Concrete 333

EXCLUSIVE Student Housing Shortage

17th January 2017 Issue 333

Students to sleep in bunk beds The official student newspaper of the University of East Anglia | concrete-online.co.uk

Megan Baynes Editor-in-Chief

Up to 750 students could be left without accommodation for September 2017, due to a shortage of rooms on campus and in the city.

This is likely to mostly impact current first years wishing to move off campus. The university has responded to this housing crisis by adopting emergency measures to increase the number of bed spaces on campus. These include the division of some campus rooms with bunk beds as well as introducing a new University Lecturer Homestay scheme that will see a number of students housed with lecturers.

HomeRun opens on Friday 20th January however, the SU fears that not enough bed spaces will be available for students wishing to move off campus. The university recruited

more students than expected this year, although have agreed to a temporary expansion freeze for 2017/18 entry due to intensive SU lobbying.

However, there will still be in an additional one thousand extra students on campus in September.

In order to provide bed space for the increased number of soon-to-be second year students the university has agreed to a "stay on campus" scheme for returners, encouraging

students to stay in campus accommodation, generating an additional 325 bedspaces.

In order to do this 80 bed spaces have been secured within INTO, a new University Lecturer Homestay scheme will generate approximately 50 bedspaces, and 13 rooms have been made available in Suffolk Terrace due to the relocation of counselling services. Some larger rooms on campus will be converted into doubles, offered at a significant discount, and some rooms will be converted into "bunk bed twins", priced between £53-57 per student, per week. A number of ensuite "family rooms" will be converted into doubles and offered at a significantly discounted price. In addition, some of Broadview lodge, which has 63 rooms in total, will be converted into student accommodation.

The SU believe an additional 175 bed spaces can be found in the

city. The university is also considering changing the format of the new planned buildings at Blackdale which may now be larger than previously intended and feature shared bathrooms to maximise capacity.

Commenting SU Campaigns and Democracy Officer Amy Rust said: "Although getting there has been like pulling teeth, the University’s stay-on-campus plan is a good start- and the creation of a new category of accommodation at the affordable end of the market a welcome development from a student hardship perspective.

"However, we remain hugely concerned about the Norwich housing market - when demand outstrips supply prices will go up and safety will go down - and most importantly we’re furious this has all been noticed and acted on too late when the University has known its expansion intentions for years.

Ms Rust added that is was "galling" that despite the increase in profits made by student accommodation last year, the university was insisting on "hiking rents" by more than inflation every year for a decade: "We all know that the campus needs investment but doing this on the back of student hardship is unacceptable."

She continued, "In the context of big profits and poorly planned expansion, the idea that the only way to get affordable accommodation is if you share a desk and bunk up is outrageous. So we’re also calling on the University to do a number of things- develop and publish a proper assessment of student accommodation affordability, and create a proper on and off campus expansion plan that deals with the crises we have now.

under £13,000. The FoI request also discovered that in the same period, 79 university-employed staff signed compromise agreements as part of their redundancy packages.

The compromise agreement in severance deals usually takes the form of a payment to former employees, in return for the university gaining immunity from legal action. These deals include confidentiality clauses, known as

‘gagging orders’, which prevent former academics from discussing aspects of their time at the university.

UEA was one of 48 universities which responded to Liberal Democrat requests regarding payments to staff. In the last five financial years, over 3,500 staff signed compromise agreements, with the universities which responded paying out in excess of £145 million in financial settlements.

A UEA spokesperson said: "Confidentiality clauses are a standard legal clause in this type of agreement. They are there to protect both parties involved, and to maintain confidentiality about an agreed financial settlement."

The spokesperson added: "Such clauses do not prevent an individual from making disclosures under whistleblowing legislation."

Campaigns and Democracy

Officer Amy Rust said: "Rocketing rents and tuition fee increases are bad enough when they get spent on the student experience- but when they are spent on gagging disgruntled staff and massive increases in senior management pay students will rightly be furious."

She said the union are "calling for student representation on University

"Up to 750 students could be left without a bed for September 2017"

Continued on page 6

University 'gagged' 79 staff since 2011 Tony Allen News Reporter

A Freedom of Information (FoI) request has revealed that since 2011 UEA has paid out over £1.1 million to staff leaving the university.

Spread among the 90 staff members who received financial settlements, the figures mean that the average amount paid was slightly

Continued on page 3

17th January 2017

2

Editorial Our guide to your guide to 2017 Jessica Frank-Keyes Deputy Editor

Dougie Dodds

Tired of talking about beds?

University expansion shouldn't come at the expense of student experience Megan Baynes Editor-in-Chief Bunk beds. Yes, you read that right, bunk beds. I grew up sharing a room with my brother, and yes, we shared bunkbeds. I also spent last year studying at university in Massachusetts where I had not one, but two — very lovely — roommates so I am not averse to room sharing, or indeed bunkbeds as a concept, and have spent most of my life with minimal personal space. However, it seems a rather hastily pieced together plan if the university is resorting to housing students in bunk beds from September.

Remember, these rooms have not been designed to accommodate two students, and are just a single room with two beds. Whilst the price range is definitely something most students will approve of, I’m not sure I would want to share my cupboard space with someone else.

University expansion has become an increasing problem over the last year, and it only looks like it will get worse in coming years.

It’s great that UEA is becoming increasingly popular — they don’t call us wonderful for nothing — but the rate at which the cohort numbers have grown in the past years has been too quick for campus to keep up with. Despite the addition of the shiny new Hickling and Barton — with their very shiny price tag — campus accommodation is starting to feel the pressure.

Add in the threat of Article 4 and a very unsympathetic local housing market and you have a problem.

Just please remember that when HomeRun opens next Friday, it won’t be the fault of the staff if you aren’t able to secure a house right away — they’re doing everything they can to help, so make sure to cut

them some slack.

Even without the university expanding cohort sizes further next year, there will still be a thousand extra students on campus next September. That is, according to my somewhat shaky maths, a growth of over 6 percent.

"There will still be one thousand extra students on campus next September: if you think this isn’t becoming a problem, try finding a library space after week eight" If you think this space isn’t becoming a problem, try finding a library space after week eight. I’m only slightly kidding when I say it has become a fight to the death, particularly if you want a seat with a plug socket / light / decent desk space / a chair. As for the study carrels, well, I haven’t been able to find my way into one of them since my second year. They’re more precious than that ring everyone fought over in Lord of the Rings.

From the campus shop, to the laundrette to the queues at any of the food outlets, wherever you look there are crowds of students. If the university is going to expand its year sizes, then the services need to expand accordingly.

Beyond the initial amused

smile that normally accompanies the phrase, ‘putting students in bunkbeds’ other services are surely going to suffer. Appointments at the medical centre will become more difficult to get (at least within a decent time frame) and Student Support Services are going to crack under the pressure. There is already a waiting list for the counselling services ­ — are a thousand extra students really going to help?

Nightline has been relocated in order to provide extra bed space: whilst this isn’t necessarily a negative, the university has yet to confirm Nightline’s new permanent home. Thus this move has detracted from the services Nightline are able to provide and has been detrimental to the student population.

Perhaps bunk beds aren’t necessarily a terrible idea. Indeed, if you have a friend you like a lot and are not too averse to sharing their space in exchange for a fairly decent price tag, it could even be a good idea. But, it is also a sign of things to come. It is a sign of a university that is trying to undertake a marathon without first trying a 5k. A plan, a real concrete plan, needs to be put together in order to protect the students already at UEA. With first year students either having to live out in the centre of town, with a family, or away from the bus routes, student experience is an essential part of university life.

With many things, uncertain at the start of 2017 — don’t even get me started on Trump, Brexit, or even my post-graduation plans — one thing is clear: rapid and over expansion should not happen at the expense of student experience.

So welcome back UEA. Whether this is your first semester here or your last (sob), enjoy it. Besides, the world is going to end on the 20th January anyway.

Welcome back to Concrete! 2016 was a wild ride, and we hope you had a great break spent eating, relaxing, and forgetting about the existence of the Hub… In Concrete’s back-to-school issue we take a look at the various ways a new year can bring in a new you.

In Features, we’ve been ringing the changes: from healthy and delicious recipe suggestions for Veganuary, to wondering whether we really need to bring social media into 2017 with us.

Have a look at pages 12 and 13, where Sophie Bunce questions the perception of our age group as an ‘anxious generation,’ and Luke Heward tells us what he’s gained from spending university in the Officer Training Corps.

We’re looking into a crystal ball in Global, as our writers make their predictions for the events of the next twelve months. From Ireland and Sudan to the Russian hacking scandal, if you’ve got questions, we’ve covered everything you need to know! Our Comment writers give their verdict on the Obama legacy, and editors Megan and Caitlin weigh in on the role – and responsibilities – of the press, while Rob Klim takes on fake news.

Our Travel section gets introspective this issue as Holly Byrne, Jack Leik and Beverly Devakishen look at the various ways travel can change you for the better. Have a look at some of their gorgeous travel snaps on pages 2021. Meanwhile, Science looks back at 2016: a year in climate change, as well as some 2017 space news worth lifting your eyes to the stars for.

Finally, turn to the back page for our editors’ round-up of the sporting highlights of the year to come. From the Six Nations and the Superbowl to Derby Day and the darts, there’s almost more sports to look forward to next year than I recognise the names of.

concrete-online.co.uk ConcreteUEA concreteuea concrete_UEA

The University of East Anglia’s Official Student newspaper since 1992 Tuesday 17th January 2017 Issue 333 Union House University of East Anglia Norwich NR4 7TJ 01603 593466 www.concrete-online.co.uk Editor-in-Chief Megan Baynes concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk Deputy Editors Jessica Frank-Keyes Caitlin Doherty concrete.deputy@uea.ac.uk Online Editor James Chesson Online Assistant: Freddie Sallis concrete.online@uea.ac.uk News Emily Hawkins Senior Reporter: Amanda Ng concrete.news@uea.ac.uk concrete.seniornews@uea.ac.uk Global concrete.global@uea.ac.uk Features Lillie Coles Lydia Lockyer concrete.features@uea.ac.uk Comment Charlie Dwyer concrete.comment@uea.ac.uk Science Sophie Christian concrete.science@uea.ac.uk Travel Jennifer Redfern Senior Reporter: Milly Godfrey concrete.travel@uea.ac.uk concrete.seniortravel@uea.ac.uk Sport Richard Ewart Nick Murphy concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk Chief Copy-Editors Molly Burgess Emma Slaughter concrete.copy@uea.ac.uk Marketing Director Katie Gleeson concrete.marketing@uea.ac.uk Social Media Coordinator Charlotte Spencer concrete.socialmedia@uea.ac.uk Events Manager Sam Naylor Events Assistant: Grace Fothergill concrete.events@uea.ac.uk

Editorial Enquiries Complaints & Corrections concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk

Cover: Ziggurats, Megan Baynes

No part of this newspaper may be reproduced by any means without the permission of the Editor-in-Chief, Megan Baynes. Published by the Union of UEA Students on behalf of Concrete.

Concrete is a UUEAS society, but retains editorial independence as regards to any content. Opinions expressed herein are those of individual writers, not of Concrete or its editorial team.

News

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17th January 2017

NUS leadership in Israel controversy

VC pay increased 6.3 percent in 2016

Brooks since referred himself for NUS investigation "Crosses a line": UEA SU Officers divided over issue

Jessica Frank-Keyes Deputy Editor NUS Vice-President Richard Brooks has come under fire after recent allegations that he colluded with the Israeli Embassy to unseat NUS President Malia Bouattia. Footage was obtained by Al-Jazeera of Brooks discussing how to unseat Bouattia with an undercover reporter posing as an activist called Robin. Brooks has since referred himself to the NUS for investigation.

The reporter was filmed being introduced to Brooks as chairman of the Young Labour Friends of Israel, by the Israeli diplomat Shai Masot.

Brooks told Robin to "drop me a line whenever you want to have a conversation" if he wanted to have discussions with activists opposed to Bouattia.

He also offered to put the reporter in touch with other organisers across the UK, stating: "[if] you want to speak with someone in a certain geographical area, I’ll point you at the right people." The film also reported that Brooks had visited Israel" as part of a delegation from the Union of Jewish Students (UJS).

Brooks, who is the NUS’ VicePresident for Union Development, has denied the allegations in a statement published on The Daily Touch and released on Twitter, stating that, to his knowledge, he "has never met someone from the Israeli Government."

He described the allegations as "as wrong as [they are] hurtful," and notes the "toxic level of debate" Continued from front page senior management remuneration decisions," and they wish to see "an end to these costly gagging clauses which prevent proper discussion about deteriorating employment conditions on campus for our academics."

"Confidentiality clauses are a standard legal clause in this type of agreement" High users of compromise agreements since 2011 include London Metropolitan University with 894, the University of Exeter

The video showed Brooks talking to an undercover reporter Al Jazeera

surrounding NUS national politics.

He also criticised the "threats of violence against myself and my friends" that he has received since the footage came to light, and added that he would not apologise for the trip to Israel, which he described as "educational," calling the aims of the UJS "noble and inspirational."

Commenting on the controversy, UEA SU Welfare Community & Diversity Officer Jo Swo said: "political factions in national student politics are one thing, but allegations that an NUS Officer has been working with a foreign government to dismantle our democratically elected leader who has received abuse and death threats crosses a line."

She added: "Brooks’ failure to declare a government paid trip to Israel to NEC could be gross misconduct and makes the whole

thing look very dodgy. He’s the VP of Union Development but seems to be focusing his time on fracturing NUS from within rather than making it stronger."

UEA SU Campaigns and Democracy Officer Amy Rust said: "that Richard Brooks has been discussing his dislike of the NUS President with Jewish student activists is hardly a surprise given his previous public comments about her- and as NUS has annual elections, working to run a candidate against her is hardly surprising either." She continued: "however, other aspects of the allegations are serious and if true, should be tackled- which is why it is helpful to hear that he has referred himself for a full and proper investigation in accordance with NUS’ Code of Conduct."

Brooks and Bouattia have been contacted for comment.

with 346 and the University of Cambridge with 237.

Education experts have implied that confidentiality clauses are now used habitually by universities, and not just with particularly disgruntled former employees.

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron condemned this, saying: "Universities are supposed to be bastions of free speech and forthright opinions, yet our research has shown that confidentiality clauses may have been used not only to avoid dirty laundry being aired in public but now are just common practice in higher education."

However, Dusty Amroliwala, University of East London’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, disagreed saying: "Compromise agreements are not drafted to prevent discussion about

general failings that might impact on students," and said such failings would be in the public domain.

A spokesperson from London Metropolitan University told Concrete: "Universities often have to make redundancies for a range of reasons, from the need to adjust to changing student numbers to the closure of courses with low demand or which do not meet the high standards of quality we expect."

In the last financial year, UEA paid out just over £255,000 in settlements to 13 employees, a slightly lower spend than the previous 12 months and above 201314. However, the average payout of over £19,500 each was by far the highest of the five years included in the data, as the cash was spread among fewer staff members.

Photo: Will Cockram Caitlin Doherty Deputy Editor UEA’s Vice-Chancellor, David Richardson was paid £271,000 for the academic year 2015/2016, marking a 6.3 percent increase on the previous year.

"The makeup of the Vice Chancellor’s remuneration reflects the size and international standing of the University of East Anglia" According to the university accounts for last academic year, published last week, Professor Richardson took home £225,000 salary, £38,000 in pension, and received benefits worth £8,000. The pay package is a £37,000 increase on the academic year 2014/2015, during which Richardson was paid £234,000. According to graduatejobs.com, the average graduate starting salary in the UK is £19,000 - £22,000.

In the same year, university staff received, on average, a one percent pay increase, and rental rates for on campus accommodation rose by 3.4 percent.

Responding to the pay rise, a UEA spokesperson commented: "The university operates in a global market and the makeup of the Vice Chancellor’s remuneration reflects the size and international standing

of the University of East Anglia. It is determined by a Remuneration Committee comprising independent members of the University’s council, and it remains at the lower end of Vice-Chancellor salaries across all UK universities".

Vice Chancellor salaries vary greatly across the UK. The head of Coventry University, John Latham took home £331,000 last academic year, whist Imperial College London’s President, Alice Gast was paid £430,000. Glynis Bakewell, Vice Chancellor at the University of Bath, earned £451,000 during the same period.

271 451 22 1

thousand: the amount the ViceChancellor was paid last year

thousand: the amount the Vice Chancellor at Bath was paid last year

thousand: the average starting salary of a UK graduate

percent: the amount staff salaries at UEA rose last year

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17th January 2017

News

Union of Jewish Students deny First extend discount Baroness 'no-go zone' claim Amanda Ng Senior Reporter

Jack Lewis News Reporter The National Union of Jewish Students (UJS) disagreed with Baroness Ruth Deech’s claim that some universities, including Manchester and Exeter, are places Jewish students "should avoid" due to campus anti-Semitism.

"UEA’s J-Soc is small, yet I had no concerns about studying here based on this with life on campus for Jewish students generally being positive" Baroness Deech was the first adjudicator for UK universities, an office established to deal with student complaints.

In a Daily Telegraph interview, Deech suggested incidents of antiSemitism on university campuses were not always taken seriously. She cited the Baroness Royall report into anti-Semitism and Oxford University’s inaction on the issue to support her claims.

She said, "It really is a bad situation."

James Graham, a UJS officer, claims Deech’s labelling of certain universities as ‘no-go zones’ for Jewish students is "completely unfounded and does more harm than good".

While Graham agrees with Deech that "the failings of various universities to clamp down on antisemitism" is an issue, he believes highlighting particular universities as Photo: John

‘no-go zones’ for Jewish students undermines the successes of university Jewish societies across the country.

Lucy Lewis, President of UEA’s Jewish Society, stated:"I have never experienced anti-Semitism on campus, nor hostility towards the J-Soc. However, further action may be required to prevent and tackle antiSemitism at some universities."

She said, "UEA’s J-Soc is small, yet I had no concerns about studying here based on this with life on campus for Jewish students generally being positive."

Lewis added, "J-Soc look forward to continuing its work to celebrate Jewish life on campus, in addition to working with the university and UEA Students' Union to ensure all Jewish students have a safe and positive campus experience."

Cairns

First Bus operator for Eastern Counties is extending a concessionary fare promotion until the end of January. Pass holders have been able to enjoy this as part of the national concession travel scheme and can now buy discounted single tickets valid between 8:30am and 9:30am on weekdays. This month, English National Concession Bus Pass holders will be charged the same amount, which is a 30 per cent discount on the normal adult fare.

David Jordan, marketing manager at First Eastern Counties, said: "We introduced this offer after feedback from passengers and drivers alike, and the response has been phenomenal". Although this promotion was originally introduced only for December, the high demand for single tickets led First bosses to extend the discount unPhoto: Ad Meskens

Full-time NUS Transgender position welcomed by SU

Theodore Antoniou-Phillips

James Chesson Jack Ashton News Reporter After over a year of campaigning, on 14th December the National Union of Students (NUS) crossed a historic boundary by becoming the first organisation in Europe to have a full-time elected officer to defend the rights of transgender people.

While the specific details of the job haven’t been confirmed, elections, to be held in March, will see an officer elected to work fulltime specifically for transgender people.

Melantha Chitteden, NUS

LGBT+ Officer, said the decision had "reaffirmed my faith in the organisation." However, she made it clear that the NUS are setting their sights upon broader horizons, stating "this isn’t the end."

In a statement on the NUS website, Chitteden thanked the students involved in the campaign.

She said, "There have been some bumps along the way, but all the blood, sweat and tears you put in, I'm sure it feels so worth it now."

The move will no doubt be welcomed by the estimated 28,000 transgender students in the UK. This decision also comes as a

study has revealed that half of transgender students consider

"There have been some bumps along the way, but all the blood, sweat and tears you put in, I'm sure it feels so worth it now" dropping out of their course at their time at university, and 20 per cent have been bullied or harassed on

campus.

Commenting on the decision SU LGBT+ Officer Lee Brown said "Although it’s taken an age to get there, I'm really glad that NUS now has their own Transgender Officer.

Representation is really important, and that's something that's become especially apparent with the creation of the role of Transgender and Non-Binary officer at UEA." He added, "Feedback from transgender and non-binary students on campus has been great to hear, and I can only imagine what positive changes can be made on a national level with NUS."

til January 31st. Also on offer is the five for £5 deal throughout January where a group of up to five people are able to travel all day in any chosen First Eastern Counties areas for a small amount. Although, for this offer there is a maximum number of two adults of 20 and over.

Normally, the fixed rate for one return ticket on a 25 First Bus from Riverside & Rail Station to the University, via City Centre and Unthank Road is £3.00 for a young person’s ticket, which students are saying is too expensive.

Some UEA students have complained about the high cost of First Bus tickets. Currently, a UEA Annual Norwich unlimited travel pass costs £215.

Second year History student, Kate Brownlee, says that bus fares "should be less for those who do not use the bus regularly and should be flexible, especially when considering the number of academic weeks students actually needs a bus pass."

Man sentenced for Village burglaries Emily Hawkins News Editor A man has been sentenced to three years imprisonment after pleading guilty to three cases of burglary on the university campus.

Joseph Sharpe, a resident of Langley Walk in Norwich, was sentenced at Norwich Crown Court on Monday 9th January. The 32 year old admitted to stealing cash and mobile phones at three separate properties in Village Close, where the University Village Laundrette is situated.

The burglaries were carried out between Wednesday 28 September and Thursday 29 September 2016, during freshers' week.

DC Mike Blowers from Norfolk Constabulary said he was "pleased" with the sentence Sharpe received. He said, "We will not tolerate this kind of criminal behaviour in Norfolk."

A University spokesperson said, "We take the security of our students extremely seriously and work closely with the police to prevent and detect crime on and around our campus.

"We maintain high visibility 24-hour security patrols and there is safety lighting and CCTV. In addition, every new intake of students receives advice on personal safety and crime prevention, with the police attending our induction talks, and specially tailored advice is provided to our international students. Crime against students both on and off campus is extremely rare. We are pleased that the police and courts have dealt swiftly with the person who committed these offences."

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17th January 2017

News

SOAS SU in philosophy curriculum controversy COMMENT

COMMENT Jack Ashton argues SOAS SU are misguided

Ananya WilsonBhattacharya says the change would be positive

Yes, philosophy is very Eurocentric.

Yes, the teaching of it is dominated by white men. I see the temptation for a quota. Having said this, the Eurocentric nature of philosophy teaching accurately reflects the Eurocentric nature of the history of philosophy. SOAS should aim to change the future, not the past.

The campaign run by the SOAS student union has from the outset been predictably misrepresented by the mainstream media as censorship.

In fact it is quite the opposite: the central demand is not to have these white philosophers removed from the curriculum, but to be able to study them from a more critical, anti-colonial angle, along with the addition of more Asian and African philosophers into the syllabus.

"SOAS should aim to change the future, not the past" The proposal by their student union has good intentions but by implementing a quota that means over half the school's taught philosophers have to be from the global south, SOAS will begin to value geographical location over philosophical impact. This reactionary move would not accurately reflect the subject being learnt, and therefore would negatively impact the education of those learning it.

Instead of taking this move, SOAS should teach philosophy with a pinch of salt and tell its students that philosophy has been dominated by white Western males, but they should go out and change that.

Social context is an important part of any subject and it should be analysed and addressed, not removed, as SOAS's Student Union seeks to do.

Don’t get me wrong, I abhor the Eurocentric nature of philosophy and long for the new generation to begin to change that, but SOAS are supposed to be moulding the philosophers of the future, not rewriting those of the past.

Stephen McKay Alice Spencer News Reporter Students at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) will campaign for white philosophers to be largely removed from the curriculum.

The decision to advocate a change to the curriculum comes as part of the student union’s "educational priorities" for 2017.

Philosophers such as Kant, Plato and Descartes would be dropped to better represent the university’s focus on Asia and Africa.

The SOAS student union states the campaign to remove white philosophers is part of a wider initiative to "decolonize" university education. The priority given to African and Asian philosophers seeks to "address the structural and epistemological legacy of

colonialism" within SOAS, they stated.

The proposed curriculum would not totally ban white European philosophers. The union said they could be studied "if required". The inclusion of white philosophers would be on the basis that these are taught from a "critical standpoint", acknowledging the "colonial context" in which many of their texts were written.

"Teaching is often based on very narrow criteria and often tends to be Eurocentric" The SOAS union has received criticism for its decision. Erica Hunter, head of SOAS’s Religion and Philosophy Department, said: "I would firmly resist dropping

philosophers or historians just because it was fashionable."

The union's announcement comes as many education leaders fear government focus on student satisfaction will increase the power of "snowflake students". Sir Anthony Seldon, Vice Chancellor of Buckingham University, said: "We need to understand the world as it was and not rewrite history as some might like it to have been."

The proposals have also been praised for their efforts to create a more culturally diverse discussion.

The founder of Black British Academics, Dr Deborah Gabriel, said: "Teaching is often based on very narrow criteria and often tends to be Eurocentric. These students are calling on scholars to meet the criteria of their role to teach from different cultural contexts, it’s something we all should be doing more of."

"'Censorship' has become a buzzword in contemporary Europe" These demands are in line with the aim of SOAS to provide an alternative focus to the dominant Eurocentric approach.

‘Censorship’ has become a buzzword in contemporary Europe, which seems to pop up in almost every conversation concerning racism, as popular resistance to it is framed as the silencing of debate.

This constant emphasis on the dangers of censorship, and the need for free debate on all possible subjects, obscures the importance of the context. SOAS was specifically designed to focus on parts of the world and perspectives which are often neglected in education.

The concern of their student's union that the school is not fulfilling this aim does not amount to silencing any debates, but rather to ensuring that SOAS is providing a voice for the marginalised.

Clive Lewis: 'Public good, private bad' Emily Hawkins & Megan Baynes News Editor & Editor-in-Chief Clive Lewis, Shadow Business Secretary, has sparked criticism following his statement "public good, private bad" with regard to Labour’s approach to statecontrolled assets.

The statement arose as Mr Lewis called on the government to delay its £2 billion privatisation of the Green Investment Bank, amid fears of assest stripping.

Mr Lewis said, " If it is a success story, however, why are they selling it off? Is it simply a case of public good, private bad? That is what we think on the Opposition Benches, but Conservatives think it is "private

good, public bad.""

Conservative spokesperson for Norwich South Andrew Wiltshire said he was "astounded" by the Shadow Business Secretary’s comments. Commenting on the criticism, Wiltshire said, "As I would hope Mr Lewis knows, the economy thrives when the public and private sector work together, when there is healthy competition between businesses, good productivity and aspiration.

"Undoubtedly there are ‘bad’ examples in both the public and the private sector but writing off anything that is not staterun or state-controlled as ‘bad’ is incredulous."

Labour MPs have been encouraging the government to exercise hesitation with the

privatisation of the bank, citing concerns that GIB’s preferred buyer, the Australian bank Macquarie, could sell most of its current projects.

"It clearly was not a comment on the entire private sector being in some way always inferior to the public sector."

— Lewis' Spokesperson "I am telling the House, quite simply, that from the assessment of Macquarie and what we have seen of it, we see that it has a history of

asset stripping, so how exactly will the Minister protect this valuable public institution from having its assets sold off?"

Mr Lewis, MP for Norwich South, said that thousands of jobs depend on the local ‘green economy.’ He added, "Here in our city we have a university, research centres and a science park with an abundance of world class innovation and exportable skills."

Nick Huud, Conservative MP for Ruislip Northwood and Pinner responded saying, "I will pass over the bizarre claim that the GIB is a Labour success story by virtue of its simply being mentioned in a 2010 manifesto, with nothing done for 13 years in government prior to that."

Mr Lewis’s comment prompted disquiet among Labour MPs who

fear that it plays into the cliché of their party wanting to nationalise all industry. One former minister called it an "immature and dogmatic view."

Mr Lewis is a Jeremy Corbyn loyalist, having supported the party leader since 2015. He formerly occupied the position of Shadow Defence Minister, but was moved following his support for Trident during the last Labour conference.

A spokesperson for Clive Lewis told Concrete the comment had been taken out of context. They said, "Clive believes strongly that the GIB is better off in the public sector - where it was set-up by the last Labour government - than in the private sector. It clearly was not a comment on the entire private sector being in some way always inferior to the public sector."

6

17th January 2017

News

Academics say 'fake news' lessons needed Sacha Silverstone News Reporter

Megan Baynes Continued from front page Due to the increased university expansion, many students this year have had to find homes far off campus and away from university bus routes. Ms Rust said, "We also want to see the University liaise properly with the council, FirstBus and the SU over its plans, and invest in a rent guarantor scheme like other institutions have so that international students ­— most likely to be caught in the current housing trap — have somewhere to live in 2017."

In recent years the university has expanded significantly and this combined with a significant tightening of the Norwich housing market has restricted the number of houses available to students. The local community has been threatening Article 4 that would would limit the number of 'Houses of Multiple Occupancy' within the student areas. Discussions on Article 4 have been delayed until 22nd March 2017.

The university said, "Due to successful recruitment rounds in the last two years, the University is not anticipating any significant growth in overall student numbers until 2020. However, the cumulative effect of several large cohorts currently progressing through the system means there will be one thousand additional students on campus from

September.

"The University is developing detailed plans to ensure the excellent student experience at UEA is maintained for all students. Every aspect of our teaching provision and student services is being scrutinised and new arrangements developed accordingly.

"We are also aware that there is likely to be increased pressure in the private rental market this year and have taken a number of steps to ensure that no student progressing into their second year will be left without accommodation. As well as actively monitoring the number of residences available in the city and liaising directly with private landlords, the University will be increasing accommodation capacity on campus significantly from this September.

They continued adding that, "In response to demand from students, this will include a low-cost bunk bed option - as has been introduced at a number of other universities in recent years. The price will be £53 to £57 per person, per week depending on the size of the room. Demonstration rooms will be available for students to look at next month.

"The University will continue to work in partnership with the Students’ Union to support students in finding accommodation for the next academic year."

Norwich nation's Pokemon Go capital Georgina Hewiston News Reporter

Following the release of Pokémon Go last July, millions across the UK flocked to the streets to ‘catch em’ all’- but according to Amazon, it was Norwich where the most enthusiastic Pokémon trainers resided.

The best-selling app attracted nostalgic fans and newcomers alike by recreating the Pokémon world through its immersive augmented reality experience. With its GPS technology, players are invited to venture real world locations and catch as many species of the virtual creatures as possible through their

phone’s touchscreen and camera.

In its annual buying habits report, Amazon linked the Pokémon Go phenomenon to "Norwich residents [going] wild for Pokémon related products with sales rocketing during the summer months".

The city boasted the most sales of products like the Pokémon Handbook and Pokémon Nintendo 3DS games, not to mention a sudden increase in portable charger sales thought to be for those draining their battery while catching Pokémon.

The city's participation in the 2016 craze has playfully earned Norwich the title as the UK’s Pokémon capital.

UK researchers have called for universities to teach how news spreads online to help students distinguish ‘fake news’, such as those stories proliferated last year in the US Presidential election and EU referendum.

In December a man opened fire on a Texas pizza shop falsely reported to be hosting a child sexring run by Hillary Clinton.

This led to US universities highlighting and combatting the threat of ‘fake news’ through creation of search engine ‘Hoaxy’, showing how specific stories had spread online and performing related fact-checking. Filippo Menczer, director of Indiana University’s Centre for Complex Networks and Systems Research which created ‘Hoaxy’, stated, "in the past year, the influence of fake news in the US has grown from a niche concern to a phenomenon with the power to sway public opinion."

Google and Facebook have also prohibited websites that post fake news from using their advertisement services. The perils of ‘fake news’ have now been recognised in the UK, as Open University academics work on releasing a series of educational resources on the subject for universities to use as a bolt-on module.

"How information flows through social media isn’t something that comes intuitively", Phillip Seargeant, Open University researcher, commented. He said, "Our research shows that learning skills to discern what is fake or not more broadly could be very useful in wider society."

"If we want to create a society that is tolerant and open-minded, people need to know how to look critically at the media and spot when they are being lied to" Certain researchers argue that university is too late in an individual's life, and these vital skills should be taught at secondary, and potentially primary-education level.

However Gavin O’Donnell, fourth-year student at UEA, supports the idea: "Universities are ideally placed to teach students how to spot fake news: they already teach about referencing and plagiarism so it could easily work alongside. If Flickr, we want to Cabinet create aOffice society that is tolerant and open-minded, people need to know how to look critically at the media and spot when they are being lied to."

COMMENT Emily Young disagrees that such lessons would tackle fake news

While fake news is an issue, I think "digital critical literacy" classes for students are unnecessary and patronising. Courses already teach us to discern reliable information from dubious websites for referencing material in essays, and this is easy enough to transfer to reading online news articles outside of our studies. Most fake news doesn’t hide the fact that it is fake news very well, and students are usually competent in using technology and critically assessing source materials as these are inherent for performing well in their degrees.

However, it clearly is impacting on society and needs addressing, as in the course of the last year we have seen how fake news such as Pope Francis endorsing Trump has impacted political elections. There are those who need guidance in telling facts from the barely disguised mock-articles, as large numbers of people struggle with technology on a broader level and many have never been in a situation where fact-checking has been essential.

Unfortunately, these people are probably older, or outside organised institutions and therefore are not with courses and classes on being more alert.

There is no harm in universities offering this, it is just unnecessary and won’t be delivered to people who need the assistance.

NSS boycott underway Amanda Ng Senior Reporter As universities encourage finalyear students to complete the National Student Survey (NSS), The National Union of Students (NUS) is advocating a boycott. The survey is expected to measure the perceptions of final year undergraduates in higher education institutions. The NUS say survey results will be used to justify government plans to

20

49

the number of NUSaffiliated student unions in support of the boycott per cent of union council voted to not support the boycott

increase student tuition fees.

The NUS is campaigning against this pillar of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) and asking eligible students to pledge to join the boycott, which will last until the

survey’s April deadline.

The union claims that the survey will be used as a way to increase fees by "subterfuge" and would penalise smaller universities.

NUS Vice President for Education Sorana Vieru argued students might have to be forced to pay annual fees that could rise above £12,000 by 2020. Vieru believes even a small percentage drop in student participation would send a clear message to the government.

20 NUS-affiliated university unions have expressed their support of the boycott, but the Union of UEA Students voted against it. The vote took place at the first union council of the 2016/7 academic year on October 20th and was passed by a majority of 49 per cent.

Commenting on those who opposed the boycott, Undergraduate Education Officer Theodore Antoniou-Phillips said: "an organised boycott would harm the SU’s aims of focusing on students’ academic interests."

Continuing from this, UEA Student Union’s Campaigns and

Democracy Officer, Amy Rust said she understands: "the Government has already announced that it will put up fees regardless of the NSS." According to the Higher Education Funding Council for England the TEF will assess the NSS and make room for improvements, which will "enhance the learning experiences for future students".

The TEF uses NSS data from 2016, 2017 and 2018 to rank universities’ teaching quality.

"An organised boycott would harm the SU’s aims of focusing on students’ academic interests" Institutions will then be ranked as either gold, silver or bronze.

Universities ranked gold or silver will be able to increase their fees by up to 100 percent of the rate of inflation, while bronze-ranked universities will only be able to add a 50 per cent increase.

2017

Day Time Events Tue 17th Academic Stakeholders, 11:00 - 15:00, Hive Wed 18th Sports Fayre, 12:00 - 16:00, LCR/Hive Thu 19th Traders Market, 10:00 - 16:00, Hive Thu 19th Brexit means Brexit, but what does that mean?, 18:30, Thomas Paine Study Centre (TPSC) (presented by UEA)

Fri 20th Housing Fayre, 10:00 - 16:00, Hive Housing release day

Sat 21st Norwich History Tour, 10:00, Start at City Hall This event is designed for postgraduate students

Mon 23rd Arts and Crafts, 11:00 - 15:00, Hive Tue 24th Academic Societies Fayre, 11:00 - 15:00, Hive Wed 25th Have Your Say, all day, Union House Thu 26th Societies Fayre, 16:00 - 19:00, Hive Fri 27th Give It A Go, 12:00 - 21:00, LCR/Hive Fri 27th Global Eats,18:00, Green room, Union House This event is designed for international students

for more information visit uea.su

Evening Events Mon 16th Global Beats in Blue bar, 20:00 - 23:00, Blue Bar, Free Tues 17th DAMN GOOD*…the Annual Pyjama Party Shindig, 22:30 - 02:30, LCR, £3.50 (in advance) STBF Wed 18th Disco Bingo*, 20:30 - 01:30, LCR, £8.00 STBF Thurs 19th Afterdark ‘Confessions’, Mantra, 22:00 - 03:00, £5 on the door Fri 20th UEA Refreshers’ Ball* 2017, 22:30 - 04:00, LCR, £16 STBF Sat 21st UEA Symphony Orchestra Concert Peformance, 19:00, UEA Drama Studio Sat 21st A-List, LCR, 22:00 - 03:00, £5 ADV STBF Fri 27th The Jazz Collective, 19:30, Blue Bar Presented by RAG Society

*as part of refreshers bundle

for more information visit uea.su

8

2017

Global

Concrete on

Emily Hawkins, Tony Allen, Adam Robertson Charlton, Orla KnoxMacaulay, James Chesson and Angel Loera’s predictions for the year ahead United Kingdom

Recap: Theresa May announced that she would trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the official beginning to Britain's exit from the European Union, by the end of March. This would mean Britain will leave the EU by summer 2019.

Predictions: However, the government has yet to announce the details of such an exit, with questions still in the air about access to the single market and business regulations. The government will also require an Act of Parliament to be passed in order to start the process. EH

Philippines

Recap: Police in the Phillipines estimate that more than 6,000 people have already been killed as part of a brutal war on drugs. In his first speech in position, President Duterte stated that his plan for drug users was to “slaughter these idiots for destroying my country.”

Predictions: The death toll in the Philippines is likely to continue to rise throughout 2017, especially with President-elect Donald Trump telling Duterte that he believed he was going about the drugs war in “the right way.” JC

Russia

Recap: Although Russia invaded Georgia in 2008, few predicted the annexation of Crimea in 2015.

This proved President Putin’s willingness to expand into what Russians call the “near abroad”, regardless of its proximity to NATO members. Putin’s hostility to NATO’s advance into regions traditionally within Russia’s sphere of influence is known.

Whilst the inauguration of Donald Trump as US president may thaw Russo-US relations, troop build-ups in the Russian

enclave of Kaliningrad, NATO deployments to the Baltic and continuing Russian involvement in Syria suggests this one will continue to run.

Predictions: Sanctions and falling oil prices have hurt Russia, making it unlikely to attempt more overt expansion in the immediate future. Instead, Putin is more likely to continue to solidify and expand Russia’s growing sphere of influence into the Middle East, and attempt to establish himself as the primary powerbroker in the region. ARC

United States

Recap: It was 8th November when Trump was declared President- Elect with a result that shocked the nation, and the globe. He arguably ran the most controversial campaign that ended up with a split America; the Democrats and Republicans have never been so politically divided.

The Electoral College confirmed his presidency in December. From then until his inauguration, which will take place on January 20th, people from around the world have never been so engaged in politics.

Predictions: With a country so torn, it will likely take the whole of Trump’s presidency to rebuild bridges burned on the campaign trail. Americans will lose health insurance if the Affordable Care Act is repealed: with 20 million more people now with healthcare, Trump is likely to put that figure back to zero again. His son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will be likely to need a lot of help as senior adviser, as he looks like he just came out of university.

America will not in fact become “great again”. OKM

Ireland

Recap: 2016 saw Ireland’s ‘Repeal the Eighth’ movement make great strides, with a poll by the Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI in the autumn suggesting that 74 per cent of Irish voters support repealing or altering the anti-abortion legislation in one way or another. The Eighth Amendment was enacted in 1983 following a national referendum and outlaws all forms of abortion, including in cases of rape and fatal foetal abnormality. In early January opinion amongst members of the Citizens’ Assembly, a group of 100 Irish citizens convened

17th January 2017

Forecast

2017: ten years since the first iPhone and Windows Vista were released; 20 years since the UK governed Hong Kong, and the death of Princess Diana in Paris.

While events like the latter will always come as a surprise, any year is a mix of the consequences of the previous ones, in addition to the unexpected.

The arrival of Donald Trump in the White House is expected to be the main issue of 2017. The global economy could be at stake, as Trump may make good on his claims to tax businesses who produce goods overseas, while it remains to be seen which actions will be taken over the deportation of US immigrants. Canada and Mexico have appointed people with relevant experience in trade and finance as new ministers of foreign relations, in an attempt to be prepared for any negotiations on the matter.

In Europe, the UK took its first step towards an exit from the European Union (EU) last year. Negotiations on Brexit are expected to begin in March.

But 2017 will also mark the 25th anniversary of the Maastricht Treaty which established the EU. It is yet to be seen how the EU-UK relations will change in terms of trade, finance and free movement.

However, Europe faces numerous other challenges: terrorist attacks continue to be a threat, and France’s presidential elections are also worrying for the EU. The new year brings many other issues in many other areas: a new Secretary General of the United Nations has just taken office. Germany will also hold presidential and federal elections.

The country will host the G-20 Summit in Hamburg in July and the 23th Conference of Parties to UN Convention on Climate Change that will take place in Bonn during November. AL

South Sudan

Italy

by Parliament to evaluate the law, leaned towards repeal. The Citizens’ Assembly does not have any legislative powers but the Irish government have said they will consider the conclusions drawn by the body.

Predictions: Some are optimistic that the Irish government will announce a referendum on the issue, but there is strong internal opposition which may prevent such a decision. Pope Francis has vowed to use his 2018 visit to the country to campaign against an abortion referendum. EH

Recap: Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi resigned in December following defeat in a referendum on his plans for constitutional reform.

This led to calls for elections from opposition parties including Five Star and the Northern League, both of whom want to see the country leave the Eurozone. Italy’s fragile banking sector is already dogged by uncertainty. Recent high unemployment and economic problems, coupled with a rise in anti-establishment sentiment, has caused concern in Brussels.

Predictions: It’s not certain when elections will be called, but it is likely

to be early this year after a hearing on Italian electoral legitimacy is to be held later this month. A rightwing coalition could challenge the current government alliance including Renzi’s Democratic Party. The Northern League would look to switch currencies as soon as possible while Five Star have pledged to hold a referendum on the issue. The most feasible alternative to the euro is returning to the lira, Italy’s currency before they adopted the euro in 2002. However, it would be challenging for Italy to withdraw from the single currency without leaving the EU altogether. TA

Recap: The conflict in the Sudan is Africa’s oldest, and in 2011 this led to the creation of the world’s youngest country: South Sudan.

Celebrated as a solution to the ethno-religious wars between the Arabic government and the nation’s black south, partition has failed to halt the violence. Now in South Sudan, where a civil war between ethnic Dinka, loyal to President Kiir, and rebel leader Machar and the Nuers has erupted, the UN is warning of a “repeat of what happened in Rwanda.” Three years of war has seen tens of thousands of South Sudanese citizens killed.

Accounts of ethnic cleansing and rape used as a weapon of warfare are widespread.

Predictions: With the war spreading into previously unaffected regions, and the UN’s failure to pass an arms embargo, the situation is deteriorating. If the UN doesn’t act, and the African Union continues its hands-off approach in South Sudan, 2017 may witness the quietest genocide for a century. ARC

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17th January 2017

‘Russia behind DNC hack’ say CIA, FBI, NSA Sacha Silverstone Global Writer A classified report has been released by the F.B.I., C.I.A. and National Security Agency, confirming that they believe the hacking and leaking of the Democratic National Committee documents was orchestrated by Russian during the 2016 US Presidential Election.

According to US intelligence officials, phishing emails were sent out in the hopes of giving Moscow access to private emails. This led to the publication of private information, including from John Podesta’s email account, chairman of Hillary Clinton’s campaign, and disputably damaged the Democratic Party’s bid for presidency. This comes after President Barack Obama, in December 2016, called for a full review by US intelligence agencies into hacking in US elections dating back to 2008, before Trump’s inauguration.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s resentment of Hillary Clinton is not new: in 2011-12, Putin believed the unsuccessful presidential candidate had paid protestors to publicly rally against his decision to become president for a third term in attempt

to push him from power. As US secretary of state, Mrs Clinton was also responsible for attempting to reset relations between Washington and Moscow, although unsuccessfully.

And with Trump’s new presidential policies reportedly likely to lift sanctions on Russia, Putin’s supposed favourability for the Republican candidate was not unfounded. As well as hacking, there is also reported evidence that people connected to the Russian government were bankrolling professional internet ‘trolls’ to spread fake news on Mrs Clinton.

Although Donald Trump and his office initially denied such claims when rumours of Russian hacking were rife in December 2016, denouncing it as a “ridiculous” excuse for his win, he now “accepts the findings” of the classified report, according to his incoming White House chief of staff Reince Priebus. Priebus also stated that “this is something that has been going on in our elections for many, many years.”

The change of heart of Trump and his staff may be after bipartisan support for scrutiny into Russian inference with the US elections and since then Trump’s own pick for CIA director, Mike Pompeo, has ap-

Trump: Wikimedia, Gage Skidmore

Putin: eu.kremlin. ru

peared to accept the report’s findings. “It’s pretty clear about what took place here,” Pompeo responded, “hackers are all taking advantage of this new borderless environment… the CIA must continue to be at the forefront of this issue.”

It has further been revealed that a retired British intelligence officer compiled a dossier on Presidentelect Trump’s ties with Russia under employment with a Washington research firm who was paid

by Trump’s Republican rivals. The dossier contains reports noting that Russian officials attempted to gain information on Trump in order to blackmail the president-elect with sex tapes. They also detail the Trump campaign meeting with Russian operatives to discuss Russian hacking and leaking of the DNC. The British intelligence officer then gave his information to the F.B.I. and to several journalists during the 2016 US election, but it was not released to the public at the time as the material could not be confirmed. The dossier presently remains unsubstantiated although certain news sites have now published the information outright. The F.B.I. is now going to be probed by Department of Justice Inspector General (IG) into improp-

er actions over Hillary Clinton’s hacked emails. A Justice Department statement outlines that the decisions regarding timing of release of certain documents, namely a collection of emails pertinent to current investigations into Mrs Clinton’s alleged use of private email servers for confidential material, when US Secretary of State. The evidence was publicly announced by James Comey, director of the F.B.I., who commented, “I am grateful to the Department of Justice’s IG for taking on this review.”

The US intelligence report comes days before Trump’s inauguration and is leading to questions on the nature of Russian and US relationships under the new presidency, especially after rumours of Russian blackmail and bribery. Yet despite President Obama’s clear distaste for the Russian government, and his removal of Russian diplomats from the US in December last year, Trump’s previous good relations with the Russian leader could mean a new era for the two countries. Certain politicians, such as John McCain and Lindsey Graham, have expressed worry that the legitimacy of future elections could be in jeopardy.

Features

10

17th January 2017

The rise of antisocial media Lillie Coles Features Editor

Many lessons can be learned from how social media was used in 2016.

With 176 million new social media users in 2016 alone (Brandwatch), it is clear to see that social networking is showing no evidence of slowing down. But towards the end of 2016, I decided to leave social media for an entire month. I deleted the Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram apps from my phone. Facebook stuck around a little longer (the Concrete Features page doesn’t run itself!) but in that month, I no longer found myself glancing at it in my spare moments.

Being away from social media, especially at such a pivotal time (the US Presidential Election, no less) I began to realise how social media was being used around me, and I became more aware of the nasty side of the internet.

Before writing this article, I asked a diverse group of people, aged between 16-55, from students, to mothers, to young professionals, about what they believed the positives and negatives of social media were. Here are some of their answers:

Viral videos Bullying Snooping Wasting time Connecting with family Memes Cat videos News Being in the loop Keeping up with celebrities We live in a culture where anything new makes the news, and we can create and consume media so quickly that it is near impossible to get to the end of your Twitter

feed, or see the same thing twice on Facebook.

News is around us all the time, but our impression of what is important has changed. A celebrity has had a baby; they’ve lost weight; he’s been cheated on; who wore it better; #RIPCelebrity; squad goals; doge; flag filters on your profile photo - what is this all for?

“Stalking exes, bulldozing people’s opinions and writing indirect statuses are part of a bullying and gossiping culture perpetuated by social media” Of course, it is important to have opinions on things, and equally important to share and discuss them with different people.

Unfortunately, the Twitterverse has become a place in which it seems acceptable to say mean things to people, or about people, or behind people’s backs. It has become okay to shame people for their opinions or their appearance, and ‘calling people out’ has become vicious. For me, the real problem of social media seems to arise when being rude online becomes a fashion statement, and we believe so whole-heartedly in the importance of what we have to say, that we forget to listen.

Stalking exes, bulldozing people’s opinions, and writing indirect statuses are part of a bullying and gossiping culture perpetuated by social media.

What we may think of as a way of connecting has ripped us all

apart, and the ease of becoming a keyboard warrior has caused many to succumb. Think about Facebook, a concept developed from ‘Facemash’, where two people’s photos were placed side by side and students at Harvard had to vote on who was more attractive. It is clear to see that, sadly, not much has changed. Aesthetics and popularity are part of social media, and not fitting in with popular fashions, opinions or trends are now also reasons for internet hate.

The dangerous fact is that hatred can become a hobby online, and with 20 percent of young people who have been cyberbullied considering suicide, when are we going to realise that something needs to change? When did being a supporter of a certain politician warrant death threats? When did grammar, facial expressions (we all know the anti duck-face patrol) or eyebrows become reasons for hatred? There are, of course, more salient examples like homophobia, xenophobia and racism, which are broadcast online more than ever before. Social media aids this hatred, and has a sinister side to it. It is so easy to type things and press send without even thinking twice.

Of course, these platforms have their positives. We can connect with people we may never have met, we can talk to loved ones far away, we can show solidarity in times of change. We can share pictures and memories with loved ones, and we can boost people’s self esteem by engaging positively with others. These days, we can even fall in love over social media. We can raise money; we can raise hopes.

However, with these platforms becoming more and more divisive, and with twitter rows, scandals and online gossip taking hold, there

are a large amount of ostracising discourses taking place online these days.

“With 20 percent of young people who have been cyberbullied considering suicide, when are we going to realise that somthing needs to change?”

There is far more to a person than what they can say in 140 characters, or whether they look better in Amaro or Ludwig filters, but we let what we

s a y on the internet define us.

It is so easy to get carried away into the depths of egotistical bulldozing and gossipy material.

These days,

the

Social media in numbers average 208the number of

followers each Twitter user has

the 176 million: number of new social media users last year

average 338 the number of

friends each Facebook user has

percentage of young people between 18-34 years of age who use Facebook is higher than the percentage of the same age group that watch television. With so many of us using social media, is it not necessary to ask: is there a part of us that sits, complicit, on the sidelines of indirect (or direct) cyberbullying?

It would be wrong of me to say that I have not been complicit, too.

I am back on social media now, and I do not wish to sound holier-thanthou about online habits. However, in leaving social media, I was more able to notice the need for change, and acknowledge the fact that we often forget that there are real people behind the usernames.

We all have a right to speak freely and frankly online, and respectful debate is both necessary and unavoidable. But, I hope that 2017 will be the year that media will grow from a world of shaming, shouting the loudest, and shying away, into a platform for informed debate and compassionate conversation. Social media is all about how we come across, and how we look.

But, isn’t it time we started to see what we are really doing?

Flickr, magicatwork

average 5.5 the number of

social media accounts each internet user has

messages 60 billion are sent via Facebook and Whatsapp everyday

active 12 new social

media users per second

Google 100 billion searches are made per month

Pixabay, CCO Public

17th January 2017

11

Tweets and Trends remember when...

To all the little girls watching... never doubt that you are valuable and powerful & deserving of every chance & opportunity in the world.

Hillary Clinton | @HillaryClinton 9th Nov 2016

Delete your account @realDonaldTrump Hillary Clinton | @HillaryClinton 9th June 2016

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 22.

Harry Styles | @Harry_Styles 1st February 2016

Thank you to the Academy and the incredible cast & crew of #TheRevenant. #Oscars.

Leonardo DiCaprio | @LeoDiCaprio 29th February 2016

The piano mics fell on to the piano strings, that’s what the guitar sound was. It made it sound out of tune. Shit happens. X Adele | @Adele 16th February 2016

Happy #CincoDeMayo! The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics!

Donald Trump | @realDonaldTrump 5th May 2016

One thing I’ve learned from my time abroad as President: Young people will shape our future long after their leaders leave the world stage.

Barack Obama | @POTUS 20th November 2016

Top trending Twitter hashtags of 2016

1. #Rio2016 2. #Election2016 3. #PokemonGo 4. #Euro2016 5. #Oscars 6. #Brexit 7. #BlackLivesMatter 8. #Trump 9. #RIP 10. #GameofThrones

Saying goodbye to celebrity Sophie Bunce Features Writer The loss of icons in 2016 was important. It reminded us that you can do just about anything, and it’s still not enough to escape death. You can be the best singer, actor or writer but really we are all just playing for time. Even our icons can’t avoid it.

These figures who maintained their fame for years are now gone.

So, we must ask ourselves; where will we find our icons now?

In a world where fame is most often created in reality TV and lost over controversial tweets, perhaps modern celebrities lack longevity.

Will we mourn them like we did Bowie, Prince or Fisher?

Icons are on another level

of stardom, not merely famous but figures. Figures of hope and individuality.

They stand for something greater than themselves.

It is this level of fame which establishes icons, people who became household names, answers in celebrity quizzes and feel like the death of a family member when you read their name in the obituaries.

For me, Carrie Fisher’s death hit the hardest. It wasn’t her role as Princess Leia, it wasn’t about her acting at all, it was her ability to remain truthful to herself in a world that tried to tell her how she should be. She was frank with her opinions and honest, almost to a fault.

Her views on mental health and support for those struggling with addiction helped develop the way we talk about these issues. A

conversation which even in death she continued, modelling her urn to look like a Prozac pill: the act of an icon. In 2016 we lost too many to list and now, have we run out?

“It is unlikely that the reality TV stars that clutter your Facebook feed will be remembered 50 years from now” In a social media driven society, it is easy to be retweeted to a famous

status, but it’s difficult to maintain.

It is unlikely that the reality TV stars that clutter your Facebook feed will be remembered 50 years from now.

But there is a reason for this: not all celebrities are the same. We have those on the A list and Z list and they are ranked for a reason.

Everyone may entertain, but not all will survive the test of time. The glamour of modern stardom feels fleeting, but this is because we are looking in the wrong places. It’s unlikely you’ll find an icon on late night trashy television.

It may be easier to view past figures through a rose-tinted lens and the present celebrity culture critically. But in 2017 we have plenty of budding icons to choose from. Look no further than the recent Golden Globes where Emma

Stone and Ryan Gosling proved as actors they can do anything, even popularise a modern classic musical.

This is something that the industry would have laughed at years ago, but they have made a staggering success.

Stone dedicated her award to all struggling creatives as an act of support. Gosling humbly acknowledged his position standing on the shoulders of many in the production of the movie. These are acts of humility and hope. The acts of icons.

Our icons can be found in any industry whether it be music, film or art. But you have to open your eyes to see them and not just swear blind that they don’t exist because you’re grieving the ones that we lost. It won’t bring them back.

17th January 2017

12

Features

Clock, Flickr, William Warby; Money, Pixabay, Stevepb; Pills, Wikimedia, ParentingPatch; Books, Flickr, Ann Arbor District Library.

Jodie Bailey Features Writer After the events of 2016, many would argue that the future has never looked as bleak as it does now. Yes, we’ve said good riddance to what has been for many a horrific year full of political upheavals here and across the Atlantic, celebrity deaths, wars, and refugee crises - but we’re by no means out of the woods yet. So why is it such a surprise to people that our generation is deeply troubled by these turbulent times?

Are we the world’s most anxious generation? Well, probably yes. Do we have good reason to be? We certainly do.

In the media, those born between 1982 and 2004 (yes, a very large age bracket – but that shows that we’re certainly not alone) are often dubbed ‘millennials’ or as part of the ‘snowflake generation’. We’re bombarded with declarations from media outlets, workplace superiors and even older friends and family members that “you’re too soft” or that “you’re letting things get to you”, because when we cry or complain about the unfair state of the world it means that we can’t cope with it.

Being part of this ‘snowflake generation’ means that we’re presented as easily offended, fragile and liable to being overwhelmed by bouts of depression because

we overanalyse everything due to a desperate need to be politically correct.

“In the media, those born between 1982 and 2004 are often dubbed ‘millennials’ or as part of the ‘snowflake generation’” But the question you should ask is this: Would you rather be a carefree individual with no qualms about political instability, environmental destruction or the mass displacement of people as long as it’s on a TV screen and far away from the bubble that is your world?

I don’t know about you, maybe a carefree life seems idyllic. But think about what that means. Carefree.

What is life without caring? If we don’t care about anything, then what’s the point of it?

Additionally, with ever-growing pressure in an already competitive job market and political changes looming overhead like a dark cloud, many young people, and students in particular, are facing a tougher world ahead of them.

With the horizon for our generation becoming ever more barren, it’s impossible not to care. The Sutton

Trust, an educational charity which encourages social mobility in higher education, suggests that the average student’s debt in the UK is around £44,500, but those students who are most disadvantaged can expect to accumulate student debts exceeding £50,000. Thousands of pounds’ worth of debt. And we’ve barely stepped out into the adult world.

I do not mention these vast sums to add to your worries, but to help illustrate how our generation is at a financial disadvantage to those who have come before us.

When we amass these large debts, we can’t be expected to continue smiling when we’re told that we’ll have studied hard for our degrees and yet perhaps be the first generation to earn less than our parents, also knowing that we’re fifty percent less likely to own our own homes than the previous generation and facing a job market dominated by insecure contracts.

Furthermore, our generation is facing more issues with diagnosed anxiety. According to a 2009 survey from the UK mental health charity Mind, nearly 1 in every 10 people suffers from diagnosed anxiety and depression, and there are concerns about how the rise of social media is affecting the mental wellbeing of teenagers and young adults. I’ve seen friends deal with anxiety and depression diagnosed by a doctor.

I’ve seen them being let down by cancelled counselling sessions

which are vital and unfortunately underfunded.

“We’re bombarded with declarations from media outlets, workplace superiors and even older friends and family members that “you’re too soft” or that “you’re letting things get to you”, because when we cry or complain about the unfair state of the world it means that we can’t cope with it” I’ve seen someone have a panic attack – it genuinely is a horrifying experience, because in that moment that person is lost to you and to themselves. It is a big ask to expect the world to fully empathise with those who are diagnosed with these conditions. Anxiety is an internal torture but we can do our bit by treating sufferers with more respect and dignity. Just as alienating those with diagnosed anxiety and depression exacerbates their conditions, calling our generation

weak and fragile only helps to fuel the fire of our anxiety.

In the midst of these uncertain times, the ‘mindfulness’ market has found a niche amongst our generation by encouraging meditation, yoga and colouring books – exploiting our social fears and financial anxieties. Whilst these creative and relaxing activities can help relieve some of the anxiety we feel on a day-to-day basis, do they actually solve our problems?

The unavoidable problems of financial woes, war and social injustice – can we really colour them away in adult colouring books?

In ploughing money into these activities aren’t we just burying our heads in the sand rather than dealing with the root causes of our concerns?

For the first time in generations, young people are destined to be worse off than our elders. It can be difficult to avoid subconciously absorbing the idea that our generation is somehow different from those that came before us. But while the world we will go into as adults won’t resemble the one our parents and grandparents came of age in, this fact has remained the same throughout history.

Debt, politics, anxiety: all of these are legitimate reasons for feelings of worry and fear. But these are not generational problems; they are simply the reality of the modern world.

17th January 2017

13

Features

“Imagine... a society that would have you climbing in Morocco one week, and target shooting in Dartmoor the next. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Now imagine that they pay you for the privilege.”

Photo: Cambridge University Officer Training Corps, Facebook

Student life less ordinary Luke Heward Features Writer Imagine a society where you get to go skiing, mountaineering and yachting. Imagine a society that teaches you leadership, teamwork and survival skills. A society that would have you climbing in Morocco one week, and target shooting in Dartmoor the next. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Now imagine that they pay you for the privilege.

That is exactly what the University Officer Training Corps (UOTC) has to offer.

The UOTC is a university society funded by the British Army that allows students to have a taste of what the Army has to offer, but with no long term commitment or possibility of deployment. You can leave at any time and you’ll never be sent to anywhere dangerous, or that you don’t want to go to.

I joined the UOTC in October 2013 in my first year of university, as I had always thought of joining the Armed Forces. The UOTC seemed like a great way to have a look at and experience military life to see if it was for me. Most members however have no intention of joining the Army after finishing at university, with the majority going on to civilian careers after graduate.

However, for those members who are looking at a regular career in the Armed Forces or continuing their Army Reserve career, the UOTC offers advice, guidance and help with any queries related to a career in the army.

The UOTC training is split into three years. The military training is split into roughly three blocks, one

for each year. Module Alpha equates to basic training and involves basic soldiering skills such as field craft, drill and weapons handling.

Module Bravo, the ‘becoming a leader’ course, includes advanced planning and briefing skills and other elements of leadership training.

This culminates in an Officer Cadet being able to lead a team of 30 men and women.

In your third year, Officer Cadets are selected to become instructors to assist in the training of first and second years. Some may even have completed the Army Reserve commissioning course and have been promoted to 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Reserve.

There are many other military opportunities in the UOTC to undertake along with the standard training. Every summer the unit undertakes a two-week annual camp, which encompasses a week of military training followed by a week of adventure training. Members can also go on regimental visits to units such as the Royal Artillery and other units, to have a look at the different careers which the army has to offer.

Members can also volunteer to attempt more challenging training exercises as well. For example, I have completed an exercise with the Royal Marines as well as also completing Exercise Cambrian Patrol. Both exercises were physically and mentally demanding, but if you are looking for a challenge they are great opportunities to undertake.

However, the UOTC is not all about military training. The unit undertakes a wide variety of both social and adventure training activities. Events such as the annual dinner in February are fantastic oppor-

tunities to experience a formal black tie dinner with the company of distinguished figures, from academia, business and the Armed Forces.

Certainly not something your average student will experience during their time at university.

The unit also invests heavily in adventure training. From ski-ing in the January break, to caving after annual camp the adventure training opportunities are wide and varied. Members can also pitch ideas for their own adventurous expeditions, with eight already given the go ahead for 2017. These include expeditions such as hiking in Madagascar through to mountaineering in Morocco. If you are prepared to plan for an expedition, the chances are you will get the funding and support to undertake it.

Being a member of the UOTC can also be a great way to gain various qualifications and valuable skills which employers highly value. After completing Module Bravo members are awarded with a CMI Level 5 Leadership and Management qualification, which is highly valued by civilian employers.

Adventure training certification is also available, such as qualifications in skiing, mountaineering and yachting. Overall the experience of being a member of the UOTC is highly valued by civilian employers, who value its emphasis on leadership, management and teamwork.

If you are looking for a challenge, or a chance to look at Army life and gain new experiences outside of typical student activities, then I would highly recommend the UOTC. The experiences and memories you will gain make it by far the most worthwhile society at UEA.

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17th January 2017

14

Foodie Features

New year, vegan you?

Is ‘Veganuary’ the best way to kickstart your year?

Sara Lapinova Features Writer Following New Year’s Eve celebrations, January has always been the tabula rasa, a blank slate of the year, a time where individuals pledge to lose weight, to conquer bad habits and to ready both body and mind for the new year. This is perhaps why Veganuary has become so globally recognised and practiced.

“Since 2014, thousands of people annually give up all animal products as part of the Veganuary campaign, promoting a healthier lifestyle while reducing suffering to animals and the environment” Since 2014, thousands of people annually give up all animal products as part of the Veganuary campaign, promoting a healthier lifestyle while reducing suffering to animals and the environment. The popularity of this international initiative lies not

only in the healthier start to the year, but also with the support and expert advice that the cause offers; “we wanted to provide people with the practical help and advice to try vegan, but we also wanted to create an inclusive community where people could feel supported.’’ (Veganuary.com) Veganuary does not simply tell you why to go vegan, but how to go vegan.

Taking into consideration the ways in which veganism can impact your social life, giving lists of well known food chains with vegan options for those enjoying meals out, a vegan starter kit, and baking recipes for those of us with a sweet tooth.

It also aims to gradually reduce the stigma and myths enveloping the vegan diet, by providing guidelines and recipes on how to maintain a healthy nutritious intake while simultaneously participating in Veganuary.

However, media scare mongering and subsequent public misconception cause people to “worry about going vegan more than is ever necessary.’’ (Veganuary.com) In fact, dairy products contain large amounts of saturated fats, which

the vegan diet eliminates, improving cardiovascular health. Studies also show that high fibre intake not only increases metabolism but helps fight colon cancer, and a study by the journal of Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Medicine followed 46,000 non-diabetic individuals which showed that vegans had over 60 percent lower chance of developing diabetes than nonvegans; “fruits and vegetables may contribute to a decreased incidence of type 2 diabetes through their low energy density, low glycaemic load, and high fibre and macronutrient content.”

Finally, not only does veganism help reduce weight, it is said to increase energy and vitality, a result which many weight loss diets lack.

Succinctly, Veganuary has achieved in making veganism inclusive and mainstream, improving the health of many while challenging the preconceptions of vegan food, proving that it can be equally as appetising as meat and dairy dishes. Despite only launching three years ago, the charity has gained worldwide success and hopes that 50,000 people will take part this year. Its influence can be seen even here in Norwich, with local businesses supporting the cause.

So, if a month seems too long to commit, why not visit some of the Veganuary events happening around Norwich to ex-

plore the foods and benefits of the vegan diet?

One such event is the Secret Vegan Feast happening on the 18th January, at St Andrews Brew House, hosted by Mike Hill, the founder of One Planet Pizza.The event offers a ‘’seven course tasting menu, vegan friendly beers’’ and an opportunity to ‘’learn a thing or two about the vegan lifestyle.”

Making it a great place to start if the campaign has made you ‘vegan-curious’, and whether your motivation stems from your love of animals, the environment, health, or sheer curiosity, Veganuary can be a great way to kick start your year.

Photo: Flickr, Andy Le Pixabay, Anelka

Erin Bashford shares her favourite vegan recipes Butternut squash and chickpea curry 1 teaspoon of tumeric 2 teaspoons of paprika 1 teaspoon of chilli powder (to taste)

This curry is super simple and you can make it as thick or thin as you want - just keep it simmering away for longer to get a thicker sauce.

This curry is a staple dish - keep it in a tupperware in the freezer so you can always fall back on it! The dish is rich in nutrients, essential for vegan diets - spinach is high in protein, fibre, vitamins A, E and C to name a few. Butternut squash is abundant in vitamin C and the seeds are a whopping 30% protein, so be sure to add them! Chickpeas are high in fibre and protein.

Ingredients (serves 4): 1 medium butternut squash 1 tin of chickpeas 1 tin of coconut milk 1 tin of chopped tomatoes 1/2 an onion 3 cloves of garlic A handful or two of spinach 1 teaspoon of cumin

1) Begin by cutting up your butternut squash into one centimetre chunks. Roast them in the oven with some oil for 20-30 minutes at 180 degrees celsius.

2) Fry your onion and garlic in a splash of olive oil until soft.

Turn the heat down and add the chopped tomatoes, coconut milk and the chickpeas (drained). Stir and simmer for about 10 minutes.

3) Add the roasted butternut squash along with the spices - you could add more if you prefer a stronger taste.

4) Let the sauce cook for 10 more minutes, unless you want it quite thck, in which case leave it for a further 10 or 20 minutes - but keep an eye on it!

5) Just before serving, add the spinach and allow it to wilt slightly.

Serve with rice or a naan bread.

Winter Salad Seeing as it’s Veganuary, I thought a winter-themed salad would be apt. This salad can be switched

around and the ingredients changed for alternatives, so it’s incredibly versatile. Like the curry, this recipe is super simple, but filled with nutrients and goodness.

Kale is completely fat-free and high in fibre. Sweet potatoes and carrots are great sources of vitamin C. While quinoa is passed off as a food fad, it’s actually one of the best sources of protein available, vegan or not.

Ingredients (serves 4): 2 large sweet potatoes 2 beetroots 2 carrots 2 handfuls walnuts or hazelnuts 250g prepared quinoa or bulgar wheat (follow instructions on packet as they all vary) 2 handfuls dried cranberries 1 standard packet spinach 1 standard packet kale Salt and pepper to taste

do them differently!

2) Take a large wok or pan of that style and drizzle a small amount of olive oil in the bottom. Sauté the kale for about five minutes, until softened.

3) Add the roasted vegetables, your choice of grain (I use quinoa or bulgar wheat, but can be anything), stir and warm for about 5 minutes, to ensure everything is nicely mixed.

4) Add your nuts and cranberries in the last minute, and your spinach just before serving to ensure it’s warm but not completely wilted. Season to taste.

1) Chop the sweet potato, carrots, and beetroot into one centimetre chunks. Roast the sweet potatoes in the oven at 180 degrees celsius.

After 15 minutes, put the carrot and beetroot in with them and roast for another 10 minutes or so. Keep checking on them: different ovens Squash, Pixabay, Stevepb; Curry, Flickr, Jules

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17th January 2017

16

What is the Obama legacy?

“A steady hand we will miss in years to come ”

Eddie Booth Comment Writer Before the U.S. is dragged, kicking and screaming, into the era of President Trump, it must first wave goodbye to its incumbent Commander-in-Chief.

Barack Obama swept to victory in 2008, a young and charismatic Senator from Chicago, with the promise of change. 8 years and successful reelection campaign later, what legacy has President Obama left?

Obama lent his name to what was arguably the defining issue of his first term in office. Obamacare.

The legislation, officially known as the Affordable Care Act, introduced wider regulation of the medical industry and extended insurance to millions of previously uncovered Americans. Though not the single payer revolution that the Liberals within Obama’s party had been hoping for, it was a landmark piece of legislation, which the GOP had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to pass. Obamacare has had its successes, with the 23 million newly

“The Iran nuclear deal, though muddled in places, was a moment of genuine leadership” insured patients and an expanded Medicare program as notable high points.

However, the spiralling costs of the program, with huge increases in premiums paid by many of the already insured, proved to be politically costly, dogging the Clinton campaign in the 2016 election. House Republicans have promised to repeal Obamacare, with President Elect Trump’s support, and this vital part of Obama’s selfmade legacy could be consigned to the history books before he is.

The economy is an area in which Obama can claim considerably more credit. The President inherited a perilous economic situation. In the month that Obama assumed office, 600,000 people lost their jobs. At the end of his tenure, the American economy has recovered remarkably well. Unemployment is down to 4.7%, the lowest since before the 2008 crash, and Obama has overseen over a 50% reduction in the year on year budget deficit.

Things are not, of course, perfectly rosy. The surprising strength of Donald Trump in the Rustbelt

highlights one inherent weakness of the Obama recovery: it was not felt in practical terms by many voters. On the whole, however, the President will leave behind a much improved and recovered economy.

In terms of foreign policy, it’s a thorough mixed bag for the

“Obama has enjoyed notable successes” President. Obama has enjoyed notable successes.

The Iran nuclear deal, though muddled in places, was a moment of genuine leadership from the President, as was his thawing of the diplomatic ice between the U.S. and Cuba. In these instances, Obama showed evidence of the new approach to global politics from America that he had promised at the start of his administration. On the other hand, Obama’s record is strewn with missteps and mistakes.

Outmanoeuvred on the global stage

by Vladimir Putin, the President has shown weakness in his dealing with the Syria crisis.

On the whole, Obama has not been the progressive force that many within his party had hoped for. Under his stewardship, America has seen a rebounding economy and, though at this stage ineffective, the first moves towards reform of a health system. However, international mistakes have tarnished the President’s reputation, despite a relatively strong performance domestically.

He has not been the revolution many had expected, but a steady hand we will miss in years to come.

OR

23 15 4.7

million: people insured following the Affordable Care Act

years since Guantanamo Bay opened. Obama pledged to close it in his first term

percent: current unemployment rate in America

“Eight years of blunder, failure and incompetence ”

Tom Sellars Comment Writer Rather than unify the United States, Barack Obama leaves office with the country being more divided than when he started. His miserable legacy was confirmed with the election of his successor. Trump’s election was a symptom of a dissatisfied and disengaged electorate, in large part because of Obama’s policy blunders during his eight-year tenure.

In 2009, Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize after standing on an anti-war campaign platform. This was just one month into his tenure.

The equivalent would be awarding the Nobel Prize in Literature to an author who was yet to write a book.

The simple fact remains, Obama has presided over the longest period of war in the history of any American president. Ever. More than FDR, more than Lyndon B. Johnson and Nixon, more than Abraham Lincoln. During Obama’s presidency, the US has been in combat in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria, as well as airstrikes in Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen. For an anti-war Commander-in-Chief, that is an astonishing achievement, as well as a remarkable paradox.

And as he leaves the W h i t e House, h a s

h e created a better geopolitical situation? The overwhelming answer is no. He has allowed Putin to dominate the Middle East because he was too spineless to enforce his own redline when Assad used chemical weapons against his own people.

The Civil War in

Syria may be coming to some form of conclusion, but it is on preferable terms to Assad and Putin. Obama did nothing when the sovereign territory of Ukraine in the Crimea was invaded by Russia. He was too weak to support the British effort in rebuilding Libya. The Iranian nuclear deal was a shamble of one concession after another.

At the close of 2016, Obama made yet a further blunder by abstaining on the UN resolution against Israel – the twenty-first of its kind (compared to only ONE each on Syria, North Korea, Iran, and Burma, and NONE on Saudi Arabia or Zimbabwe).

This nascent complacency is indicative of Obama’s lacklustre and incoherent foreign policy, which has been to the detriment to much of the globe. When this calamitous record is compared with the international accolade that is the Nobel Peace Prize which he received, it is all too clear that the expectation did not meet reality. Obama did not exceed expectations, because he failed to meet them in the first place.

A great orator, Obama convinced millions to vote for him. He inspired people with his message of hope, and that is not a bad platform on which to produce a political campaign – it is in stark contrast to the 2016 Presidential campaigns. But beyond his oratory skill and rhetorical metaphors, he lacks real substance.

His policy failures – both domestic and foreign – have been astounding, and he has achieved very little.

His supporters will undoubtedly try and rescue his miserable legacy, but it will be in vein.

His presidency is eight years of blunder, failure, and incompetence. But for those who still defend Obama’s presidency, I ask you this: Is the world in a better position in 2017 than in was in 2008 when he assumed office?

Did the man who assumed the most powerful office in the world affect positive change, or negative? Has the anti-war campaigner brought peace to the world, or has he perpetuated war? Has the great unifier united people, or divided them further? Is the world more full of hope today, or less so?

In 2008, Obama campaigned on the slogan “yes we can”. In 2017, it is clear that with Obama as president, no we couldn’t.

17th January 2017

17

“Newspapers get it wrong. But they also get it right, and we need to protect that.”

Concrete Editor-in-Chief, Megan Baynes, on why we don’t need Section 40 When it comes to some news stories, it’s not always black and white. At the heart of every journalist is a desire to tell the truth (as cliché laden as that might sound), but sometimes it goes beyond that. No one starts out a career at a newspaper with the intention of sensationalising, and exaggerating every news story they come across — at least, no one I know, but then maybe I haven’t spent too much time at the Daily Mail.

However hard it may be to admit, sometimes newspapers do get it wrong. But more often than not they get it right and we need to protect that. Warning: this story contains heavy jargon and seems dry, but stay with, the underlying message is important.

‘Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013’: this dull sounding legislation has been floating around the media for the past few weeks and is something that the government is contemplating bringing into force.

This law states that newspapers would pay the costs of legal action against them, regardless of whether that lawsuit is successful or not, unless they sign up to an approved regulator.

The state-backed regulator ‘Impress’ is funded by former

F1 boss Max Mosley. You may remember him from the News of the World front page accusing him of allegedly having an “orgy with five hookers”. He later won a court case against said newspaper for a breach in privacy. Newspaper publishers have warned that if Impress is formally recognised it would amount to an “attack on free speech.” Most major newspapers have their complaints handled

by IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation, which has refused to accept recognition by the

“Newspaper publishers have warned that if Impress is formally recognised it would amount to an attack on free speech” Press Regulation Panel arguing it would amount to state regulation.

So, what does this mean in real terms? It puts newspapers in between a rock and a hard place, and asks them to decide which is a better option. If they chose to sign up to Impress they

risk being part of an organisation that is “not independent [and] not funded by the industry but by a wealthy donor. It has no significant relevant publishers, it has no code of standards and it is not viable.”

[Lynne Anderson, Deputy Chief Exec of the NMA] However, if they chose to either remain with IPSO, or indeed their own system of regulation, they risk being slapped with Section 40.

This means if someone sues them and, - this is important - even if the newspaper WINS because it is IN THE RIGHT they still have to pay expensive court fees.

Imagine this scenario. A reporter writes an investigative story about Person A. Person A makes a legal complaint, arguing that the details had been obtained through phone hacking. The editor would seek to protect the report’s source, yet this would leave it impossible to prove whether or not hacking was involved. In the ensuing legal action, the newspaper’s publisher would be liable for both the costs of the claimant as well as its own.

Now imagine a second scenario.

A reporter writes a story about a person walking down a street.

Person A makes a complaint saying the story breached their privacy.

The court rules in favour of the newspaper yet the newspaper still has to pay the costs of both the claimant as well as their own legal fees.

This will seriously jeopardise the reporting that smaller newspapers undertake. It is largely accepted that bigger newspapers have a budget to handle lawsuits and complaints. Yet for regional and local papers this is almost non-existent. Thus, in order to minimise the risk of being sued, many newspapers will cut back on the number of investigative and potentially controversial stories to minimise the financial damage.

What does this say about free speech in the UK when newspapers have to decide between having their hands tied, or going bankrupt?

If you care about freedom of the press — and I would hope you do — you’ll voice your concerns about the consequences of an approved regulator.

Newspapers aren’t perfect, and I’m all for holding them to account when they break the law.

Yet a law that forces publishers to pay punishment fines for accurate reporting, unless they submit to an organisation financed by the wealthy is not something that will benefit the British public in any form.

Fake news: it’s nothing new

Are clickbait articles and conspiracy theorists a 21st Century phenomenon?

Rob Klim Comment Writer The problem of “fake news” today may be regarded as an alarming result of the advent of social media.

Click-bait articles with dramatic headlines maximise the number of shares an article receives on social media sites such as Facebook.

However, these fake stories with a very slippery basis, have in fact been a problem for years . Journalist Senan Molony presents a case in point in the recent press. Mr Molony having studied the Titanic for 30 years may sound initially justified in explaining her fate.

However, looking at just two photographs, he has developed a theory for sensa-

Photo: Wikimedia, FGO Stuart

tionalist headlines, a theory that oh so poetically entwines the ship’s fate in a tale of Ice and Fire. Supposedly, a fire on board the ship in the coal storage weakened the hull, making the ship more susceptible to sinking.

The basis however of this whole game-changing hypothesis was just two dark marks on the side of the hull, from two photos of the Titanic found in 2012. This is far from any solid indicator of the damage inflicted upon the ship.

The fire certainly lead to the weakening of a neighbouring bulkhead allowing it to burst due to water pressure. Only one eyewitness account supports this strenuous link. Regardless, it only explains the increase in sinking speed, missing out the very substantial factor of a GIANT ICEBERG. A 1996 examination of the wreck utilised sound waves, found six gashes across six watertight holds, end of.

However, what media outlet could resist such a blockbuster story, a story whose evidence may be compromised, to sell papers, or get views and shares?

From the Independent taking direct quotes from experts on the documentary Titanic: The New Evidence, Mr Molony dramatically puts it that “fire and ice and criminal negligence” sank the ship. This was too catchy a theme to resist, resulting in its proliferation around the internet.

Sputnik News, Moscow, couldn’t resist putting this as their article’s centrepiece, posting on their Facebook page it with the caption “Fire, ice and criminal negligence”, causing the disaster. The source also overemphasised the fire’s impact, focusing on Molony’s rejection of the theory that a 300 ft iceberg created gash lead to the sinking.

This rejected the evidence of the six gashes in the side of the ship, caused by mile long floating ice cube! Irish News would explicitly say the fire was “the primary cause of the ship’s demise”.

CNN centralised as evidence the dark smudges on the two photos of the Titanic Molony uti-

lised. Can just these two photos be solid evidence to suggest fire sunk the Titanic?

However, sensationalism in the press - not just questionable clickbait news articles on social media - is age-old; as in the century-old reportage on the Titanic disaster itself.

The Daily Mail reporting “no lives lost” in the initial outbreak, due to misinterpreting telegrams.

While the Washington Post’s headline, much like the questionable evidence utilised by contemporary newsites, ran from a single radio transmission from the RMS Olympic of 1800 lives lost.

Will Sullivan who writes for The Associated Press noted his own paper’s failure to prioritise sensationalism over accuracy. He wrote: “We know about the mistakes of that time and we know how large sale they were...Let’s not do that again.”

However, with 105 years of research, analysis and compilation of evidence, it still appears sensationalism triumphs over a desire to present objective accuracy.

It does not matter that we now share news at a faster pace than ever before: new media, old problems.

Trump’s relationship with the press is dangerous Caitlin Doherty Deputy Editor “Journalism is printing what somebody else does not want printing, everything else is public relations”, a sentiment that the apparent “steaming pile of garbage” Buzzfeed discovered very publically last week. After publishing a 35 page, unverified document containing compromising alleged information about Donald Trump’s personal life, they were told that “they are going to face the consequences.”

Rather than counter this threat, journalists have turned on one another, debating the rights and wrongs of publishing these files, leaving the President-Elect on some bizarre moral high-ground, and apparently free to threaten the closure of any organisation that is critical of him.

This is a horrifically dangerous precedent. Trump’s attempts to undermine or restrict the freedom of the press is as threatening to democracy as the forced removal of Senators from Congress or the dismantling of the Supreme Court.

To all intents and purposes, journalism is the fourth estate of the government. Along with Congress and the Supreme Court journalists work to hold the President to account. In theory, the Presidency should not be able to make any decision without their support.

I will be the first to admit that journalism has its faults, but it also ensures that governments and other public organisations are not free to do as they please.

In 2009, the Daily Telegraph revealed that MPs had been playing with their expenses, using public money to pay for moats around their houses and luxury duck accommodation. Even the phone hacking at the News of the World that caused so much distrust was uncovered thanks to a year of investigations by the Guardian.

In 2002, the Boston Globe uncovered the extensive sexual abuse of children by members of the Catholic Church, and in The 1970s, extensive investigation by the Washington Post and New York Times led to the resignation of President Nixon following the Watergate allegations.

So far, many of us have simply watched Trump from afar with our mouths open and a slight giggle in disbelief every so often, but this week’s manipulation of the press is a dark omen for the next four years of Trump’s Presidency.

Buzzfeed may have played with the line in the sand of what is right and wrong in journalism, but if the President-Elect’s power over the press is allowed to continue, then we can say goodbye to a safe or morally sound tenure.

18

17th January 2017

Science

New dinosaur extinction theory Indian firm turns Scientists now belive egg incubation caused extinction CO2 into baking soda

James Chesson Science Writer

Dinosaurs may have gone extinct due to their eggs taking too long to hatch, according to new research.

Scientists have discovered that baby dinosaurs took up to six months to emerge from their eggs. That is a significantly longer incubation period than bird eggs of a similar size, which are usually considered by scientists to be the most closely related surviving animals to dinosaurs. These findings place dinosaur hatch times closer to those of modern reptiles than birds.

The discovery was made by Gregory Erickson, a palaeontologist at Florida State University, who studied growth lines in teeth found in ancient dinosaur eggs. These growth lines, much like the rings that occur in trees, show the daily growth of the teeth, and so can be used to find out how long the teeth had been growing inside the egg. The study was carried out on a collection of twelve fossilised eggs at The American Museum of Natural History in New York City, using x-ray scanning to recreate virtual models of the teeth.

The findings go some way to explaining why modern birds survived, while the dinosaurs did not. Incubation times can vary quite

widely, from 13 days for canaries to 42 days for ostriches, and at the extreme end, some species of octopus have been known to have an incubation period of multiple years.

“Scientists have discovered that baby dinosaurs took up to six months to emerge from their eggs. That is a significantly shorter incubation period than bird eggs of a similar size” The reason that the long incubation times for dinosaurs may have led to their extinction is the harsh environment in which they were attempting to survive.

The long held theory that the dinosaurs were wiped out by a large asteroid striking the planet does not tell the entire story of their downfall, according to this new research.

The devastated environment of the post-asteroid world would have favoured animals who could reproduce and repopulate quickly, placing the slowly hatching dinosaurs at a massive disadvantage.

The dinosaur eggs would also have been more vulnerable to being stolen by predators. They also

Caitlin Doherty Deputy Editor

suffered from taking a long time to become fully grown, requiring up to two years to reach maturity.

As Erickson put it, in the aftermath of the asteroid strike “dinosaurs were basically caught holding bad cards—a dead man’s hand.”

Erickson also said: “We suspect our findings have implications for understanding why dinosaurs went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period, whereas amphibians, birds, mammals and other reptiles made it through and prospered.”

Fellow palaeontologist Stephen Brusatte said: “If more modernstyle birds are the only ones that incubate very quickly, it could be that this feat of biology gave them a better [lottery] ticket for surviving the asteroid impact that killed off all of the other dinosaurs.” freestockphotos, Judy Schmidt, Wikimedia Ballista

A coal-fired power station in India is turning its carbon dioxide emissions into baking soda.

A plant in the industrial port of Tuticorin, southern India, converts the CO2 from its own coal powered boiler into the useful kitchen product.

The system installed at Tuticoin Alkali Chemicals produces 60,000 tonnes of CO2 every year, and is now transforming the greenhouse gas into sodium bicarbonate, more commonly known as baking soda. This base chemical has a variety of uses including glass manufacture, and the production of sweeteners, detergents and various paper products.

The technology was invented by firm Carbonclean, who believe that it needs less energy, is less corrosive and requires cheaper and smaller equipment than traditional methods of carbon capture.

The inventors of this process are two chemists from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur, and they believe that capturing usable CO2 will deal with around 5 - 10 percent of the world’s emissions.

The technology is currently

running without any form of subsidy from a government or private donation, marking a breakthrough in this area of environmental science. Previously, the extraction of CO2 has been fairly expensive and required the forcing of the small concentrations of CO2 found in flue gas into underground rocks.

Tuticoin Alkali and Carbonclean have overcome this problem by using a new CO2 stripping chemical.

The managing director of Tuticorin Alkali chemicals, Ramachandran Gopalan, told the BBC: “I am a businessman. I never thought about saving the planet. I needed a reliable stream of CO2 and this was the best way of getting it.”

After initially failing to get funding from the Indian government, this project was eventually supported by the UK government who offered a grant, and the firm’s headquarters are now based in Paddington, London.

CEO of Carbonclean, Aniruddha Sharma told the Guardian: “So far the ideas for carbon capture have mostly looked at big projects, and the risk is so high they are very expensive to finance.

“We want to set up small-scale plants that de-risk the technology by making it a completely normal commercial option.”

focussing on your academic interests

uea|su is hosting 2 academic fayres during refresh

tues 17th academic stakeholders, 11:00 - 15:00, hive tues 24th academic societies fayre, 11:00 - 15:00, hive

academic su

19

17th January 2017

A look above: 2017 in space

Photo: Wikimedia, Scott Kelly Jessica Frank-Keyes Deputy Editor Oh 2017. You’ve been long awaited; the change in digits billed by many as somehow here to save us from the scourge of celebrity deaths and political upheaval that characterised the preceding twelve calendar months. And while there’s plenty to look forward to in the coming year, the events and developments in the world of space science definitely deserve a spot on your to-lookforward-to list.

2017 is the year the CassiniHuygens spacecraft mission to Saturn ends. Launched in 1997, the

orbiter and lander will take their final dives deep into the flames of the planet, when they run out of fuel in September.

“While there is plenty to look forward to, the events and developments in the world of space science definitely deserve a spot on your list” Before the mission ends, the spacecraft will take several dives into the rings of the planet,

providing scientists with detailed data gathered from the instruments on board that are equipped to gather particles and gases as the rings are crossed. The kamikaze end to the mission is undertaken in order to avoid a collision with any of Saturn’s moons - any of which could have the potential to sustain life.

Last year also brought the success of the NASA Juno mission.

The spacecraft departed from Earth in August 2011 and went into orbit around Jupiter in July 2016. Images and data received from the mission will allow scientists to delve beneath the thick cloud cover sheltering the planet and create a 3D map of its structure, as well as analysing

the gases that produce the planet’s multi-coloured auroras. 2017 could be a giant leap for mankind in understanding the role that Jupiter and other gas giants played in the creation of the solar system.

Closer to home, the United States will be witness to a total solar eclipse: the first one visible from the entire American continent since the colonies declared war on Great Britain in 1776. Americans from Oregon to Tennessee will be able to witness the spectacle, which will sweep from coast-to-coast and last around two minutes. Described as “the eclipse of the century,” it’s slated to occur in August and will gather crowds of astronomers to the

Wikimedia, Scott Kelly US from across the world.

Finally, 2017 could prove to be the year that entrepreneur and multi-billionaire Elon Musk launches the Falcon Heavy rocket.

The date for the launcher’s maiden flight has been delayed several times - the rocket consists of three Falcon 9 boosters combined, one of which exploded in September. However, Musk’s recent appointment to Trump’s advisory council - despite being prominent in the technology community for his support of Hillary Clinton - comes as a surprise.

So 2017, whatever you have in store for us politically, perhaps this could finally be the year we make it to Mars.

2016 saw record breaking climate change Daniel Salliss Science Writer Year on year climate change attracts greater attention as its impact is felt more frequently and the need for action intensifies. 2016 was no different. So let’s have a look back at the hottest stories our planet had to offer in the past year.

2016 was the warmest year on record; the third year in a row to break the global temperature record. 16 of the past 17 hottest years have now occurred this century and we are over halfway to the 2-degree warming that spells dangerous climatic consequences. Five of 2016’s first six months also broke records for the smallest monthly Arctic sea ice extent since the start of consistent satellite records in 1979. Warmer oceans desecrated 93% of the Great Barrier Reef with coral bleaching.

Warming temperatures cause more frequent and more severe extreme weather events around the world. 2016 saw two of the top five strongest cyclones hit Fiji and the Philippines and widespread floods and wildfires in the US. Hurricane

Photo: Wikimedia, Patrick Kelley Matthew, the strongest since 2007, rocked the Caribbean, killing upwards of 1600 people.

The proportion of CO2 has been increasing steadily from 280 parts per million (ppm) in 1800.

2016 was the first year on record when the proportion of CO2 in the atmosphere failed to fall below the 400 ppm benchmark; this will now be the case for the foreseeable future.

November saw the election of

Donald Trump as President of the United States, the second largest carbon emitter. Trump denies global warming as a human induced problem, citing it as a Chinesemade concept attempting to disrupt US manufacturing and wants to pull out of the Paris Agreement. In a time when the need for leaders willing to act quickly on climate change is critical, the impacts of Trump’s presidency could be devastating for generations to come.

So… What’s the good news?

There is always hope. As of December 2016, 122 nations have ratified the Paris Agreement- an international effort aiming to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius and improve adaptation to the impacts of a changing climate.

This is vital in the struggle on global warming and further cements climate change in the international political agenda. The ratifying nations have pledged to push on

with their goals despite Presidentelect Trump’s wish to abandon it.

In June, Norway announced its desire to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2030. The country has divested itself off fossil fuels for energy over the past 3 years and now wants to see all of its vehicles go emission free.

In October, international negotiators agreed to phase out hydrofluorocarbonsgreenhouse gasses found in air conditioners.

The gasses are thousands of times more potent than CO2; reducing them will be vital.

Another agreement, signed by 191 countries, will allow the aviation industry, responsible for 7 per cent of global carbon emissions, to purchase carbon credits to offset their emissions. This could generate massive funds for a range of environmental projects; 2016 saw record divestment from fossil fuels and investment into renewables.

Climate change made frightening headlines in 2016; the need for immediate and global action is more desperate than ever before. But climate change can be slowed; it has to be because our future depends on it.

Travel

20

17th January 2017

Flying solo for the first time

Jack Leik Jack Leik Travel Writer The first time travelling without parents is a beautiful, formative experience. The endless possibilities of the world stretch out in front of you like the Ponte Vecchio over the Arno River. You can go anywhere, do anything, be anyone without the familial restrictions of a minutely planned holiday itinerary.

So why then, with all this freedom, did a friend and I end up watching the entire box set of Breaking Bad over a two-week stay in Florence?

We had it planned so well: take a few weeks to learn the basics of Italian; read some classic Florentine

authors such as Dante and Machiavelli; and prepare our bodies for the daily intake of flatbreaded tomato sauce and cheese.

"When this got boring we walked around conversing in English accents hoping girls would hear and talk to us. They didn't. This only happens in Love Actually" Only the latter proved in any way fruitful, and that was because we had spent our whole lives leading to the moment when pizza

was a delicacy and not a habit.

We turned up with a few hundred euros and the phrase “parli inglese?” tattooed onto our brains.

For the first few days we tentatively explored this new city, sampling the delights of the Duomo, the art of the Uffizi, and the knock off fashion items of street vendors.

When this got boring we walked around conversing in English accents hoping girls would hear and talk to us. They didn’t. This only works in Love Actually. At the end of the first week we were confident we had seen everything and rewarded ourselves with a day off to relax in the flat.

The next day it rained so we granted another. By the middle of the second week these were so

frequent they became classified as “chill days."

With the baking Florentine sun hidden behind floral curtains we wasted hours upon hours building the greatest FIFA manager team Florence and the world had ever seen. We watched Breaking Bad to completion. We started using phrases from the show in everyday conversation. One day my friend turned to me and said, “I’m not in the FIFA business, I’m in the empire business.” At this point I realized we had gone insane.

We had to shake ourselves from this sloth-like malaise, but how? It hurt, but our families were the only option. They correctly guessed the ‘empire business’ we referred to didn’t involve the historical Medici

family.

Before we knew it they had booked us to see an open-air orchestra, an idyllic botanical garden, and a climb up the 414 steps of Giotto’s Campanile. “But my knee is injured, I can’t handle that many steps," I cried. “I don’t care if you fall all the way from the top, you’re not wasting another second out there.”

My grandma could really be savage.

The last few days raced by and before we knew it we were being flown back to sorry old Blighty.

Without our parents we couldn’t even afford a flight where the passengers don’t clap when the pilot lands. There is only one conclusion that can be drawn from this sorry tale. Parental guidance is sometimes a necessary evil.

have for tradition is apparent in even the tiniest details, and deeply inspires me. I would love to learn more about the Indian lifestyle.

order to live out their last days, as Hindus believe that dying in the Pashupatinath temple will allow one to be reborn as a human.

While it may be considered morbid, I think that clinging on to your faith in the face of death among those who share your religion is a beautiful thing, and I would like to visit this temple. Being a Catholic, I am also itching to learn more about other faiths such as Hinduism and Buddhism. The Nepalese are a very religious people in general, and every religion has something that we can learn from.

Out of all the countries that I plan to visit in 2017, Austria is the one country that is most likely to steal my heart. As a history student, it is particularly appealing to me. The origins of modern-day Austria date all the way back to the time of the Hapsburg Empire, and the country still retains architecture from that medieval period. Austria also has

a significant artistic value, with its capital, Vienna, having been home to two of the greatest and most influential composers, Mozart and Beethoven. Vienna is also known for its magnificent Imperial palaces, such as the Hofburg Palace.

The breathtaking architecture of Vienna can also be found in its common streets, making it seem like a land from a fairy-tale. Being a musical lover, I also want to visit Salzburg, the place where Sound of Music was filmed, just to go on the Sound of Music tour and belt out the musical’s songs at their respective locations.

Salzburg was also the birthplace of Mozart, and his birthplace is preserved as a museum, which displays his childhood instruments.

Salzburg seals its appeal with a gorgeous view of the Eastern Alps and a plethora of baroque buildings.

Austria is definitely top of my list this year.

Oh, the places you should go Beverly Devakishen Travel Writer A new year always brings the promise of fresh and exciting experiences. In 2017, my new year's resolution, in relation to travelling, is to visit a wide range of places, with each having its own lessons to teach its visitors.

Having grown up in Singapore, a small metropolitan country, visiting places surrounded by nature and unspoiled by modernity has always appealed to me. Since I have also been eager to go to Spain, I decided to pay the Canary Islands a visit during my spring trip to the Spanish region.

The Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the coast of Northwestern Africa, are well known for their breathtaking beaches and volcanoes. Its dramatic landscape includes the forested peaks of Gran

Canaria’s mountainous area, the surreal waterfalls of La Palma and the sparkling blue waters of its largest and most populated island, Tenerife. To me, the Canary Islands are an extremely underrated region filled with the wonders of nature.

Next up is a vibrant country that is slightly closer to home- India.

I have wanted to go to India for a while, as I have always been drawn to the country’s rich culture. One nugget of information that moved me about India was about the maintenance of the Taj Mahal.

My parents, who visited the palace last year, were told by the local tour guide that the secret to its maintenance has been passed down through generations of only one specific family who have maintained it since it was built, and no one outside that family line knows the special techniques they use, or is allowed to work on its preservation.

The respect that some in India

"Its dramatic landscape includes the forested peaks of Gran Canaria... the surreal waterfalls of La Palma and the sparkling blue waters of Tenerife" Another Asian country I want to go to is Nepal. Nepal is primarily Buddhist and Hindu, and has beautiful temples. One of the most famous temples is the Pashupatinath temple and is a surprisingly popular tourist attraction despite its connection to death. It is a temple that many Hindus go to in

21

17th January 2017

One month, seven states: travel writer Holly Byrne on the trip of a lifetime Travelling around the United States was the most exciting and terrifying thing I have ever done. But you’ll be pleased to know it was totally worth it. Beyond the obvious reasons, (that it was the best time of my life), it also taught me a lot of practical skills that will help me with future travel plans. I’d like to share a few of my top tips for successful travelling around the United States with you.

1. Always plan.

Plan. Plan. Plan. This may sound obvious and not very spontaneous, however, I found that with only one month on my visa and many places on my list to visit, it was necessary that I planned ahead- and that I did.

I listed every place I wanted to visit, and I planned every train, plane, bus and accommodation that I required.

"I listed every place I wanted to visit, and I planned every train, plane, bus and accommodation that I required... I was in full control" I also left the necessary amount of days to fit in everything that I wanted to do in each city. In doing so, I didn’t miss out. Instead I made the most out of my time and came out feeling like I hadn’t wasted a second. I was in full control.

2. Back-up funds.

Another extremely practical and necessary tip is to make sure you have enough money. Again, it may seem obvious but the United States is an expensive place, and there may be unavoidable costs along the way.

"Riding down a busy highway in a little buggy, we certainly got some looks but it was worth it" So, beyond the money that I had, I ensured that I had someone back in the UK who could possibly bail me out if I were to get into trouble.

Although I never had to utilise this, it is important for a sense of security and to ensure that you don’t find yourself stuck in a foreign city without any funds.

3. Never turn down an opportunity.

Honestly, you may never get the chance to travel like this again, so if/when any opportunity that arises, take it. For example, while in Arizona, we wanted to go to the zoo before our train that day.

However, we were in a tiny town and they didn’t have a taxi service, but they did have a buggy service.

Riding down a busy highway in a little buggy certainly raised some eyebrows, but it was worth it.

" s tar exis ts... "no better

"the G rand

Canyo n, sur prising co ld... ly "

Or, why not attend a dolphin show just a few hours before a flight and get soaked through to your socks spending the rest of your day damp and a little cold (okay… maybe that was actually a pretty bad idea).

But the point is just that, you

"Waking up at 5am, in New York, taking two flights to LA... and then getting an eleven hour train to Arizona..." "fog = imp ro vise d picture tak ing..."

tional conven n u e r "mo rt..." transpo

should experience everything possible in the time that you have, so that you regret nothing.

4. Wrap up warm.

Okay, this one is pretty personal to me, as I am literally always cold. But, spending eleven hours on trains, nine hours on coaches, and hours sitting in airports and train stations, sometimes air-conditioning is a bit too much. A travel blanket and a big baggy New York jumper helped me through each and every long journey. Trust me. Just trust me on this one.

Oh and a travel pillow doesn’t go amiss either; sometimes you are forced to push the limits of what is

achievable in one day. Waking up at 5am, in New York, taking two flights to LA, waiting five hours in an LA train station, and then getting an eleven hour train to Arizona, then arriving in an extremely creepy town at 4am walking around attempting to find our hotel... It was the cheapest way to get there so I regret nothing (although I may have at the time). A pillow and blanket were necessary.

"But I did it. I did it all, and at the end, I felt empowered and strong and independent" 5. Do not be scared.

Last but not least is this: do not be scared. Admittedly, I often questioned myself during the planning process. Most strongly when I booked an eight hour coach leaving at 3am from the middle of nowhere to bring me from Virginia to Atlanta, all alone. But I did it. I did it all, and at the end, I felt empowered, strong and independent.

That’s all part of the learning curve, and that is why it’s an experience that I will never forget, for so many reasons.

17th January 2017

22

Sport

Van Gerwen defeats Anderson 7-3 in PDC final Sam Whitelaw Sports Writer The PDC Darts World Championship is a great festive competition to get into. It takes place over the festive period, all the big matches are televised in the evening, and singing and drinking are highly encouraged inside the grand arena that is the Alexandra Palace.

The darts is fun and loud and therefore allows you to get involved despite not watching (or caring) about the sport for the rest of the year. The competition, as is always the case with darts, was full of characters and stories. Michael van Gerwen – or MVG as he is perhaps better known – is the world number one and was odds on favourite to claim his second crown. Gary Anderson, meanwhile, was aiming to win the title for a third successive year. Phil Taylor was aiming to go out on a high in what might prove to be his penultimate championship, while various other seeds including Peter Wright, Dave Chisnall and Raymond van Barneveld all fancied their chances of the ultimate glory.

After a relatively straightforward first round, the competition sparked into action with van Gerwen forced to overcome a resilient Cristo Reyes in the second round who recorded the highest average for a losing player, 106.7.

The tournament progressed steadily without any major scalps, leaving six of the eight original favourites to battle it out at the quarter-final stage. Phil Taylor, Daryl Gurney, Dave Chisnall and James Wade all fell by the wayside, leaving van Gerwen, Anderson, Wright and van Barneveld as the final four in the semi-finals. Anderson saw off an out of sorts Peter Wright as his quest to

Andrew Mackenzie Sports Writer

wikipedia.org, PeterPan23

win a third straight title continued, while MVG overcame Barneveld 6-2, that despite Barney recording a new highest losing average of 109.34, just days after Reyes had smashed the original record.

With van Gerwen and Anderson both progressing through potentially difficult ties, the public got what the public wanted, a final showdown between the world’s top two seeds on darts’ biggest stage.

Game on.

With such a high standard of darts set throughout the tournament, perhaps unsurprisingly the final was not perfect, with both men missing more darts at double than they would like. Nevertheless, the

quickfire pair smashed the record for most 180s in a game, recording a barnstorming 42 between them, while Anderson broke the record for most individual maximums, hitting 22.

While MVG could not quite repeat the record-breaking performance he put in during the semi-finals, he was still in top gear, leaving Anderson with little opportunity to reply. A frantic beginning saw the match go two sets apiece, but van Gerwen reeled off the following four sets to take a commanding 6-2 lead in a race to 7. Anderson did manage to claw a set back, but it was too little too late as van Gerwen checked out on the

bullseye to seal a comprehensive 7-3 victory and a paycheque for £350,000.

For van Gerwen, it was the crowning glory on a dominant year which had seen the Dutchman claim an astonishing 25 tournament victories, but there is no doubt that it was this, his second world championship, that was most sweet.

Anderson, meanwhile, should be proud of his performance and there is no shame in losing to a quality player like van Gerwen after all. He may not have played to the best of his abilities in the final, but as others have shown, even your best is often not enough to stop the unstoppable Michael van Gerwen.

Dele Alli double ends Chelsea’s winning run Zac Leonard Sports Writer Chelsea’s attempt at breaking Arsenal’s record 14-match winning run in the Premier League was ended by a Dele Alli double during their visit to Spurs on the 4th of January.

The in-form Tottenham midfielder netted twice which meant that Spurs leapfrogged Man City and Arsenal into third and tightened things up between the top six. Prior to this Chelsea had been untouchable for three months with their imperious streak commencing on October 1st 2016 with a 2-0 victory over Hull. The subsequent winning run included victories over Spurs, Man City, current champions Leicester and 4-0 and 5-0 victories over Man Utd and Everton respectively.

One of the stand-out games of the season thus far was the

F1 season preview

comeback over City; this preceded a heated brawl towards the end of the match after Sergio Aguero’s horror tackle on David Luiz.

Statistically, Chelsea’s thirteen wins consisted of 32 goals scored, four goals conceded, ten clean sheets, an average winning margin of 2.57 goals over top-half teams, and 1.67 over bottom-half teams. Chelsea’s consecutive wins fired them to the top of the Premier League table where they sit at the start of 2017.

Chelsea’s success has also been reflected off the pitch. Conte won Manager of the Month for October and November and with six wins out of six it would not be a surprise if he walks away with December’s award as well. Additionally, Eden Hazard and Diego Costa won the ‘Player of the Month’ awards for October and November respectively. Perhaps one of Conte’s most impressive feats is the way he has handled his star players, Hazard and Costa, who were nowhere near their best last

season. He now has them playing back at the peak of their powers.

Costa is looking particularly dangerous this campaign and he currently heads the league’s scoring charts.

It is some turnaround for the West London club who started the season with an indifferent run of form. Briefly, it seemed the demands of the Premier League were proving too much for the newly appointed manager as after seven games Chelsea sat seventh in the league, and Conte was even touted by some bookmakers as the next manager to be sacked. Attempting to play in the style of previous Chelsea teams, Conte and his side were unconvincing, and after a 3-0 loss to London rivals Arsenal he decided to take a gamble. Conte decided to revert to his favoured 3-5-2 formation and has reaped the rewards ever since. The Italian has utilised new signings Marcos Alonso and the returning Luiz along

with a revived Victor Moses in his new look side which has shone ever since.

Spurs exacted sweet revenge on their London rivals with victory at the Lane to put to bed lingering memories of last season’s title collapse to the hands of the blues.

Pochettino’s men are a force to be reckoned with, especially at White Hart Lane where the manager always has his tactics spot on. Tottenham are expected to challenge for the title again this season along with Man City, Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. The lack of European football suggests that Chelsea and Liverpool have the edge in the title race, however, rarely has there been this many strong teams competing at the top. While the Premier League title could well go to a team in blue for the fourth consecutive season, it is fair to say that last season’s champions, Leicester City, will not be in the shake-up come the end of the season.

With the first release dates for the unveiling of the 2017 cars now known, it seems appropriate to take stock on last year’s sensational F1 Championship. 2016 gave us a new World Champion in Nico Rosberg.

It saw the rise of Max Verstappen and the introduction of new stars such as Stoffel Vandoorne, and bade farewell to two former stars, Felipe Massa and Jenson Button. It also saw the return of Renault as a constructor and welcomed a new team, Haas.

Just days after the end of the season, Rosberg announced his retirement from the sport, ending his three-year battle with teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Rosberg put his heart and soul into beating Hamilton, so now he has nothing left to prove. Hamilton was undeniably the faster driver over their time as teammates, but Rosberg was the deserving champion in 2016.

Rosberg’s decision came just a matter of months after signing a new deal to remain with the Mercedes Team until 2018 at least, so the news came as a major surprise and left the constructor in turmoil and needing a replacement. Red Bull stated that they would refuse to sell any of their drivers, and the frustrated Sebastien Vettel is contracted to Ferrari until the end of next year.

Toto Wolff, head of the Mercedes Team, manages several drivers on the grid: Esteban Ocon, Pascal Wehrlein, and Valtteri Bottas. But Ocon has been signed by Force India, and Wehrlein, despite his natural speed, has proved difficult to work with. Bottas appears to be the only option. Mercedes no doubt must make concessions, but to many the deal is as good as done.

If Bottas is to leave Williams, it puts the constructor in a difficult position. The team’s main sponsor, Martini, requires a racing driver over the age of 25-years-old in order to fulfil their marketing scheme. Lance Stroll, Williams’ new driver for 2017, is just 19. This could see Felipe Massa, having had an emotional send off at his home Grand Prix at Interlagos, return to the team.

One team that may not return is Manor Racing. The popular minnows, for whom Pascal Wehrlein scored a point in Austria, are entering administration for the second time. They missed out on 10th in the championship after Sauber driver Felipe Nasr finished 9th in the penultimate round scoring two points.

This meant that Manor lost $10 million in extra funding. Heralded as Mercedes’ protégé, Wehrlein has had to sign for Sauber to continue his career.

17th January 2017

23

Neil feels pressure as City slump continues Claud Letts Sports Writer Norwich’s inconsistent form in the Championship continued over the festive period with the Canaries taking 10 points from a possible 18 available, although they remain outside the play-off places. City fans will be hoping that 2017 brings out some better performances particularly away from home.

Norwich have improved at home, however, with their three victories over the festive period all coming at Carrow Road. Two of these wins came against fellow playoff contenders Derby County and Aston Villa, but defeats against Huddersfield and Reading indicate Norwich’s struggle against the top Championship sides, against whom they have not won a single game.

A 2-1 defeat away at bottom of the league Rotherham United leaves City in 11th place, eight points adrift of the play-off places and 17 points short of the automatic promotion spots. Norwich showed fight in that game, equalising at 1-1 despite having had Nelson Oliveira sent off in the first half. That was undone just four minutes later when Rotherham took the lead again.

Some hope lies for the Canaries in the Emirates FA Cup where they came from behind twice to hold Premier League side Southampton to a 2-2 draw at Carrow Road,

thanks to an injury time header from Steven Naismith. Although second best throughout the contest with only 37% possession, Norwich’s defence stayed resolute to blunt a Southampton side who had beaten Inter Milan earlier this season.

City must believe that on their day, they can compete among the elite, having been victors at Everton in the Capital One Cup earlier this season.

Alex Neil will be praying for a run in the FA Cup - a tournament in which Norwich have only managed to progress beyond the third round stage five times in the last twenty years - to rejuvenate his managerial career and instill new-found confidence into his players.

One positive for Neil is the recent resurgence of in-form Portugal international Nelson Oliveira, which can only be positive for the Championship side’s now feverish aspirations of regaining a play-off place. The leadership of captain Russell Martin is also integral if the Carrow Road side want to make an immediate return to the top flight of English football.

After the 2-1 defeat to highflying Huddersfield Town, manager Alex Neil told BBC Radio Norfolk: “it looks as if the play-offs might be our best option.” He has a point. As Newcastle and Brighton continue to lead the charge towards the automatic promotion places, Norwich and the chasing pack have been left to fight it out for

Norwich City’s Carrow Road Stadium: Flickr.com, pittaya

the four precious play-off places.

Despite having led the division at the end of October, Neil must now consider a play-off berth the minimum requirement for his City side in what at this stage of the season, would still represent a huge achievement for the Carrow Road outfit. Reading and Huddersfield, who both beat the Canaries during

the festive period, are nine points ahead of Norwich, while play-off candidates above and below City show signs of improvement and greater consistency.

Norwich need more consistency in the coming months after what was a disappointing 2016 overall.

January and February will be laborious for the Canaries, but

with a trip ahead to Wigan Athletic as well as a home fixture against the declining Birmingham City, it is the perfect opportunity to push for a place in the play-offs. The emphatic 3-0 victory over Derby County on Boxing Day could prove instrumental in galvanising the squad for an improved run in the second half of the season.

Freddy Carty argues that Norwich cannot improve without a change of manager The Championship is an unpredictable league, but that is no excuse for the underachievement of Norwich City. For a team relegated from the Premier League the expectation is of an instant return, however Alex Neil’s side currently slumber outside the play-off places and a managerial change is the only way for the Canaries to return to their standing as promotion candidates.

A poor summer transfer window left Norwich lacking in quality and depth in key areas. This has not changed. The Canaries have been relying on an ageing

Cameron Jerome and a substandard Nelson Oliveira to score the goals, which simply has not worked. Against Brentford, Aston Villa and Huddersfield, Norwich have looked toothless in attack.

In the promotion-winning 2015 Championship campaign, City had depth up-front. Jerome, Lewis Grabban and Gary Hooper provided 45 goals between them, while midfield powerhouse Bradley Johnson chipped in with a further 15. Norwich finished 3rd that season, which proves that a well prepared City side, the core of which remains at Carrow

Road, are more than capable of achieving promotion. That season, Neil Adams was shown the door with the Canaries just seven points adrift of automatic promotion. It makes City’s persistence with Alex Neil even more surprising. He has bought time thanks to his age and the memory of his first promotion.

With the current squad, Neil has been shown to be tactically inept. His persistence in starting Sebastien Bassong over Timm Klose has proved costly, due to the Cameroon defender’s hesitance under pressure and susceptibility to long balls. Add to

this the incomprehensible decision to remove creative midfielder Graham Dorrans while chasing the game against Huddersfield, and the replacement of Oliveira against Reading, and it is clear that Neil lacks flexibility. The neglect shown to Alex Pritchard and Neil’s refusal to play two strikers has compounded the problem..

Of almost 6,200 votes in a poll following the Canaries’ loss to Reading, over 90% of fans said that Neil’s time was up. It has been rumoured that Chairman Ed Balls had secretly offered Neil a new bumper contract in the summer,

so Norwich would have to shell out roughly £2million if they wanted to sack him.

Although this may play in Neil’s favour, the Canaries are now over ten points adrift of automatic promotion. The potential pay-out is minimal in this day and age, and it is clear that the vast majority of Norwich fans would like a new manager.

There is no doubt that a change is needed if Norwich want to challenge for promotion. Neil will certainly have had to invest wisely if he is to last until the end of the season.

Claud Letts says the Canaries should back under-fire boss to turn season around The decision from the Norwich City board to keep Alex Neil as manager of the Canaries may come as a surprise to many supporters, after widespread rumour that he was facing the sack before Christmas.

As City’s play-off credentials falter, a large section of the Norwich faithful have expressed their distrust in Neil after what has been a painful year for supporters at Carrow Road. Although it should not be forgotten that Neil guided City to the Premier League in his first few months in charge, he also oversaw relegation straight back

down to the Championship, and inconsistency so far this season has seen Norwich slip to outside the play-off places.

Back when Alex Neil became Norwich manager in January 2015, the club were lying just outside the play-off places following the sacking of Neil Adams. Following Neil’s appointment, he became the second youngest manager in the Football League at just 33. His impact was instant. Norwich lost just three games in his first five months in charge, guiding the club to 3rd in the table and legendary

play-off success over bitter rivals Ipswich Town. He then completed a fairytale rise by seeing his Norwich side defeat Middlesbrough in City’s first ever trip to the new Wembley to secure Premier League status once more.

While 2015 also saw Neil guide City to a first win at Old Trafford since 1989, it was 2016 that proved his undoing. Norwich picked up just four wins in the second half of the season in a sequence that included a 10 game winless run from January to mid-March. The Canaries were relegated in 19th

place, only finishing above a woeful Aston Villa.

With City the favourites to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, the season started well enough with Neil guiding Norwich to the summit of the Championship by mid-October. Soon after, however, Neil appears to have lost his midas touch. A late turnaround from 3-2 ahead to 4-3 behind at Newcastle sparked a run over five successive defeats including a humiliating 5-0 reverse at Brighton. Inconsistency away from home and lacklustre

performances at Carrow Road have heaped the pressure on Neil.

After a series of highs and lows in what is an eventful time to be a Canaries supporter, Neil now finds himself in the same position that Norwich were in when he took over. However, unlike his predecessor Neil Adams, Neil has been given the vote of confidence by chairman Ed Balls to reignite his squad. At the age of 35, Neil still has the time to rediscover that initial magic which made his first half-season at Carrow Road such a success.

24

17th January 2017

Sport

2017 Sport Editors Nick Murphy and Richard Ewart tell us what fans have to look forward to from sport at UEA and the rest of the world in 2017

January The New Year has already seen its first world championship claimed, with Michael van Gerwen defeating Gary Anderson 7-3 at the Alexandra Palace to be crowned the PDC World Darts Champion for the second time. Hot on the heels of that success comes the first tennis major of the year as newly knighted Sir Andy Murray goes for his first Australian Open title after finishing runner-up at the Melbourne event in five of the past seven years. The opening month of 2017 concludes with Carl Frampton defending his WBA ‘Super’ Featherweight title against Leo Santa Cruz in Las Vegas.

February February begins with the biggest event in US sport, the Superbowl. And with the Denver Broncos having failed to qualify for the post-season play-offs, there will be a 13th consecutive different name on the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Back in Europe, the Six Nations will begin in earnest as Scotland host Ireland, England take on France at Twickenham and Wales travel to face Italy. The tournament will last until the 18th March with England looking to retain the title for the first time since 2001.

March In March, UEA steps up to the plate as our esteemed campus plays host to Derby Day. The annual contest between UEA and the University of Essex features a wide range of sports and will be taking place on Saturday 11th March, starting at 10am. UEA will be looking to build on their recent dominance over Essex which has seen the Yellow & Blues claim the past four Derby Day titles, including a spectacular 34-29 success in Colchester last year.

April April sees a plethora of sporting events get underway including the Grand National and Snooker World Championships as well as

the Masters Golf from Augusta and the World Cup of Gymnastics which will be held in London. The Cricket County Championship season will kick-off on April 7th, while the Thames is the scene for the 163rd edition of the Oxford-Cambridge boat race.

May Boxing will then take centre stage as the unbeaten Anthony Joshua takes on Wladimir Klitschko in a heavyweight world title fight at an already sold-out Wembley Stadium. May represents the conclusion of the domestic football season with the final round of Premier League games taking place on May 21st. The FA Cup final is a week later, while the Rugby Union Premiership Final will also be held on May 28th.

June June is all about cricket.

The month opens with the ICC Champions Trophy which will be held at Edgbaston, Cardiff and the Oval, before concluding with the Women’s World Cup and the first round of day/night test matches in County Championship history.

Sandwiched in between is also the start of the flat season in horse racing with events taking place at Epsom and Royal Ascot, while Cardiff is the host for the Champions League final.

The Confederations Cup begins in Russia on June 17th and the British & Irish Lions Rugby Union side start their tour of New Zealand one week later on the 24th.

July In July, Britain will play host to the World ParaAthletics Championships, kicking off a busy few months in athletics for the Olympic Stadium. Across London at SW19, Sir Andy Murray will be looking to retain his Wimbledon crown and become the first Briton since Fred Perry in 1936 to claim back-to-back men’s singles victories.

With women’s football growing

in popularity, July’s Euro 2017 tournament is one not to be missed.

England manager Mark Sampson led his side to an impressive third place finish at the World Cup in 2015 and the Lionesses look well placed to build on that excellent showing when they travel to the Netherlands.

August The Premier League kicks off again in early August, while England resume their World Cup Qualifying campaign just two weeks later with an away trip to Malta and a home fixture against Slovakia. The Olympic Stadium will continue to host prestigious events in athletics this month, including the IAAF World Athletics Championships which will see Mo Farah, Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce return to the site of their 2012 glory.

September As we move into Autumn, the England cricketers will be finishing a long summer with Tests and ODIs against the West Indies in September.

October The Rugby League World Cup begins in October and will be hosted by Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

November Britain will look to win the Davis Cup again in 2017 with the final being played in November, while the Formula 1 season concludes in the same month at Abu Dhabi, with Lewis Hamilton aiming to win back the title following Nico Rosberg’s retirement. The Ashes begin soon after and England will hope to avoid a repeat of the last result down under and retain the famous urn that they last won back in 2015.

December The end of 2017 will see Michael van Gerwen defend his PDC World Darts Championship crown in December. In horse racing, the King George VI Chase, superbly won by Thistlecrack last month, will return on Boxing Day. Photo1: Flickr, Arnie Papp

Mo Farah, commons.wikimedia.org, Kafuffle

Derby Day, Dan Falvey

Photo2: Dan Falvey

Photo3: Flickr, Jeff Kabina