Concrete 349

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>> Unconditional offers under review

£ £ £ £

>>South Africa: President pushed out by own party

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>> Does tech take over travel?

27th February 2018 Issue 349

The official student newspaper of the University of East Anglia | concrete-online.co.uk

Campus food 'endangering students' with allergies Emily Hawkins Editor-in-Chief

as quickly as possible so we can all get back to doing the work we’re passionate about,” he said.

Staff were dissatisfied with UEA’s Vice-Chancellor Professor David Richardson for not putting pressure on the UUK to enter negotiations with their union.

The students’ union said they encouraged students to email the VC “to ask him what he is doing to reopen negotiations and end the strike”.

After the first two days of action, the UUK said they would meet the UCU for talks on Tuesday 27 February. However, at the time of writing the next days of action were still set to continue.

The UUK said they were not prepared to discuss the decision on changing pensions, something the

Students have described terrifying experiences of buying foods containing their allergens from campus outlets because ingredients information was not more readily available.

Thomas Howard, a second year History student, spoke of his experiences with buying food on campus. Thomas is allergic to mayonnaise and so asked one outlet if a sandwich contained any. Despite being told the cheese sandwich did not, Thomas found it did when he bit into it. “I could have been hospitalised,” he said.

He said he suffered with bad stomach pains for the rest of the day.

Under a new ‘May Contain Nuts' policy, the students' union said both university and SU outlets were "endangering students". The motion included a boycott of Campus Kitchen's services for SU functions "until the organisation improves its practice and is compliant with both the spirit and the letter of the law".

Chris Ball, who advocated the motion, said he was not told a brownie contained peanuts at one cafe on campus. “Luckily it was only a few crumbs,” he said at a Union Council meeting, “otherwise I could have gone into anaphylactic shock as I’m really allergic to peanuts”.

Passed at the end of last month, the motion also committed the SU to a review of their own outlets. It called for "new practices put in place to decrease cross-contamination and that guarantees allergen information is readily available."

SU Non Portfolio Officer Chris Ball said it was shocking that food containing allergens was sold without labels on campus.

“Food allergies are life and death for many students,” he said.

“We’ll be putting in place practices to decrease crosscontamination and guarantee that allergen information is readily available in the SU, and be calling

Continued on page three

Continued on page four

Staff pension strike begins Wages put into fund for students

Emily Hawkins Editor-in-Chief The first two days of industrial action from UEA staff last week saw students join staff on two picket lines, to protest plans to change pensions. On Thursday 22 February and Friday 23 February, staff belonging to the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU) did not turn up for work.

The first week of the strike fell during UEA’s Do Something Different week, when most courses did not have classes anyway.

The action scheduled for next week, set to occur on Monday 26 February, Tuesday 27 February, and Wednesday 28 February is being regarded by many at UEA as the first real week of action as it will involve scheduled lectures not taking place.

The university employers

Staff say they're unhappy with uni's handling of dispute

body, Universities UK (UUK), said their changes are necessary as the present scheme is in a deficit worth billions of pounds.

However, the UCU disputed this and argued university staff could be up to £10,000 a year worse off after they retire.

"Going on strike is a really hard thing to do" UCU members voted to back action by a strong majority, with 88 percent nationally supporting the strike. 87 percent of the union’s members at UEA voted in support, with a turnout of 66 percent.

The union’s regional officer Lydia Richards said that nobody at the university wants to action, “but staff at UEA feel they have no choice”.

“These hardline proposals would slash staff pensions and are simply uncalled for.

“It is staggering that the universities have refused to engage with the union and a real insult to staff and to students. We hope students will continue to put pressure on the Vice-Chancellors to get their reps back round the negotiating table.”

Brett Mills, president of the UCU branch at UEA, said they had been “bowled over” by support from students so far.

“At UEA we place great emphasis on giving students the best experience we can, so going on strike is a really hard thing to do.

“We hope this can be resolved

27th February 2018

2

Editorial

We're all in this together Sophie Bunce Deputy Editor

Emily Mildren

Protest is in the air Emily Hawkins Editor-in-Chief

Week six has been and gone. Some students went home for a break, whilst others got involved in Do Something Different week. Some students joined the picket line with staff taking industrial action on Thursday 21 and Friday 22 February. Others went to the library as the stress of summative season kicked in.

You can read all about the reasons for the strike on our front page story, continued page 3.

Speaking to some of the professors and union representatives on strike, it was clear that no academic on strike wants to make things harder for their students.

It’s hard not to feel a little frustrated when you have upcoming deadlines and suddenly no access to an academic who knows what they’re talking about. But we need to remember that striking is the last thing lecturers want to do.

On page 16, an academic writes for us about how hesitant they feel about taking the action they are.

“This is something lecturers have agonised over for weeks as they have weighed up the disruption to the students they went into academia to teach and develop, and the financial implications of receiving no pay for the duration of the dispute and whether they can pay their mortgages or rent,”

Professor Lee Marsden writes.

When researching for our front page story earlier in the week, I spoke to a professor on the picket line on the second day of the strike.

She told me that she had met university staff on the picket line who hadn’t ever been on any kind of protest.

"`We need to remember that striking is the last thing lecturers want to do" It’s not just lecturers on strike.

In Matt Nixon’s photograph on our front page you can see the UEA librarians on the picket line. It’s important to remember that this pension plan change will affect staff working in different departments of the university.

UEA has a strong history of supporting workers’ rights, and you can read about some of the more recent campus protests in Features this issue. Protest is in the air this week, with Global taking a look at what was another horrific case of gun violence in America.

Teenagers are fiercely debating news anchors and politicians in a

national spotlight, only days after experiencing devastating trauma and loss. Some universities in the country have said that prospective students who are punished by their schools for taking part in one of the many walkouts planned across high-schools will not be penalised in their admissions process.

After so many cases such as the one in Florida, it is easy to be a cynic about the potential for any change from Republicans on the issue of gun control. However, the collective voice of the teenagers speaking out is a powerful one. I would like to be hopeful about the future.

Speaking of hope, it isn’t something UEA feels with regards to Donald Trump’s impact on the environment. Science editor Beth Papworth spoke to students about whether they felt more anxious about global warming given a White House who think climate change is a hoax made up by wishey-washy progressives.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. On page 5, I write about a local initiative to fund bikes for asylum seekers and refugees who are new to Norwich. This spirit of helping those in need is what I love about Norwich. (Just after all the great places to buy greasy food, a list of which you can find in our Foodie Features section.) Our friends at Livewire also embodied this with a charity quiz for the eating disorder charity BEAT - you can read more about that on page 6.

Concrete spoke to campus to hear how students feel about the strikes and it seems we’re all for it. While I support lecturers’ right to safe and appropriate pensions, the opportunity to have their voices heard and the creative skill it takes to make a placard, it’s frustrating that it falls over my summative deadline. But this isn’t about me.

In this issue, Features looks at how protests have always been part of UEA. In “The history of protests at UEA” on page 11, writer Juliette Rey considers what UEA wants to fight for and how we go about it. From “die ins” to delays in pubic services, we know how to be heard.

On page 14, Finance talks unconditional offers, which is unsurprisingly a subject, like the strikes, that comes back to cash.

Reports suggest that unconditional offers are being increasingly awarded to students to boost numbers and paychecks, rather than on the merit of their academic accolades.

It’s uncomfortable to be viewed as simply a bag of money, a sentiment I’m sure striking staff share. Particularly as a student who got in on an unconditional, I am beginning to consider my own role in this conversation...

And finally, for an opportunity to talk about something other than strikes and what you did differently last week, Comment wants to know if you are mad for Mantra or in love with Loft? I will admit I am partial to a Thursday night at Loft. What’s not to love about cheap drinks and karaoke? But our writers make a strong debate for both sides on page 17.

Whether you too are on the picket line, or using time strikes to catch up on deadlines, turn to Concrete for a hand working out what’s going on at UEA. We’re all in this together because we all support the strikes - right?

concrete-online.co.uk Concrete_UEA concreteuea

The University of East Anglia’s Official Student newspaper since 1992 Tuesday 27th February 2018 Issue 349 Union House University of East Anglia Norwich NR4 7TJ 01603 593466 www.concrete-online.co.uk Editor-in-Chief Emily Hawkins concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk Deputy Editor Sophie Bunce concrete.deputy@uea.ac.uk Online Jacob Chamberlain Natalie Cotterill concrete.online@uea.ac.uk News News Editor: Matt Nixon Senior Reporter: Shannon McDonagh concrete.news@uea.ac.uk Global Eddie Booth concrete.global@uea.ac.uk Features Tony Allen Amy Newbery concrete.features@uea.ac.uk Comment Jack Ashton concrete.comment@uea.ac.uk Finance Finance Editor: Matt Denton Senior Reporter: Will Richardson concrete.finance@uea.ac.uk Science Science Editor: Beth Papworth Senior Reporter: Alex Millard concrete.scienv@uea.ac.uk Travel Beverly Devakishen concrete.travel@uea.ac.uk Sport Daniel Cook Sophie Christian concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk Chief Copy-Editors Hannah Brown Sophie Clayton concrete.copy@uea.ac.uk Marketing and Events Amelia Rentell Social Media Freddie Carty Art and Design Emily Mildren concrete.artdesign@uea.ac.uk

concrete_UEA Front page: Matt Nixon,Bill Kerr, Flickr, Benjamin Kua, Wikicommons, Antony Johnson M

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

No part of this newspaper may be reproduced by any means without the permission of the Editor-in-Chief, Emily Hawkins. 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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27th February 2018

Continued from front page

UCU said they were disappointed with. Prof Richardson called the dispute a national one “which has to be resolved at that level.”

He said UEA’s executives were concerned that “the pension scheme should continue to remain an attractive one for people entering academia and an affordable scheme with a sustainable, long-term future.”

He said: “At UEA I would like us to keep focused on the long-term

relationships with academics, professional staff and students once this debate is resolved."

Prof Richardson said he wished to assure students and staff that UEA was listening to and understanding staff concerns.

“I’m extremely mindful of the issues raised and the heartfelt stance of our staff,” he said.

Money not paid into striking staff wages will go into “a fund to support students to achieve their learning outcomes”. The VC said he would review how the fund could be used after the strike finishes, as “at this stage it is hard to know the full impact of the action."

Both the UEA UCU and Students’ Union welcomed the news of the student fund, however said they had reservations about the university’s handling of the dispute.

SU Postgraduate Education officer Maddie Colledge said it was “encouraging to learn that the Uni will n o t

let withheld wages from the strike disappear into the central pot”.

However, she said, “It is worrying that the intention seems to be to try spend this fund once it’s overwhich given the strength of feeling amongst our academics, could be months.” “We’ll be meeting with the University regularly to ensure that students’ concerns and voices are heard and communicated, that the Uni takes steps to support students throughout the period, and that this is done in a way that does not place undue pressure on academic staff or Associate Tutors that are also members of the SU.” A representative for UEA’s UCU told Concrete they were pleased by the university’s fund announcement, and they had made a formal request for such a fund to be instated.

“It has long been the position of the local UCU branch that any money the university saves from not paying wages during a strike should go into a student hardship fund. We continue to believe that the money should be primarily directed to alleviating student hardship and hope that this view will be taken into account when allocating these funds," he said.

YouGov found 61 percent of students supported the strike, reflective of UEA's 63 percent.

Photo: Matt Nixon

Vigil for missing Sophie planned at city Cathedral

A vigil for the peace of missing student Sophie Smith will be held on Saturday 3 March at 5pm at Norwich Cathedral.

Sophie went missing from her home in Gorleston on Boxing Day 2017 in the early hours of the morning and has still not been found.

Norwich Cathedral, and Sophie’s family and friends, invite all who knew her, were involved in the search, or who were affected by her disappearance to attend. The vigil will include music, readings, reflections, and the opportunity to light candles for Sophie.

The vigil will also be an opportunity to give thanks to all who helped in the days and weeks following Sophie’s disappearance and to come together to remember her.

Led by Andy Bryant, Canon for Mission and Pastoral Care at Norwich Cathedral, the Reverend Brian Hall, Vicar of St Andrews in Gorleston, will also be assisting in leading the vigil on Saturday.

The vigil will last around an hour.

Hannah Brown

The national picture The UCU organsied strikes are estimated to affect over one million students, with 575,000 teaching hours lost across the 64 universities participating.

Whilst most Student Unions backed the industrial action prior to the strikes, this has not been a universal stance.

In a poll held by the Students’ Union of Bath University, 54 percent of students voted against a motion supporting the strikes.

Similarly, the University of Exeter Students’ Guild declared a position of neutrality towards the strikes, yet this was reversed following pressure from students.

The Students’ Union of Warwick University has also come under fire after banning a strike-related meme from a Facebook page, bringing about accusations of censorship.

This follows several other incidents of speakers and newspapers being banned by the SU, the university's paper The Boar reported.

Strikes at the University of Sussex in Brighton made national news when a group of students supporting strike action broke into a lecture theatre, resulting in a minor clash between marchers and students attending the lecture.

At the same university, students

supporting the strikes blocked access to campus for public transport, leading Brighton & Hove Buses to drop the university from bus routes for the duration of the strikes.

Many more universities have had peaceful protests. After a march held by strikers and students from the University of Cambridge, a picnic was hosted in the centre of the campus, and trending Twitter hashtag #dogsonpicketlines has united people across universities in a mutual admiration of protest pups.

In a statement released on the first day of strikes, the ViceChancellor of Newcastle University, Professor Chris Day, voiced his support of the striking staff members and called upon Universities UK to recommence negotiations on pensions.

He is the first Vice-Chancellor to publicly support the strikes.

The first week of action saw staff at 57 universities strike.

This will rise to 61 in the second week, with the inclusion of two universities from Scotland and two from London.

In the third week three more universities will join the action, bringing the total number of striking universities to 64.

Tom Bedford

Extent of campus drinking revealed in survey Amy Newbery News Reporter Perhaps one of the biggest preconceptions about going to university is that students will be drinking alcohol 24/7. However, a survey conducted by the SU, in partnership with the National Union of Students (NUS), has shown this to be false, at least for students at UEA. A fresher might be afraid they will be judged if they do not drink, but, according to results from the survey which took place in November last year, 73 percent of UEA students reported they do not think you need to get drunk to have a good time.

Additionally, just under a third of students claimed they drink less than once a week. The same amount of students said they take precautionary measures to avoid getting excessively drunk, such as drinking water, avoiding shots, limiting their alcohol intake and predrinks, etc.

The survey takes place annually and was sent across the country so the NUS could attempt to “build a picture of student attitudes and experiences linked to a l c o h o l consumption, and to track long-term

trend in attitudes and behaviours.”

There also seems to be a misconception that all university students enjoy being wild and as some would put it, ‘troublemakers’.

However, 72 percent of UEA students claimed they do not enjoy socialising with people who are unreasonably intoxicated.

"Students are safer, better drinkers than most might think" Further to this, 90 percent of UEA students said they disagree with suggestion that people who don’t drink don’t know how to have fun. 34 percent of students said they have never felt expected to drink alcohol by their friends, and 71 percent of students said they think about their behaviour while drinking more than they used to.

It seems the most popular place for UEA students to drink was in their own home or campus accommodation, with 48 percent of students claiming they drink at home once a week or more.

The next most

common place UEA students choose to drink is at the union bar and LCR. SU Welfare, Community and Diversity officer India Edwards said: " These statistics demonstrate that a good proportion of students are aware of and responsible with their drinking habits, but we want to work to make sure that everyone knows their limits and has a great night out – whether they like to drink or not.

The Alcohol Impact Award is not about stopping students drinking, but creating an environment that's open to everyone, where no one feels pressured into drinking more than they're comfortable with and everyone can have a good, safe night out.

We're working in partnership with the University towards the award and reached out to the UEA Medical Centre to gauge their concerns about student drinking.

"They told us that 'Alcohol problems are common both among young people and in the wider community' and that they were concerned about the impact excessive drinking sessions could have on students' health and wellbeing."

With nine out of ten students agreeing with the claim that the people who are drinking are the most responsible for safe drinking at university, results from the survey suggest UEA students are safer, better drinkers than most might think.

In numbers: Do you need to be drunk to have a good time?

Yes 27%

No 73% "People who don't drink don't know how to have fun"

Agree 10%

Disagree 90%

4

27th February 2018

News MPs to investigate 'worrying' unconditional offers Imogen Barton News Reporter

Patrick Wiseman Comment Writer

MPs have announced plans to investigate why the number of unconditional offers given to students has increased by more than 1600 percent nationally in the past five years.

3,000

The total number of unconditional places offered in 2013

51,000

The total number of unconditional places offered in 2017

20%

'In defence of unconditionals'

The amount of students who received an unconditional offer in 2017

The Education select committee is looking into the matter as part of a wider debate over the value that university degrees provide.

According to UCAS, just under 3,000 18-year-old UK students (excluding Scotland) were offered unconditional places in 2013, compared to over 51,000 in 2017.

Nearly 260,000 sixth form students applied to university in 2017, of which almost 20 percent Continued from front page on Campus Kitchen to improve its practice and act within the law.”

"We have added additional signs displaying products containing nuts" Gavin Yuill, UEA’s Head of Catering and Hospitality said: “We take allergens very seriously and ensure that all food and drink has allergen information readily available.

“All of our staff undertake regular food safety training, which includes a session around allergies, and our staff are always on hand to offer advice and information regarding any of the products sold.

"We have selected personnel trained to Level 4 Award in Managing Food Safety.

“We hold an allergen folder at every outlet so that information is readily available for both customers and staff."

University outlets also encourage customers to ask if they have any concerns regarding allergens.

“Following this incident we have added additional signs displaying homemade products containing nuts, to further safeguard customers," Mr Yuill added.

Photo: Philip Halling, Geograph received an unconditional offer.

Additionally, students predicted to receive Cs were more likely to receive unconditional offers than straight A* students, with 10.6 percent of the former awarded unconditional offers compared to 4.6 percent of the latter.

The former universities minister, Lord Willets, claimed the figures were “worrying” and that it could result in students scraping through

their A-Levels without “working hard”.

Robert Halfon, the chair of the Commons education committee, went further by claiming that the rise in unconditional offers “is diluting the quality of education, and universities are clearly putting the need to secure funding [above standards].”

He later added: “I think part of it is unfortunately just to do with

resources and funding; they get the public subsidy from the loan.”

When responding on behalf of the higher education sector, Universities UK said: “Unconditional offers account for a very small proportion of all offers made by universities.

“It is simply not in the interests of universities to take students without the potential to succeed at university.”

Some may argue unconditional offers are unfair - that they’re just a guarantee to get tuition fees, and that they act as an unfair advantage to students who are awarded them Some may also argue students with unconditional offers don’t go through the same stresses during exam season and on results day that their peers with conditional offers do.

However I respectfully, but strongly, disagree, and that’s not just because I received an unconditional offer to study History prior to coming to UEA. With regards to the tuition fees argument, for instance, universities will get their tuition fees anyway, irrespective of unconditional offers.

It would just be from another student.

Secondly, those who are made an unconditional offer to study at university have earned it through years of consistent hard work and good exam results.

But that is not to say, of course, that conditional offer students don’t work as hard as their friends who receive a guaranteed place.

It is simply a matter of the university choosing from countless UCAS applications as to who they feel is most likely to thrive at their institution, and giving them their reward based on an unbiased UCAS reference and quality, long-standing academic performance.

East Anglia struggling to retain EU workers Danielle Prostrollo News Reporter A report outlining the potential impact of Brexit in Norfolk and Suffolk counties has warned against the possible consequences which leaving the EU will have on the two counties.

Commissioned by New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), with Norfolk and Suffolk County Councils, the report looked at key points of focus for the area’s economy, identifying both challenges and possible opportunities for local economies.

The report suggested Norfolk and Suffolk may get hit hard by Brexit.

Manufacturing, agriculture, construction and other industries provide many jobs in the area.

In these counties, attracting and retaining EU workers will be an important factor for the area's postBrexit economy.

This is because, within these industries, UK nationals make up less of the workforce.

In addition to job-related concerns, funding and foreign investment were noted as key focuses for the area.

This means that grants provided by the EU for three local area wind farms would, presumably, need to find alternate funding.

Photo: Pixabay But not all parties are voicing negativity.

The government maintains that after Brexit, the UK will have a "bold and ambitious economic partnership" with the European Union.

Similarly positive, the LEP reportalso suggested Brexit might

provide a potential opportunity for the UK to streamline regulations and may provide opportunity for businesses to explore previously untapped markets.

While the LEP report suggested an attempt to understand, and prepare for, the realities of leaving

the EU, very little is certain until the terms of the separation are negotiated.

At present, this report does well to highlight potential risks and opportunities but ultimately, the situation still ends with a question mark.

27th February 2018

News

Crowdfunder to buy refugees bikes UEA chiefs meet Charles Hannah Brown News Reporter

Photo: Bicycle Links Emily Hawkins Editor-in-Chief A collective of Norwich groups have joined forces to help crowdfund money for people seeking refuge in the city to buy bicycles.

The Welcome Wheels project aims to raise money to provide recycled secondhand bicycles, along with accessories and cycling training to local asylum seekers.

The project is organised by Bicycle Links, a social enterprise that recycles bikes, and New Routes Integration, Norwich International

News in brief

SU launches hotline for teaching spaces The SU have launched a hotline which enables students to report issues regarding the timetabling of inadequate teaching spaces.

Students who wish to raise any problems with their teaching spaces can now do so by contacting the SU hotline on 07919 540875.

Postgraduate Education Officer Maddie Colledge announced the creation of the hotline, which she hopes will “make sure every teaching space is fit for purpose”.

The hotline helps students address grievances about the suitability of their teaching facilities, and can be used to report a range of issues from room size and temperature to inadequate or broken equipment.

Last summer the university invested in making a number of improvements to teaching spaces across campus, including the refurbishment of Lecture Theatre 1. However, some students are still having their contact hours disrupted due to rooms being too small or containing faulty equipment.

The SU produced a video to raise awareness of the new reporting system. It aims to encourage more students to provide feedback about their own experiences in order to ensure that these issues can be resolved, and can be found on the SU website.

Lucy Mcnair

Youth Project, English+, City of Sanctuary, organisations that work with refugees in the city.

"Getting to an English class, or accessing a computer in the library, or volunteering, or joining a football club, all require transport," they said.

"Daily tasks we might take for granted, such as nipping to the shops or seeing friends, can be almost impossible for someone who has arrived in a new country with few possessions."

The group said the weekly allowance given to asylum seekers isn't usually enough for taking the

bus regularly, whereas cycling is "virtually free to do".

"Volunteering for New Routes and Norwich International Youth Project is an option for UEA students who want to help the refugee and asylum seeker community in Norwich," volunteer Oliver Legge, who presently researches in the School of Environmental Sciences, said.

The project aims to raise £8,500 in total over the next few months.

Those who wish to donate or pledge an item to the cause, should search 'Welcome Wheels crowdfunder' for the donations page.

UEA representatives visited Buckingham Palace last week on 22 February to receive the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education.

The prize was awarded by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla.

The School of Environmental Sciences received the award last year in November in its 50th anniversary year.

The School has become one of the largest and most fully-developed institutions of its kind in Europe since its foundation.

Its research and teaching addresses climate, ocean, and atmospheric interactions, as well as the governance of resources and sustainability. It also looks at the geosciences, and natural hazards

like tornados, landslides, and volcanic eruptions.

Head of School, Professor Kevin Hiscock, said: “The presentation was followed by a reception in the Picture Gallery, where postgraduate students from the School were able to speak to His Royal Highness, informing him of their research into ozone formation at the ground surface, jelly fish population dynamics, and riparian zone aquatic ecology.”

Attending with Prof Hiscock were postgraduate students, the Chancellor, Karen Jones, the ViceChancellor, Prof David Richardson, Director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, Prof Corinne Le Quéré, and Chair of Council, Joe Greenwell.

“It was a very memorable occasion for us all and a fitting tribute to the achievements of the School in the 50 years of its teaching and research,” Prof Hiscock said.

Photo: Michael Reeves, Wikimedia

Nearly all Vice-Chancellors attend own pay meetings Seàn Bennett News Reporter Findings by the University and College Union (UCU) have revealed that Vice-Chancellors at 95 percent of UK universities are on the committee that sets their pay or are allowed to attend its meetings.

"Three-quarters of universities refuse to issue full minutes of these meetings" As part of work regarding pay, perks and transparency at top universities, the UCU sent Freedom of Information requests to 158 institutions asking for details about membership to remuneration committees and recent minutes from their meetings.

Among the responsibilities of such committees is the task of setting Vice-Chancellor pay.

Of those asked, 47 percent of responding institutions revealed that their Vice-Chancellors were full members of their remuneration committees, with just seven of the remaining 53 percent of universities saying that their VC’s didn’t attend the committee meetings at all. 15

Photo: Matt Nixon universities refused to respond entirely.

The average pay of a ViceChancellor has seen significant growth in recent years, with an increase of over 56 percent between 2005 and 2016.

UCU has called for students and staff to sit on remuneration committees, with their minutes being made accessible to the public, and for Vice-Chancellors to be barred from attending, let alone partaking, in the meetings.

The organisations general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: “The time has come for proper transparency of senior pay and perks in our universities and that starts with full disclosure of the shadowy remuneration committee.

"It is scandalous that threequarters of universities refuse to issue full minutes of these meetings."

Hunt continued: “We need the Vice-Chancellor to be removed from the remuneration committee and barred from attending its meetings.

Staff and students should be given seats at the top table in universities and all minutes should be made public.”

The findings come amid tensions regarding ensuing industrial action by university staff over changes to their pensions.

Of the 64 universities with staff going on strike, only two have Vice-Chancellors who neither sit as members on their remuneration committees nor attend their meetings.

6

News News in brief

UEA hosts first day for diversity On Friday 23 February, UEA hosted its first ever ‘Diversity Day’ in the LCR. The event coincided with the Do Something Different Week festival and LGBT+ History month.

For students, the event was an opportunity to ask questions, watch film clips, view a mini-exhibition and watch UEA’s African Caribbean Society dance. The main objective was to raise awareness of equality issues and encourage students to embrace different interests.

The event also taught attendees more about UEA’s newly received ‘University of Sanctuary’ status, which was awarded for the university’s commitment to offering support and aid to those in need.

On the same day, UEA’s Straight Allies group also launched, as part of LGBT+ History month.

The university said this project “underpins UEA’s work on the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index and is being adopted across the higher education sector.”

In order to kick start UEA’s Straight Allies initiative, the first 100 people who signed up received free merchandise.

Beth Papworth

27th February 2018

Sustainability themed art exhibit installed Livewire charity quiz success

Photo: Dan Soper Tony Allen News Reporter

Photo: Emily Lewis Chloe Howcroft News Reporter An internationally toured, 60-metrelong, outdoor photography piece was installed halfway down Chancellor’s drive as part of UEA’s Go Green Week 2018, which is hosted by UEA’s Sustainable Development team.

‘WHOLE EARTH?’ is the successor project to ‘Hard Rain’, a

Language classes begin in spring Seàn Bennett News Reporter The University Language Office will once again be offering evening classes to all students, staff and members of the public in a variety of modern languages.

The next round of lessons will begin the third full week in April, commencing on the week beginning Monday 16 April, and ending in mid June (or early July for Monday classes due to bank holidays).

The Language Programme, housed in the PPL school, offers classes in Arabic, British Sign Language, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and S p a n i s h at a range o f competency levels.

The evening classes will cost £150 for 20 total hours of teaching, usually spread across 10 weeks.

The courses are a way to learn a new language without taking modules as part of a degree or affecting a student's academic timetable,

and will take place in the ARTS 1 building from 6:15pm to 8:15pm between Monday and Thursday each week.

UEA is an extremely multinational university, and different languages can be heard around campus every day.

Organisers hope that not only will learning another language be an excellent skill for students' professional lives, but could open up their personal lives to meeting new people and experiencing new cultures, or reliving known cultures in a deeper and more immersive way.

PPL students and all first year humanities students who wish to learn another l a n g u a g e might wish to enrol on noncredit daytime courses, one of which they will get free of charge each semester.

M o r e information about the evening classes can be found on the UEA website or by emailing ulp@uea.ac.uk.

photography exhibition created by photojournalist Mark Edwards.

It brings light to social, political and environmental issues such as human rights, overconsumption, water and food scarcity.

The thought-provoking exhibition aims to challenge universities across the world to lead society into a more sustainable future by giving students the opportunity to show how they can use their skills to support the

sustainability agenda.

In partnership with the National Union of Students, it has travelled around a number of universities including Canterbury Christ Church, Loughborough, London South Bank, Bristol, Cambridge, and Anglia Ruskin.

It has also travelled internationally, ranging from India to Sweden.

The exhibition will be on display until May, and is free for all to see.

Book Fair returns to LCR

UEA’s student radio station, Livewire1350, held a successful charity quiz night on Friday 16 February.

The latest running of the annual event, in Blue Bar, saw between 50 and 60 people taking part. More than £200 was raised for the eating disorder charity BEAT. Announcing the success of the night on Facebook, Livewire called BEAT "an amazing cause doing incredible work to break the stigma surrounding [eating disorders]."

Livewire’s Head of Events, Alex Dalton, who co-hosted the quiz with James Penny, said the event raised over £60 more than last year’s event.

He told Concrete: “I chose BEAT because they have an upcoming Eating Disorders Awareness Week at the end of the month, so this ties into that.

"We'll be fundraising more in the buildup and during Eating Disorders Awareness Week" Photo: Matt Nixon Tom Bedford News Reporter On Wednesday 28 February UEA Literature Society will host their second annual Book Fair, running between midday and 4pm in the LCR and Hive.

"It seems the Fair will definitely be one for the books" Commemorating World Book Day, which takes place the day after, the Book Fair promises to sell a variety of second hand books, with

all proceeds going to Oxfam.

Last year’s first Literature Society Book Fair, also in the LCR, included stalls from a variety of societies including Egg Box Publishing and the UEA Baking Society, and featured performances from the Creative Writing Society and Live Music Society.

Many of these societies are expected to be returning for the 2018 Book Fair.

A book donation point has been left upstairs in the Hive for anyone willing to donate books for the fair, and Literature Society is looking for volunteers to help with the running of the stalls.

With over 700 people currently “interested” or “going” on the Book Fair’s Facebook event, it seems the Fair will definitely be one for the books.

“We’ll be fundraising more in the build-up and during Eating Disorders Awareness Week. [Also] the fact that eating disorders are something that impacts young people harder than most.”

The winning team of the quiz, 'Steamed Hams', won a meal for four at Nando's.

Runners up 'Are These Friendships Worth It?' won a load of various Livewire themed goodies.

BEAT Eating Disorder Awareness Week began on Monday 26 February.

This week, the charity is asking the question “why wait?” in response to their statistic that an average of 149 weeks elapse before those with symptoms of eating disorders look for help.

The week will see a variety of fundraising and campaigning, including ‘sock it to eating disorders’ which encourages individuals to get sponsored for wearing a brightly coloured pair of socks.

vote now for your new SU officers at uea.vote voting closes 12.00 tue 6th mar

8

Global

27th February 2018

Mueller indicts thirteen in election investigation

Special prosecutor draws first blood in Russia probe, Eddie Booth reports Special prosecutor Robert Mueller, tasked with investigating links between the Trump campaign and Russian interference in the 2016 election, has filed charges against 13 Russian nationals, as his investigation continues. A federal grand jury indicted the suspects last week.

Mueller alleges in the charges that the individuals communicated with unwitting members of the Trump Campaign, with the goal of enhancing Donald Trump’s electoral chances and damaging those of his defeated opponent, Hilary Clinton.

Notably, the indictment stopped short of any allegation or suggestion that members of the Trump campaign had actively colluded with any of the charged individuals. This is not to say that Mueller will not indict an American in the future, but for now he has steered clear of what would be a watershed moment, charging a domestic citizen.

The charges began back in 2014, and continued in the run up to the 2016 election, which Trump won in a shock victory by a margin of a few hundred thousand votes across four states. This is relevant in a

Photo: White House, Wikimedia political context, because it raises question marks over the validity of a result which suffered from a direct attempt at foreign interference. For many Democrats, proof of Russian involvement is only the secondary goal to proving the formers success.

In other words, did the involvement of third party forces flip enough votes to have changed the election result?

Though it will be nearly impossible to prove this suspicion, it is likely to be a political hot

button issue as the 2018 midterms approach.

The President has been increasingly open in his criticism of the Mueller investigation, as well as the wider role of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, even laying

the blame for the failure of the Florida regional office to follow up on a tip off about Florida shooter Nikolas Cruz on the distraction and resources allocated to the Russia probe. Tweets have come in thick and fast and Trump seeks to prove his innocence and shift attention to the various scandals that plagued the ill-fated Clinton campaign. It is plausible that Trump’s concern comes from the likely question of Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and senior political advisor. Kushner has been accused of brokering a meeting with a person claiming to represent the Kremlin, and wishing to supply damaging information on Hilary Clinton.

These indictments also suggest that Mueller is treating Russian interference as an electoral law issue, and investigations will focus on those potential breaches.

Additionally, Mueller is seeking to establish whether Trump or those around him deliberately sought out damaging information on Clinton from foreign agents. If this were to be proved, a constitutional crisis would beckon. For the first time in almost two decades, the whispers of impeachment can be heard.

South Africa: President pushed out by own party Sean Bennett Global Writer After serving nine years as President of South Africa, and on the eve of a vote of no confidence, Jacob Zuma has resigned from his position amid mounting pressure from both the electorate and his own party. The nation’s fourth head of state since the end of apartheid, Mr Zuma was elected to office in 2009. Hailing from a poor and uneducated background, the charming and humorous exfreedom fighter was seen as a candidate of the people, the herald of the everyman. Following the more aloof administration of his predecessor.

A member of the African National

Photo: South Africa Tourism

Congress (ANC) from an early age, Zuma was imprisoned on Robben Island along with other ANC rebels, notably Nelson Mandela, the inaugural holder of the office Zuma would later fill, having been charged with conspiracy to overthrow the government of the day. Following his release, he was instrumental in the rebuilding of the ANC, the party that would dominate South African politics for years to come.

Yet his heroic past would not be enough to negate the scandals that would follow.

Allegations spanning over two decades of soliciting bribes, corruption, fraud, moneylaundering and taxevasion, among other things, would all hang over Zuma’s presidency.

In 2006, the president was acquitted of a rape allegation.

The case, despite its resolution, cast a spotlight not only on the

treatment of women in South Africa as a whole, but also Zuma’s personal behaviour towards the opposite sex. During the legal proceedings, the president made a comment regarding the HIVpositive status of his alleged victim, with whom he claimed to have had consensual sex.

The indelicate remark, pertaining to a devastating health crisis in the nation, would resurface numerous times to haunt him.

Known as a womaniser, the now former president is an open polygamist, having been married six times and has fathered over 20 children. Though the practice of having multiple wives is legal in the republic, it is controversial, not least for such a high ranking public figure.

Growing concerns of the president’s corruption, and constant legal disputes were compounded

by Zuma’s flourishing relationship with the Indian-born G u p t a

family, a multi-million dollar business family with whom he was accused of colluding in order to secure them government contracts.

The allegations are denied by both parties and in January of this year, just a few weeks before his resignation, the president approved an inquiry into the matter. Early morning police raids on the Gupta’s Johannesburg residences took place on the morning of Zuma’s resignation.

As calls for his resignation mounted on all sides, the president remained steadfast in his position for a considerable length of time.

A meeting of the ANC National Executive Committee ordering him to resign by the 14th February appeared to fail in spurring any action, until the parties Chief Whip added that a parliamentary vote of no-confidence would take place the following day, on Thursday 15 February.

In the end, Zuma complied.

On 14 February, he resigned from office in a televised speech

despite having told a state broadcast earlier that day that there was ‘too much of a rush’ for him to step down.

His recall was in no small part orchestrated by the man who would succeed him not 24 hours later – ANC president and former deputy to Zuma, Matamela Cyril Ramphosa.

Ramphosa has announced plans to overhaul ‘bloated’ public services and introduce ‘lifestyle audits’ for top government officials; policies which carry with them a decisive air of de-Zumerisation, damaged by the scandals of the now-former president.

The fall of Zuma has long been awaited, and he leaves behind him a more fractured nation. Ramaphosa will hope to present a better, cleaner future for South Africa.

9

27th February 2018

USA: School shooting sparks gun conversation Beth Papworth Global Writer An adolescent gunman murdered 17 people and injured several others after opening fire at a high school in Parkland, Florida. Police reported Nikolas Cruz, an expelled former student, was armed with an AR15 rifle when he started a Valentine’s Day rampage.

Marjory Stoneham Douglas High School reported gun shots shortly before the end of the school day.

Jeiella Dodoo told CBS News: “I heard about six gunshots and then some people started running.”

Witnesses described how students hid wherever they could as shots were fired across the school campus. Survivor Kyle Yeoward

said that fifteen other students, a teacher, and himself hid in a storeroom for approximately two hours, before police arrived on the scene. On arrival, police and SWAT teams surrounded the campus and started clearing students from the school premises. The gunman, hidden in the crowd, was among the hundreds of people escaping the building, authorities reported. Nikolas Cruz, formerly expelled for disciplinary reasons, was arrested by police Coral Springs an hour after the attack had taken place. He was taken to a nearby hospital before being transferred to police custody.

According to the Miami Herald, records obtained from Florida’s Department of Children and Families imply that Cruz

suffered from mental health issues.

Authorities have also found pictures filled with him posing with guns on his social media page. Nikolas Cruz has in total been charged of seventeen accounts of premeditated murder and is considering pleading guilty to life without parole. The death penalty is available in the State of Florida.

According to the attorney, “Cruz seemed to be getting his life back together, getting over his depression, the loss of his mother.”

Cruz reportedly lived with a friend’s family after the death of his mother in November. The family hosting Cruz also had a son who attended the school and was on campus during the shooting. The FBI have come under fire for failing to act on a tip-off about Cruz, and the issue has sparked another conversation about gun rights in the USA.

The second amendment: divisive and enduring “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the preservation of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” This is the text of the second amendment to the US constitution, which guarantees the right of American citizens to possess firearms. It is perhaps the

most controversial amendment at present, with yet another school shooting dominating the headlines.

The second amendment effectively prevents the outlawing of private gun ownership, and is a deeply divisive issue.

The National Rifle Association) (NRA) is one of the largest pressure

groups in the USA, and lobbies for the continuation of the second amendment.

The Democrats’ opposition to the amendment has become something of a litmus test on the left.

Cultural devotion to firearms remains strong in deep-red states.

Eddie Booth

Scott Arthur on the threat of Boko Haram A triple suicide attack has killed at least 18 in the town of Konduga in Borno State, north-eastern Nigeria.

The bombings, which targeted a popular fish market, are believed to have been perpetrated by Boko Haram militants, although the terrorist group are yet to claim official responsibility.

This attack continues the humanitarian crisis in northeastern Nigeria, which has left at least 20,000 people dead and approximately 2.6 million without homes since 2009. The number of displaced persons has led to the region becoming increasingly dependent on aid handouts, which are also commonly targeted by suicide bombers in an attempt to maximise casualties. Markets – such as the case here – are also often targeted for attacks, as they are consistently busy throughout the day.

Various sources close to the event have claimed that the bombs were detonated by three young women, which is very much in the style of Boko Haram, who are increasingly relying on indoctrinated women and adolescents to conduct bombings.

This attack throws doubt on the claim by Nigerian officials that Boko Haram are beaten. Indeed, in December 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari claimed that Nigeria had “technically” defeated

the group. Additionally, Colonel Rave Abubakar – the Director of Information at the Nigerian Army Defence Headquarters – has stated that the “terrorists have been subdued” and “completely decimated.” However, with this being the latest in a string of attacks, it seems that such claims are premature to say the least.

While it is believed that there are only approximately 300 Boko Haram fighters left, the group actually killed more than 900 people in 2017 – more than it managed in 2016.

Boko Haram, who were closely aligned with the so-called Islamic State during much of 2015 and 2016, rose to international infamy for their abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in April 2014 and for their massacre of between 150 and 2000 people in the town of Baga in 2015.

The group have been fighting a bloody insurgency against what they believe to be the ‘westernisation’ of Nigeria since 2009. Opposed to anything but the strictest interpretations of sharia law and supporting the creation of an Islamic state in the area, the group has additionally denounced much of mainstream Islam as heretical and has gained notoriety for its aggressive opposition to western education and liberal values generally within Nigeria.

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Features

10

27th February 2018

Caught between cultures Amy Newbery Features Editor

It’s a strange situation I find myself in, not really fitting in anywhere completely. I know how sad that sounds but I’m not particularly miffed about it. It’s comparable to being a third-culture kid. You’re a part of many different cultures but don’t truly fit in one entirely.

Of course, I am one in the sense that I came from overseas but I’m not one in the stereotypical sense. You know, the typical image of an international student from A s i a consists of not

affiliation with that. I’ve only once, and felt there

Vietnam other than visited the country more of a stranger than I did in Hong Kong and England.

E v e n t h o u g h my case sounds

“Whilst I was born and raised in Hong Kong, I never considered myself a true local” Whilst I was born and raised in Hong Kong, I never considered myself a true local as I never learnt Cantonese, and I went to an international school. That doesn’t mean Hong Kong isn’t home to me because it is.

Even so, I sometimes felt like a bit of a foreigner in my own country.

It was the same when I moved to England for university. Being adopted and raised by two English parents, I was often exposed to British culture within my own home in Hong Kong.

It amused me, being enrolled as an international student at the UEA.

speaking somewhat f l u e n t Photo: Gellinger, Pixabay u n i q u e , English, not it’s a common wanting to interact occurrence within with people that aren’t the same international schools. There are so nationality, etc. It is a bit isolating at many students that are influenced times when you feel like you don’t by multiple cultures, and whilst belong somewhere properly. some adapt without issues, others Additionally, I’m ethnically find it more difficult.

Vietnamese so there’s another I think the worst part is the aspect added to what I perceive homesickness. Hong Kong and to be my ‘origins’. Although I’m England are so vastly different in Vietnamese by race, I have very little some aspects, I can’t help but miss

home when I’m at university.

As Chinese New Year approaches, I find myself craving mooncakes and sad that I’m missing out on all the festivities.

On the other hand, it’s been akin to a blessing. I’ve been fortunate enough to have the privilege to travel to so many amazing places.

It’s always a special moment when I meet another student that went to an international school (and even more special if they did IB).

There’s this instant connection and understanding of what it’s like to be caught been multiple cultures and places. If I could change it, I wouldn’t. Being caught between cultures has its downs but ultimately, I’m glad it is the way it is.

My belief is that the more exposed and educated you are about different cultures, the better person you’ll be. You become more open-minded, more understand and more appreciative.

And you find yourself with friends all over the world. Even now, my friends from high school are scattered over the globe; USA, Canada, Switzerland, etc.

So maybe I don’t belong in one specific country and culture.

So what? You don’t need to tied to one place to belong somewhere, to feel like you’re at home. Hopefully, anyone who reads this, who’s also caught between cultures, will laugh with understanding and realise that they’re not alone.

Beverly Devakishen on Chinese New Year The lunar new year h a s finally come, and for many of us, that means a fresh flow of amazing food, reunions with friends and family, a little bit of extra money and lots of joy.

“So what is Norwich doing to celebrate?”

Historically, celebrations started according to traditional lunisolar Chinese, East Asian and Southeast Asian calenders. Families and friends would go to each other’s houses. It has always been a timehonoured period of heartfelt gatherings.

In most regions, people would bring oranges to the houses they

visited, and the hosts would give hongbao (red packets) to unmarried guests. This usually means that the younger kids get pretty rich.

This custom started with an traditional story about red packets warding off evil and protecting the younger generation. Of course, lunar new year isn’t all about the money. One of the most exciting traditions of the lunar new year is the lion or dragon dance. A professional troupe of dancers, usually in groups of two or three, bring these important oriental animals to life. They do so by doing acrobatic stunts and controlling the head and body of the lion or dragon.

They are usually accompanied by a band of professional musicians who add to the intense atmosphere.

The whole display is incredibly colourful and loud, as this well-loved tradition is historically supposed to scare off demons so that people could start the new year well.

In certain parts of Asia, one can witness lion or dragon dance troupes going from door to door to bring good luck to people’s homes, shops and schools.

So what is Norwich doing to celebrate this joyous occasion? The city has held a couple of events in

honour of the lunar new year.

A Chinese new year auction and buffet has been organized by Norwich City Council at the Riverside Chinese buffet.

As food is extremely central to the celebration of the new year this is the perfect way to celebrate.

Additionally, World Café organised a night of food and games for Chinese new year.

“World Café organised a night of food and games for Chinese new year” This will give people a chance to get together to learn about Chinese culture and have fun.

UEA students have been equally as enthusiastic about the new year.

There was a Spring Festival Gala at the LCR. The event that was run by the Chinese Students and Scholars Association. It saw a night complete with dragon dances and traditional musical performances.

Additionally, Southeast Asian society had a hotpot buffet at Wanfo,

and Singapore Society had a steamboat dinner at Baby Buddha.

You can see how important it is to these communities that they gather as a group and have an authentically prepared dinner.

One significant dinner tradition that is still upheld today is lousang.

It is the act of mixing yusheng (literally translated ‘raw fish salad’) as a family or group.

Everyone uses their chopsticks to try to mix the ingredients, lifting them up high for luck. It’s always great fun and is one of my favourite traditions.

The lunar new year will always be close to my heart, and for those who grew up celebrating it, I’m sure it will always be a special two weeks for them too.

Mother’s Day, the modern way Amelia Rentell Features Writer Until the age of eighteen, I was a certified daddy’s girl. If you needed to find him, all you had to do was look at my little finger. When he died unexpectantly, my mother became my superhero.

I won’t be home to celebrate her on 11 March, but I have some other options up my sleeve.

The world is always creating new technological advances. One of them, is Skype. If you can’t see your mother on Mother’s Day, arrange to Skype her. She doesn’t need a fancy present, or for most of our budgets, another candle. Just tell her you love her, you appreciate her and you’ll see her soon.

Another option is to have Mother’s Day when you can see her.

We have delayed birthday parties all the time, there’s nothing wrong with a delayed Mother’s Day. Americans don’t celebrate Mother’s Day until May 13th, why not be cultural and do the same?

There’s a letterbox just outside the SU Shop. If you can afford the ever rising price of a stamp, write to her. A handwritten letter (if your handwriting is more legible than mine) delivers straight to the heart.

Mother’s Day is, in a way, like Valentine’s Day. It’s a day to show someone you love them, even though we should do so every day.

For some us, our parents don’t live a short trip round the corner, they’re a £250 train journey away or a flight to another country. Just because we can’t see them as often as we would like, it does not mean we don’t love them fiercely.

For those who have faced one of the most awful tragedies, the death of a mother, Mother’s Day can be a painful and dreaded day. It’s hard to log on to social media and see dozens of posts of smiling faces celebrating relationships that have still got years to expand.

It is okay to take a day for yourself and completely ignore any like mongering posts that elicit sharp pains to the chest. You love your mother, that will always be a given.

It can still be a day to take some quiet time to celebrate one of the most important women in your life. Perhaps do something that she would have enjoyed, eat or drink something that was her favourite, talk to other members of your family, they will want to help you.

It’s a hard day, but you will get through it.

I underestimate my mother more often than I would like to admit. She is kind, caring and funny. I am lucky not only to be her daughter, but to be her friend.

Mothers do extraordinary things all over the world, 24/7. If you are lucky enough to be able to, don’t forget to tell her you love her on 11 March.

11

27th February 2018

A history of protests at UEA

Lewis Martin

Juliette Rey Features Writer Strikes are the hot topic of the moment on campus, with the lecturer’s strike due to take place across the UK. Members of the UCU, the largest staff union in the UK, will be taking part in a strike that will last for 14 days over a four week period, against changes that would drastically affect the USS pension scheme.

Also known as a labour strike, or industrial action, a strike is defined as a stoppage caused by mass refusal by employees to work, usually due to employee grievances.

Strikes became common during the industrial revolution, due to the growing importance of mass labour in factories and mines and are often used as a form of pressure on the governments to change their policies.

Strikes are undertaken during collective bargaining (a process of negotiation between employers and employees to achieve agreements regarding several aspects of workers’ compensation and rights) and are used as a last resort.

When trade union members cannot come to an agreement, through these negotiations, with employers, this usually results in strike action.

UEA has had its fair share

of strikes, many having been undertaken by students. In 1971, a student named Bill Hutchinson was found possessing drugs and was expelled.

However, an uproar ensued when he was punished for the same crime twice.

A sit-in was organised by the students, in which the arts building was taken over for around 10 days.

Students and lecturers alike took part. More recently, in 2016, a ‘die in’ at the Registry office (pictured) was organised to protest UEA’s investment in fossil fuels.

This involved the students lying on the ground, on the reception area of the office, and imitating being dead. Their demands included

that the university walk away from fossil fuels.UEA did this earlier this academic year, showing victory for activists at last. The effect of a strike clearly depends on the scale and impact it has.

“A ‘die in’ at the Registry office was organised to protest UEA’s investment in fossil fuels” Historically, strikes have been effective and changed the course of businesses, strengthened unions and set the tone for future strikes.

Indeed, in 1968, women from Dagenham, working at Ford as sewing machinists, walked out after having their job downgraded to unskilled. This brought production to a halt and led to the 1970 Equal Pay Act. The popular miners’ strikes of 1972 and ’74 bought down Ted Heath’s Tory government.

The pay dispute between the National Union of Mineworkers and the Conservative government, ended when the miners accepted an improved pay offer. It is difficult to say whether this lecturer strike will be successful, having only just started.

However, the impact of unity and determination in the face of injustice shouldn’t be underestimated.

Scarlet Francis on the exploitation of students by landlords As an UEA student, the notion of landlords ripping off students seems to be an epidemic - but is this actually true?

I distributed a survey via social media, imploring students to answer questions based on their own experiences with landlords.

Amongst the anonymous respondents, 74 percent stated that they felt landlords were taking advantage of students.

The comments varied, but themes such as poor condition of housing, vulnerability of students and a general acknowledgement of a disparity between family and student housing were abundant.

For instance, one respondent illuminated the disparity and argued, “The rent for residential houses, that are in much better keeping, and well looked after with the same amount of facilities and bedrooms, are the same price that one student pays for their room alone.”

It was clear that a proportion of respondents attributed this to the

estate agents and not the landlord.

Comments made highlighted that, “it’s easy to rip off students as we have no previous experience in renting and when there is limited housing.”

“It’s easy to rip off students as we have no previous experience in renting” The notion of disingenuous estate agents is further reinforced by another comment that states, “Estate agents try and take money off you left, right and centre-charging to pay by credit card, making ridiculous claims in the damage deposit that you can’t appeal.”

Questions arise, such as what is being done at the university to protect students from being taken

advantage of? Do they vet estate agents and landlords, if at all? An SU spokesperson said, “Landlords advertising on Home Run agree to operate within our minimum standards.

“These include important safety features, supplying up to-date gas and electrical safety certificates, and not charging fees for the setup of a tenancy.”

However the issue of ‘Letting Agents Fees’ failed to be mentioned.

UEA students have often been charged an additional fee on top of their deposit.

This often occurs if agents are involved, which only serves to exploit students further.

Luckily Home Run properties must not charge extra fees to be allowed onto the list, though the private sector can charge additional fees.

If you are a fan of a proposition, to reduce or abolish fees, then you will be glad to know that, according to gov.co.uk the government are

working on, “New measures to provide a fairer deal for renters by banning unfair letting agent fees.”

One drawback of this is that there is not a timescale given, so we are unsure of when that will be achieved.

Although 74 percent of the sample believed that their landlord was taking advantage of them, it is important to acknowledge that 53 percent were happy with their landlord in ensuring the upkeep of the property.

On the contrary, 53 percent is still a low majority.

A large amount of students live off campus.

A very unfortunate few are left to live in deteriorating properties due to a lack of choice.

Some of these students experience hardships such as “rats which went unsorted for months”, “mould”, and “no hot water for a month.”

If you have had similar experiences then it is important to

get educated and know your rights.

Advice SU can help with the most frequent student housing issues including advice on legal rights and responsibilities as a tenant and support with requesting repairs to a property.

I f you are dissatisfied with your landlord or letting agents, find a voice and articulate your issues coherently.

It is incredibly unfair.

No student should have to live in squalor just because they are a student.

Vecteezy

12

27th February 2018

Features

Snapchat’s self-sabotage Dorothy Reddin Features Writer

The new Snapchat update is angering users, including myself.

An online petition against the app update has collected over 1.2 million signatures so far, suggesting that the update is absolutely terrible.

The new update means that people’s ‘stories’ can no longer be viewed on the right-hand screen; in its place a ‘discovery page’ has been put there, where stories of public figures can be viewed as well as ad-supported short-form entertainment.

As a result, simply viewing people’s ‘stories’ has become much more difficult as you can no longer view them as quickly. Instead, one must tap the screen before each new user’s story uploads onto Snapchat.

This is not the first update by Snapchat to garner controversy

however; in June 2017, the release of ‘Snap Map’ was met with many concerns because it enables ‘friends’ on the app to see where you are, what you’re doing and when you’re doing it due to your position on the ‘Snap Map’.

However, at least with this update, each user had to opt-in to enable the feature. With the current Snapchat update, many users found their app, including my own, automatically updating to a version which was highly unpopular with most users.

Although constant updates on your phone/computer can be annoying, whether it be Snapchat or iTunes, their purpose is to improve the performance, stability, and security of the applications that run on your devices.

Therefore, updates improve the overall efficiency of the app at hand.

However this does not change the fact that the new Snapchat

update is immensely unpopular with lifelong users, as it is such a drastic change from the old format.

I used to love swiping across to the right-hand screen to have a cheeky browse through people’s stories, and even create a playlist of the stories I wanted to watch.

“Simply viewing people’s ‘stories’ has become much more difficult” However I can no longer do this; instead I must flick through everyone’s stories in order to find the one I want to watch. Plus the discovery page is equally as difficult to navigate, as the celebrities’ stories are arranged in such a weird fashion that they are surrounded by

advertisements and various tabloid posts.

This particular update is just one example of an unpopular update. For example, Apple’s new phone software iOS 11 is ruffling a few feathers for the battery is appearing to die a lot faster than before.

Moreover, Instagram, the popular app to share various images and videos to your followers, copied Snapchat’s feature of posting ‘stories’ that are available to watch for twenty-four hours.

Snapchat have issued a statement that they will alter some features of the new update, however returning completely to the old format does not seem likely.

This shows that the negative reviews have not been taken into account by Snapchat, for they are determined not to return to the old, more popular version of the app.

Images: Marco Gonzales, Pixabay

“A long way from a pitchforked mob”

Jack Ashton visited 40 Days for Life during their Norwich protest and asked what we’re all thinking: why?

The phrase ‘antiabortion protestors’ paints the picture of an angry mob, armed with pitchforks all but exchanged for graphic pictures of unborn children.

So upon hearing there was such a protest in Norwich, you’d be forgiven for walking past the handful of peaceful protesters on Bowthorpe Road without batting an eyelid.

The protest was held by Norwich’s branch of the antiabortion charity, 40 Days for Life, who’s history is marred with problematic events, including one incident in which a man brandished a gun at a protest in America.

Thankfully Norwich’s protesters were meek in comparison.

Seeming nervous as I approached, things quickly settled down when I spoke to Eldred, a 56-year-old campaigner and spokesperson for the charity in Norwich. He started by telling me how he got involved in this line of activism. ”I’ve gradually developed concerns about life over a period of many years... not just unborn children but anyone that’s vulnerable, that’s the basis of our society... I’ve always had a pro life conviction, but it’s become more focused as I’ve seen more of life.”

Similarly to most students, I have a relatively pro-choice leaning, so I was keen to understand what would make someone campaign for a pro-life cause, whether it be religious or personal grounds.

Eldred explained it was both, saying “citizens have to be responsible for what happens in their city... I think we should be

responsible for vulnerable women and unborn children.

“He stressed that 40 Days for Life, although a primarily Christian charity, is open to all faiths” But there is also a religious motivation, I’m Catholic and believe God created life and he is the only person who should create it or take it away.”

He stressed that 40 Days for Life, although a primarily Christian charity, is open to all faiths.

The impression I was getting was far from what I expected. I saw less of angry protesters and more of a peaceful vigil.

They said their aim was to not distress, and when I pointed out that their mere presence may be distressing for people seeking to use the service, Eldred highlighted the signs they brought along which read “Pregnant?

Worried?

Can we help?” explaining that they “show there is actually hope.”

It all seemed a bit too good to be true, especially considering my previous expectations. So I thought I’d ask Eldred about specific instances of abortion, and

although he explained that the charity doesn’t seek to make any legislative change to the law, but instead focuses on helping women directly who are considering abortions, he did say that even in cases of rape “I don’t think you’re going to help a woman by giving an abortion, that could potentially damage her physically and psychologically.”

I pointed out the psychological concerns about having to bear a child conceived in such a way, and in response Eldred drew attention to not only the psychological, but the physical implications of abortion.

When asked what he would say to a woman seeking

Max Pixel

abortion, he said he “would want her to really make sure she’s understood the physical implications for herself.

For instance, it can lead to sterility.”

The NHS advises that, “Having an abortion won’t usually affect your chances of becoming pregnant and having normal pregnancies in the future.”

“The protest was held by Norwich’s branch of the antiabortion charity” Instead of abortion, Eldred prefers to point people seeking to use the service to other options, including foster homes, saying “many more couples wanting to adopt children than children wanting to be adopted.”

According to Kevin Williams, Chief Executive of The Fostering Network, a child comes into the foster care system every 20 minutes, and figures obtained

by The Metro show that in May 2017 over 7000 new foster families were needed to deal with the increasing demand.

I spoke to another protester (who wishes to remain anonymous) whose protest was inspired by her own experiences of nearly

being aborted before she was born.

Her husband alerted her to the work of the charity in Norwich, and she believed her own personal history was what gave her a pro-life conviction.

She shared her story with me in the hopes of inspiring others.

“I was adopted at 10 days old, but my mother was under a lot of pressure to not go through with the pregnancy because she didn’t have any support...

[I was only born] because she had the support of a sister who encouraged her to go through with it, but the rest of her family didn’t want to know any more about it, and she was sent away to another part of the country so the pregnancy was hidden.”

“I do feel that my life was saved, and I’m very grateful. I can’t imagine to have had that chance of life taken away, and it was very close.”

As we got talking more, she light heartedly chastised me for giving her the label of ‘activist’, saying “I don’t feel it’s like a demonstration in an active sense.

I’m here to pray for life and protection for life... We’re fundamentally Christian; we believe in life, we believe life was given by God as a gift and as a gift to cherish and something very precious.”

I was pleasantly surprised by my visit. Although I believe the approach of the people there is fundamentally wrong, and that abortion rates are best reduced through contraception and education, they were far from the angry devilish creatures you tend to see at these kinds of protests, and their prayer vigil was a long way away from a pitchforked mob.

27th February 2018

Foodie Features

What UEA takes-away East Chinese Takeaway 86 Colman Road With free deliveries on orders over £16 and all-round great quality food, East Chinese is one of the best takeaways in Norwich.

You’ll have to ring up because you won’t be able to find them on Hungryhouse or Just Eat, but very friendly customer service makes up for that and when the food arrives there won’t be any complaints.

They won’t leave you waiting around for long either; they are often very prompt. Also, if you like the look of their meal deals, these provide a range of dishes with even better value for money.

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East Chinese Takeaway 166A Unthank Road You walk in all hungry, you ring that little bell, sit there and watch the news while the gentleman who seems to never leave goes into the back and produces the magic.

They manage to make the best tofu I’ve ever eaten each and every time, their chips become this weird blend of Chinese and chippy chips which just pips the competition and my friends still haven’t managed to stop going on about their satay sauce. It sounds so good it makes me genuinely consider just how serious my nut allergy really is..

Larkman

Fish

Bar

2A Larkman Lane Tough competition this one.

Dereham Road’s Mr.Cod reopening as The Codfather caused genuine scenes in my house. However, Larkman Lane’s Larkman Fish Bar takes the cake.

Consistently massive portions of chips satisfy my ridiculously picky vegan needs, and the sight of all my housemates devouring their fish and chips is becoming a regular occurance. Consistent quality all round.

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Restaurant review: Dan Struthers on Brick Pizza

Dominoes Multiple chains Veggie pizza. Thin crust. Regular Sauce. No cheese. Job’s a good’n.

A summative period life saver, Dominoes has come in handy one too many times throughout the last year. Their endless amount of deals leads from you feeling a bit peckish to the whole house sitting and eating pizza within the hour. You’ve not gotta worry about your pizza being cold, or sub-par in any way.

Quality is consistent each time, plus you get that little dude who talks you through your order and that’s just cute.

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Dellacasa 81 Lovelace Road Okay, so the people who get kebabs on any other time except a night out are odd, and I’m judging you all.

However, the one time that it is an absolute necessity is post night out food, that’s why Siciliano takes the cake, or the kebab, or the pizza, or yeah...

Situated near Prince of Wales road, it’s a short walk from anywhere decent in Norwich. Stumble in, tell the boss man you want some chips and he’ll have you them in 30 seconds flat, which is exactly what you want from a kebab shop. It’s never going to be gourmet food, but it’s exactly what you need it to be.

Joel Shelley and Jack Ashton

You wouldn’t think from the location, hidden away behind The Sir Garnet and to one side of the market, that Brick Pizza was much to write home about but then you would be falling for the oldest trick in the book: judging a book by its cover.

Likewise, even when you enter the venue, which looks like it could squeeze 20 people in at a push, it consists entirely of wooden tables and benches more reminiscent of a school cafeteria than a fancy restaurant.

“Definitely pay a visit to before you leave Norwich” However if you don’t mind a sore bum for half an hour or so, the wooden benches are worth putting up with to sample the wood fired thin crust pizza.

Ranging from £8 for a Margarita to £12 for the fancier pizzas, you truly get value for money with a full sized pizza.

I decided to go for one of the more unusual pizzas that Brick offered, the carbonara, which included toppings of bacon, parmesan and egg.

While putting the ingredients of a traditional Italian pasta dish on a pizza might sound rather stomach-churning, it is actually surprisingly a great combination.

Whoever is inventing all these bizarre pizza combinations should be congratulated but, while this is an example of ingenuity, there are plenty of examples of offenders that experiment too much and cross the line.

I am of course talking about ham and pineapple, as we all know the only fruit that belongs on a pizza is tomato (and that always seems more like a vegetable than a fruit anyway).

Anyway, my feelings towards ham and pineapple aside for one minute, Brick is a staple of good Italian food in Norwich.

While it may be rather hidden away, its reputation precedes it as many have been there, or at least recognise it as a great little restaurant. I got there at 7 on Monday and it was fairly quiet so my advice is get there for an early dinner on a weekday as by the time it got to 8 it was packed, and that’s nothing compared to what it gets like on a frantic weekend.

Overall, if you are looking for authentic Italian pizza, none of that Dominoes American deep pan nonsense, then you need look no further than Brick.

With affordable prices as well this is somewhere to definitely pay a visit to before you leave Norwich but make sure you get there early to avoid disappointment.

Can you cope without caffeine? Coffee culture says no Jess Barrett Features Writer 9am lectures. Summative stress.

Exam revision.

There are many reasons that you may need a boost, and if there’s one thing that students are reliant upon, it is a caffeinated beverage.

Many students can’t face the day without their morning cup of coffee, whether this is barista brewed in Unio or an at home instant.

Student’s reliance on coffee appears to have become recognised across the university. You can’t walk around a corner or in fact walk down Chancellor’s Drive, without seeing

a coffee shop. The library even has coffee machines inside to give you your caffeine fix in an instant.

Drinking coffee is both an individual thing to do but also something social. Coffee provides an avenue to meet up with others to discuss last night’s Damn Good, to go on a date, or to prepare for a seminar workshop.

But when did we make the transition from our morning brew being the traditional cup of tea to a steaming cup of Joe? Coffee has become a part of student lifestyle with big corporate companies such as Starbucks becoming trendy and a part of our culture.

Coffee culture is epitomized by

American sitcoms – shows such as Friends and Gilmore Girls amongst others feature characters dependent on coffee. It’s become trendy to drink coffee, a fashion statement almost. Holding a coffee cup is the equivalent of declaring you’re sleep deprived and stressed.

There appears to be a correlation between the amount of work students have due and the amount of coffee that is consumed. We all know the drill, exam season strikes, the queue at Unio becomes twice as long and every desk in the library has a coffee cup on it.

Whatever the case, it’s apparent that students depend on coffee to get through their daily grind.

The UK drinks 400 billion cups of coffee a year; that equates to 70 million cups per day

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27th February 2018

Finance Students mind their business The Roundup More than a quarter of UK university students currently run or intend to start a business alongside their studies, according to research.

“The student enterprises operating provide technology-based solutions” Commissioned by Santander Universities, the study found the average turnover of a student enterprise is £11,408 per year, collectively generating £1 billion of revenue in 2017 — up from £913 million the year before.

Sixty percent of students said that they had a financial motive for setting up their business, closely followed by 59 percent wanting to run the venture as a hobby and

32 percent using the opportunity to gain work experience.

Almost one in four students said that they started their business as a way to pay off their student loan.

Broadly the student enterprises operating provide technologybased solutions (27 percent), but many sell arts or crafts (17 percent), clothing and textiles (nine percent), administration and business services (nine percent), tutoring (eight percent) and charity, voluntary or social work (seven percent).

Textile artist Jenny Evans, from Cardiff Metropolitan University, said that she “took a leap of faith” founding Jenny Evans Designs whilst at university, but “gained some incredible experience.”

“Being the owner of your own business can be difficult but extremely rewarding at the same time.”

Asked to look ahead, a third of students said that they had the desire to pursue their business as a future career, with over a half wanting to continue their venture as a second job or hobby once they leave university.

Only four percent of

respondents said they would want close down their business after their studies.

Ambitiously, 18 percent of student entrepreneurs expect their turnover to more than double over the next five years, whereas the average expected increase is 68 percent over the period.

“Student entrepreneurs play a key role in shaping the UK economy now and will continue to do so in the future,” said Matt Hutnell, director of Santander Universities for the UK. “It is encouraging to see that so many students are inspired to start a business while at university, from developing software to d e s i g n i n g and selling clothing,” Mr Hutnell commented.

“We are continually impressed with the ambition and skills demonstrated by student entrepreneurs who are driven to create their own opportunities and successfully juggle running a business whilst also keeping up with their studies.”

The research was released alongside the launch of the eighth annual Santander Universities

Entrepreneurship Awards.

Since the competition’s launch, more than £340,000 has been awarded to startups and small businesses.

10 years

“Students said that they had a financial motive for setting up their business” This total

year there is a of over £90,000 worth of equityfree seed funding available as prizes for both the winner a n d runner-up for both the best technology and nontech business ideas, along with mentoring opportunities and funded internships.

Entrants must be students or alumni who have graduated within two years of the date of submission from a Santander UK partner university, with the application deadline ending mid-April.

UEA students can find more information about the awards and the competition timeline on MyCareerCentral.

Unconditional offers under review

Last week the Royal Bank of Scotland reported the first profits they have seen in ten years. The profits totalled £752 million, coming from a £6.95 billion loss last year. It is still being threatened with fines for the role it played in the sub-prime mortgage crisis, where they sold risky mortgage related financial products to investors.

Electric minis to hit the market Mini, the British car manufacturer, will produce electric powered cars, in a move to reduce the amount of pollution their cars produce. It was announced that the cars are set to be made in China, as well as in Oxford where they already have a plant.

Magnetic putty removed from sale Magnetic putty that was previously sold on sites like Amazon, eBay and Groupon, was removed from sale by the EU after it was found to contain arsenic. The putty could be easily swallowed, and was a health and safety risk for children.

Labour

Matt Denton Finance Editor

could

reinstate

British Rail Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell suggested bringing back British Rail. The idea to renationalise the railway has been often heard in the past. It would involve the government being responsible for track managment, taking care of stations, signalling, and maintenance work.

Kylie Jenner tweet wipes billion

off

Snapchat

shares Aana D’silva Halfon, Conservative chair of the Education Select Committee and the man in charge of an ongoing review into the value-for-money of universities, think that the increase is to do with funding.

With every new student, the university receives the tuition fees, as well as a certain amount of public funding.

MPs are worried that universities may be trying to fill spaces on courses to maximise the amount of money they get each year.

So how does UEA fit into

this? Well, when asked whether UEA has increased the number of unconditionals being offered, Alix Delaney, UEA’s Head of Admissions had this to say: “Unconditional offers account for a very small proportion of all offers, around 7 percent each year.”

She also stated that this percentage didn’t look set to change in the coming academic year.

UEA’s Vice Chancellor Professor David Richardson said: “Personally I believe that the balance of funding between state and student needs to

be reviewed and I would support the return to maintenance grants for students.”

We will have to wait until the ongoing value for money in higher education enquiry comes to a conclusion to see what the Education Select Committee has to say on the issue.

They have been gathering evidence from lecturers, ViceChancellors and university staff for the past few months.

The review is expected to come to a conclusion later this year.

When Kylie Jenner tweeted last week that she no longer used Snapchat, the social media app, the value of their shares fell by around £1 billion. The app has had a rough few weeks, with an update that didn’t sit well with users.

£

You may remember your final year of school, the stress and worry that can be caused by waiting for university offers.

Thousands of students every year are faced with an excruciating wait while universities consider applications for places, but the type of offers that universities make looks like it’s changing.

An unconditional offer for a university place is the guarantee of a place on a course regardless of A Level results, which takes a great deal of stress off the shoulders of students.

However, it is argued that unconditional offers are detrimental to a student’s grades.

With less stress and pressure, some say that pupils will tend to take their foot off the pedal when it comes to revision, which can lead to lower grades at A Level.

The number of unconditional offers being offered by UK universities has increased 17-fold in the past five years, which has led MPs to question universities’ motives behind the way they make offers.

Some people, including Robert

RBS reports first profits for

£

£

Matt Denton

£

£

George Goldberg Finance Writer

£

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27th February 2018

15

Bitcoin for your thoughts

Tom Bedford interviews UEA grad on crypto investments If you read the news, you’re probably aware of the enigmatic cryptocurrency market.

Since Bitcoin was created in 2009, the rise, fall, and rise of it and similar digital currencies has been widely reported in financial news. Despite this proliferation, for most people cryptocurrencies remain an excessively complex field. To help clarify the topic I sat down with Jake Williams, a UEA graduate of Economics who, since graduating, has invested in several different kinds of cryptocurrency.

I decided the best place to start was at the beginning, and so asked Williams to take me through his process for investing in cryptocurrencies. His portfolio includes Ripple, Cardano, and Stellar, which are typically referred to as “alt-coins”. He told me “in order to buy “alt-coins” you need to purchase Bitcoin or Ethereum. To purchase these currencies you need to register on an exchange and verify with a proof of I.D.” However not all exchanges are equal. He continued, “Different exchanges require different levels of proofs, some [may also require] proof of address.” The biggest cryptocurrency exchanges are currently Bitfinex and coinone.

I asked Williams about the relation between the news reports about the volatility of cryptocurrencies, and the reality of the market. He affirmed “the crypto market is incredibly volatile compared to traditional asset classes,” and referring to the recent rise and fall in the market cap

he said, “This level of volatility is generally too high for most investors to consider as a viable option in their portfolios.” He lamented on the fact that “most media sources do not really provide coverage on the basic fundamentals but rather focus on the

Image - Satoshi

w i d e p r i c e movements of the market,” which he suggests is the reason for the fact people are “quite dismissive” of the concept of cryptocurrencies.

Williams told me he is optimistic for the future of cryptocurrencies, “Blockchain Technology [the technology that cryptocurrencies: use] is superior to the current options available today,” which he links to a growing sense of agency in owning currency.

“As a society we are generally moving away from cash-based transactions, and cryptocurrencies will become the only method in which an individual will be able to actually own their own money

without storing it in a centralised banking system,” he said.

Before leaving, I asked Williams if he had any advice for those thinking of investing in cryptocurrencies. He said one should “make sure you understand what and who it is you are investing in; you need to read whitepapers and road maps,” and also “look for coins with future potential when it comes to partnerships with large companies.” He referred me to a recent BBC video about distributed ledger technology for people who want to become more informed on the subject.

However Williams’ main piece of advice was to “only invest money that you are willing to burn. Crypto is incredibly volatile. I have had days where my portfolio has lost 30 percent of its value”.

This response reflects the extreme fickle nature of the currencies. In November of last year the market cap was at $184bn, and rose dramatically to a peak of $825bn in early January of this year, after which it collapsed to only $314bn. During the collapse the top post on the cryptocurrency subreddit of Reddit was a link to the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

It has been shown time and time again that cryptocurrency is a strange beast, but as Williams says. “It is perfectly possible for any individual to get started by reading the basics.”

With the required research and a tentative approach, perhaps cryptocurrencies are accessible to all.

“Chronically broke” Britain’s call for universal basic income

Trialled in Canada and Finland and endorsed by Martin Luther King Jr and Virginia Woolf, a universal basic income (UBI) consists of governments providing citizens with an unconditional sum of money regardless of whether recipients are employed or looking for work.

The Royal Society of Arts (RSA) proposed the government to consider a £10,000 grant to every British citizen under the age of 55.

The scheme would cost approximately £14.5 billion per year over 13 years and benefit 70 percent of the population.

It was compared to pension protections which cost more than £6 billion a year but only benefit a fifth of the population.

Oxford led research estimates that around 40 percent of UK and European jobs could be replaced by artificial intelligence and robotics.

Last month, the RSA found that 70 percent of Britain’s employed population is “chronically broke” or making just enough to get by.

The rising threat of job loss to automation and Britain’s departure from the EU leads to a legitimate concern. If successful, UBI can alleviate some of the consequences.

The concept is inspired by the Enterprise Allowance Scheme set up during Margaret Thatcher’s government, which provided a

guaranteed income of £40 a week to people who establish their own businesses.

The RSA suggested that the money would come from a “modest increase” in taxes of the wealthy or new levies on large corporate bodies such as Facebook.

Oxford professor Ian Goldin points out that moving from a scheme that provides income to targeted individuals (unemployed or disabled, for instance) to one accessible to all would gravely affect those who most need it.

He also notes that it would distress health and education budgets.

Professor Goldin says that a basic income could encourage people not to participate in society and that social benefits should not create a culture of lifetime dependence as UBI would.

With rising competition for jobs and increasing pressure to excel in the workplace, a healthy work-life balance is hard to achieve.

Dr Guy Standing from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), in London, said that a BI is socially just, enhances freedom, produces basic security and would cut poverty.

He also noted that polls show that 90 percent of people would continue to work with a basic income.

The report acknowledged that uncertainties around Brexit make implementing UBI “unlikely in the immediate future”.

for first-time buyers unable to pay large deposits, and scrapped their stamp duty in November’s Budget, but this has not been enough.

Government Ministers recently admitted England’s housing market was “broken” with home ownership, a distant dream for millions.

John Healey, Labour’s shadow housing secretary, said: “This research should be a wake-up call for Conservative ministers.

After almost eight years of failure on housing, the government is still failing to tackle the fundamental problems of the housing market”.

Although the minimum National Living Wage has been increasing for the past few years, forecasting to reach £7.83 in April 2018 for over 25’s, property prices have grown seven times faster than the average incomes of younger adults, with all other aspects in the cost of living such as transport and utility bills also soaring. IFS’s study found house prices were 152 percent higher in

2015-16 than they were 20 years earlier after adjusting for inflation, while real net family incomes for those aged 25-34 had increased by only 22 percent over the same period. This suggests that even those graduating from university with the average salary of £23,000 may have to wait years before they can afford to own their own house.

Changes are continuously trying to be made however, with financial support of £8.9 million being injected into projects in Northern England to encourage the construction of more than 2,000 homes.

A study by the Local Government Association last week also found 423,500 homes across England and Wales are currently waiting to be built despite having been granted planning permission.

The Government says it is currently working to identify how the building process can be speeded up. After they know this, they can begin to start fixing this collapsing market.

Jeice Filipe Finance Writer

Young people locked out of housing market

Shivani Lad Finance Writer

There has been increasing difficulty for young adults in Britain to secure a place on the property ladder, causing many to be ‘locked out of the housing market’.

Recent studies from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has found in the last 20 years, middle income 25 to 34 year olds have seen the biggest decline in home ownership. Figures have shown a drop from 65 percent to just 27 percent in 2016.

With the average cost of a deposit ranging from £22,200 to £30,600, numerous middle-income earners at this age are struggling to find value for their money.

Government data has found many have turned to the alternative private rented sector which has doubled in size since 2004, with nearly half of all 25 to 34 year olds

in England paying private landlords for their accommodation.

For nearly 90 percent of 25 to 34 year olds, average house prices are more than four times their annual income after tax deductions, with 40 percent of housing in popular areas such as London seeing prices more than 10 times their income. This has resulted in home ownership falling at least 10 percent in every region across Britain, with the South East seeing the biggest decrease.

“Many have turned to the alternative private rented sector” The Government introduced the Help to Buy scheme in 2013 to increase access to financial support

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Comment

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27th February 2018

Confessions of a reluctant striker Prof. Lee Marsden (PPL) Comment Writer UEA is in my DNA. I came to the university as a mature student in 1996 to study politics, before going on to a MA in International Relations.

“As Head of one of the largest schools in the university, I have reluctantly decided to join the strike”

I moved to another university to take my PhD and first academic post before returning as a junior lecturer in 2007. I returned to UEA because there was, and is, something special about the place.

Trying to analyse that special something is not too hard to fathom.

It’s not the campus, with its quirky and brutalist architecture, although it is a great place to walk around.

Neither is it the stifling bureaucracy and administrative burden which dominates today’s academy. Rather it is the relationship and bonds

Photo: Matt Nixon which exist between lecturers and students, at a university large enough to offer an incredible range of specialisms and yet retain a close working relationship between academics and students.

The strength of this relationship and mutual respect between student s and lecturers is reflected in the amazing support by the Students’

Put down your pitchforks, data collection isn’t all bad Digby Mason Comment Writer The data collection abilities of websites like Facebook, Google, and their countless subsidiaries can be terrifying.

A private conversation with someone on the topic of hedgehogs can lead to advertisements for hedgehog homes appearing on everything you read for weeks.

As adorable as that may sound, it is a reminder of the sinister fact that everything we do online is converted into a profile and sold to the highest bidder.

“This isnt a defense of the way things currently work” However, there is another side to the overly-invasive coin of “Big Data”. Facebook is free. Youtube is free. Google is free. You want to learn how to build a go-kart using things bought in Walmart? Here you go. You don’t want to pay a hundred quid for a Sat nav? Have one for free in your phone. If you want to learn anything, talk to anyone, or

fly a plane over the surface of Mars using Google Earth, you can do so for free, and the only thing to thank for that is the data collection of social media.

None of these feats are cheap to perform - the amount of storage space needed for a day’s worth of Youtube videos alone would be astronomical.

By recording your activity, and selling it in the form of data, these corporations have kept the best bits of the internet from being locked behind a paywall.

If you think we should swap to a system more like Netflix, Spotify, or Amazon Prime, please note that all of these companies do the exact same thing, and just make the money they get from selling your data on top of your subscription fee.

If you could put down your pitchforks; this isn’t a defense of the way things currently work.

There obviously needs to be change, but we need to be careful to keep one foot off the “Big Data is evil” bandwagon. It can certainly used for evil, and we need to legislate to prevent that as soon as possible, but it has also kept the internet largely free and open to all for years. Don’t throw it away without trying to improve it first.

Union for the 14 days strike action lecturers have been forced to take in defence of their shrinking pensions.

The strike action will be hugely disruptive and means students could lose three weeks’ worth of teaching at a time when third years are completing their degrees. This is something that lecturers have agonised over for weeks as they

have weighed up the disruption to the students they went into academia to teach and develop, and the financial implications of receiving no pay for the duration of the dispute and whether they can pay their mortgages or rent.

As Head of one of the largest schools in the university I have reluctantly decided to join the

strike action in support of junior colleagues who face the prospect of losing up to £10,000 a year from their pensions. Having already reduced the pension staff can expect on retirement in recent years the employers are now determined to further reduce those benefits and, in keeping with neoliberal management practices, transfer pension liability from employer to employee.

This will result in insecurity in retirement for lecturers, and a brain drain of lecturers moving to post 1992 universities with better pensions or out of academia all together.

I deeply regret the inconvenience students will experience and especially for the students I personally have the privilege of working with. I could not bring myself to vote for strike action, knowing the disruption it would cause to the university and students we all care about, but when employers refuse to negotiate and are determined to harm the future security of staff who give their all for students, working hours far beyond what they are contracted to do, it is time to take a stand.

Students can show solidarity with lecturers and help bring the action to an end by writing to the Vice-Chancellor and your MP asking for talks to resume.

Don’t turn your back on Oxfam C.E. Matthews Comment Writer Most people were horrified when national newspapers p u b l i s h e d allegations of sexual exploitation

by Oxfam workers in Haiti.

Members of the public have Wikimedia, cancelled Razzairpina d i r e c t debits, and the allegations will likely tarnish Oxfam’s future announcements.

In addition, with Oxfam trying to show transparency by publishing internal reports from Haiti, new admissions are expected.

These are allegations of an abuse of power, of exploitation.

Even now, in the wake of the “#MeToo” movement, the chief executive of Oxfam Mark Goldring, thought the level of criticism of these alleged actions was too high.

He asked, “What did we do… murder babies in their cots?” He continued, “Certainly the scale and intensity of the attacks feels

out of proportion to the level of culpability.” Of course, a few days later he retracted this statement, but there is almost no doubt his resignation will break headlines in the coming weeks.

We must hold Oxfam and any other charity caught u p in

the

Eirian Evans, Geograph, Oxfam

scandal accountable for their failure to protect the people they are seemingly helping.

However, this is not the time to adopt the whimsical judgements of the Twitter mob and abandon the

entire charity as Oxfam ambassadors Minnie Driver and Desmond Tutu have done, along with many of the general public.

By withholding their support and donations, people are almost putting a degree of blame on the poor and underprivileged people they once wanted to help.

This is the time for people to take a more rational approach, as championed by the actor and Oxfam ambassador Simon Pegg.

When questioned about his support for the charity he highlighted we cannot blame an entire organisation for the actions of a few “morally reprehensible people”.

There must be an investigation, and new regulations introduced to prevent abuses of power in the future.

If true, we must punish the people who committed these alleged actions.

Now is not the time to forget who will lose out. Now is the time to remember the people charities are supposed to help, and stand up for them.

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27th February 2018

Inventing the future, the right way Jack Ashton Comment Editor Elon Musk put a car in space.

There’s not really any glossy opening sentence that can make that any more nuanced.

The man, put a car, in space.

Because he could, and because he’s rich and wanted to engage in the most bizarre form of metaphorical dick measuring we’ve seen so far.

On the back of this, Musk reckons he can invent a rocket flight from London to New York that takes only 90 minutes within the next decade, and honestly, I reckon he can too.

“Driverless cars?

Why? Who does that help?”

workers are left behind in their factories, with one telling the Guardian that “everything feels like the future but us.” This is the problem, we’re having the future invented for us, and it’s the wrong kind of future, but I feel and we’ve all been caught up in it.

When Musk invents his transatlantic rocket, are we all going to jump aboard, knowing it was built of the backs of workers who pass out at work, who have ambulances called at a ridiculously high rate, all while pretending our success was built off the back of automated robots, not of human labour?

Because that doesn’t sound like a

So, this is it, the expansion of the human race, the invention of the future, in the hands of a couple of over-inflated Tony Stark wannabes.

While Musk is concerned with being humanist’s Maverick, his

future I’m invested in.

We’ve been sold these ideas without thinking about them.

Driverless cars? Why? Who does that help? Why is the future so fixated around driverless cars and less around eco-friendly cars? Why is expansive public transport taking a back seat to the likes of Richard Branson and Elon Musk’s egotistical adventures?

Why are we all so obsessed with having a country with full employment, when what we really should be looking at is having a country where no one needs to work at all? We’re so busy

looking at what we can get robots to do for us, we’ve not focused on what we do when they do it all for us.

But some people are, a fortnight ago, Concrete covered the start-up business of EHAB, a collaborative format which would allow public building of houses, reinventing the way we look at house building, another piece written by Edward Grierson in December looked at communal ownership of urban areas in Barcelona and Leeds.

Both of these are ideas that make the future something beneficial for everyone, not just a select few.

Countless movements such as Occupy have tried, and failed, to change the people who invent our future for us. People like Musk who don’t seem to have any idea about how to actually invent it, and are more concerned with playing astronaut than looking after the people they’re supposed to building it for. It seems were left with 2 options: either watch our future be invented, or invent it Pixabay, Maiconfz ourselves.

Eddie Booth takes on Corbyn’s communist credentials Allegations surfaced this week that the leader of the opposition, Mr. Jeremy Corbyn, met a Czech diplomat who turned out to be a spy during the Cold War years.

These allegations have not been fully answered yet by Mr. Corbyn, and have been sensationalised and exaggerated by the Tory party, so it is hard to get to the heart of the matter. But that is fine, because the specifics of the story are not the concern here. Mr. Corbyn is.

Gabriela Williams on Loft’s relaxed vibe I’m not usually one of those people who go clubbing but even I can see why Loft is far superior. Sure, head to Mantra, hear the same songs, drink the same drinks, see the same lonely singles looking for a partner and pretend to enjoy yourself.

Or, head to Loft and meet new and interesting people from many different walks of life every time including that bloke who seems to always walk around in a cape? Loft 1, Mantra 0.

Next to Mantra’s creepy selection of men and factory produced women, Loft is the much preferred alternative.

The atmosphere in Loft, whilst only being slightly classier than Mantra, is vibrant and everyone seems to be having fun, getting drunk, or both! There’s also the added bonus of watching people try to wail songs on karaoke nights, or having fun embarrassing yourself by trying to warble along to Celine Dion. Oh, and if there was still an doubt, Loft has a literal plane.

Ellie Gallacher on Mantra’s consistency

“Venezuela and the IRA didn’t cut through on the doorstep” The Tories have attempted, with little success, to portray Mr. Corbyn as a steely-eyed traitor, an ideologue bent on tearing down Britain.

Labour responded that not only is this nonsense, it also is irrelevant to the concerns of the everyday voter. I am going to suggest that neither of these perspectives are accurate. Mr Corbyn isn’t evil. He’s incompetent.

We may not be able to say with certainty whether Mr. Corbyn took the side of the IRA during the Troubles. We cannot be sure over his motivations when he commended Hugo Chavez, or spared a kind word for Hamas. Was he interested in dialogue and peacemaking, or just trying to tear Britain down? Perhaps it is somewhere in the middle. Either way, for a man seeking to be our next Prime Minister, he has shown woefully dysfunctional critical thinking abilities.

Even if he did seek peace, as

Loft vs Mantra

Credit: Chatham House, Flickr his defenders claim, was it wise to meet someone who could quite evidently be a spy at the height of the Cold War? It is clear that such liaisons brought him into contact with people who certainly did wish to do Britain harm, and he seems to have stumbled into it quite blindly. I submit to you that, whatever his intentions, this makes him unforgivably obtuse. Though history suggest otherwise, this really ought to disqualify him from leading the country.

Now, the practical implications have also caused controversy.

Whilst the Tories have been spitting

mad about this latest scandal, and rather overselling it, if I may say, Labour have been chuckling and patting themselves on the back.

Because they know the truth you see. Nobody cares. Venezuela and the IRA didn’t cut through on the doorstep, why would Soviet-era Czechoslovakia?

Let the Daily Mail and The Sun continue to spew their nonsense, Labour seems to say. We will keep talking about the issues that matter.

This may be politically savvy, given Mr. Corbyn’s checkered past has yet to bring about his downfall. But it is also morally bankrupt. It should not

be the policy of any party, let alone a supposed government in waiting, to disregard potential scandals on the basis that nobody really cares about them. They should be guided by the truth and its implications, not the outcome of focus groups. But of course this is Mr Corbyn’s Labour party now. The moderates have been defeated and subsumed by the forces of the Left.

To the powers that be, whether the story is true or not is irrelevant, for they have a mission to complete.

Their leader’s incompetence doesn’t bother them. But it should. It should bother us all.

Here’s how this works - your Thursday night will start with someone thinking it’s a good idea to pipe up and say “oh lets go Loft instead.” He’s lying. You won’t.

You’ll stand there in the queue for 6 hours and then go home. You’ll brave the gale force winds, the monsoon of rain that seems to open each night at midnight, but then someone at the back of the queue will start belting out Don’t Stop Believing, and you’re out.

Don’t do this. Go to Mantra, stand in the heated queue, actually have a good time. Stand in a smoking area that isn’t protected by a larger than average tent, splash out, dress up and go to Mantra’s VIP area, buy a wristband and enjoy the night with some cheaper drinks. There’s your choice, good music, a good time, and good people, or trying to survive Loft’s royal rumble of a queue for the night.

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27th February 2018

Science

2

Household products contribute to city pollution

Dave O, Flickr Sylvie Tan Science Writer For many years, scientists claimed the most important source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are from the combustion of fuel in vehicles.

However, a study by Colorado University was brought to attention with the discovery that scientists have underestimated the sources of non-vehicle VOCs. These non-vehicle VOCs are mainly petroleum-based chemical products, such as cleaning fluids, that forms particles that are hazardous to human health, especially respiratory illnesses.

It contributes to smog and tropospheric ozone formation

as well. The US Environmental Protection Agency claim 75 percent of petroleum-based VOCs comes from vehicle fuels and 25 percent from chemical products. However this recent Colorado reassessment declares that its 50-50.

Dr McDonald, the lead author of the study at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science in Colorado, said: "The use of these [chemical] products emits VOCs in a magnitude that's comparable to what comes out of the tailpipe of your car.”

This new discovery took the scientists by surprise because by weight, fuel consumption is much higher than chemical products.

Although 95 percent of raw oil is used for the production of fuel, Dr

Jessica Gilman, a scientist from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, states that the five percent used for chemicals is equally as damaging because of its design to simply drift through the air instead of breakdown into safer chemical compounds.

She said: "Most commonly, they're [VOCs] used as solvents things like nail polish remover, the hairspray I used this morning; they are used in many cases as cleaning agents like carpet cleaners."

The team went in depth with their research in order to pull together various information from their study. It was concluded that consumer and industrial VOC emissions is twice or thrice the amount compared to the current

estimate of air pollution inventories, where inventories overestimate motor vehicles sources. With such high abundance of petroleum-based VOCs from chemical products in the troposphere, the challenge now is to enforce the reduction of the usage of petroleum-based chemical products in our everyday life, in order to ensure that VOCs do not continue to rise detrimentally.

Roger Harrabin, BBC Environmental Analyst, said: “This is a neglected field of research as public and media attention has focused on cars outdoors at the expense of chemicals indoors”.

The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science control some of the bigger sources (vehicle VOCs) in the past, and

consumer products have emerged as a result.

Hence, this field of study has become very important for the sake of air quality and health.

Professor Anthony Frew from respiratory medicine at Brighton & Sussex Medical School commented: "This research is a useful reminder that discussions of air pollution need to consider all sources of pollutants and that measures targeting cars only address part of the problem.”

With the advancement in alternative fuel for vehicles such as electric cars, it is now needed for this issue to be brought to the attention of the public in order for them to understand their impacts of using chemical products on the environment.

It has not, however, been explained whether the contaminants were caused by a production issue or if they were already present in the fish and were failed to be detected.

These deep-water fish migrate to the surface during the night to feed on their diet of microplankton and it is assumed this is when they are ingesting the plastic.

Tom Doyle of the Ryan Institute at NUIG said: “Daily activities such as washing out clothes results in billions of microplastics entering our oceans.”

Could it be that the plastics found in Young’s fish cakes have originated from one’s use of plastics? Plastic waste has fired to the top of the UK’s political agenda following the second series of Blue Planet on the BBC. David Attenborough showed the public how plastic pollution in our oceans could be harming both our sea life and us by eating it.

Attenborough has told news outlets “We’ve seen albatrosses come back with their belly full of plastic instead of squid for their young.”

A primary school in Nottingham have written letters to their local Tesco after seeing the series asking them to stop producing and selling one-use 5p plastic bags. This appears to have worked as both Tesco and ASDA have revealed plans to scrap 5p carrier bags by the end of 2018 as well as ASDA phasing out disposable coffee cups and plastic cutlery from their cafes.

However, the consumer watch dog has warned customers that larger ‘bags-for-life’ may pose a risk for food poisoning if consumers pack raw foods in with ready-to-eatfoods such as bread.

They advise to “keep your family safe by packing raw foods separately and washing bags for life out often.”

Concerns over fish consuming plastic in seas Alex Millard Senior Science Reporter

We’ve all been told how good for us fish is with its healthy fats, protein and Omega 3, but how about plastic?

Packs of six Young’s fish cakes were recalled from Farmfoods and Heron Foods stores due to the risk of them containing hard plastic and potentially scraps of metal.

Customers have been asked not to eat the products and to return them to store for a full refund. Youngs have only released a statement saying the products are being withdrawn. They said, “We take all issues regarding the production of food extremely seriously”.

“Plastic waste has fired to the top of the UK’s political agenda” A study published this month has found that over seven percent of dead fish have ingested plastic, including deep water fish.

“Larger ‘bagsfor-life’ may pose a risk for food poisoning” He has also managed to convince the Queen to ban the use of plastics at all Royal estates with the introduction of biodegradable and compostable packaging instead.

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27th February 2018

Students fear Trump’s eco-agenda Beth Papworth Science Editor When Concrete spoke to students last week, 100 percent agreed they were concerned about global warming. This comes amid environmental concerns played out on an increasingly tense global stage in the past couple of years.

The environmental poll also showed that 75 percent were more anxious about the environment since Trump’s abandonment of the Paris Climate Agreement and was taking step backwards.

Emily Mason, a third year Environmental Sciences student said: “I am worried about global warming because I live in a part of the UK where sea levels are rising.”

She said East Anglia is expected to soon be under water and she is nervous about rates of extinction in rare species.

In relation to Trump dropping out of the Paris Agreement, Emily is worried about America’s carbon emitters, as it is one of the largest contributors to global warming

worldwide.

Emily also told Concrete that she is aware of her own environmental impact as she travels regularly via aeroplanes, which is a large carbon emitter.

She also eats a lot of imported food, which has an extensive food mileage.

In contrast to global warming anxieties, an anonymous student said he was not very conscious of his evironmental impact due to his prior university commitments.

However, he told Concrete that he is more worried about Trump’s Paris Climate Agreement as his departure could lead other politics leaders to follow suit.

Chris Freakes, a Masters student studying climate change, said: “I am very worried about global warming as it is an ongoing issue that is not taken seriously”.

With regards to Trump’s international impact and influence on the environment, America is one of the major policies in green policies.

It is one of the leading countries

that is higher in per capita emissions than any other country worldwide.

Chris also added, “There are hidden emissions everywhere and we should be aware of the negative effect it has on our environment”.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have proposed eliminating the environmental agency’s climate-change research program, which currently costs them $16 million per year.

In addition, the EPA has proposed axing several voluntary emissions-reductions programs, like STAR, which funds environmental research and graduate student fellowships.

Passed under the Obama administration, the Clean Power Plan (CPP) sought to reduce emissions to 32 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2030.

Trump’s EPA has argued the CPP “is not consistent with the Clean Air Act” - a federal law to protect air quality and reduce air pollution across the country.

This claim has been challenged by experts.

Tasmanian devils on the decline Orla Knox-McCaulay Science Writer

“Populations have decreased by about 80 percent following the emergence of DFTD.” However, The Tasmanian devil, not the even with this transmissible cancer beloved childhood cartoon but real spreading, the devil still roams the life animal is declining in population wild in Tasmania. number.

The problem now is that the According to a study published group has become very isolated and by the Journal of Applied Ecology, hard to locate, making preservation are facing extinction due to a very attempts near-on impossible. rare disease called devil facial Remaining wild populations are tumour disease (DFTD). showing slight reproductive Cancer is the disese found in changes, possibly in response to this species, which is spread by the challenges posed by the disease. biting, thus causing tumours on the Although Tasmanian devils are face to appear or inside the mouth reproductively shifting, allowing of affected Tasmanian devils. DFT1 the population of this species to was first observed in the 1990s in maintain, the overall reduction may north east Tasmania. indicate that they are at greater The DFTD epidemic has risk of extinction due to other subsequently spread environmental factors. throughout most With the change in their age of Tasmania, structure, there are a lot more and currently younger Tasmanian Devils, which only areas of are more likely to be caught in western and wild bush fires and become northwestern roadkill.

Tasmania are Efforts have been made confirmed to have to help the Tasmanian remained disease-free.

Devils survival, like According to developments in Doctor Billie Lazenby: Mathias Appel, Flickr immunotherapy.

Could forest fungi be key to wood biofuels?

Larisa Koshkina Hannah Brown Science Writer Inspired by forest fungi, researchers have revealed new enzymatic tools to help biorefineries convert wood into liquid biofuel in an environmental and cost-effective manner. With the EU seeking to supply 20 percent of its energy consumption from renewable resources by 2020, wood biomass provides an increasingly promising source of advanced biofuels.

However, cost and energy efficient conversion of woody material into biofuels is currently limited by a key factor, the highly degradation resistant complex structure of wood.

To overcome this challenge biorefineries are currently forced to utilise expensive energy demanding pre-treatment processes to convert wood into chemical commodities like biofuels. However, by looking to nature for inspiration, researchers believe they may have found a potential answer to this hurdle in biofuel production.

Fungi play an integral role in natural ecosystem carbon cycles, breaking down woody material to release nutrients back into the soil. Inspired by this phenomenon, researchers looked to isolate wooddegrading enzymes from the fungal species which drive wood decomposition in forests globally.

Publishing in Nature Chemical Biology, an international research

team have now found a new set of wood-degrading fungal enzymes called lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs).

“Fungi releases

nutrients back into the soil” These enzymes are capable of breaking down wood’s challenging molecular structure by targeting particularly degradation resistant carbohydrates called xylans, found in plant cell walls. Though many biorefineries already currently utilise ‘cocktails’ of degradative enzymes to aid in biofuel production,

present strategies are unable to achieve full decomposition, limiting the current use of wood as a source of renewable energy.

Professor Paul Walton from the Department of Chemistry at the University of York said: "These enzymes may underpin the development of improved enzyme cocktails for biorefinery applications using wood, unlocking its conversion into a wide-range of valuable commodities in a sustainable way."

Use of woody materials as a source of biofuels could hold great potential for global climate change mitigation strategies.

Unlike more traditional ‘firstgeneration’ biofuels which rely on sugars and vegetable oils

from consumable arable crops, ‘advanced’ biofuels are derived from woody biomass. This biomass can be sourced from waste products of the agricultural and forestry industries and fast-growing trees grown on more marginal land.

As a result, advanced biofuels present major advantages in terms of environmental sustainability and reduced competition from biofuels on food producing arable land.

Gideon Davies from the University of York’s Department of Chemistry said, "This discovery unlocks the key scientific challenge of how biorefineries can convert wood into biofuel in an environmental and cost-effective way, bringing us a step closer to a sustainable 21st Century."

Travel

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27th February 2018

Different country, new language Sean Bennett Travel Writer

English all the time, should you?

Languages are hard. We here in the English speaking world enjoy a certain amount of linguistic privilege in this respect.

The language we speak is, in comparison to others, easy to learn and, as a result, spreading around the world like wildfire.

Certainly in Europe, tourist destinations will rarely require you to speak the local language because most of the people, especially those of younger generations, will speak some amount of English, often better than many English people.

“In Europe, tourist destinations will rarely require you to speak the local language” Go off the beaten track, however, and the odd local word here and there will get you far. And besides, even if you can get by speaking

Even if you don’t have to, I would always recommend learning the basics in the local language.

‘Hello’, ‘Goodbye’, ‘Please’, ‘Thank you’, and of course ‘One [your chosen alcoholic drink]’ are all worth knowing. For me, it’s always been a sign of respect.

The local people with whom you interact on holiday are your hosts.

Just as you bring a bottle of wine to a dinner party, so too should you make an effort with languages on

holiday.

A little attempt, however basic and accented, will often be very well received.

A few years ago, I was in Madrid with my family. Along with some friends of ours, we stood in one of the smallest restaurants I have ever seen.

A long bar stretched almost from end to end of the room, the front of which was a glass wall looking out into the indoor market in which we found ourselves.

Between the bar and the glass was a sliver of space, Photo: Devakishen enoughBeverly for one person to walk in if they managed to clamber over and around all of the chairs, many of which were occupied.

Behind the bar, in equally camped space, four or so Spanish gentlemen rushed to and fro, somehow working at lightning speed while sharing a space barely big enough for two.

And what’s more, the place was busy. Famous for its tortilla, and deservedly so, the place was never slow or empty; no sooner was a chair vacated than it was filled once more with another hungry customer.

Yet as we lent over the counter to order in our broken Spanish, one of the men behind the bar stopped.

In amongst the speed and chaos, he recognised an attempt at speaking his language, and he stopped.

Calmly, he waited as my

m oPhoto: ther o r d e r e d , nodding and occasionally offering

linguistic help.

“When you next go on holiday just learn the basics.

You don't have to be fluent"” Around him the restaurant bustled, but he had stopped because he had heard some holiday makers doing their very best.

Making an effort with language is not only a way to gain faith with waiters and shopkeepers, but I honestly believe it will enrich your experience of a holiday. Languages are tightly bound to culture and the national identity of a people.

When you next go on holiday just learn the basics. You don’t have to be fluent, or have a perfect accent, but if you make an effort you never know what doors it will open up.

Most of the time, you’ll be able to fall back on to English if you need to. And who knows? You might have a hidden talent for Spanish or French, or maybe even Mandarin or Beverly Xhosa. Devakishen Yeah, languages are hard, but I think they’re worth it.

Buenos Aires: a Latin American paradise Megan Furr Travel Writer The Latin American metropolis of Buenos Aires is fast becoming a go-to place to visit. The shaky Argentinian economy has led to a push in expanding their tourist industry and thus this is a destination which has only really been explored within past decade.

“The city encapsulates a distinctly Latin American romantic ambience” Being divided into neighbourhoods, each with their own unique perspective and character, makes this bustling city easier to navigate.

The more bourgeoisie suburb of Palermo is a great place to start for first time visitors. This lively area has lots of museums and galleries complete with beautiful architecture.

The colourful La Boca neighbourhood is equally charming and reflects the cities’ foundations

`Wikimedia, Luis Argerich of European immigration, mainly from Italy and Spain.

Argentina is also home to the most amazing steaks and of course it has a great selection of wine, many of which are available at restaurants all over the city. However, it is worth remembering, traditional meal times are usually late in the evening.

Furthermore, the plethora of coffee shops dotted around Buenos Aires some dating from the

1800s give an almost Parisian vibe, and were once haunts of famous Argentinian novelists such as Jorge Luis Borges. This is further shown at the El Ateneo Grand Splendid in Barrio Norte, a bookshop set in a former theatre originally opened in 1919, which is worth a visit.

The city encapsulates a distinctly Latin American romantic ambience; after all Buenos Aries is the home of the tango! Saying this, Buenos Aries

is also a creative tolerant haven, represented with a thriving LGBTQ scene.

Argentina’s tumultuous history echoes arounds the streets of Buenos Aries, in particular in the stunningly eerie La Recoleta Cemetery.

Among others this is the resting place of Eva Perone, the infamous first lady immortalised in the musical Evita. Similarly, the Parque de la Memoria, a memorial to the

victims of the ‘Dirty War’, reminds the visitor of Argentina’s tragic past of military dictatorship.

Much time has passed since Britain and Argentina were at war over the Falkland Islands, as has the stigma of visiting this beautiful corner of the world.

Buenos Aires is both distinct and enjoyable offering a magical experience, given this is a relatively undiscovered capital city.

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27th February 2018

Does tech take over travel?

Sylvie Tan Travel Writer In the era of Google Maps and smartphones, we often turn to the convenience of digital maps in our phone apps to navigate our way through our travels.

Of course there is always the good old trusty physical maps that are available for free at the airports and tourist information points, but we have become so dependent on the easy accessibility of maps to the extent that we feel unsafe and panicked when we fail to get internet or GPS connection.

Truthfully, I am a major culprit for depending on Google Maps to navigate my every route, even if the destination I want to get to is somewhere I have been just a few hours before. I trapped myself within the six by three inches rectangular screen of my Samsung smartphone rather than allowing myself to stretch out into the beautiful place that I am visiting.

Google Maps makes it difficult for us to disconnect from the security of always knowing where we are and suppressing our inner curiousity-driven spirit.

To refuel our soul with wonder, disconnection from technology is necessary to rediscover the art of

getting lost and being in the present moment. I recently discovered that during all of my holidays, the true adventure starts the moment I put my phone away. It’s as though technology has numbed all five of my senses and by disconnecting, I am regaining the feeling of being alive.

“We had no maps, no phones; just the both of us, a golden sunset, and a double-scooped gelato”

During my trip to Italy with my friend last spring, the best memories that we had was when we were aimlessly wondering through the labyrinth streets of the bohemian neighbourhood of Trastevere in Rome.

We had no maps, no phones; just the both of us, a golden sunset, and a double-scooped gelato in our hands. We spent two weeks in Italy visiting seven cities, and yet that was one of the most distinct memories that I have of the trip.

Navigating with a physical map is extremely exciting, especially

if you don’t know where you are.

Unlike the GPS, physical maps will show you where things are, but not an exact pinpointed dot of where you are.

The journey of getting from one destination to another is an adventure within itself. We may come across things we didn’t expect to find and places we didn’t know existed just because it was not on the top suggestions in Trip Advisor or Lonely Planet. When I was in Copenhagen during the winter break, my boyfriend and I did the standard ‘touristy’ plan of visiting the main attractions in the city.

In the midst of walking from one attraction to another, we discovered this board game café, the Bastard Café, where customers can sit down and play a game for free and as long as they wish. It was an interesting discovery because first of all, it was more of a bar than a café and secondly, it was free!

These are the type of unique sights that are not covered by your typical search of “Top Ten Things To Do In Copenhagen”.

Needless to say, I am not trying to discourage you from using Google Maps or other phone map apps. However, it would not hurt to disconnect from time to time during your travels to spark and reignite your wanderlust.

An unusually magical theme park Daniel Peters Travel Writer Ask anyone on campus and the chances are that at some point in their life they’ve visited Disneyland.

The appeal is obvious. Most of us were raised on Disney films, and the chance to see our favourite characters brought to life is fascinating.

However in both my previous visits I was left disappointed.

Hordes of English tourists, queues that seem to stretch off into eternity, and the constant pressure to buy merchandise made the entire experience feel somewhat artificial.

I understand this will be a deeply unpopular opinion, and for many readers it may borderline blasphemy, but I come bearing a message of hope – there is a better alternative.

Eindhoven Airport is only fortyfive minutes from London. Another forty-five minute taxi ride at the other end and you find yourself in Efteling, the number one theme park of Holland. The oldest theme park in the world, Efteling retains a sense of genuine magic that some of the more mainstream parks have lost. There are many trees and green spaces, creating a sense that you could genuinely be walking through

TanteLoe, PIxabay a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale.

There is also much more variety in terms of attractions. There are big thrill-seeking rides, but they do not overpower the park as they sometimes can. Such is its nature, you could easily spend a day in the park without going on a single ride.

However should you want to ride, you needn’t fear the queues.

Dutch schoolchildren have different holiday times to their British counterparts. Due to a shortage of British visitors, this means that with a small amount of planning you can find yourself in a relatively empty park. It is not unusual to ride one of

the park’s main rides, just to be sent around again because not a single other person has joined the queue. It is also nice to see Pardoes (Efteling’s equivalent of Mickey Mouse) wandering around without a swarm of children and overly-keen parents fighting for a photograph.

The lack of British influence also helps protect a distinctly Dutch culture. It is refreshing to see signs written in Dutch, rather than English or French.

Nonetheless British guests are often considered a novelty, and thus exceptionally friendly staff are keen to do everything they can to give a

pleasant impression.

On one childhood visit I purchased two pin badges from a shop, only to be given another four for free because the shopkeeper heard me speaking English and wanted to make sure I had ‘the full collection’. The distinctly Dutch food is another gem.

Many of the attractions have not been updated in decades, providing a fascinating view into Holland’s cultural history. ‘Carnival Festival’ is the most striking example of this, where guests are taken on a tour of different countries around the world. Nationalities are represented according to stereotypes that today seem very outdated. Nonetheless in most cases the traditional feel of the place is utterly charming.

As the night approaches the Efteling hotel is the perfect place to continue the magic alive. Many rooms are heavily themed and totally unique. One room gives the impression of sleeping in a shipwreck, another a bank vault.

Since I was young, my family has visited Efteling every two years or so. Their music, their characters, and primarily their sense of genuine magic has formed a massive part of my childhood. It is the one place on earth where, for a short moment, fairy-tales and magic both seem possible.

Swathi Kumar on spontaneity We’ve all sat in the library daydreaming about being somewhere warmer, sunnier, literally anywhere else apart from that concrete prison.

Finally, the day comes when you’ve convinced your mates to take a trip with you and you all start skyscanning for the cheapest flights (Ryanair, of course) and perusing Airbnb for the least dodgy-looking accommodation. These are the minimum requirements for any trip.

Beyond these basics, how far would you ride on spontaneity before your comfort level was crossed?

In 2015, I took my first trip without parental supervision. I was 18 and I spent 2 weeks with my best friend in Italy. We started planning it 6 months in advance, curating an itinerary that covered the plan for each day, down to the distances between the train stations and hostels. Even with the perfect itinerary, things did not go to plan. I distinctly remember us shoving our way through a crowded vaparetto in Venice only to reach the exit after it had started pulling away from the stop. This caused us to miss our train to Florence and spend an extra £30. On the contrary, there was a certain charm in getting lost in the ‘Floating City’ with only a paper map. That was my first taste of spontaneity and I had to admit – I kind of liked it. Suffice to say, it was the first and last time I created an itinerary.

The planning of the Italy trip was followed by an escorted holiday to Malaysia and Singapore. I’m not sure if it was spending a week with a busload of over-60’s or the lack of freedom to explore, but it was only just bearable. In great contrast were my frequent and budgeted getaways during my Erasmus year. These trips had none of the luxuries of an escorted holiday, but had all the excitement that came with the anticipation of the unknown. I’m talking turning into a busy main high street from a quiet alleyway, suddenly surrounded by street vendors with snakes draped across their shoulders in Prague.

I’m talking being caught off-guard entering the famous district in Amsterdam and seeing the women dancing in the red-lit windows.

Nothing beats the adrenaline rush that goes hand-in-hand with the element of surprise.

Two years and 12 new countries later, I’ve realized that the best trips are the ones with the least planning.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t do a little background research about the country you’re visiting; you do not want to get stuck paying over £1000 for a meal in Venice like four tourists did last month (look it up).

Alternatively, you could discover that your destination is the home of a painting you’ve always wanted to see and make the time to visit it. Whatever floats your boat, it’s important to have no regrets!

Sport

27th February 2018

22

The Winter Olympics: “We’re doing ok”

Reporter Sean Bennett rounds up what’s gone down at the 23rd winter games We’re doing ok in the Winter Olympics. A grand total of four medals, three bronze and one gold, have us placing 18th overall.

Norway, Germany and Canada have the podium places with 38, 28, and 29 medals respectively, no particular surprises there, with Kazakhstan, Latvia and Liechtenstein all tying for 25th place at the bottom of the table.

“The Olympics have always been effective at inspiring good in the world” The Winter Olympics as we know them began in 1924 in France with just five sports – bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, Nordic skiing and skating – which encompassed nine individual disciplines.

Now, fifteen sports with around one hundred individual events can

be seen at the 23rd winter games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

These games have not been without their intrigue. From problematic weather conditions to the ever present spectre of doping allegations, headlines have abounded, as usual.

North Korea, however, provided these games with a story to set it apart from the rest when they announced that their ice hockey team would be competing with the South Korean athletes in a unified Korean team.

The move, especially given the high tensions surrounding the state and their leader Kim Jong-un, was shocking and, it turns out, not particularly successful.

A number of doping allegations have been levelled at competitors too, most interestingly Alexander Krushelnitsky, a medal winning Russian curler, or all things.

Many may find themselves somewhat perplexed as to how drugs would be useful in as technical a sport as curling, although the intense brushing does genuinely look like very hard work, and indeed

Krushelnitsky has vehemently denied using banned substances after testing positive for meldonium, a drug designed to increase blood flow when used over long periods of time.

The allegations have reignited debate around Russian athletes at the Olympics after a considerable number of the nations competitors were found to be in violation of doping rules at the 2016 summer games in Brazil.

From a British perspective, however, curling is looking promising as the women’s team, lead by bronze medal winner Eve Muirhead, reached the semi-finals following an enrapturing 6-5 victory against Canada.

The outlook for the men’s team is somewhat bleaker after suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of the Americans, forcing GB to win their upcoming match with Switzerland if they want a place in the final four.

These winter games have, thus far, been quite a ride and will continue to be so for a few more days yet. Despite some darker problems arising, as they often do

at such events, a lot of good has come out of Pyeongchang over the last two weeks or so. Of particular note are skaters Adam Rippon and Eric Radford, of the US and Canada respectively, who have become the first two openly gay athletes to gain podium places at the winter Olympic games.

“A number of

1 Silver

doping allegations have been levelled at competitors” The Olympics have always been effective at inspiring good in the world. In ancient times wars were halted while the games took place.

Now, thousands of years later we use that same platform to show solidarity, exact social change and, yes, to bury the hatchet occasionally and put aside our differences, even if it is only for a few ice hockey games.

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27th February 2018

23

Another shock FA Cup win for Wigan

The FA Cup always provides upsets. Remember Bradford? It seems this year is no different

Jack Ashton Sport Reporter The FA Cup is the home of shock defeats. Everyone loves it when the little underdog strides into a Premier League stadium, puffs their chest out, and sends the giants home crying.

For fans who are used to seeing their team play in a stadium that barely has 4 stands, seeing their team defeat a Premier League giant is a memorable occasion, and that was exactly what happened when League 1 Wigan beat premier League leaders Man City earlier this week.

Will Grigg’s (that guy who everyone sings about being on fire)

smart finish late in the second half stunned City, and cemented Wigan’s place as true FA Cup giant killers.

However, there have been some far more memorable occasions.

Remember back in 2014, Louis Van Gaal had just become manager of United and was having a really rocky period?

He probably thought some success in the League Cup would put the pressure off, so it sure helped when Will Grigg (yup, him again) slid in 2 goals to help MK Dons onto a 4-0 mauling of the footballing titans. Spurs fans will have noticed a young, 18 year-old Deli Alli patrolling the midfield in that game.

That’s not United’s only embarrassing League Cup exit:

MacMoreno, Wikimedia

losing 2-1 to championship side Crystal Palace in the 2011/12 season, and 2-0 to Championship Coventry in 2007/8 will also be key points United fans will be keen to forget.

Across the northern capital, City fans may be smiling, but that smile will easily fade when they recall their 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Nottingham Forest.

City entered the 2009 FA Cup as the richest club in the world, with a seemingly bottomless pot of money (which they decided to spend on Robinho but nevermind that...) at their disposal.

However this meant nothing to Forest, who slid 3 past the Premier League side, including one from old West Brom striker Robert Earnshaw, in order to silence the home fans.

Things aren’t so good for Chelsea fans either. Their 2-0 lead against Bradford in 2015 was shattered into a 4-2 loss. Bradford, who went on to be crowned winners of the Ronnie Radford FA Cup Giant Killers Award, also defeated Premier League side Sunderland in the next round of the competition.

This wasn’t the only time Bradford had stormed past Premier League giants.

In the 2012/13 season, they decimated 3 Premier League sides before losing to Swansea in the final, including victory over Arsenal.

It all just goes to show, knockout football is where it all happens. Sure, City have only lost 1 other game this season, but, Wigan can come knock that door down... Why not, eh?

Tony Allen: Why I love Hartlepool Optiknv, Wikimedia

Jonathan Thacker, Geograph Looking through my old photo albums, there are plenty of snaps of chubby ten-year-old me at various football grounds up and down the country following my club, Hartlepool United. There’s me at Wycombe celebrating promotion to League 1. There’s me at Walsall before the famous 3-2 fightback.

And there’s a whole bunch of me with my favourite players: Michael Mackay, Godwin Antwi, Neil Austin…

And it’s those memories which make it all the more painful to see Hartlepool in their current situation, slowly sliding down the pan.

See, when you love a club - I mean really love a club - it never leaves you. School, university and other interests have got in the way of me attending half as many matches now as I used to, but your football club stays with you forever, even if it’s sometimes more convenient to avoid the long story and say I follow Norwich City.

I must have been to well over 100 matches before my fifteenth birthday, and when a home game is as far as most of the away fixtures that’s not something you’d do if you didn’t genuinely love it.

As a bit of context, Hartlepool United have been on a downward spiral for some years now. Two relegations have seen them become a non-league club for the first time in their history, now visiting the likes of Sutton United instead of Swindon Town.

Since being relegated to the National League last season things have gone from bad to worse.

They’re now the latest in a long line of small clubs to face the very real prospect of going out of

business.

Players (Nicky Deverdicks to be precise) have complained on Twitter about the “PE kit” they’ve been forced to wear and for the last match I attended, Dagenham away, they had to make the 260 mile journey down to London by train on the morning of the game and transfer to a local coach instead of their usual bells-and-whistles team bus and hotel, to save cash.

But that pales in comparison to the whispers of financial mismanagement which have come from the boardroom at Victoria Park, following the farcical ownership of bankrupt ‘entrepreneur’ Gary Coxall.

The news that players’ wages and tax bills might not be paid sparked a JustGiving page, and generous donations from fans far and wide, of all clubs.

However, this tremendous response is misguided. The effect is only to keep the wolf from the door, it is by no means slain and the club is still living hand-to-mouth with the threat of a winding up order from HMRC a very real concern.

I’ve seen for myself how a successful team can galvanise a town. The motto at the bottom of Pools’ crest used to be “the town’s club”. Hartlepool was buzzing when we sold out Victoria Park on the last day of that League 1 promotion season, when we beat Premier League high-flyers Stoke in the FA Cup and when we celebrated the club’s centenary back in 2008.

It’s true that some lower league football clubs are the lifebloods of the towns they serve.

Another motto taken on by Pools in recent years is “never say die”.

We’ve seen so many clubs wither away thanks to dodgy owners and chairmen, but the insatiable desire for a team has led, in pretty much every case, the fans to rally and launch a new club with a slightly altered name - think Chester City and Pools’ rivals Darlington.

But the impact of your team potentially ceasing to exist only really hits home when it’s your club who’s 100-year-plus history hangs in the balance.

However, in spite of all the woe surrounding possible winding up, perhaps a clean slate might not be the worst thing.

The parasites who have sucked Charlotte the money out of the clubJones will be gone and we can start afresh.

Being wound up is embarrassing.

It’s awkward and it’ll no doubt have a gutting short-term effect on those who rely on Hartlepool United both directly or indirectly. But after some dire performances this season by players worried about feeding their families, the club is looking like it could well be relegated anyway.

Any new club having to work its way up would hardly be a tragedy, and the fans would still come if they had something to believe in.

I could talk all day about how Hartlepool’s plight is symptomatic of the tragic financial inequalities which plague the modern game, or the laughable ‘fit and proper persons’ test for those buying clubs.

But you have to be positive in a time like this, so I won’t.

Instead, all I’ll say is this: A new start might just be the best thing that could happen to the spirit of football in Hartlepool.

Whatever happens, that’s one thing that’ll never die.

Canary corner: what’s up at Carrow Road?

This season James Maddison has at times been the only shining light in another frustrating season for Norwich City and as a result has increasingly been tipped for a bigmoney move to the Premier League.

With a recent England U21 call-up, 9 league goals, 77 chances created and a second Goal of the Month award, it’s not hard to see why Canaries manager Daniel Farke has slapped a £30 million price tag on his star player.

However, unlike many of England’s hottest prospects, James Maddison did not start his footballing career living the lush life in a Category One academy.

The Coventry City trainee made his professional debut aged just 17.

Although a back injury saw him miss two months of football at the start of 2015, Maddison’s performances started to draw attention from a young age.

Cautious not to sacrifice first team football for a high wage in the under-23s, Maddison later favoured a move to Carrow Road over that of Anfield at the start of 2016 and although initially finding chances few and far between at Norwich City, a loan move to Aberdeen allowed him to show off his talents on a bigger stage.

The midfielder wrote himself into Aberdeen folklore after hitting a spectacular last-minute free-kick to earn a 2-1 victory over Scottish giants Rangers, before returning to the Norwich fold looking to fill the void left by big name departures such as Jonny Howson and Jacob Murphy.

After initially looking a touch out of place in an ambitious 3-5-2 formation brought to the club by new manager Farke, Maddison has put his stamp on the number 10 spot this season in a familiar 4-23-1 system and attracted praise for his composure on the ball and the ability to glide past his opponents.

By January, the former Sky Blues youngster led the Championship stat standings in both key passes per game (2.7) and the number of times fouled per game.

In addition, his 54 chances created at the time put him above every other player from the Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Serie A and La Liga.

With the Canaries struggling for money – senior figures have already stated that they expect a shortfall if promotion is not achieved – it will prove difficult to hold onto their star player.

An average performance at Stamord Bridge in the FA Cup may have been a reality check, but the composure shown by a man with just 7 career goals prior to this season to calmly stroke the ball past Willy Caballero during the highpressured penalty shootout showed his class.

There is no doubt Maddison is one of the stars of this season and, although talks of an outside shot of a place in England’s World Cup squad may seem outlandish, Norwich should be commended if they still have hold of JM23 this time next year.

Freddie Carty

24

27th February 2018

Sport

Klose game in East Anglian Derby Daniel Cook Sport Editor The East Anglian Derby is the match both Norwich City and Ipswich Town fans will immediately look for and highlight on their calendars as soon as the fixture is announced at the start of the footballing season.

The tie has been coined “The Old Farm Derby” in recent years, an attempt at humour and reference to the furious rivalry between Celtic and Rangers. While the level of hatred might not run as deep as the Glaswegian derby, there is no doubting it’s importance to the supporters.

“Sometimes a late equaliser like this feels better than an easy win” Accordingly, when Luke Chambers put Mick McCarthy’s side ahead with a minute of regular time to go, it looked as though Ipswich fans were certain to leave Carrow Road with not only three points, but also bragging rights over their East Anglian rivals. It seems Timm

Klose had other ideas, the German defender’s header with almost the last touch of the game drew Norwich level.

The Canaries have scored more goals than anyone else in the final 30 minutes of games in the Championship this season.

It was through a mixture of this resilience and Daniel Farke’s all-out attack tactics in the game’s dying moment which ensured Norwich’s impressive undefeated streak over The Tractor Boys remained in tack, with Ipswich now having not beaten Norwich since 2009.

Over the course of the 90 minutes a draw was a fair result, with Ipswich the better side in the first half, before Norwich finally came to life in the second. The result means that Ipswich and Norwich remain on 45 points each, with the former only ahead on goal difference.

Ultimately however a point a piece is not the best result for either side, with both teams still remaining eight points off the playoff positions. That being said, given the way the match ended, it’ll be Farke who goes home the happier manager and feel like two points dropped for Ipswich.

That much is evident by the manager’s statements after the final whistle. Ipswich boss, Mick McCarthy proclaimed, ‘“I would say

w e d i d our job well for 95 minutes, but unfortunately we couldn’t see it out.”

Meanwhile, Daniel Farke said “Sometimes a late equaliser like this feels better than an easy win, even though you are only getting one point”.

Judging by some of the challenges which went in and the intensity of the match, it is clear that both sets of players were well aware of the significance within which the fans attribute to the rivalry.

Five Ipswich players alone were shown yellow cards, with Farke commenting afterwards, “I thought it was a typical crazy derby game, with aggressive tackles, duels, and the two late goals.”

Unfortunately, it seems the game’s hostilities did not remain on the pitch, as it has since been revealed that twelve people were arrested during Sunday’s game.

Of those twelve arrests, seven have been accused of criminal damages, after lighting in the away section of the stadium was pulled down.

It should be pointed out however that this was clearly a minority, with most of the two thousand Ipswich

James Cracknell, Wikimedia

f a n s and 25,000 odd Norwich supports said to have behaved well. This is in accordance with a statement released by Norfolk Police after the game, in which the said there was a “good spirit between the fans”.

Despite the 40 mile gap between Norwich and Ipswich, the rivalry is a particularly fierce one. There are a number of theories as to why this is, one of which is the belief that the fact each club stands alone in representing their respective counties (Norwich being the only side in Norfolk and Ipswich in Suffolk) intensifies the animosity felt by the fans.

In terms of the derby’s history, as mentioned previously it is Norwich who have come out on top in recent years, having beaten Ipswich by a goal to nothing in the side’s first match up of the season at Portland Road. Having said, since the first game between the two sides in 1902,

it is in fact Ipswich who have come out on top more times than Norwich, winning 60 out of their 143 meetings.

Looking ahead to the final few months of the season, neither team will be particularly pleased with how their campaigns have gone up to now.

Such is the nature of the Championship and the ageold adage that anyone can beat anyone on their day in the league.

It wouldn’t be surprising if either or indeed both East Anglian sides clawed back the gap to the playoffs and compete to play in the Premiership next year.

Binning keeps winning for UEA swimming Sophie Christian Sport Editor

Flikr, Carine06

Shelagh Golder

UEA’s Swimming Club flaunted their talent at the BUCS Nationals Long Course Swimming Championships, with nine club records broken in one weekend at Sheffield.

Concrete caught up with Sport Scholar Hannah Binning, a first year Physical Education student, who hoped to reach at least one final in her first BUCS Long Course Nationals event. Binning clocked an impressive time of 1:01.82 in the F.C, breaking UEA’s club record.

After starting swimming at two years old, Hannah said she “first swam competitively at the age of nine, the youngest age you can enter competitions. I have been competing for around 10 years now and it has got more challenging through the years. Around 4 years ago I picked up a back injury which is still an issue today, but not as bad.

I found it hard to train which limited my performance and made it much harder to reach my P.B’s. However, I am now able to train a lot harder which is why my performances have improved significantly!”

Hannah explained what inspired her to join UEA Swimming and how it helped her develop as an athlete.

“Before I joined UEA I always knew I wanted to join the swimming team as I was passionate about continuing my swimming career!

They have amazing facilities for me to train in, which is beneficial. They also have a high-quality coach who is very motivating and has a passion for helping everyone to reach their potential.

“Joining the UEA swim team has definitely helped me progress as an athlete both mentally and physically. They have helped me to create new race plans and I am now swimming the fastest I have in four years! I’m so glad I joined the swim team because they are an amazing group of people to train with and very welcoming to new swimmers to the club.”

In terms of her training schedule, she commented: “When I first started university in September I was training around seven times a week with the City of Norwich Swimming Club, as well as UEA Swimming Club.

“However, I found that I was very restricted for time training seven times a week so after Christmas I decided to only train with the UEA swimming club. I now train four sessions a week with land training based activities included.

“Leading up to BUCS the

training intensity increased and every session it would be a case of setting goals to ensure I was reading to compete! During the sessions we would do a lot of race practice which really helps when it comes to competing!”

Hannah reflected on her success at Sheffield after breaking the 100 F.C, saying: “When I finished my race and saw I had swam a 1.01 I was so pleased! I haven’t swum that fast in four years now and I’m so chuffed about how the race went! I had the race all planned out, all that was left to do was to put the plan in action and it paid off! I didn’t realise I had broken the club record until I got back to my team mates and I was overwhelmed to hear that I had done it! It was such a shock and I’m so grateful to be part of such a wonderful team.

“The previous record was tough to beat so go and break it was one of the highlights of my weekend.

The competition was tough as I was competing against a variety of top swimmers including Olympic athletes. However, I managed to finish 20th overall which is my best BUCS position and I was the second fastest 18-year-old overall.

I’m definitely excited for my competitions in the near future after my performance at the weekend!”