discover you have to take a plane and travel as far as you can to Australia, America or Asia. But sometimes we tend to underestimate the potential and the true beauty of the country and city we live in.

Wherever you are from, try and take some time this summer or whenever you have some spare moments to travel, to go around and explore the country you live in. Talk to people, go to that café or restaurant you have always wanted to go but never went, take a cheap bus to the closest town and be a tourist in your own country!

Money is an important factor for many students, and there’s a growing trend of people going on to so-called “staycations” in order to cut back on costs. Staying in your own city or country you might even be able to find some good deals for on websites such as Groupon or Tickles (a local daily deals site) so grab a friend and live in your country as a tourist would do: with excitement and with a sense of adventure that will push you to discover something new, every single day.

You will be surprised to see how much there is to do and find out two or three hours away from home.

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We asked our editors for their favourite local destinations.

Here’s what they had to say.

Southwold Southwold in Suffolk is a quintisentially British seaside town with vibrantly painted beach huts and quirky little tearooms. Southwold’s pier is the best place in the town to sit with some fish and chips and just watch the world go by.

Polly Grice, Travel editor Brancaster Unlike most towns on the North Norfolk coast, Brancaster isn’t packed full of kitsch gift shops, flocked with seagulls or full of narrow nautical shops that overflow with buckets and spades. It’s a sprawling sandy beach connected only to the Norfolk countryside and its own carpark. The rolling scenery means you’ll probably need a car or a bike. So, while you’re there, visit the Jolly Sailor for some good grub.

Ciara Jack, Comment editor

Ciara Jack Concrete’s selection of the best local destinations. Clockwise from top: Southwold, Brancaster and Cromer.

Cromer An unspoiled seaside resort on the Norfolk coast, Cromer is a must-see for every UEA student looking for a day by the beach. Just 40 minutes away on the train from Norwich,the town is an alternative destination for those who want to enjoy the sand between their toes and has numerous ways to enjoy a day on a student budget.

Chris Teale, Managing editor

I know a great little place ... Photography Corner Every week our writers will tell you their favourite place in the world. This week, Lucy Harford describes her favourite national reserve, the Masai Mara in Kenya.

The searing sun on your back, the waves of heat caressing the plains, and the chirps of birds sitting safely in the trees. Where else in the world would anyone rather be than the Masai Mara?

Between rollercoaster-like rides in a jeep on uncarved roads, the up-close encounter with a pride of lions spread out around a pond with a belly full of breakfast is breathtaking. Every stop along the rough and exciting journey

leads to an insight into the daily lives of Africa’s wildlife. From cuckoos to fish eagles, the skies are almost overburdened with birds. Despite all the commotion in the sky, there’s more than enough action on land to keep your eyes busy, with herds of antelope, buffalo, zebra, giraffe and elephants (to name but a few) among the hustle and bustle at the nearest water stop. If anyone wants an adventure, you could do a lot worse than here.

Holly Maunders in Palos Verdes, California Lucy Harford

We love your travel snaps - see more of them online: concrete-online.co.uk/photo-corner Send yours to concrete.travel@uea.ac.uk and we’ll publish them.

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concrete.lifestyle@uea.ac.uk

Issue 281

05/03/13

Rewriting the rules: polyamory Ellen Thornton Lifestyle writer We are born into a culture of monogamy.

As children we pledge allegiance to one best friend, we commit to one favourite colour and we are loyal to one profession in our games of make-believe. Everything in life is placed in a hierarchical order of preference with the aim that we are able to favour one thing above the rest. The same can be said for our relationships.

Schooling, the media, and society at large herald monogamous relationships as a safe zone. Noah liked the animals in pairs, Marks and Spencer are all about dining-in for two and we all know that come Orange Wednesdays three is definitely a crowd.

Our understanding of polyamory tends to be flavoured with promiscuity and placed as the antithesis to commitment. People are quick to assume that all relationships breaching the rules of monogamy are destined to fail. But what of these so called rules? And what about the couples who are rewriting them?

Whilst monogamy is right for many people, our assumption that everyone is, and should be, monogamous is dated.

“People in all sorts of relationships are having conversations about how open they want to be,” explains Dr Meg Barker,

author of Rewriting The Rules. The lines between monogamy and polyamory are breaking down as more and more couples experiment with the likes of “swinging, hook-up culture, and friends-with-benefits situations.”

In conjunction with the emerging spectrum of modern relationships, American sex advice columnist Dan Savage has coined the term “Monogamish”.

Challenging the common misconception that polyamory is synonymous with recreational sex, Monogamish couples are those who are strongly committed but open to engaging in sexual and emotional connections outside of their relationship.

The success of such relationships relies

upon a mutual agreement between all parties involved and plenty of open and honest discussion.

Every relationship has its own unique guidelines and varying degrees of openness.

For some, flirtatious communication and banter on social networks is fine, but kissing someone else on a night out is unacceptable. Others can get over a kiss but would feel uncomfortable with their partner developing a close friendship with someone else. Many draw the line at sex, whilst others openly cross it. Some people need more than one partner, just as some people need flirting and others need lovers of both sexes.

Barker attests that honesty is the best

Lifestyle policy. We cannot help our urges, whether monogamous or polyamorous, and we should be able to discuss them openly within our relationships. “The new dividing line,” she explains, “is between those who are honest and open with their partners and those who are not, as opposed to those who practise monogamy and those who are non-monogamous.”

Treating monogamy rather than honesty, happiness or sexual satisfaction, as the main indicator of a successful relationship, may give people unrealistic expectations of themselves and their partners. There are plenty of people who enjoy or may like to consider a degree of openness in their relationships. That is not to say that monogamy is a thing of the past.

Many or indeed most are perfectly happy in an exclusive relationship between two people. That said, at times we conflict ourselves by living in a modern society whilst harbouring dated and limiting opinions on relationships. Instead, we should reassess our love lives in terms that prize honesty, a little flexibility and, when necessary, an openness to sexual exploration.

For a book review of Dr Meg Barker’s Rewriting The Rules, head to page 20 of Venue.

Let’s talk about sex, baby Lydia Clifton Lifestyle writer When it comes to sex, we all know that there is such a thing as too much information. How much can you tell your friends about you and your partner’s sex life before they can no longer look your partner in the eye? It is a boundary that is both easily crossed and often difficult to define.

Betraying your partner’s privacy in the bedroom does have the potential to ruin a relationship, but sometimes things are just too outrageous not to share.

What often determines how much you can talk about is whether or not you and your partners have the same friends. If your other half found out that you told all of your mates that you both did X, Y and Z last night, they might not be best pleased. If your relationship is very separate from your friendships however, it could be that you have more licence to spill the beans.

Many people in relationships like to think that they are more loyal to their partners than that, but are they? As soon as a conversation about sex begins rolling, it is hard to resist joining in.

What makes matters worse is that the most embarrassing Emma Williamson things to share about

your partner are often the most awkward sexual encounters. These stories can stand as a clear threat to privacy in your relationship. They are the stories that are the funniest or the easiest ones to spill, including everything from performance issues and odd body parts to drunken

experiments. It does not fall quite so easily into conversation that your sexual experience last night was overwhelming and beautiful, passionate and intense.

Messy, dirty and weird stories get a quick laugh, but are not always particularly complimentary to your loved one.

Then of course, there are those people who do not share anything at all, or rarely do at least. Some people not only want to remain loyal to their partner in this respect, but also want to maintain an aura of perfection surrounding their relationship and sex life. It seems there is a level of expectation between friends that people in relationships will share certain details in conversation, but ultimately it is down to the people in the relationship to decide what is up for discussion.

If couples knew exactly what their other half told their friends, they would probably be surprised, but the chances are that both partners do exactly the same thing. Until it is harmful and offensive, it is mostly a bit of fun between close friends. In addition to some comic relief, talking with friends about your sex life can also be a great way to share any concerns or worries you may have about your relationship or health, and to get a second perspective on such matters.

Whilst it is important to respect your partner, a lot of people still hold a strong sense of loyalty to their friends and make sure they share important or funny things with them. The balance between healthy relationships and strong friendships can be easily managed, as long as couples maintain mutual respect for one another.

Lifestyle

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concrete.lifestyle@uea.ac.uk

Are you clued up on consent?

Hattie Grünewald Lifestyle writer Most people are familiar with the anti-rape slogan “no means no”, but does that really go far enough to explain the importance of consent? Sex without consent is rape.

It is your responsibility to check for your partner’s consent, not your partner’s responsibility to say “no”.

The first thing to know about consent is that it is not simply a light switch – it is not either “on” or “off”. At any point either partner has a right to stop all sexual contact.

You are allowed to make out with someone in a club but not want them to come home with you, to bring someone home with you but not have sex with them, and to stop sexual activity at any point at which you feel uncomfortable – and your partner should respect all of these decisions at all times.

It is also important to create a pressurefree environment in order for consent to flourish. That means checking regularly with your partner if things are okay. This does not have to ruin the mood; simply

asking “do you like this?” when you are kissing or touching is a great way not only to check if you have consent, but also to learn what your partner most enjoys. It can also be a great way of talking dirty; imagine “I’d really like to XXX, would you like that?” If this still does not convince you, just remember that feeling pressured into doing something is definitely not sexy, and you could be breaking the law – so it is always better to ask.

If your partner asks you to stop,

make sure you do everything you can to make them feel comfortable. Do not immediately stand up, get dressed and give them the silent treatment; if they like you and care about you, this could make them feel like they need to do something they are uncomfortable with. If consent is withdrawn, it is important to retain intimacy – continue to hold them (if they want you to do that) and talk to them in a way that makes it clear that you are completely okay with whatever they want,

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making sure you do not sound annoyed or frustrated. Remember that if you show them you are someone who respects them and whom they can trust, they will be more comfortable with you in future and your relationship can develop further.

If someone is intoxicated then they are unable to consent, and having sex with someone who is too drunk to know what they are doing is rape. It is also important to remember that arousal does not mean consent either; just because a guy is hard or a girl is wet, it does not mean they want you to have sex with them. Consent is not complicated; it is actually ridiculously simple. Does your partner seem to be enjoying sex with you? Are they smiling or laughing? Are they kissing and touching you back and actively participating? Then they are consenting. It can be that someone is too shy to do this, but if that is so, just check they are okay to keep going.

A good sexual experience requires mutual pleasure, good communication and enthusiastic participation. In other words, “yes means yes!”

Safety first: sexual health Sidonie Chaffer-Melly Lifestyle writer With one in ten 15–25 year olds testing positive for chlamydia, staying safe sexually has never been more important. Luckily enough, it has also never been easier, with many sexual health clinics offering drop-in services and home testing kits. However, some people are reluctant to visit such clinics due to the connotations that may be associated with being seen there.

The fear and embarrassment of having an STI may mean that people are put off going to get tested when it is an important part of staying safe and healthy. Many sexually-transmitted infections do not always show symptoms and can remain undetected. If left untreated, they can cause complications such as pelvic inflammatory

disease and infertility. Visits to a sexual health clinic are completely confidential; they will not even inform your GP without your permission. If you are taking tests that will not have immediate results, you can choose your preferred method of contact.

It is also important to remember that sexual clinics are not just there for STI testing. They offer a range of services, such as advice, emergency contraception, counselling and free contraception like the pill and condoms. Many also offer information and guidance on unwanted pregnancy and the steps that can be taken should it occur. If you have been in for an STI test and it comes back positive, the clinic will inform you and ask you back to discuss treatment. This will normally involve a short course of antibiotics. They even offer a service where they can inform

your previous sexual partners and advise them to get treated without revealing your identity. For infections that are incurable, such as HIV, the clinic will discuss treatments available and put you in touch with a counsellor.

Coming to university can change many students’ sexual habits. Too many Jäegerfuelled hook-ups can mean that staying safe falls out of mind, and this is when you are most at risk. Most universities have good provisions for student sexual health, with the University of Nottingham’s services recently topping a poll of Russell Group institutions. At UEA, the Medical Centre offers sexual health appointments with their nurses. These cover STI and pregnancy testing, the pill, advice and support, and chlamydia screening.

Additionally, the Union of UEA Students’

recently vandalised Safe Sex Station will soon be reinstated. The Station offers free condoms, dental dams, lube and chlamydia tests. Outside of the University, the Norwich Contraception and Sexual Health (CASH) clinic provides all of these services through open access drop-in centres and booked doctor and nurse appointments.

In the end, the main thing to remember that prevention is better than cure.

Condoms are the only sure way to prevent infection, and it is important that you use them for both penetrative and oral sex (or a dam). If you are worried about anything, go and see either your GP or the nurses at the clinic. However reluctant you might be about making a visit, it will be much less stressful to catch anything sooner than have it develop into something nasty down the line.

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concrete.lifestyle@uea.ac.uk

Issue 281

05/03/13

Recipes for a romantic night-in

Lifestyle

Lifestyle editor Emma Williamson serves up a main, side and dessert for two

Artichoke and leek risotto Roasted Mediterranean vegetables

Ingredients • 1tsp of olive oil • 1 large onion, sliced • 2 cloves of garlic, diced • Half a leek, washed and sliced • 1tsp of dried thyme • 100g of marinated artichoke hearts (in oil), drained and sliced • 150g of arborio rice • 100ml of dry white wine • 1l of vegetable stock, made with 2tsp of Marigold bouillon powder (or with a stock cube of your preference)

Method 1. In a large pan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, leek and thyme, and cook on a medium heat until soft.

2. Once the onions have cooked, decrease the heat slightly and add the arborio rice. Allow the rice to cook for roughly three minutes, or until it begins to look translucent.

Stir the mixture regularly to ensure that it does not stick.

3. Increase the heat and add the wine to the pan, stirring continually.

Once the wine has absorbed, pour in a small amount of the stock, and continue to stir. Once this stock has been absorbed, add more and continue to repeat this process for 15 minutes. Should you run out of stock, use boiling water instead.

4. Once 15 minutes have passed, turn the heat down and stir in the sliced artichokes. Serve with vegetables or a salad of your choice.

Chocolate cheesecake Ingredients • 200g of digestive biscuits, crushed • 100g of melted butter or spread • 300g of Philadelphia Original soft cheese • 300ml of double cream • 300g of good quality dark chocolate, melted • 1tsp of instant coffee dissolved into 30ml of boiling water Method 1. Using some of the melted butter, grease the base of a 25cm springform tin before lining it with greaseproof paper.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the crushed biscuits and melted butter until well blended and evenly

covered. Add the mixture to the lined tin and press firmly into the base. Cover the tin with clingfilm and allow it to chill in a refridgerator for at least 30 minutes.

3. In another large mixing bowl, beat the cream and Philadelphia until well blended. Add the melted chocolate and coffee mixture and mix thoroughly.

4. Remove the tin from the fridge and set aside the clingfilm. Pour the chocolate mixture onto the biscuit base and spread evenly, before recovering with clingfilm and placing back in the fridge.

5. Allow the cheesecake to set for at least six hours, or preferably overnight, before serving.

Ingredients • 1 red onion, sliced • 1 large courgette, sliced • 1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced • 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced • 100g of cherry tomatoes, left whole • 3 cloves of garlic, unpeeled • 2tbsp of olive oil • 2tsp of lemon juice • A handful of fresh basil • Salt and freshly ground black pepper Method 1. Preheat the oven to 200C. 2. In a large roasting tin, arrange the sliced onion, courgette, peppers and tomatoes. Add the cloves of garlic

and drizzle with the olive oil.

3. Ensure that the vegetables are evenly coated with oil before seasoning with the salt and pepper. Cover the tin with foil and place it in the oven for 25 minutes.

4. After 25 minutes, remove the tin from the oven and remove the foil. Give the vegetables a stir and return them to the oven for 10 minutes.

5. Once removed from the oven, drizzle the vegetables with lemon juice and scatter over fresh basil.

6. Serve as a side dish to the accompanied risotto, or as a meal of their own with grilled halloumi cheese and pita bread.

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concrete.sport@hotmail.co.uk

Sport does Smokin’ Sports editor Sam Tomkinson lists some of the hottest sports stars around ...

Goldenballs.

Men: David Beckham Women: Alex Morgan

Good all rounder Women: Jess Ennis Men: Tom Daley

Grand Slammin’ Women: Maria Sharapova Men: James Blake

Number 10/10 Men: Jonny Wilkinson Women: Joanne Watmore Hot Trott Women: Laura Trott Men: Manuel Quinziato

Loves the birdies Men: Adam Scott Women: Michelle Wie

Six appeal Women: Danielle Wyatt Men: James Anderson

Issue 281

05/03/13

Sport

Homophobia in sport: small steps to equality Chris Teale Managing editor It came as something of a surprise when ex-Leeds United and United States midfielder Robbie Rogers came out as gay last month, before announcing he was stepping away from the game.

Just the third footballer to publicly disclose that he is gay, there was an outpouring of support for Rogers from the Football Association and the Professional Footballers’ Association amongst others, praising the 25-yearold’s bravery and honesty.

Rogers’ two decisions were not linked, but it would be nice to think that the level of support he gained from across the game of football might suggest that homophobia is gradually being eradicated. Unfortunately, like the spectre of racial discrimination that continues to linger, homophobia is still rife across the world of sport, with many conflicting messages.

One would hope things had improved from the days of Justin Fashanu, the first openly gay footballer, who was regularly

criticised by his manager Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest in the 1980s for spending time in what Clough described as “poof clubs”. Fashanu eventually took his own life in 1998 in the United States after being charged by police in connection with the sexual assault of a teenager.

Sadly, it often seems as if very little has really changed in this regard, as in 2011 the president of the Italian Footballers’ Association Damiano Tommasi said he would not recommend players come out, as football is “different to every other profession” and that homosexuality in football is “still taboo”.

However, that view was then contradicted by Gareth Southgate, who said a year later that players would accept a gay teammate, although some fans may not be so tolerant.

Manchester United goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard went even further, saying in his blog that homosexual footballers are “in need of a hero” and that any gay players would be scared of the reaction from teammates and fans.

Little wonder when earlier this month

before the Super Bowl, San Francisco 49ers player Chris Culliver said that there were no gay players on the side’s roster and if there were they would not be welcome. However, Culliver later apologised for his comments and began sensitivity training after the showpiece event in the NFL season.

Consider also the first openly gay Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas, who came out in 2009. When Thomas featured on Celebrity Big Brother three years later, and Oxford City Football Club player Lee Steele tweeted homophobic remarks about the Welshman, the comments saw his contract with the then-Southern Premier League side terminated.

Thomas was praised by many for his decision to come out, as was England and Surrey cricketer Steven Davies, who came out publicly in 2011 having previously been on tour with England to countries like Pakistan where homosexuality is illegal.

However, considering the evergrowing tolerance which is growing in other areas of society, there are still very few openly gay sportsmen and women.

At university level, the National Union of Students’ “Out in Sport” report last year revealed that homophobic and transphobic bullies are forcing LGBT+ students out of sport, with only a third of LGBT students participating in organised team sport, and 37.8% of those saying they are not open about their sexuality with their team-mates.

Here at UEA, the number was even higher, with the Union’s LGBT+ survey revealing that 50% of LGBT+ students were not out to their teammates.

However, could Robbie Rogers be leading the way for more athletes to come out in sport? Gay rights groups in the United States believe his decision could represent a “tipping point” for sport, as more people feel empowered to talk openly about their sexuality.

Patrick Burke, co-founder of You Can Play, an anti-homophobia in sports campaign group, certainly believes gay players in top American leagues will start to come out, and that it would make “no difference” to their teammates or opponents.

Only time will tell if Rogers’ brave step precipitates more following his lead. However, it is hard to ignore the memory of statements such as that of Brazil football manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, who promised in 2002 to “throw [a gay player] off the team.”

Still, as more and more players are open about their sexuality without any public backlash, it is positive to think that sport can follow the lead of the rest of society and embrace players for their talent, regardless of their personal lives.

Sport

05/03/13

Issue 281

concrete.sport@hotmail.co.uk

23

UEA Boat Club riding a wave of success Matthew Everett Sports correspondent The sun was definitely shining brighter over UEABC at Boston Rowing Club in late February as a strong showing across the team gave some retribution after a tricky start to 2013. Having been plagued by bad weather, boat repairs and a lack of racing this year, the men’s squad were eager to test their mettle against some of the top universities in the country.

Saturday was the beginner’s day as an eight comprised of competitors who only started rowing last September looked to show improvement from their first outing in Cambridge. Conditions were perfect as the wind dropped and sun came out for the start of the 3km time trial. With captain Leon Bailey cycling from the river bank the crew overtook the boat ahead of them within the first 700m before pressing on all the way to the finish. Cox Emily Elvin could be heard the whole way down the course, not allowing any of crew’s strength to go to waste as they powered home in the last kilometre to finish 14th overall, an improvement from 16th the previous year. What was really

encouraging was their improvement from the previous race as they appeared a more synchronised unit and were rowing with much more maturity and relaxation as they ruffled the feathers of some of the bigger universities.

Sunday was the real test as the Intermediate 4’s and 8’s took to the water.

With a slight headwind counteracting the run of the river’s stream the 4 relied on their superior strength to battle through the conditions and push off the surrounding crews over the 5km course. Overtaking Manchester University off the start then powering down the home straight, Emily Elvin could once again be heard asking

Ian Weir

for the extra inch on the crew ahead as the boys dug in deep over the final kilometre.

The result was an astounding second place and a silver medal which certainly raised the eyebrows from some of the traditional front runners’ coaches.

The stage was set then for the intermediate 8 to seal a fine weekend for the club and they didn’t disappoint.

Once again springing the lacklustre Manchester off the start they then pushed off the chasing Cardiff crew which made for some tight three abreast racing come the 1km to go mark. The sight of the chasing boat only spurred them on to push even harder. The outcome being a well deserved sixth place which means both the 4 and the 8 prequalified for the semi finals at the BUCS regatta this May in Nottingham where they will hope to do even better.

All in all this was a significant improvement against last year’s results and only goes to show how much the squad has improved as a whole. With the next major race the Head of The River on the Thames in London only one month away UEABC men’s squad seem to have some impressive results upon the horizon.

Men’s Football show defiance in promotion push Charlie Savage Sports correspondent

Men’s Football I 4 Bedford I 1 Men’s Football I came from behind for the second week running to beat Bedford I and set up a title-deciding match against Coventry next week. Braces from Neil Hurren and Stefanos Pachnis secured the 4-1 victory to place UEA at the summit of the division with a single game to go.

Similar to the same fixture the previous week, UEA needed to claw back a deficit after Bedford took the lead in bizarre circumstances. A free kick out wide was floated in but completely misjudged by goalkeeper Charlie Savage, who made no contact as the ball dropped into the empty net.

Yet again, the home side showed great fortitude to stage a comeback.

After a long ball was played forward to relieve pressure, Hurren showed both strength and composure to shrug off one defender before striking the ball into the far corner of the net, and bring the home side level going into half-time.

UEA knew only a win would suffice if they wanted any chance of securing the only promotion place in the division, and were ahead shortly into the second half.

Ben Calvo beat three men out on the left

before delivering an inviting ball into the box that Hurren headed into the roof of the net with his trademark finishing.

It was only after two quick-fire goals from Pachnis midway through the second half, that victory was assured. The first was emphatically taken, as the ball was expertly drilled into the far corner of the net just inside the 18-yard box.

In almost no time at all, Pachnis had grabbed himself his second of the afternoon. He pounced on a loose ball in the box and took it around the goalkeeper with his first touch, before finding a gap in the defence to fire home with his second.

UEA were looking secure defensively, with the back four working efficiently to limit Bedford’s chances. The match finished with somewhat unsavoury scenes, however. In the final moments, a Bedford winger aggressively threw UEA’s captain Danny Scott to the floor, and was sent off.

The title will now ultimately be decided in a mouth-watering fixture against Coventry next week. Whatever the result that day, however, UEA can be proud of a great season in the BUCS league.

Their second half performance, especially epitomised the courage and ability UEA have shown throughout the season to place them one game away from promotion.

Ga Chun Yau

Derby Day March 13th 2013

Extensive live coverage @concretesport / concrete-online.co.uk Get involved #DerbyDay2013

SPORT

Issue 281 05 March 2013 Men’s Football I

Whye Tchien Khor

Women’s Volleyball take superb win Chris Teale Managing editor

Women’s Volleyball 3 Nottingham II 0 Women’s Volleyball took a superb straight sets win over Nottingham II on Wednesday 27 February at the Sportspark.

UEA started the game in second place in BUCS Midlands Division 2A, with their opponents in third place and three points behind as the season draws to a conclusion.

The away side served first, but it was the hosts who started the better, as they began to gain the advantage in the long rallies that became the norm during the opening exchanges.

UEA quickly stretched their lead as errors began creeping into their opponents’ game, taking an early 10-5 lead as Nottingham called a time out thanks to some superb smashes and great communication to ensure they had the best of the game.

After the break, the home side maintained their momentum as frustration began to creep into Nottingham’s game and they struggled to cope with some superb services from UEA. The away side struggled even to score a single point as the set wore on, with the hosts’ dominant play around the net helping them take

a comfortable 25-10 win and with it the opening set.

Things got no better for Nottingham in the second set, as a series of errors forced by some superb attacking play saw them go behind early again. UEA were clearly in scintillating form, showcasing the attacking play that has seen them lose just once all season in the league.

However, despite the home side maintaining their pressure, Nottingham began to find the form that had been missing from their game, reducing the deficit to just 19-17 as they looked to recover. However, they could not keep up the momentum as UEA stepped up a gear and took the next six points without reply to win the set 25-17 and take a twoset lead.

The third set saw Nottingham take the lead for the first time as they went into an early 2-0 lead, although a number of forced errors began to creep in as the home side sensed the opportunity to secure a comfortable victory.

The visitors quickly became rattled as UEA’s superb service game began to bring them a succession of points, and with the home side taking the points after some superb rallies that saw good recovery play from both teams, victory was all-but assured with the score at 16-9.

In the closing stages of the set, Nottingham once again made a number of forced errors due to the superb play

of the hosts, and UEA secured an easy victory as they closed out the set by a final margin of 25-12.

It was a superb victory for a UEA side that has only dropped three sets in the league all year, and sees them keep up the pressure on Aston I atop BUCS Midlands Division 2A with just one game left this season away to Derby I.

Ga Chun Yau

Page 23 Homophobia in sport

UEA Home Fixtures 6 March Women’s Badminton v Bedford Women’s Football v Nottingham Trent

Page 22 Sport does Smokin’

Netball v Nottingham Trent Women’s Rugby v Cambridge Men’s Tennis v Aston

Page 22