Concrete 381

Est. 1992 The official student newspaper of the University of East Anglia | Striving For Truth | Issue 381 | 05 October 2021

Norfolk MP Comment: promoted to Texas abortion Foreign law will only Secretary stop safe pg. 4 abortions pg. 17

Rediscovering the City of Stories

pg. 20

Top 50 global ranking for UEA research Sam Gordon Webb

Deputy Editor

The University of East Anglia’s research was ranked in the top 50 of the most cited research material globally, as part of the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2022 released earlier this month.

The metrics are based on the number of times published work is cited by scholars from a varying academic work, including article reviews and book chapters published in the last five years.

UEA’s greatest subject position was in Life Sciences, across agriculture and forestry, biological sciences, veterinary science and sport science.

The result places the university 2nd in the UK for Life Science degrees, as well as 15th in the world for Physical Sciences degrees, including degrees such as maths and statistics, physics and astronomy, as well as environmental science.

UEA’s vice chancellor, David Richardson, stated: “It is wonderful to see confirmation that UEA’s reputation as a research intensive university is growing on the world stage and putting us at the top table in the UK.” The rankings come after UEA slipped 6 places in the Sunday Times Good University Guide (GUG), from 21st to 26th.

The league table is based on metrics such as teaching quality, degree completion rates as well as graduate employment prospects.

81% of UEA students achieve “good honours” (2.1 or firsts), compared to 71% students at the Norwich University of the Arts.

The rankings reflect lower student satisfaction levels overall as a result of Covid-19 restrictions.

Oxford and Cambridge were beaten to the top spot by St Andrews for the first time in the

ranking’s history.

Last year, students signed an open letter to the vice chancellor, calling for a reduced rate of tuition fees in the context of online teaching.

The letter also claimed “international students are paying three times as much as UK students for the same experience.”

The university’s research has been in the eye of extensive media coverage

for some time.

The ‘Climategate’ scandal of 2009 - in which Professor Philip Jones, director of climate research at the University of East Anglia, was investigated after

leaked emails appeared to suggest researchers had exaggerated the threat posed by global warming - has been made into a BBC thriller starring Jason Watkins.

2

Editorial

5th October 2021

Dancing, laughing, and remembering Freyja Elwood

Deputy Editor

Photo: Samuel Baxter

Back where we belong Dolly Carter

Editor-in-Chief

Here at Concrete, we’ve been busy with start of term preparations, namely introducing ourselves at the Societies Fair and talking to our newest members at the Big Meet!

It was lovely to meet so many of you at both events – I am very excited to see the quality of work and passion you all bring to Concrete over the coming year.

Don’t worry if you missed either of these events as you can find all the information you need in our new ‘Concrete how-to guide’.

It covers how to write for us, who the team are, how to contact different team members, how to pitch your own articles, and top tips for writing for each section.

You can access it via the ‘Get Involved’ tab on the homepage of our website.

Hopefully I’ve managed to answer any questions you may have within the guide but if not, please feel free to

get in touch with me via the following address: concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk.

As for this issue, the Concrete team have worked tirelessly to produce an astounding collection of content.

I would like to dedicate a few lines to our wonderful support teams, who work quietly in the background to ensure Concrete keeps running smoothly, enabling us to produce content around the clock.

Our Copy Editors, Sophie Colley and Phoebe Lucas, ensure every article published within Concrete is consistent to our house style, meticulously checking spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

Our Head of Online Matthew Stothard uploads articles and updates the Concrete website, playing a vital role in maintaining our online presence.

Travel and Lifestyle Editor Tristan Pollitt has also been contributing to our Online Team while we hire for two new Online Editors.

Lead Photographer Samuel Baxter

has been incredibly busy running around campus to capture headshots of our team members which can be viewed on our Instagram and Twitter pages.

And last but not least, our Social Media Manager Badriya Abdullah has been producing varied content for our social media platforms, including article feature posts, graphics for clubs/societies to share on their stories, and publicity for our Big Meet.

I’m sure I can say this on behalf of all the Senior Editors - she never fails to impress us.

As you will see in this issue, our Section Editors have produced beautiful layups and our writers have stepped up to the plate yet again to offer well-written, engaging, and thought-provoking articles.

I hope you enjoy this issue of Concrete.

It is truly heart-warming to see Concrete back where it belongs – spread across campus, on coffee tables, and in the hands of the UEA community.

Campus is alive with the sound of music Sam Gordon Webb

Deputy Editor

As I walked through Union House last week, the smell of jerk curry by the popular Patience Unazi food stand - seving West African and Afro Caribbean food - was unmistakable.

And how wonderful it was to see campus alive and buzzing once more, with the unmissable sound and sight of human connection.

Last week, the Drama and Musical Theatre Society hosted its

renowned ‘Pants’ events, hosted by Charlie Bench and Greg Harding.

Attendees were greeted with a boisterous energy, matched by the extraordinary singing of performers.

Included in the act were Rosie Hastings, Publicity Officer, singing from Les Miserables with president Lillian Carver.

The lecture theatre arrupted with cheering and applause, just as it used to before Covid took away our ability to assemble together.

Campus is waking up from a long and desperately unpleasant nightmare.

The SU bar has been filling up with freshers and returners alike.

The reopening of Ziggy’s has given Campus Kitchen a more vibrant, bustling feel.

Concrete is back after a full year of printing restrictions.

I’m also delighted to confirm a discount code is hidden somewhere within our pages, an opportunity to get 50% off any hot drink purchased at Unio.

Read carefully.

The past three weeks have flown past and I find myself here again, not knowing what to write about in my editorial, with the impending deadline in a few hours.

Last night, as I sat with my housemates while they got ready to go out, I read Sarah Everard’s mother’s Victim Impact Statement.

It was quite possibly the worst thing I have ever read.

By the time I had finished reading, the girls had popped to the co-op, I was just left thinking what if it was Gwen, Nathalie, Nicola, Sue, Harriet or Naomi writing about one of us.

What if one of us didn’t come home?

The streets of Norwich have always felt safe to me, but is that a false sense of comfort?

I know for the first time, I will start to look at the Police differently.

But I equally know I have had the privilege of being able to make that choice from afar.

Those who are non-white, particularly the Black community, have not had this choice. Especially Black women.

The Northern Echo’s front page today (Friday 1st of October) shows the photos of 80 women killed since the murder of Sarah Everard.

All of them, alleged victims of femicide.

The title: “When will this end?”

I don’t know. I don’t think it will.

I hope it will.

For Sarah, for Nicole and Bibaa, for Sabina - I’ll laugh a little bit harder with my housemates tonight, I’ll dance a little bit wilder.

I’ll do all the things they can’t to honour them.

I’d implore you to do the same.

concrete-online.co.uk

ConcreteUEA

The University of East Anglia’s Official Student Newspaper since 1992 Tuesday 5th October 2021 Issue 381 Union House University of East Anglia Norwich NR4 7TJ 01603 593466 www.concrete-online.co.uk

Editor-in-Chief Dolly Carter concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk Deputy Editors Sam Gordon Webb & Freyja Elwood

News Una Jones Senior Writer: Rachel Keane Global Aislinn Wright Senior Writer: Hamish Davis Features Maja Anushka Comment Lauren Bramwell Science Mariam Jallow Senior Writer: George Barsted Travel & Lifestyle Tristan Pollitt Sport Oscar Ress

Breaking News Emily Kelly UEA Correspondent: Jim Gell UK Correspondent: Addie Cannell International Correspondent: Melody Chan

Online Editors Matthew Stothard & Tristan Pollitt Copy Editors Sophie Colley & Phoebe Lucas Social Media Manager Badriya Abdullah Lead Photographer Samuel Baxter

ConcreteUEA

Front page photo: Concrete/Samuel Baxter Cut outs: Wikimedia Commons

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, Dolly Carter. 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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5th October 2021

concrete-online.co.uk/news/ | @ConcreteUEA

UEA launches UEA respond to timetabling errors as they switch from Evision to Timetabler Dolly Carter on 27th September without a timetable. We understand that some students, switching from Evision to Timetabler Productivity A university spokesperson particularly those with work or caring has incurred to the university, commented: “the implementation responsibilities, may find that they need a university spokesperson said: In an attempt to modernise their of the new timetabling system has time to adjust their plans and students “the return on investment of a new E a s t timetabling systems in common with not gone as smoothly as we had hoped, should talk to their advisor if they foresee timetabling system, like any digital Editor in Chief

Una Jones News Editor

UEA has launched a new centre devoted to engineering, technology, and management on its award-winning campus.

Announced in 2019, the focus of the centre, called Productivity East, is set to improve productivity, and address global challenges related to manufacturing, while finding innovative ways to support the region’s manufacturing and technology sectors.

The hope is students, academics, and businesses will work concomitantly to achieve these aims.

The centre, costing £7.4m, boasts facilities including a CAD studio, robotics laboratory and advanced 3D printing technology.

Professor Fiona Lettice, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation at UEA has stated:

other major universities, the University of East Anglia have switched from Evision to Timetabler for the 2021-22 academic year.

The move between providers has caused several problems within the university, including a delay in teaching staff receiving their teaching timetables while some students have started term

despite many months of planning. We know how important it is for students to receive their timetables as early as possible and acknowledge how difficult this has been. Staff in many areas of the university have worked around the clock to produce the timetables and are still working to improve and finalise them.

any problems engaging with their studies”.

Due to commercial confidentiality, the university were not able to provide a figure for their contract with Evision in the 2020-21 academic year, or a figure for their new contract with Timetabler/ Booker in the 2021-22 academic year.

Upon request of the extra cost

system, is judged over several years.

Generally, there are upfront costs in the early period and longer term financial, efficiency and other advantages”.

The university signposts students to the new Student Information Zone, both in-person and online, if they have any further questions about their timetables.

“At the heart of Productivity East are the engineers of the future” Supported with £4.5m funding from New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership’s Growth Deal with government and formulated in unification with New Anglia Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering (NAAME), Productivity East will begin to offer Continuing Professional Development programmes to address skill gaps, benefiting students and industries by working together to achieve a common aim.

According to Chris Starkie, chief executive of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, “Our manufacturing sector is worth £5.2bn and underpins productivity and innovation in other areas, so this facility is an investment in a vital part of our economy and will enable us to grow and compete nationally and internationally.”

With Tech East’s Chief Operating Officer, Tim Robinson, suggesting the new facility on UEA campus will represent a major step forward in advancing technology and associated companies in the East of England, Productivity East also represents an exciting step forward, and advancement for the university itself.

Photo: Concrete/Samuel Baxter

UEA

project

to

Tom Manning News Writer

Care home staff are to be involved in a new UEA project to increase the number of staff taking the flu vaccine.

In a £1.4 million scheme backed by the National Institute for Health Research, UEA researchers are looking at ways to encourage care home staff to take the flu vaccine.

The FluCare project hosted by NHS Norfolk and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group will also include collaborations with the universities of Leicester and

increase

flu

Liverpool and organisations such as the National Care Program, Boots UK, and Day-Lewis Pharmacy among others.

UEA School of Pharmacy’s Prof David Wright has suggested the three reasons hindering vaccine uptake are staffs accessibility to vaccines, the level of importance, or lack thereof, that managers ascribe to vaccination; in addition to the personal beliefs of staff.

Wright also asserted: “We want to find out which approaches work best to increase the number of staff being vaccinated.

We hope that what we learn can also be used to improve Covid vaccine uptake.”

The research team plan to

vaccines

for

care

home

staff

investigate approaches such as homes across the country offering incentives to managers during flu season with the hope and community pharmacists vaccinating to increase this number to 70 care homes with low vaccination levels.

Dr Amrish Patel from UEA’s School of Economics said: “we will use our findings to develop a toolkit. This will tell people about our new service and encourage them to use it. While we do this research, we will work closely with residents and relatives.

They will help us design and manage the staff in care homes. studies, collect information, look They aim to test these at the results and present them approaches to ten care to the outside world.”

“What we learn can be used to improve Covid vaccine uptake”

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5th October 2021

News Norfolk Rachel Keane

Senior News Writer

Conservative MP, Liz Truss, has been appointed the role of Foreign Secretary in the recent cabinet reshuffle.

She has replaced Dominic Raab who is now serving as the Justice Secretary.

This comes as many Conservative MPs from the Anglia region are promoted in Boris Johnson’s new government line up.

Truss has served as an MP for South West Norfolk since 2010, after previously working in sales, as an economist, and as the deputy editor of think tank ‘Reform’.

Within office, she has served as Under-secretary of State for Childcare

MP

promoted

and Education, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Secretary of State for Justice, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and International Trade Secretary.

Whilst studying at Oxford University, Truss was the President of the Oxford University Liberal Democrats but when she graduated in 1996 she joined the Conservative Party.

She described her parents, a nurse and a professor of mathematics, as being “to the left of Labour”, and a surprising decision to become a Conservative MP. During her first election campaign, her mother agreed to campaign for her, whilst her father refused.

As Foreign Secretary, Truss will be

in

responsible for Britain’s relations with foreign governments and states.

She will head the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, focusing on national security, intelligence, and promotion of British interests abroad amongst other things.

She is the first Conservative woman to hold the position. In the past week she has chaired a meeting of the UN Security Council, a G20 meeting on Afghanistan, as well as having held over 15 meetings with heads of state and foreign ministers.

Truss is already showing differences between her and her predecessor Raab through her use of social media.

It appears she is gaining a lot of attention and there are whispers of her

cabinet becoming future leader of such a maledominated party.

Truss also acts as the minister of women and equalities but has been accused by a group of MPs as treating this role as a “side hustle”.

They feel as though Truss having such a demanding role as Foreign Secretary means the important work of reducing inequality is being sidelined.

Caroline Nokes, the chair of the women and equalities committee, said Truss had been unable to attend the committee’s questions due to conflicting commitments.

Nokes said “it is obvious that the current setup of Cabinet leaves no space or time to really address

reshuffle! inequality in the UK”.

Other Norfolk MPs have also been affected by the recent reshuffle. The Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman has been reinstated to the government front bench as Minister for Science, Research and Innovation.

The Norwich North MP Chloe Smith has been moved to the Department for Work and Pensions from the Cabinet Office where she was attempting to push through new controversial legislation around making photo ID compulsory before people are allowed to vote.

Others have stayed in the same positions, such as Great Yarmouth MP Brandon Lewis who has remained Northern Ireland Secretary.

Calls for paid sick leave following miscarriage before 24 weeks Rachel Keane

Senior News Writer

Angela Crawley, MP for the SNP (Scottish National Party), is calling on the government to give those who have suffered a miscarriage the legal right to three days of paid leave.

Since April 2020, there has been legislation in place to offer paid parental leave to employees who experience

a miscarriage after 24 weeks but no entitlement to those who face a pregnancy loss before this date.

Crawley stated she receives “tonnes and tonnes of correspondence on this issue from fathers, from mothers and from families who have experienced miscarriages”.

This led her to introduce a bill to parliament in June which states parents should receive three days paid leave after suffering a miscarriage before 24

weeks.

Despite parents who currently experience this not being entitled to any time off, they often resorted to taking unpaid or sick leave, making the true cost of grief even higher.

Sadly, whilst miscarriage is very common, it is still steeped in a societal stigma preventing in-depth discussion surrounding legislation within the government.

However, in recent years, there has

been more work done to help families and individuals who are struggling after suffering a miscarriage.

The Miscarriage Association launched a campaign designed to encourage businesses to provide greater support to employees experiencing pregnancy loss.

It is hoped, with more information on the subject, there will be greater compassion and care for those affected.

Crawley’s bill is due to have its first

full debate in December and it is hoped, that it would be a piece of landmark legislation in making the workplace a more hospitable environment for those suffering.

Although it appears Boris Johnson is not in favour of extending parental leave to those who suffer the loss of a baby before the 24 weeks mark as he failed to directly specify his assent to such a legislation.

Hancock’s Whatsapps to be examined in court case!

Rachel Keane

Senior News Writer

Matt Hancock will have both his Whatsapp and his emails searched during a court battle over the awarding of antibody test contracts.

The former health secretary was accused by Joseph Barrett, the barrister for The Good Law Project group, of being the “ultimate decision-maker” in awarding the contract to Abingdon Health “without any advertisement or competition”.

Last week, the group asked the High Court to order searches of Hancock’s government email accounts, as well as his “non-government communications systems”.

Barrett told the Court Hancock had used multiple emails not associated with the government to conduct government business.

The contracts were worth more than £80 million, making it a significant investigation in the public interest.

“The contracts were awarded directly, and secretly” to Abingdon Health in three separate contracts given in April, June and August 2020, though this was not published until October 2020.

The Good Law Project

also argues the contracts “comprise very substantial unlawful public subsidies”.

The defence argued Hancock had a “limited” role in the allocation of contracts for antibody tests.

Philip Moser QC, who is contesting the claims against the Department of Health and Social Science (DHSC), said: “There is no reasonable basis on which to seek such disclosure because Mr Hancock’s involvement in the matters which are in issue in these proceedings was limited and … would have been caught by the existing disclosure exercise”.

In addition to this, a spokesperson for Hancock said: “Mr Hancock had no involvement in the awarding of this contract, or indeed any other contracts. They were all awarded through formal processes, as the National Audit Office has confirmed”.

The judge, however, said: “It seems to me that even though his involvement has been described as ‘limited’, ‘limited’ can still be quite significant”.

He ordered that both Hancock’s government and non-government communications be searched for relevant material, as well as ordering ex-health minister Lord

Bethell to provide a witness statement on the use of personal devices for government business.

Lord Bethell left the DHSC recently following calls to resign due to his use of a personal email account rather than the official communication channels.

Moser said: “Lord Bethell has consented to a search of three personal email accounts and keywords have been agreed with the claimant.

He has also consented to have his personal mobile telephone devices searched”.

The full trial will take place from 6th December.

This comes amidst a multitude of scandals surrounding Hancock.

He resigned from his duties as health secretary in June 2021 after photos of him kissing an aide in his government office were published, exposing him for breaching the coronavirus rules he supposedly helped create.

The public now awaits the verdict on his handling of the contract awarding process.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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5th October 2021

concrete-online.co.uk/news/ | @ConcreteUEA

Online learning disputes ‘value proposition’ of education

Energy Companies warn of collapse Rachel Keane

Una Jones

"public health reasons".

News Editor Gavin Williamson’s successor, Nadhim Zahawi, will face the decision Record numbers of students as to whether or not they attending university this year should go ahead with will be paying higher the tuition fee cut, fees for public universities. recommended by a governmentThe fee, £9,250 annually, is higher than any other developed country.

This excludes prestigious private universities, such as in the US, but has called into question the ‘value proposition’ of online lessons.

An international Education report by the OECD has suggested such tuition fees will not be sustainable with continued online teaching.

Students attend university for the quality of teaching which can only be obtained in-person.

This is aided by having more peer support, more visual stimulants, academic settings, and the chance to engage with professors to develop social skills which can be valuable for work settings.

OECD education expert Andreas Schleicher suggested If too much of university life remained online then this would fundamentally challenge the "value proposition" of tuition fees.

England’s previous education secretary, Gavin Williamson, warned universities to resume face-to-face tuition this term where possible.

Universities UK have added the "vast majority" of teaching and socialising will be in person, however, large lectures might remain online for

commissioned review calling for fees of £7,500.

This comes despite the government's freeze on tuition fees at £9,250 at the beginning of the year.

However, a spokesperson for Universities UK defended the set price of tuition fees: "The structure of the system in England means that no student pays fees up front, and repayments are made based on a graduate's ability to pay over their working life."

Some students have also reported online studies are more suited to their needs.

For example, disabled students have found the option to learn virtually increases accessibility to lectures and seminars.

Learning online may also provide flexibility to students who work or need to travel to their families, either across the UK or internationally.

While the outlook for online learning remains uncertain, a potential compromise on the price of tuition fees provides students with a positive outlook as the quality of their experience is being assessed a l o n g s i d e the financial burden of higher education.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Senior News Writer

Disruption to gas supply due to skyrocketing prices and transportation issues has caused energy companies across the UK to go bust.

Seven companies have collapsed thus far, two of the largest being Avro Energy and Green Supplier Limited who collectively served 835,000 customers.

Ofgem, the energy regulator for Britain, has the job of assigning those consumers to new suppliers, causing even greater disruption for companies already on the brink.

There are a few compounding issues leading [rephrased] up to this point.

Since Brexit, there appears to be a shortage of about 100,000 lorry drivers, causing supply chain problems.

Transporting hazardous substances also requires the driver to have a separate qualification which has made filling the job gaps a much slower process than would have been hoped.

The pandemic has also contributed to the HGV driver shortage as there is currently a backlog of about 40,000 drivers waiting to take their test. There are more drivers retiring than there are new drivers signing up, leading Photo: Wikimedia Commons the Road Haulage Association to note, “the average age of a truck driver in the UK is 57, every day this problem is just getting worse”.

Ofgem enforces a price cap on energy suppliers to protect customers from unfair and sudden price increases.

However, as the price of wholesale gas has soared 250% since January, suppliers have been unable to stay afloat whilst keeping their charges within the cap.

It is not isolated to the UK as gas prices are rising across all of Europe.

Equinor, one of Europe’s largest gas suppliers, explained that prices are increasing due to a greater demand from Asian countries, low European stocks, and a rise in carbon prices.

Nearing winter, Europe will have to face the uncertainty of gas storage at only 70-75% of its capacity, lower than the five-year average.

European countries also rely on 40% of their gas supply coming from Russia.

Due to a fire in a Siberian gas processing plant, Gazprom, the Russian state-owned energy company, also announced in August that it would have to reduce its supply of natural gas to Europe.

Reinforcing these issues, the UK is also dealing with lower winds than usual which has led to a lower supply of renewable energy.

There are now calls on the British government to offer financial support to keep energy companies afloat and to ensure supply.

The government has said it is considering offering loans to surviving energy companies in an attempt to encourage them to take on customers who need to be assigned to a new supplier.

Kwasi Kwarteng, the Secretary of State at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, has said the government would not, however, “be bailing out failed companies” as the sector has seen a “regular entry and exit” over the past five to ten years.

Whilst at the beginning of 2021, the UK had 70 different energy suppliers, industry experts are now suggesting there may only be 10 remaining at the end of the year.

'Have we achieved our aims? Not yet': eco-warriors issue warning Sam Gordon Webb Deputy Editor

The climate group behind protests on Britain's busiest motorways, Insulate Britain, have issued a stark warning to politicians ahead of The UN Climate Change Conference in November, blaming the government for “failing to protect its citizens whilst allowing carbon emissions to continue from outdated housing stock.”

Members of the group which has links to Extinction Rebellion - attempted to block the London orbital motorway, including junctions at Swanley in Kent and Enfield in North London.

This led to over 80 arrests.

A woman was also airlifted to

hospital from the M25 in an incident widely attributed to the activists.

A spokesperson of the group disclosed exclusively to Concrete: "The UK has some of the worst insulated housing stock in Europe, with countless thousands of families having to choose between whether they keep their home, or feed their children."

Using figures obtained by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the fuel poverty charity, National Energy Action, stated 28,300 excess winter deaths were reported in England and Wales in 2019-20, with 8500 caused by cold homes.

Despite condemnation from the government, a representative of the group was clear: “The overall goal of Insulate Britain is for the

government to insulate the homes of the United Kingdom.

Have we achieved our goals? Not yet.”

An investigation is ongoing by Surrey Police after officers were called to a crash involving four cars on the M25, located near the protests on the anti-clockwise carriageway at Junction 9 in Leatherhead.

When asked if the group had any regrets, Insulate Britain abstained responsibility: “I was many miles from where the protest was taking place.

Our hearts go out to the woman and her family, however, our hearts also go out to the 8500 people who lose their loved ones every year.”

In the most extensive research ever published on climate

anxiety, researchers from the University of Bath concluded 59% of young people aged 16 to 25, were very or extremely worried about climate change, rating the government's response negatively.

However Concrete has found two members of the group are over 80 years old, prompting further questions regarding the number of younger activists taking part in the protests.

The study comes after researchers from the University of East Anglia’s School of Environmental Science found Global Warming could cause abrupt changes to important algal communities in our water, impacting marine ecosystems and fisheries.

Since the protests began, videos on social media have gone viral, appearing to show

motorists confronting activists.

Despite widespread condemnation, the group only intends to “stop all protests once the government issues a statement”, further suggesting “they [the government] should be stopping the disruption to British lives, and it is their failure to do so which has led to us having to take this decisive action.”

“[the government] should be stopping the disruption to British lives”

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5th October 2021

GLOBAL

Aukus turned ruckus: new nuclear pact sets back diplomatic relations Hamish Davis

Senior Global Writer

It’s safe to say that since its announcement on September 15th, the Aukus defence technology pact between Australia, the UK, and the US, has ruffled some feathers both across the channel and farther afield.

Artificial technology and cybersecurity are both notable exchanges that can be expected to take place under the new pact, yet it is the proposed aid of the US and UK in Australia acquiring a fleet of nuclear-propelled submarines that has proven to be so incendiary in recent days.

The latter has caused Australia to cancel a contract made with France in 2016 for 12 electric-diesel attack-class submarines: a deal worth £48 billion. Both the news and its ill-fated delivery left major dents in Franco-US and

Franco-Australian relations.

Macron was reportedlyleft furious as French officials received the news of their contract’s cancellation via leaked reports from the Australian press on the day of the Aukus announcement.

Though the French government had previously pursued concerns about the future of the 2016 contract, neither Australian prime minister Scott Morrison nor US officials warned France during such enquiries.

“There has been a lie, there has been duplicity” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian stated last

week that “There has been a lie, there has been duplicity, there has been a major breach of trust, there has been contempt, so things are not right between us.”

France initially recalled ambassadors from both Australia and the US. Biden and Macron have since eased diplomatic tensions over a call on September 22nd, yet the threat of French retribution perhaps still looms for Australia as the EU continues to consider a free-trade agreement with the country.

Though a summit between French and British defence ministers was also postponed last week, the notable absence of any similar withdrawal of French diplomats from Britain is indicative of the Macron government’s dismissal of the UK playing a central role in the “duplicity.”

Whilst French officials have

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

stressed Britain’s “irrelevance” as the reason behind the decision, evening likening Britain to “dishwater,” and Boris Johnson has provocatively asked the French government in Franglais to “get a grip,” the situation is unlikely to escalate beyond bilateral School-yard cattiness for the two nations.

This perhaps may not be said for the elephant in the room…

China.

Though all involved stress the contrary, the pact is largely seen as a response to an increasing military presence in the South China sea from the nation.

A change in geopolitical positions is in the air.

Biden faces widespread criticism over the deportation of Haitian immigrants continues to c a s t a s h a d ow ove r t h e M e x i c a n - A m e r i c a n b o rd e r Hamish Davis

Senior Global Writer

Nearing the third week of a migrant crisis on the MexicanAmerican border Biden’s now not so fresh administration would prefer to forget, US homeland security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced last Friday that the encampment of 15,000 largely Haitian migrants under Del Rio international bridge had been cleared.

Over 8,000 migrants have returned to Mexico, 2,000 have been returned to Haiti via 17 “repatriation flights,” and 5,000 have been relocated to processing stations too, in turn, largely face deportation.

A whirlwind of events has left the Democrat-executive branch scathed from all angles. In truth, the writing was on the wall by late July as numbers of migrants detained at the southern US border surpassed 200,000 for the first time in 21 years.

Yet as early as January, Latin-American nations like Mexico had pressed the new administration for urgent immigration reform.

The deficient border infrastructures

of poorer states have long swelled with stranded migrants prevented from moving on courtesy of agreements with the US. Early last week Colombian and Panamanian officials recorded 19,000 undocumented migrants at their respective border; the Panamanian government predicts 80,000 more passing through the border by the end of the year.

Regardless, smaller numbers further north have caused considerable strain on facets of local Texan government at the US border. By September 18th, Haitian migrants had amassed at the US border’s Rio Grande,

by September 19th the number had risen to 13,000-15,000.

On September 21st, with Del Rio’s Customs and Border protection facilities at breaking point, Texan Governor Greg Abbott approved an unprecedented ‘steel barrier’ of Texas national guard and department of public safety vehicles.

The message from the governor was clear (via CNN): Border Patrol officers were “overwhelmed with the amount of work they’re required to do and they’re suffering the consequences

Photo: Wikimedia Commons of an administration that is not providing them either the personnel or the resources they need.”

Humanitarian criticism has also come the way of Biden’s administration.

Poor

camp conditions, aggressive border patrol tactics, and unprocessed deportations have all implicated this most recent government in now seemingly bi-partisan discriminatory conduct at the border.

On September 23rd the US special envoy to Haiti resigned calling deportations an “inhumane counter-productive decision.”

Needless to say, Biden’s honeymoon period is over.

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North and South Korea test missiles Sudan coup attempt fails Melody Chan Global Writer

On the 22nd of September, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles into its east ocean.

It was North Korea’s first time launching missiles since March.

South Korea’s Joint Chief of Staff said they flew 800 km at an altitude of 60 km.

This display of military assets was a response to the nuclear diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington.

Kim Jong-un’s government has rejected the US demand to give up nuclear programs in exchange for sanction relief.

The missile test aimed to leverage negotiations between the two countries; they were a “strategic weapon of great significance” as noted by the North Korean state media.

The missiles have posed threats to America, as well as neighbouring Japan and South Korea.

The US decried the launch as being a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

The Japanese Prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, also condemned the launch and described it as “outrageous”.

The missiles landed at Japan’s exclusive economic zone, which threatened the region’s safety and peace.

Meanwhile, South Korea launched a ballistic missile from a 3,000-tonne submarine only hours after North Korea’s launch of missiles.

The coincidence in the missile launchings of the two Koreas was seen as “an arms race” by Professor John Delury from Yonsei University.

Yet, Moon Jae-IN’s government claimed the launch was pre-planned to

exercise South Korea’s military capability in deterring North Korea.

Kim’s sister, Kim Yo-Jong, spoke about South Korea’s submarine missile, claiming it was an “illogical and foolish attitude” towards North Korea’s provocations.

North Korea’s missiles were marked as a threat to the world whilst South Korea’s missile was portrayed as legitimate support for peace.

The UN Security Council resolutions banned North Korea’s ballistic missile systems.

World leaders from France and Estonia held talks on North Korea’s tests.

South Korea and China also addressed the missile launches and conducted discussions on denuclearisation.

The Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi believes it is a global responsibility to work and sustain peace on the Korean peninsula.

Biden has promised a new era of diplomacy in a speech delivered to the UN Aislinn Wright Global Editor

American president Joe Biden promised an end to “relentless war” and the beginning of “relentless diplomacy” at a speech delivered to the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

In the speech, Biden described the withdrawal from Afghanistan in early September as a turning point in American international relations as America marks the “first time in 20 years the United States has not been at war.”

The withdrawal from Afghanistan has been widely perceived by UN members as rushed and chaotic.

Fellow UN members have responded to the speech with a marked scepticism, overshadowed by the AKUS deal in which the US, UK, and Australia have negotiated the creation of a new nuclear-powered submarine fleet.

Despite not explicitly mentioning

China, Biden indicated that attention and resources once dedicated to the conflicts in the Middle East would now be directed to the Pacific region.

The “pivot to Asia” is seen as essential to compete with China’s growing influence by the White House, a rivalry Biden has not acknowledged directly.

“We’ll stand up for our allies and our friends” Biden commented: up for our allies and and oppose attempts countries to dominate

“We’ll stand our friends, by stronger weaker ones

Tom Manning Global Writer

Authorities in Sudan reported on the 21 September that a coup attempt against the transitional government, the Sovereignty Council, had failed.

Government officials say those behind the attack were soldiers loyal to the previous ruler Omar al-Bashir who after three decades had been deposed in 2019. 21 officers have been arrested in the aftermath of this attempt.

Al Jazeera’s Sudan correspondent Hiba Morgan said that the coup attempted to take over the army headquarters, state television and to dismiss the council of ministers and sovereignty council.

Sudan’s Prime Minister, Abdallah Hamdok spoke on the coup saying, “They tried to take advantage of the situation in different towns by closing the ports and the roads. They took advantage of the national crisis and tried to stop us from moving forward during this transitional period.”

Recent instability in Sudan following the civilian-military led council governing the country has seen tensions between the military and civilian departments.

In the midst of an economic crisis, the fallout from this attempted coup has

through changes to territory by force, economic coercion … exploitation or disinformation.”

In a last-minute re-arrangement, China’s president Xi Jinping addressed the assembly only hours behind Biden. A deputy premier had been scheduled to represent China at the end of the week, Xi’s decision to speak personally, streamed from Beijing, would allow him to speak on the same day as the American president.

Xi told the assembly “the world is big enough to accommodate common development and progress of all countries” and “military intervention from the outside and so-called democratic transformation entail nothing but harm”.

Biden summarised the new American policy by stating that the US would continue to defend its allies and counter terrorism but would now use military force as a last resort.

caused frictions to grow within the council.

Since Sudan achieved independence in 1956, democratically elected governments have often failed at ending civil wars and improving the nation’s economy.

The deputy head of the Sovereignty Council, General Mohamed Hamden Dagalo said, “Let us be clear: we have pledged before God from day one to shepherd the Sudanese people to democracy. Military regimes have been useless.”

Yet for some these comments have been taken with a pinch of salt, especially those who question the military’s intentions. Sudan has been governed by military rule for 50 years of its 65 years since independence.

In a statement, the Sudanese Professionals Association who helped to lead the uprising against former ruler al-Bashir in 2019 called for an end to the partnership with the military.

The United Nations Chief, Antonio Guterres, condemned the coup. “The secretary-general calls on all parties to remain committed to the transition and the realization of the aspirations of the Sudanese people for an inclusive, peaceful, stable and democratic future.”

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Putin’s party wins election amongst fraud allegations Aislinn Wright Global Editor

The United Russia party, which supports President Vladimir Putin, has won a constitutional majority in Russia’s state Parliament in an election marred by allegations of fraud.

The United Russia party has won an official 51% of the vote, significantly outperforming their predicted numbers in early polls. Their victory has been overshadowed by allegations of fraud. Prominent critics of Putin

were banned from running in the election alongside reports of ballot stuffing and voter coercion.

Russia’s electoral commission has rejected all claims of fraud.

United Russia now claims more than a two-thirds majority with 324 of the 450 available seats, United Russia now has a majority with which it can introduce policy with ease, including plans to change the Russian constitution.

The Communist party has placed second in the election with a 19.41% share of the vote, enjoying an increase of about 6%

from the previous election. Although the Communist party typically supports Putin’s policies their party leader, Gennady Zyuganov, has levied accusations of voter fraud according to the Associated Press news agency.

Several candidates from the Communists joined together with democrats and independents to form a “coalition committee.”

The group has demanded the overturning of e-voting results in Moscow, many of which are suspected to be fraudulent as online voting results changed the results of eight of Moscow’s 15

voting districts. Mikhail Lobanov, a Communist candidate who held a 10,000 vote lead before e-vote results came in has said: “The electric votes gave [opponent Evgeny] Popov a lead of 20,000 votes. I know that this result is impossible.”

Zyuganov has said the Communist party rejects the results of Moscow’s election and he intends to call for an investigation into the e-voting results.

There have also been plans for a Communist-sponsored rally in Moscow.

Following threats from the state, the rally has been named a “meeting with

parliamentarians” rather than a protest.

The election results have been condemned by other global powers including the EU, the US, and the UK. A spokesman from the UK Foreign Office said the election marked “a serious step back for democratic freedoms in Russia.”

Ned Price, a spokesperson for the US Department of State said the election “took place under conditions not conducive to free and fair proceedings.”

The White House is not acknowledging election results of votes held in Crimea.

GLOBAL INVESTIGATES

News Senior Writer “Is the EU exporting The announcement of the European Union’s Green Deal and the fanfare that came with it signified the EU’s desire to be seen as the leader of the green revolution.

With the promise of carbon neutrality by 2050, Ursula von der Leyen believes the Green Deal is Europe’s “man on the moon moment”. However, does the shiny new legislation only seek to change appearances rather than change the future of Planet Earth?

The EU, alongside the UK, continues to participate in a form of climate colonialism in which the Global South is exploited and the climate crisis is effectively exported abroad, meaning we must question how ‘green’ the Green Deal really is.

The EU is the world’s secondwealthiest economy, yet it by no means achieved or sustained this by itself.

It imports 43% of goods and services from abroad, meaning the carbon emissions used to feed, clothe and indulge Europeans are effectively exported to poorer countries, usually in the Global South.

In many ways, the EU’s seemingly improved track record on the climate is an illusion. For example, it is seen as a huge success that between 1990 and 2014 Europe’s forests grew 13 million hectares in area, approximately 9% of its pre-1990 size, yet the only reason this was possible was as a result of the outsourcing of production.

Today, Europe imports millions of tonnes of crops and meats from abroad at the expense of forests in other parts of the world. In another worrying indictment of this, Germany banned domestic hard coal production in 2018 whilst still allowing its power plants to import hard coal from elsewhere, suggesting it is not a genuine desire to tackle emissions EU countries are pursuing. The EU wants to be praised for its apparent ‘innovative’ and ‘sustainable’ legislation and ideas, and whilst some of it should be, it is also important to be aware that in many cases, environmental damage is simply being shipped abroad. The climate crisis is not ending in Europe, it is just being moved away from it.

The uneven power dynamic from the colonial period lives on through Europe’s unsustainable demand for goods from abroad, culminating in no honest challenge to the climate crisis.

In better news, climate consciousness is hitting new highs.

More and more people are talking about what is

in store for the future of civilization and what can be collectively done to slow down the effects of the climate crisis.

However, it appears individuals, corporations, and governments find it easier to use their relative wealth to absolve themselves of guilt for their level of consumption instead of making actual tangible change.

I n 2014, thousands of people living in Uganda, Mozambique, and Tanzania faced the consequences of the Global North’s desire to pay their way out of change when they experienced evictions and food scarcity. During this time, a Norwegian company, funded by the Norwegian Investment Fund for developing countries, was buying land in East Africa to implement a treeplanting carbon offset programme. In response to this, it is important to question why much of the Global North expects the land and resources used for a carbon offset initiative should be from countries with a much lower contribution to the climate crisis, instead of on their own land.

Throughout the history of the empires of European countries, not excluding the British empire, resource and land grabbing was one of the most heinous crimes, with its consequences being starvation, stolen autonomy from the indigenous population, and a depletion of jobs. Today, some critics argue the global land grab continues at the expense of the people who have already been hit the hardest. In 2010 it was found that 64% of the land used to grow crops for animal agriculture in the UK was located abroad, increasing from 55% in 1987.

Millions of hectares of farmland and forestry in the Global South has been bought out by corporations and governments and turned into huge mono-crop plantations, damaging biodiversity and the local communities’ access to food.

Monocultures like this are responsible for water shortages, as well as causing contamination from pesticides and genetically-modified crops.

Monocultures also do not stand long enough to be used for absorbing carbon dioxide and instead disrupt the natural carbon cycle due to the frequent tilling and use of pesticides.

However, to feed the huge demand for meat in Europe, these monocultures are often considered necessary.

The EU pledges sustainability but its actions are not sustainable for anything other than guara nteeing Europeans’ food supply.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Rachel Keane investigates: the climate crisis?”

It may claim to be the leader of the green revolution but thus far it appears it is only looking out for itself.

One of the biggest causes of the recent land grabbing is the EU putting its member states under increasing pressure to reduce their carbon emissions. Many nations realised the quickest way to do this whilst still feeding their ever-growing population was to export the production of their goods abroad.

This is not anything particularly new.

Shockingly, in 2004 it was found Switzerland’s outsourced emissions exceeded the amount of carbon dioxide emitted inside the country. Many other western European nations have also been able to export more than half of their carbon dioxide emissions abroad, meaning they have been able to avoid responsibility for the true amount of pollution the consumerist nature of western societies has created.

The Stanford University scientists who conducted this research summarised, “where CO2 emissions occur doesn’t matter to the climate system”.

The EU claiming to be the leader of the green revolution only proves the ignorance with which governments in the Global North have often faced the climate crisis and shows how much is still to be done. It is a global and very real issue, not one that can be solved with illusory facts and figures.

According to the Land Matrix Global Observatory’s research, the area of land covered by foreign investment across the world was almost 35 million hectares in 2014, with the concentration of the acquired land being in Sub-Saharan Africa. The effects of the climate crisis in the Global South are very real.

People living in some of the most extreme weather conditions in the world do not have the luxury of waiting until 2050 before anything changes - their lives and livelihoods are under threat right now. The gross injustice of the climate crisis is those who have had the least impact on devastating the natural world are those who are taking the brunt for others’ selfish actions.

For example, Philip Galgallo, Christian Aid’s Country Director for Burundi, explained the country produces almost zero carbon emissions but finds itself on the front line, “suffering from higher temperatures, lower crop yields and increasingly unreliable rains”.

This

is causing food insecurity and leading to premature deaths.

To tackle this, many activists a rgue there needs to be a shift in the way we think about production.

The rise in globalisation across the world has had a big role to play in speeding up the effects of the climate crisis, allowing poorer nations to be exploited for the benefit of the wealthy. The area of land the UK alone uses to produce its food is equivalent to 97.3% of its size (larger than England, Scotland and Wales combined). This is the opposite of sustainability.

Despite the amount of land used across the world to feed British citizens, only 15% of the land footprint is used for growing food for direct human consumption. Right now there are over 70 billion animals farmed for food in the world, meaning a huge percentage of the grains and crops grown go to feeding animals. The Global North needs to change its approach to food in its entirety and take a step away from animal products.

Around the world, 75% of all agricultural land is used to either raise animals or grow the crops that feed them. As The Guardian recently reported, 20 livestock companies are responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than either Germany, France or Britain. In Brazil, 175 million hectares of land are dedicated to raising cattle – an area equal to the entire agricultural area of the EU. The cattle in Brazil will not just be feeding Brazilians and other South Americans, however. Due to EU trade deals with Mercosur, it is expected there will be a huge surge in Brazilian and Argentinian beef exports to EU countries.

This effectively means Southern American countries will have to deal with the carbon emissions associated with this level of mass farming, whilst the local people do not gain anything from it.

Again, we must wonder whether the EU’s leadership on the green revolution only extends to changing the way it appears to the rest of the world.

Europe’s new initiatives for change leave a lot to be desired. There is no framework for a radical shift in production and consumption but instead there remain loopholes that can be exploited to allow Europeans to continue having the same ease and indulgence at the expense of the Global South.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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FEATURES

How restaurants trick you out of tipping your waiter Features Editor

“When you go out for a meal, do you leave a tip?”

When you go out for a meal, do you leave a tip?

It’s an interesting debate for Brits.

We don’t have the same tipping culture as the States or the rest of Europe, so the issue is usually left up to personal choice.

As someone who has worked in customer service and hospitality since the ripe age of 16, I’m well accustomed to the different types of tippers.

I don’t take it personally if someone chooses not to - everyone has their own reasons - but a tip, no matter the amount, is never unappreciated.

One thorn in the side of those of us donning aprons and comfy trainers on a weekly basis is a sneaky tactic employed by many chain restaurants across the UK: ‘Service Charge’.

These two little words have the power to send shivers down the spine of any good-natured waiter.

Service Charge, sometimes preceded by the word ‘Optional’ or ‘Suggested’, is usually found right

at the end of a diner’s bill.

Sometimes Service Charge is listed in such a way that the customer doesn’t even notice they’re paying an extra charge on top of the cost of the meal.

While the amounts differ between establishments, Service Charge is often calculated at around 12-15% of the total bill.

In terms of cash tips, this is a generous amount to leave behind, especially when it comes to the large tables.

So why is this such an issue for the worker bees of the hospitality industry?

Isn’t it a good thing to suggest an amount, rather than let people struggle to work out how much they should be leaving for their waiter?

Floor staff work very hard, and are on their feet for hours without any breaks, in loud, hot, and fast-paced environments.

“Service Charge often does not go to the floor staff at all” Keeping a cheerful and friendly attitude up for an entire shift is emotionally draining, and after all, waiting staff are the ones interacting with rude customers.

Shouldn’t we be celebrating the restaurants which employ this measure, for the sake of the employees who keep the show running smoothly, day after day?

“Keeping a cheerful attitude up for an entire shift is emotionally draining” The sad truth is that Service Charge often does not go to the floor staff at all.

Rather, the money is either gathered by the restaurant as profit, or, in some cases, goes into the pocket of senior staff.

The issue of Service Charge is made even more murky because there is no one rule for restaurants in the UK. Some places make sure to distribute the money made through Service Charge between the entire team, including kitchen staff, commis waiters, porters, and others.

Other restaurants allow their staff to keep 100% of the tips they receive but these places usually don’t

have a Service Charge added to the bill in the first place.

Clara (not her real name), 23, works at a popular UK chain restaurant, and spoke to me about Service Charge at her workplace.

“People get their bill, and see the Service Charge, and assume if they pay it, it’ll go to me. It doesn’t.

It’s so disheartening. I know for a fact if they all knew the truth, customers would be outraged.

People want to tip me, not the bosses at the top.”

I asked Clara about the new legislation introduced by the government recently which ‘bans’ restaurants from keeping tips meant for staff, she grimaced.

“I might be cynical, but I don’t think it’ll change much.

Restaurants have been dodging this issue for so long - they’re not just going to stop now.

Customers should stay vigilant.”

Even British familiar favourites are guilty of these shady practices.

Photo: Pixabay

Maja Anushka

Earlier this month, Burger chain Byron was called out by staff for new plans to divide Service Charge earnings between waiters and management.

In May, Pizza Express made changes to their Service Charge which left waiters taking home only 50% of tips Worker’s Union Unite reported this change would mean a yearly loss of £2,000 for employees.

The solution, in Clara’s opinion, is simple.

“It’s such a relief when customers ask before paying ‘Does this [Service Charge] go to you?’, because I can finally tell them ‘No.’ If they don’t ask, I can’t say anything, or my managers will tell me off.”

If you are inclined to leave tips at the end of a meal, there are a few things you can do to make sure your money is going where you want it to.

“If you see the words ‘Service Charge’ anywhere on your bill, be alert” It’s wise to ask your waiter how tips work for the restaurant you’re dining at. Cash tips are also much better for staff than card gratuities, as digital payments can easily be redirected away from waiters.

Finally, if you see the words ‘Service Charge’ anywhere on your bill, be alert.

Though not always an indication of bad practices, for many businesses it has become a smokescreen which allows them to claim the money meant for their hard-working staff.

Leaving home made me love home Sophie Colley Features Writer

The tiny seaside town I grew up in holds the biggest place in my heart. I mean, who doesn’t love the seaside?

But, if you’d have asked me at 18, just before I moved to university, how I felt about my hometown, my answer would be incredibly different to what it is now.

I chose to go to a university only an hour’s drive from my home, which would suggest otherwise, but in reality I was itching to leave the small town behind.

With a population of just over 7000, my hometown is the definition of “everyone knows everyone”.

You can’t even put out the bins without seeing numerous people you know.

As I got older, I became increasingly frustrated with the

trapped feeling my home gave me.

The shops all shut at four, the pubs at seven, the public transport was appalling, and if you wanted a night out the taxi home would cost you £40 alone.

The thought of living in a city, or just anywhere else, was hugely exciting to me.

When I finally moved to uni, my relationship with my hometown shifted almost immediately.

“I missed the beach the most. I can’t believe how much I took it for granted” A before

nostalgia occurred,

I hadn’t felt and I missed

the weird little things about my home that I’d never considered.

I missed the beach the most.

I can’t believe how much I took it for granted, and I was so lucky to have grown up by the sea.

I missed the walks along the cliffs and watching the sunset.

Now every time I visit home, I always take a long walk.

I also missed the strange little events the town hosted, a 1940’s weekend, a carnival every summer, a small (borderline crappy) little market every Wednesday and Saturday morning.

I even missed the local pub, where we’d pay extortionate prices for a single vodka and coke, which tasted more like water than anything else.

It took me moving away to realise the special little features the town had to offer.

Every time I visit home now,

it’s something I look forward to so much.

“It took me moving away to realise the special little features the town had to offer” Although I’d never move back to my hometown (I love living in a city far too much), I love going home.

If I lived there again, I know I’d soon be bored, and once more would start to take its beauty for granted.

So, it’s best for me to appreciate the nostalgia, and enjoy my time when I visit.

Photo: Unsplash

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Five things I wish I’d known as a fresher Badriya Abdullah Features Writer

I acknowledge that my experience as a fresher isn’t quite the same as the generations before me.

However, life has a way of teaching the same lessons in different ways.

The past 18 months have been the strangest years of my life so far, and as much as I would like to give my younger self some advice for starting university, the next best thing is to share some of the things I’ve learnt with other people.

As a disclaimer, I’ve asked a few of my friends doing a variety of courses what they wish they knew this time last year, but the majority of my writing is coming from my own experience.

It’s a well known fact most maintenance loans won’t be enough to cover everyone’s basic costs.

Parents and others will share their knowledge with you and help you in any way they can, but ultimately you’ll find your own way to make your finances work for you.

Make use of every student discount you can find (and if you can’t find one, it never hurts to ask). If it’s a job you’re looking for, Career Central is always a good place to start, and job advertisements can easily be accessed on their website.

They’ll also happily look over your CV and help with applications. All you need to do is ask.

(And please, if you’re unsure about anything there is always someone you can ask).

1

You will find your tribe. Some people will find their tribes among their flatmates, others through their course and some through extracurriculars. And (possibly) a controversial opinion: you are going to meet dozens of people, and you do not have to become best friends with every one of them. You’ll find people with the same interests as you and though it may take some time, you’ll build up a network of people you enjoy spending time with.

2

3

It doesn’t matter what degree you’re doing, imposter syndrome exists and everyone

feels it at one point or another.

It’s been a long summer, and at the start of a whole new academic journey, it is easy to be overwhelmed by an influx of knowledge.

Feeling isolated and out of your depth is a normal and very common experience.

You’re in a new environment but it’s all about taking things one step at a time.

Soon enough, you’ll find your rhythm, reach Christmas and wonder why on earth you were stressing during the first week of classes.

That being said, please make time for self care. It sounds generic, and it sounds easy, and that is how so many people can slip out of their minds. will be something you

4 let it There

enjoy doing, so find a way to do it in the quiet moments of life.

Join a society, join a club, explore something new or even do nothing at all. Give yourself a way to recharge your batteries every once in a while.

It’s like my friend Pran says, “If you don’t take breaks, your body will break instead”, and she’s doing Medicine so she knows what she’s talking about.

If there’s absolutely one thing you should remember, it’s something that everyone I’ve asked agrees o n .

The first year of uni will fly by, so make the most of it.

There will be highs and there will be lows, but it’s all a part of life and trust me, it really is worth it.

5

Photo: Pixabay

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5th October 2021

INTERVIEW

Deputy Editor Freyja Elwood in conversation “I’m proud to be authentic even if that goes For this issue of Concrete, I was given the opportunity to speak to Aaron Campbell, the welfare, community, and diversity officer at the Student Union (SU). He shared his insights on his time at UEA, Black History Month and his hopes for the future.

Day-to-day, Aaron describes his role as: “Taking care of people, looking out for students, making sure that students are having the best experience possible and making sure that they feel supported, safe, and comfortable on campus.”

When asked about his working hours to complete such a demanding role, he replies: “Weeks can be as many hours as I need to work, which can be quite a few, I personally don’t mind it because we have such a good support network here.” He explains more goes into the role than face value: “There is so much we do in terms of governance, democracy, laws, bi-laws, people managing.

We sit in meetings about planning, health and safety, security. But also, how much [the univer sity] value officer input because they need that student input, they need to know what students are thinking and feeling.”

Alongside all this, Aaron has been carrying out his manifesto pledges.

A plan to remove over-generalised terms in discussions of race is a high priority: “Terms like POC and BAME are what we call over-generalising terms. What we have to understand is the Black issues are completely separate from Asian issues, and the difference in Asian experience like East Asian and South Asian lived experiences are completely different... We’ve had some good progress, in a lot of [UEA] documentation we are now phasing out those terms.”

“Black issues are completely separate from Asian issues” He recalls when UEA put out a statement regarding the racist abuse received by Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka after the EURO 2020 final, “They used BAME in their initial statement I had a sit-down discussion where I said I don’t think that’s appropriate. It’s a black person issue and we got that statement changed.”

Representing and listening to

the concerns of commuting, placement, and off-campus students is also on the agenda for Aaron, he plans to set up working groups to listen to [their] issues. “Because of the nature of commuting and off-campus students, I don’t know whether that’ll be a physical group or online group, or service that people can report, so I need to accommodate for that accordingly.”

Keen to also provide “support and resources” Aaron plans to use the “Eradicate Hate” campaign to enable broader staff training: “Eradiate Hate, was launched just before COVID so it hasn’t launched as well as we would’ve liked it to, we are looking into relaunching it and addressing [the campaigns aims]. In the SU we are currently addressing how we train our staff.” When asked whether this would include students working at the bar and other SU outlets, Aaron responded “Everybody.

I want to hold sessions about things like microaggressions that anyone can come to.”

October is Black History Month, and Aaron is involved in the organisation and promotion of events on campus.

Discussing this year’s nationwide theme of “Proud To Be” Aaron said:

“As a black man you’re expected to be XYZ” “I am proud to be authentic, I’m proud of my lived experience, I’m proud of every aspect of me, growing up you’re taught to hide things not to portray certain things, not be certain things because it can conflict with what society sees your identity to be. People look at me and say as a black man you’re expected to be XYZ and so I’m proud to be authentic even if that goes against what society would expect me to be.”

Photo: Alfie Kirk

Aaron’s favourite theme in Black history? “ I would say how vital black history and gay history are together I think about Marsha P Johnson and how much a pride was attested to a black woman.

Also, Martin Luther King’s right-hand man, Bayard Rustin, was openly gay.

There’s so many of points of history that people don’t know.”

The conversation turns to Aaron’s personal experience at the university as a black man. He recalls a situation in his first year at Sportsnight.

“I was out with the basketball team both the men and the women’s teams were there and there were some guys in the middle moshing, which is fine, but the girls were

uncomfortable that they were getting pushed around and I stepped in front of the girls to provide a little support. This one guy kept continually bumping into me and it got to this point where I turned around and I said excuse me and he continued, and I asked him again could he please stop and he said, “What you gunna do about it n-word,” to which I will put my hands up and say I didn’t have the best response... When I tried to explain the situation to security it was “emotions are high, everybody’s drunk” instead of saying “I’m sorry you’ve been a victim of racial hate crime,” I understand that there was violence but that shouldn’t disregard someone experience.”

He continues, citing the i n c i d e nt as one of the most explicit

examples, but also noting more insidious incidents that have occurred, particularly on his course Computing and Graphic Design: “I’ve had a lot experiences of microaggressions there.

From comments about my hair to “You’re going to work with that group are you,” because it’s a group of black people, and yes well it’s my friends and yes I’m going to work with them, but it’s the assumption that we are just going to work together and people don’t see a problem with that.”

Does he think the university did enough after the murder of George Floyd?

“No. I think well so I wrote a letter to the university a year and a half ago now due to the lack of their responsiveness. I think it had been two weeks or so [since the murder of George Floyd] and I’d heard nothing from my university.

And it was shattering because I held my university in that high an esteem, and as a black person I felt so unsupported.

“As a black person, I felt so unsupported.”

I wrote that letter at 11pm at night out of sheer passion and upset and I posted it expecting nothing to come from it and I woke up to retweets and comments and the outpouring of support from students and staff alike.

There were so many staff who were like “you are so right.” Part of the problem as well was I, like so many black people were emotionally and physically drained, and to be telling the university what we wanted them to do, when all I wanted was for everything to stop for a period of time. And so, I would have loved to see the university be more proactive and provide more support and show that they’re providing support.

I wasn’t in the SU at that time, and I wasn’t part of the university in terms of the inner workings, I didn’t understand certain things - all I was aware of was “I’m black student and I don’t feel supported by my university right now.”

He follows up: “The experience I’ve had in past a year and a half has been a lot more positive for the university. . Institutional racism isn’t going to disappear in a day.

They’re bringing more lived experience into groups, they’re saying, “You’re in this group but you don’t have to be, but we want you here.

13

5th October 2021

concrete-online.co.uk/category/features/ | @ConcreteUEA

with UEA(SU) Officer Aaron Campbell: against what society would expect me to be” ... I think more can be done to reach out to those members of the community who don’t engage with the university or the SU as much.

Because the honest truth is there is a contingency of students who love to be involved but that is only a small percentage of students, there is a large contingency of black students who don’t engage with the SU or haven’t until now.

I’ve been working hard to reach out to say I really want your help because you provide a different voice.”

“You provide a different voice”

When asked whether universities are institutionally racist, the answer is resounding: “Yes. Yes without a doubt. Without remorse. I was in a meeting with the Vice Chancellor and I was speaking about institutional racism.

It’s the structures put in place by white people that disbenefit those from other communities… The majority of Vice Chancellors are white males, because of that structure it is harder for people who are non-white, in general, to break into the higher levels which means that needs to be addressed.

Sometimes it is sheer ignorance, it’s not even being aware of issues because your team are white men. They’re not realising what’s happening lower down.

It’s a topdown thing, it trickles into every facet of businesses and life.

It is literally about how we fund/pay people.

We have a gender pay gap, but we also have a race pay gap.

It covers so many different areas.”

Now that Aaron is in the SU, the responses and statements will involve him. Recent times have seen a rise in tensions between Israel and Palestine.

UEA has seen the Instagram account known as @DecoloniseUEA call for the university to replace the IHRA definition with the Jerusalem Declaration of Antisemitism, and UEA Jewish Society releasing a counterstatement in support of the IHRA definition.

“I think the first step is to listen to everybody’s lived experience who is directly affected by this situation, which we’ve been trying to do. Having meetings, being available, being ready to listen to

people if they have queries or an issue. I will put my hands up and say I’m not Jewish or Palestinian or Israeli.

I don’t want to give an opinion, it’s not my place… It’s a very complicated situation and I hope what we can do is show students that we are willing to listen and that we show we want the best for every student.”

Now life is returning back to normal, on a personal note Aaron is looking forward to “Getting back to basketball and the nights out in general just being around people,” but regarding his role, he is most looking forward to getting to know people: “I’m a people person.

I hate sitting behind my desk if I can avoid sitting behind my desk I will…

“I’m a people person, I hate sitting behind my desk.”

Photo: UEA SU

COVID has been such a difficult time for everybody. And now being able to part of two sets of first years and be part of that foundational element for them and really getting in to help them have an amazing experience, what I had prior to COVID. I will treasure the two and a half years before COVID, they were so amazing. I loved it. I could sit here all day and tell you about all the great times that I’ve had. I just want everyone to have an experience better than that. Making at least somewhat of difference, leaving the place better than I found it. That’s the sign of a good job.”

Photo: Aaron Campbell

“Leaving the place better than I found it”

To contact Aaron about this interview or any other enquiries, he can be reached at his officer email: aaron.campbell@uea.ac.uk.

Photo: UEA SU

5th October 2021

14

HOME OF THE WONDERFUL !"# $%"&'()*+,%"# -,+.# /,00,'# 1*2"'3# 4$+,&,+,')# *"5# 677%(+8",+,')# 69$'( Adelaide Cannell

Home of the Wonderful Writer

In terms of covid related restrictions, what sort of systems are being implemented over the coming year regarding number capacities to reinforce social distancing and prearrival testing?

In terms of pre-arrival initiation, students will be required to have proof of double vaccines or negative LFT but we are awaiting government guidelines on this.

Damn Good is usually spread across two rooms but this year it is spread across three to encourage distancing and have everybody a little more spread out.

I just wanted to say we also have

our alcohol impact team to help out.

All of our team are well trained, so this means if a student feels unsafe or need a bit of help on a night out, they can just approach a member of staff here if they need a bit of support.

We want to make sure students have a safe night and feel safe in our venues and we have a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment in our venues too.

First aid is usually in the Hive in the little room and alcohol impact are stood by the LCR doors when you walk in and out you will see them there.

They tend to ask questions of students look a bit drunk or not the best after a night out and make sure that they can walk home safely.

Are there any other events in the diary that were due to spring up over the next coming months?

I guess something quite cool to shoutout are some of the gigs we’ve got.

Rag’n’Bone man is coming - they are due to sell out, but there are a few tickets that have been held back for students, so keep an eye out on our ticket pages and websites.

I don’t have dates yet for other events so cant spill too much on that yet.

How about other student-led events; I noticed your email sent out yesterday about the Cop26 festival?

The Cop26 festival has been organised by two students on

campus. We’re working with sport, with some societies as well.

I think cop26 kicks off at the end of October and is all about climate change and sustainability; how we can act as a university, things like that.

representing views of students on course and giving feedback about certain things on your modules.

Are there any more volunteer schemes we can look forward to that may help students with getting involved with the community or cv building?

Yeah! There are lots of volunteer experiences you can get involved with, especially within societies. If you are a first year you can nominate yourself to be a first year rep of a club or society – I think nominations open in October/ November time.

You could also be a course rep:

Photo: Alfie Kirk

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Image: Egg Box Publishing Society

Egg Box Publishing is UEA’s Publishing Society – run by students, for students!

We are a part of the larger UEA Publishing Project, dedicated to publishing student work in zines, anthologies, and more.

Our job is to promote the publication of any sort of creation coming out of UEA to showcase the talent of the community of creatives, both on campus and outside of it.

We can sometimes be found in the Hive, selling zines and anthologies, as well as around Norwich at creative pop-up shops throughout the year.

Our main project every year is the Undergraduate Creative Writing Anthology, an annual publication that catalogues the work of Creative Writing undergraduates and is sold both online and in Norwich-based bookshops.

This anthology gives Egg Box members a unique insight into the publishing process from beginning to end, and gives the opportunity to get involved in editorial decisions and the marketing campaign.

In addition to this, the writing community celebrates the launch of the anthology at Dragon Hall, home

to the National Centre for Writing, with a glitzy event featuring readings from contributing writers.

Throughout the academic year, Egg Box also publishes smaller portfolios of student work, writing and otherwise.

We know that UEA is brimming with creatives, so we offer semiregular opportunities to be featured in zines imagined, designed, and published by students.

If you’re interested in publishing at the grassroots level, our zine workshops are the ideal place to get started.

This year, we’re also going to be collaborating with other societies at UEA, like Creative Writing Society, to give publishing opportunities to as many people as possible!

Egg Box is the perfect place to meet like-minded individuals who want to see what a career in publishing is like, without making any major commitments.

For more information, please visit our SU page and social media, @TheEggBox. We look forward to seeing you!

GOT SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT YOUR SOCIETY OR SPORTS CLUB? WANT TO TELL US ABOUT ACHIEVEMENTS, OR SHARE UPCOMING EVENTS? EMAIL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DOLLY CARTER AT CONCRETE.EDITOR@UEA.AC.UK OR JIM GELL AT J.GELL@UEA.AC.UK

5th October 2021

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Thinking about getting involved in more societies and clubs to get the most out of your university student experience at UEA? Join UEA Art Society!

UEA Art Society is for everyone interested in the visual arts.

We encourage anyone to join, regardless of ability, as the society offers a creative and welcoming environment and inclusive space that allows everyone to pursue their passion for art at their own pace and ability.

There is no need to study art or have any previous experience!

We host friendly and casual weekly practical sessions including life drawing sessions, and mixed media sessions which can include anything from our popular Bob Ross painting

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sessions, to clay sculpting, to Lino printing.

Here, we create a fun and friendly safe space where you can socialise with other members, make friends, and enhance your artistic skills.

This academic year, our new committee are passionate about offering our members the best experiences and opportunities we can.

We are planning even more exciting art events, group socials, creative workshops, arts and culture trips, and competitions along with other additional perks to which our members will hold exclusive access!

If you love art but do not wish to participate in the face-to-face sessions, UEA Art Society is still for you!

Our society is a vibrant community of kind and caring students who are all about having fun outside of our

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studies.

We are also a platform for promoting and celebrating budding UEA student artists.

If you have artwork you would like us to promote via our social media, please get in contact with us.

We will always give you advance warning if you are required to purchase any resources or equipment for any of our sessions, however at a lot of our events the resources will always be provided.

Of course, you are welcome to bring your own resources too!

If UEA Art Society sounds like the right society for you, please feel free to join our Facebook group, check out our Instagram, join our Discord group, and have a look at our society page on the UEA

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Student Union Website where you’ll be able to buy your year-long society membership at the start of the term.

Here, you can also keep up to date with Art Society activities and find all the details you’ll need for our upcoming events including times, locations, and tickets.

For any enquiries about the society please feel free to contact

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Image: Art Society UEA us via our social media or email us at artsoc.uea@gmail.com.

5#,(% (&% (#367*% 8*,(#7% )*#7()% 0(+98#:% ;*#<% &=*"% (&% ;*#<'3#(*> Headucate is a national and multiaward winning, exciting student society!

Founded almost a decade ago by a group of medical students from Norwich Medical School, Headucate has grown to be one of the largest and most active UEA societies, with over 175 members last year.

Headucate’s overriding aim is to tackle mental health stigma and help end discrimination by running events on campus, such as the Norwich Online Wellbeing Weekend conference, running workshops in schools with

Photo: Eva Steiner

children and teenagers to tackle common misconceptions about mental health, and consulting with teaching on various UEA modules to ensure students receive education on mental health.

All members receive training, certification (and hours towards the UEA Award) for running school workshops, and can also attend evening talks, conferences, and develop other skills such as Mental Health First Aid Training as run in previous years, leadership, teamwork and building of confidence!

There are also opportunities to get involved in research and scientific publication and poster presentation, campaigning and working with local and national charities and like-minded organisations and influencers.

Headucate is proud to have run fundraisers endorsed by Stephen Fry, Greg James and other well-known household names, raised over £3,000 for 10 different mental health-related causes in 2020-21 and published 2 pieces in medical journals.

The society has been awarded multiple awards, including Society of the Year by UEA SU (2020-2021),

and Student Outreach Project of the Year (2019-2021), alongside Event of the Year from the National Volunteering and Society Awards.

Headucate is running two Instagram Lives on October 5th and 6th, 7pm, featuring Dr Ally Jaffee and Antonio Ferreria, which can be viewed on Instagram - @ HeaducateUEA. The society is currently raising money for Mind taking part in ‘100 Miles in October’, walking and running 100 miles and welcomes participation from all to get involved (search ‘Headucators 4

Mind’ on JustGiving).

Membership can be purchased through the Headucate SU website, alongside the Linktree for more including the Headucator Blog, www. headucateuea.wordpress.com, where members write pieces on all things mental health related.

There are so many ways to get involved with Headucate that are flexible with time commitments and individual development goals, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch and start on the Headucate journey!

16

COMMENT

5th October 2021

The blurred lines of celebrities and politics Emily Kelly

Comment Writer

Coronavirus has provided an extra strand to weave into the already complex relationship between the worlds of celebrity and politics. The parallels between the two are stark in and of themselves: random figures catapulted into a world where they suddenly have influence, legions of adoring supporters willing to hang on their every word regardless of whether it’s right or wrong, and occasionally, the ability to step across into the other realm, make a change and slowly head back into your lane.

For example, Marcus Rashford had no interest in a political career, simply a young man who wants to play football.

This, however, has given him a platform and an immense amount of influence, which instead of using to sell the latest underwear campaign, he’s used to exert pressure on the government and change national policy. Without this crossover between the worlds of celebrity and politics, free school

meals would have been scrapped for thousands of children and the cost to families unimaginable.

Similarly, without the pandemic and social media working together, society would never have witnessed the interactions between vaccine sceptic Nicki Minaj and Sir Chris Whitty, the UK’s Chief Medical Officer, when debating the safety of the Covid jab for men and its impact on their testicles.

(I’ve been writing for Concrete for two years and that is not a sentence I ever thought I’d produce.)

Through the televising of political events, such as PMQs and Question Time here in the UK, as well as the regular Covid b r i e f i n g s throughout the last 18 months, we’ve also come to recognise political figures as ‘famous’ or ‘celebrities’ when in reality, this couldn’t be further from what some of them want. The aforementioned Chris Whitty, a civil servant and scientific advisor, has his face on t-shirts and has been harassed in public spaces so frequently it’s led to arrests - I highly doubt this is what he signed up for when he took

the job. Similarly, Conservative party relic Jacob Rees-Mogg took on cultlike celebrity status for a brief period while I was in school, to the extent that when we went to a student politics conference, he (a Conservative minister who napped in the chamber) got a standing ovation.

The UK has been blessed with a Prime Minister who was nominated for a BAFTA for presenting comedy show Have I Got News For You, as well as our friends across the pond electing two former Presidents who have cemented their place in film and TV history (this doesn’t account for various governors and lower level politicians).

It’s safe to assume that for better or worse, celebrities can use politics to further explore their power, and this link can be incredibly dangerous in places. When these entities mix, it causes blurred lines between political and personal support which can be incredibly c o u n t e r i n t u i t i ve or even harmful to voters and audiences as a whole. Social media has made this even clearer during the pandemic, but I think this practice is probably here to stay.

“Celebrities can use politics to further explore their power” Photos: Wikimedia Commons

Shamima Begum: a victim of child trafficking Lauren Bramwell Comment Editor

throughout her life; teachers, police, border control, all of whom failed to protect her.

Yet it is Shamima who is villainised instead of those who failed to stop her leaving the country.

After failing to help a victim of child trafficking, the UK government then proceeded to revoke Shamima’s British citizenship.

It should be known that I understand there are rules in place, and how the UK government did in fact warn those who entered Syria willingly may lose their right to British citizenship.

However, I believe the government fails to acknowledge this fine line between willingly leaving the country and being groomed at 15 years old.

Yes, Shamima realised this was a risk and as such many people in this country feel as though she has no right to attempt to rectify it, but a 15-yearold girl realising how something will affect her life so drastically is extremely different to an adult’s understanding (without sounding patronising).

In 2015, 15-year-old Shamima Begum left her home in Bethnal Green to go to Syria.

It was the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Daesh) who encouraged her and two of her friends to flee the country, after promising to provide them a better and more fulfilling life.

This promised life ended up consisting of underage marriage within the first two weeks of Begum’s arrival, underage sex, and marital rape.

I find it difficult to understand how not everyone views this case of one of the clearest forms of child grooming and trafficking there is.

In my opinion, the most interesting aspect of this case is how the government and media instantly treated her.

In the UK, 15-year-olds have little to no dependency on their lives; they cannot get married, they cannot apply for a passport, they cannot even work full-time yet.

If a child in this country ran away from home to the neighbouring town or village, we would not blame the child, we would blame the authorities around them for not spotting them and the signs sooner, right?

Yet, as soon as the case became public knowledge, the media leeched on and presented this child as a villain who was in full control of her decisions.

This same girl would not have been allowed to set up her own debit card because this country would have deemed her as being too young to She was exploited for the poor make sensible decisions on her own. choices she made at 15.

This decision by the British Shamima was surrounded by adults

“She was exploited for the poor choices she made at 15.”

Photo: Pixabay

government to strip her of her citizenship was wrong and appalling.

This young girl should have been protected by her own government, not left to fend for herself. While in Syria, she has lost three children, two of which from malnutrition, and the third in the refugee camp.

By law, this child was a British citizen and therefore should have been brought back into the UK, as other children were in November 2019.

By stripping Shamima of her citizenship, it left her stateless, which is against the law.

There is no disagreement on my part that she has stated questionable things, but the difference is I find it hard to listen to these words and see them as coming solely from her.

How can we forget these are words from someone who not only was groomed but also then ostracised and abused by her own country?

This young woman cannot be singled out and held responsible for the horrors of ISIS. That, to me, shows the complete ignorance of this country and the incredibly Shamima Begum was never a threat. dangerous ways in which the media She was a child, and she was a victim. The enables racism. government failed to protect a child.

“The government failed to protect a child.”

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5th October 2021

concrete-online.co.uk/category/comment/ | @ConcreteUEA

Texas abortion law will only stop safe abortions

Photo: Pixabay

Lauren Bramwell Comment Editor

On September 1st, the Supreme Court’s decision to allow Texas to ban most abortions took effect.

The state of Texas has implemented Senate Bill 8 (SB8) which bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, including in cases of rape and incest.

This has been announced to be the worst and most extreme legislative restriction on reproductive rights to date.

This bill is a near-total abortion ban, with only an exemption for medical emergencies.

Regardless of if you are pro-choice or pro-life, this legislation is beyond reason.

The bill states that this, already absurd, six-week practice does not apply from fertilisation, but from six

Should Max Wrigley Comment Writer

In recent weeks, Covid vaccinations have started wwto roll out for under-16s, but there has been a lot of controversy surrounding people asking whether children should be eligible for it. Some people say they shouldn’t be offered it, whereas others are saying they should.

When they are young, children are given vaccines to protect them from diseases which have the potential to kill them.

However, since the introduction of the legal requirement to wear face coverings, children under eleven have been exempt. This suggests children under eleven, which

weeks after a woman’s last period.

This is a period in which most women are not even aware they are pregnant yet.

90% of the state’s previous procedures occurred after six weeks, and the percentage of women who reported timing of pregnancy awareness at six weeks or less was 23%.

This means women are completely stripped of their decisions and rights as chances are they won’t even know they are pregnant.

United Nations human rights monitors have strongly condemned the state of Texas, they have declared this new anti-abortion law violates international law by denying women control over their own bodies and endangering their lives.

Although my opinion as an extreme pro-choicer means I don’t believe you have to have a strong reason to want an abortion, the fact this bill ensures rape

and incest victims can never escape the trauma and pain they are already experiencing is difficult to understand.

In my opinion, the most important aspect to investigate regarding this law is how it is going to affect women and their lives, but more importantly how it will affect the vulnerable. This bill will only ban safe abortions.

The decision to ban abortion not only puts the women at risk, but they are now subjecting health professionals and abortion service providers to more violence.

Human rights bodies have long acknowledged the fact creating more challenges to obtain an abortion through suing anyone who aids in abortions, as well as the literal denial of accessing abortion, is cruel and inhumane.

This will dangerously affect the lives and safety of women from here on out.

children consist of those going to school and mixing with peers and staff, are immune to the virus. But they aren’t. Like other potentially deadly diseases, children can contract Covid the same way an adult can. They can also be asymptomatic and pass the virus onto their guardians or authoritative figures.

The truth is children are just as vulnerable as the elderly and anyone with an underlying health condition. This is because their immune system has yet to fully develop like an adults has, and the younger the child is, the more likely they are to contract a potentially lifethreatening disease if they haven’t been vaccinated.

Since the introduction of the vaccine, those who have not received it have been much more likely

get

to die from Covid, as well as those with only one dose. Therefore, those with underlying health conditions and those who do not have full protection i.e., being double-vaccinated, which now include children are at such risk. For those who are double vaccinated, the coronavirus can simply just be another variant of the flu, because they have the antibodies already in place to try to fight this virus.

For adults, they need to have the vaccine in order to do the things they enjoy, such as going abroad and going to mass gatherings, like live concerts, nightclubs and football matches.

According to the UK’s vaccine advisory body, healthy 12-15-year-olds shouldn’t be given the vaccine. This will lead people to think “if healthy

Melizza Upreti, the chair of the UN’s working group on discrimination against women and girls, criticised the new law stating, “This new law will make abortion unsafe and deadly, and create a whole new set of risks for women and girls. It is profoundly discriminatory and violates a number of rights guaranteed under international law.”

The international law states governments are allowed to regulate voluntary terminations of pregnancy.

The encouragement of suing anyone who “aids” an abortion for around $10,000 and many legal fees, will only see a reduction in safe abortions under medical care.

It isn’t an unknown topic or concept women for decades have had to subject their bodies to torture and extreme danger to undergo an abortion themselves without professional help.

Up to 13.2% of maternal deaths can be attributed to unsafe abortions and

the

“This bill is a clear attack on the rights and lives of women” This bill is a clear attack on the rights and lives of all women, but above all will punish those who are poor and black.

This bill will hurt women indefinitely and I fear for what is next to come.

vaccine?

children don’t need the vaccine, then neither do I because I’m healthy”.

It almost becomes one rule for adults and another rule for children, even though it’s been a legal requirement for children over the age of eleven to wear face coverings (unless exempt) since July 2020.

“The vaccine shouldn’t be treated as an adult-only vaccine.”

the World Health Organisation have declared almost every abortion death and disability could be prevented through legal induced abortion.

The result of this bill will be extreme.

Covid isn’t an adult-only virus, therefore the vaccine shouldn’t be treated as an adult-only vaccine.

Children aren’t automatically immune from the virus, therefore, the Government should allow children to receive the vaccine.

Eventually, I think the Government should consider adding the Covid vaccine to the shots babies receive, and children should have a booster jab when they are older (in line with the Meningitis ACWY booster).

In the past, the coronavirus has been passed on to children and, due to them not having the antibodies to fight it off, the virus has claimed their lives.

No parent wants to bury their child, let alone their child who had Covid.

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5th October 2021

SCIENCE

Climate C h a n g e Co r n e r : I nter view with Dr Jef f Pr i ce o n h i s u p co ming talk at the Nor wic h S c i e n ce Fe s t i va l - ' The I mpac t of C l im ate C h an g e on N or fol k ’s B i o d i vers i t y'

Mariam Jallow Science Editor

Professor Jeff Price is a Senior Research Associate at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change and an Associate Professor at the University of East Anglia whose focus lies in investigating the impact of climate change on biodiversity.

An accomplished e n v i r o n m e n t a l scientist, Price will be presenting information on how we might expect Norfolk’s biodiversity to change with the warming climate at the Norwich Science Festival.

Price’s climate talk will include discussion on the species most overlooked when studying climate change impact and most vulnerable to rapid environmental changes - insects and fungi.

Given they play important roles in pollination and are important food sources for birds and other animals, a knock-off effect comes into play.

Speaking of this interconnectedness, Professor Price likens it to a tapestry, where one thread being pulled out may cause the entire thing to collapse.

Enquiring as to whether public outreach played an important role in mitigating the impact of climate change, Professor Price gives a clear answer.

“We may have climate goals in the UK, but we’re nowhere near meeting them.”

With the stark warning issued by the last IPCC report, a statement like this shouldn’t come as a surprise, however, hearing it from the horse’s mouth does have a much more daunting effect.

“When you talk to the public, you can achieve several goals... people can make decisions based on the choices they make, this encourages people to make different choices.”

He uses lawn mowing as an example.

Price explains the little things like “over-mowing” our lawns can have climate change impacts from gas emission, as well as wiping out insect habitats and food supply for pollinators.

“People’s decisions on what car

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they buy, how far they drive, mass transit, and particularly fast fashion all have huge impacts on the environment, biodiversity and the climate” he goes on to explain.

“Getting people to understand and do things like run their own carbon footprint has an impact and then realising you can offset those emissions from your daily lives in ways that are biodiversity-friendly.”

Professor Jeff Price’s talk will be held on Sunday, 24th of October at the Refectory, from 11am-12pm as a free event held by the Norwich Science Festival.

Norwich Science Festival ‘The Impact of Climate Change on Norfolk’s Biodiversity’ Dr Jeff Price Sunday 24th October 11am-12pm The Refectory at Norwich Cathedral

Mariam Jallow Science Editor

If humans use the loo, why can’t cows?

Probably not a common question posed by the general populace, however, researchers in Germany have set out to answer it anyway.

At first glance teaching animals, especially cows, how to use the toilet might seem like a waste (no pun intended) of time, energy, and resources.

Photo: Pixabay

However, a large chunk of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions is caused by agricultural activity.

Bovine digestion and faeces are huge sources of methane, the most abundant greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide.

Additionally, increased levels of soil toxicity have been linked to ammonia from cow urine leaching underground which can then be converted into nitrous oxide, another greenhouse giant.

This is why MooLoo, the term coined for the unique potty training, is hoped to be a feasible method of reducing agriculture’s impact on the climate crisis.

Around 15 sessions were held for a total of 16 calves: animals were treated with a snack for using a designated area to get rid of their waste, or mildly punished with a small spray of water or noise for not using the makeshift toilet.

Results from this experiment

showed 11 of the 16 calves could self-sufficiently use the toilet, a relatively promising outcome.

By concentrating on where cows rid their waste, scientists hope it can be more easily treated and lead to a reduction in ammonia pollution.

Whether this new practice will be reproducible on a larger scale remains to be seen, but many are hoping MooLoo will lead to more sustainable farming practices.

Photo: Pixabay

Bizar re S cience: how to train your cow... to use t he loo

19

5th October 2021

concrete-online.co.uk/category/science/ | @ConcreteUEA

Zombifying bac ter ia stops plants from ageing George Barsted

Science Senior Writer

Scientists at the John Innes Centre in Norwich have discovered how parasites can manipulate plants into slowing down their ageing

“Parasites can manipulate plants into slowing down their ageing process”

process.

It is hoped understanding this process may help to prevent the loss of crops threatened by disease.

Parasites attaching to plants can often lead to them failing to grow and reproduce.

This means they serve almost exclusively as a host for the parasites in question, often being described as “zombies”.

The mechanism from the parasitic pathogens doing this has been a mystery for scientists for a long time until a paper recently published in Cell, expressed their findings.

The paper, published by the Hogenhout group from the

John Innes Centre, focuses on the Phytoplasma bacteria, a parasitic bacteria containing a protein capable of sabotaging healthy plant development.

The protein, SAP05, works by manipulating the part of the plant known as the proteasome.

The proteasome is important to plant growth as it breaks down proteins no longer of use for the plant, allowing the rest of the plant to flourish.

SAP05 interrupts this process by ordering the proteasome to break down healthy proteins regulating the growth and development of the plant.

The phytoplasma bacteria then works to take over its host,

stopping the ageing process to encourage new shoots forming which can ruin the overall development of the plant in favour of the parasite.

“The phytoplasma bacteria then works to take over its host”

This type of growth can be seen in branches displaying the “witches broom” disease.

Researchers at the John Innes Centre identified two amino acids in the proteasome impacted by the bacteria.

By genetically modifying these parts, the plants in question were no longer affected by the bacteria allowing healthy growth to occur.

It’s hoped in the future, this discovery can lead to higher crop yields and better food security by eliminating the impact of the zombifying pathogen.

S easonal Spiders: how to Woolly M ammoths to retur n from ex tinc tion deal with them and your fears Jurassic Par k St yle Mariam Jallow

George Barsted

Science Editor

Science Senior Writer

Creepy, crawly and intuitively scaryspiders have long been a trigger for those who experience arachnophobia, an anxiety disorder caused by a fear of spiders. Those who suffer from the condition experience a wide range of symptoms. This can range from small spikes in anxiety in the presence of the creatures to full-blown panic attacks and avoiding outdoor spaces. Luckily, there are many ways to overcome this, the most heard-of method being exposure therapy where patients are routinely exposed to their object of fear. Understandably, however, many arachnophobes are reluctant to get cosy with a daddy long-legs. This begs the question, are there any other alternatives?

Recently, researchers from the University of Basel have developed an augmented reality app for smartphone users aimed at reducing people’s fear of spiders. The software, aptly named Phobys, was shown to have promising results in a study published in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders. How does it work? In a step by step process, 10 levels of virtual exposure therapy by which a 3D spider is added to the real world via camera are used to amplify feelings of safety around the creatures as opposed to fear. Through each stage, users come into contact with the virtual spider at increasing proximity as levels rise, and at one point directly interact with it. In the app’s study, individuals of the group who had used Phobys reported fewer feelings of fear in real-life situations with spiders and were even able to get closer to a spider trapped in a transparent box than those in a control group.

As we enter the autumn months, the season also brings out a plethora of spiders looking for a warm space to escape the cooling weather and most importantly, mate. Although recent

Photo: Pixabay

developments with apps like Phobys will certainly make this period more bearable, arachnophobia aside many of us are not too happy with the idea of the eight-legged crawlers entering our homes unabashedly. Our first instinct upon seeing one scuttling across our floorboards may be to grab the nearest slipper, however, Norwich based entomologist and wildlife artist Vanna Bartlett suggests safely removing them with a glass and piece of cardboard is a better alternative. In an interview with Norwich Evening News, Bartlett draws attention to the usefulness of spiders; as insect predators, they are largely responsible for keeping unwanted pests out of our homes. Additionally, she states, “Spiders, in turn, are an important source of food to some of our favourite garden birds like the robin and the wren.”

Most importantly, Bartlett addresses common misconceptions around the danger of spiders, particularly in the UK. She states, “Instances of spiders biting people in the UK are extremely rare and it usually only happens if the spider feels threatened or trapped.”

Further supporting the low risk to safety posed by the species, a bite from the UK’s most venomous spider, the false black widow, has been compared to that of a bee or wasp sting where the pain is short-lived.

With environmental importance, minimal risk to wellbeing and the advent of anti-arachnophobia technology, perhaps it is time to reconsider our outlook on our small, scuttling neighbours.

Scientists working at a start-up in Texas have raised 15 million dollars worth of funding to bring the woolly mammoth back from extinction.

Colossal, a company focusing on the gene-editing technology CRISPR, hopes reintroducing the species to its natural habitat can help slow the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Woolly mammoths share 99.6% of their DNA with Asian elephants, and the scientists are hoping to utilise this similarity combined with artificial wombs, to birth the mammoth embryos.

CRISPR technology will be used to alter the DNA of the Asian elephants by giving them mammoth-like features.

This is a method of gene editing based on a simplified version of the bacterial CRISPR-Cas9 antiviral defence system.

Woolly mammoths were adapted to the cold climates in the Arctic with fur

Image: Wikimedia Commons

coats, small ears and high body fat.

Colossal hopes the de-extinction and reintroduction of mammoths to the Arctic region can help fight climate change.

A site in Russia chosen to contain the woolly mammoths has been nicknamed “Pleistocene Park”.

At the site in question, it is hoped the mammoths will help to rewild the area, trampling snow and knocking down trees.

This help to reflect more of the Sun’s rays away from the ground, keeping the earth cool and preventing the melting of permafrost.

Permafrost under the ground melting could release almost 260 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, thus exacerbating the greenhouse effect.

It remains to be seen whether Colossal will succeed in their venture.

They hope to have a herd of mammoths roaming around the Arctic tundra by 2027 but with this being the first example of de-extinction ever, it could be wishful thinking.

TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE

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Culinary Norwich: Christophe's Crepes and A Taste of Shanghai Christophe's Crepes A Taste of Shanghai Matthew Stothard Travel & Lifestyle Writer

Since I arrived in Norwich last year, there is only one eatery that I have visited more than once.

If anyone asks me where I recommend in the city, Christophe’s Crêpes is my answer.

Primarily, this is because the food is divine!

The name is self-explanatory of what they serve and there is no significant venturing outside of this remit, but the variety of crêpe options available is impressive.

Whether you want to go savoury with some ham and cheese, or you have a sweet tooth and fancy a plate piled up with all sorts of chocolatey and fruity treats, there is something to please everyone’s appetite.

Any fan of pancakes and crêpes will not be disappointed and to top it all off, there

are a lovely selection of ice creams to enjoy on hotter days. It’s a dream really!

However, the joy of Christophe’s Crêpes goes beyond the food – Nestled amongst the unique Lanes, it fits perfectly within the quirky, artisan businesses that surround it, providing a welcome but fun respite to any shopping trip!

With the option to sit inside or out you can escape the busy city or fully embrace the surroundings, whilst enjoying a silky-smooth crêpe bursting with flavour.

Moreover, those working in the café clearly get on and are having a good time, which helps to add to the friendly atmosphere of personal and caring service which is created!

Christophe’s Crêpes represents all that is great about independent businesses in Norwich.

At its heart a happy, it is a positive place working to please its customers with great food and a light, bright environment! They even get involved in the wider city, having operated a street food outlet throughout the summer.

As I do with my friends, I would like to recommend them to you!

Image: Pixabay

Tristan Pollitt

Travel & Lifestyle Editor

Norwich is often referred to as the City of Stories. Yet, where do these stories come from?

For myself, many of my fondest memories come from the market here in the heart of Norwich.

Often regarded as one of the UK’s best outdoor markets, Norwich market houses many second-hand clothes shops, home media stores, and so much more.

However, the market’s most alluring feature is undoubtedly its many eateries.

One of the most notable of these eateries is the Taste of Shanghai, located near the back of the market.

Run by a husband-and-wife duo, the Taste of Shanghai serves authentic Chinese street food including stir fry noodles, black bean curry, and, perhaps their most beloved meal, chicken Katsu Curry.

The food served here is freshly made on location and tastes divine - to this day, it remains the best Chinese

food I’ve ever had.

The combination of tenderly cooked and breaded chicken along with finely boiled rice or noodles, topped with a luxurious sauce.

Yet, the real source (pun intended) of the fine establishment’s success, and the reason why I have continually returned over my three years at UEA is because of simple detail: the people serving the food itself.

So often when we go out to eat we acknowledge, consciously or subconsciously, the role of those who serve us, the importance of customer service, but we rarely go much further to break down those barriers, to see the person on the other side of that transaction.

In a time when our shopping habits are dominated by chain restaurants or on demand delivery, isn't it time we gain greater appreciation for those who help to facilitate our memories and stories.

Next time you’re in town, why not say hello to Alan and Lisa, and try for yourself a taste of Shanghai.

I have a lot to learn about religion and spirituality Sophie Colley

Travel & Lifestyle Writer

When approaching this article, I didn’t entirely know where to start.

The role of religion in my own life is a strange one, as I suppose I sit on the fence with it.

I wouldn’t say I’m an atheist, but I also wouldn’t say I’m religious.

It’s equally not something I think about or consider every day.

But when I sat down to contemplate what I should write about, and discussed the topic with my friends and family, it was surprising to me the role that religion and spirituality does have in my life.

I believe in heaven, or I believe that there is something more.

I’m not sure whether it’s a coping with grief thing or just how my parents approached religion with me as a child.

I was always told stories by my mum about my Grandad Fred, who l was told lived up in heaven.

And even though he passed

away many years before I was born, I have a very clear image of him, and still now I feel as though I know him, and he knows me.

His presence is very much alive to me.

“His presence is very much alive to me”

Death is difficult to deal with in any respect, and for me, the idea of an afterlife, or a heaven, is a way of coping with grief.

As well as this, I was reminded by my family that many of our morals, things that we don’t always consider religious, can be.

In The Ten Commandments it states, “Thou shalt not kill,” “Thou shalt not commit adultery” and “Thou shalt not steal.”

Even though these were written in a time incredibly far from our own, the morals and teachings are still ones we stand by.

We are still aware in this day and age that acts such as stealing or adultery are the wrong ones to commit.

So, it doesn’t mean if you don’t practice religion, it can’t still play a role in your everyday life. It just may not be an obvious one.

I was also quite sceptical about the role of spirituality in my life.

But recently I moved in with a new housemate, and one evening we decided she should read my tarot card.

It took me by surprise how much enjoyed it.

It was a really interesting experience and the next day left me reflecting on things in

my past, present and future.

It was actually really helpful for encouraging me to think more critically about things going in currently in my life, and where that was taking me.

We are lucky enough to live in a multicultural society where many beliefs and religions have a place.

Even on our own university campus, we have thousands of students from all different backgrounds.

Through writing this article I’ve realised that I have a lot to learn about religion and spirituality, and it is something I think we could all learn a lot more about.

Religion and spirituality are different for each and every person.

Everyone has their own individual beliefs and their own ways of viewing its place in their life.

For me, I like to think it helps

me cope with the bigger thoughts that sometimes I struggle to get my head around, grief included in that.

Spirituality can also be used as a way to consider more deeply how you feel about your life, and the events going on in it.

To think that before I wrote this article, I believed my life was quite empty from these.

“Before I wrote this article, I believed my life was quite empty from these” In the future, I’m going to try and be more open minded to the role religion and spirituality play in my life.

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Rediscovering the City of Stories Phoebe Lucas

Travel & Lifestyle Writer

With a population of just over 132,500 (2011 census), Norwich is a city with nooks and crannies dotted throughout its roads and cobbled streets.

Offering a range of eateries and shops, Norwich never fails to express its undeniable uniqueness.

After living in Norwich for a year, I’m still finding new places that make me love this city even more.

For inspiration on where to eat and drink I highly recommend checking out places like The Black Horse, Jive, Haggle, and Mr Postles' Apothecary.

After narrowing it down I think these are the top four places to check off of your list first!

The Black Horse is your classic English pub.

Good food, good drinks, and offers 10% off for students and NHS staff.

Located on Earlham road, next to the plantation garden, the outside space offers great social vibes with its hanging bulb lights and seasonal decor.

It's a real, ‘you can’t go wrong’ sort of place.

Then there’s Jive, a Mexican restaurant on Exchange street in the centre of town.

If you like burritos then this

is the place for you as Jive’s are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. It's a perfect lunch spot where you can spend the afternoon gazing out the window, watching the bustle of the market below.

Haggle, the Middle Eastern restaurant on St Benedicts Street, offers a variety of mezes and hot dishes in a multi floored building decorated to perfection.

Haggle gives a real sense of international dining without the hassle of travelling across the world. A brilliant place to visit for an alternative eating out experience than Britain's more traditional restaurants.

Finally on the list of eating and drinking is Mr Postles' Apothecary.

Situated on the corner of Upper King Street near Tombland, this is a fun potion-filled bar.

Cocktails average at around £8.50 and are made in front of you by professional bar staff.

I especially recommend the Long Island iced tea, with dry ice pouring over the edges and gliding off the table.

Other than satisfying your taste buds, I suggest taking a stroll around the lanes where you’ll come across places like Elm. A super innovative shop supplying products like home decor, stationary, and cards as well as an impressive array of plants at very

reasonable prices.

Often displayed outside, a best seller of theirs is the mimosa pudica plant- touch it and see what happens!

It’s also worth taking a visit to St Gregory’s church, off Pottergate.

Its exterior is what you would expect of a traditional English church, but when you cross the threshold it turns into an impressive antique collectable shop.

I n c l u d i n g jewellery, vinyl records, and clothes, there’s plenty of knickknacks to take a look at.

I also recommend getting to know (or reacquainted) with Norwich by just walking around.

Wandering down the various lanes and streets will often lead you somewhere new and unexpected.

Especially areas like St Andrews, where the bridge over the river and the playhouse are secretly tucked away in the quaint, b o t a n i c a l

pocket of St George’s Green.

Norwich is a vibrant, creative city that has plenty to offer to students old and new.

After a year of the pandemic, it’s important now more than ever that we appreciate what our cities provide. So, get out and see what you discover!

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Bizarre landscapes you would never believe Melody Chan

Travel & Lifestyle Writer

The pandemic has engulfed us with emotional turmoil for the past two years, but after multiple vaccine rollouts, things have gotten better.

I decided to revise the memory of visiting a bizarre underground landscape and plan my next trip to other unimaginable landscapes on earth.

My mom and I loved to travel to Europe every summer, and so five years ago, we embarked on a twelve-hour flight to Slovenia.

With no particular purpose except our passion for exploring new destinations, we would stroll along shops selling traditional pottery and admire the traditional architecture.

However, we did not know we would discover one of the most bizarre Adriatic Sea caves in the world.

The Postojna Cave Park is in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, and close to Predjama Castle.

We were escorted to a train at the beginning of our journey in the caves.

The yellow and red paint on the train sprinkled it with child-like innocence.

As the train carried us forward, our existence shrunk in size.

We were like dolls looking up at a big and bizarre dollhouse with dropletshaped rocks hanging from the ceiling.

Our vision was immediately captivated by the remarkable geology that existed in the caves.

Those rocks are known as Muranoglass chandeliers, they were opaque and narrow at the tip, filling the top of the cave with texture and patterns, painting the cave sky with wonder.

As we stepped out of the train, the instant chillness got to me.

I was so deeply immersed in looking at the rocks I did not realize the drop in temperature.

I hugged onto my coat and exalted a smoke. In the underground, things are different here.

Without the sun, these rocks thrived in the cold. Rocks grew up on the cave floor as the ceiling rocks melted, every melted drop of water built up a pointy rock at the bottom of our feet.

They named these ceiling rocks stalactites and grounded ones’ stalagmites.

As bizarre as they looked like, throughout time, some stalactites connected with the stalagmites,

forming thin stripes of standing rock.

The famous stalagmite in the park, ‘Brilliant’, was iconic and required creative imagination.

On the outside, it looked like a collision of two gigantic stalagmites, one taller than the other. Nothing special.

But once you exercise your imagination, you would think of the impossible. I thought the ‘Brilliant’ looked like a huge vanilla ice cream in front of the leaning

tower of Pisa, except that it was not leaning. How bizarre!

After this nostalgic run through of the Postojna Cave Park, I want to travel again and uncover other bizarre landscapes.

Mountain Vinicunca, also known as the Rainbow Mountain in Peru, is a new spot on my travel bucket list.

From a documentary aerial video of the mountain, I fell in love with the stretching of mauve and turquoise colours across the mountain’s

exteriors.

It is hard to believe this bizarre landscape was only discovered seven years ago, and now it has become a national treasure and a hiking destination.

By visiting the astonishing geology in Mountain Vinicunca, I can experience nature at its finest on the ground but also challenge myself in snapping a photo at an altitude of 5,200 meters.

A rainbow on a mountain is a bizarre phenomenon worth capturing.

Image: Pixabay

5th October 2021

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SPORT

As tours continue to be cancelled, is there cause for concern in international cricket?

Oscar Ress Sport Editor

The decision for New Zealand to pull out of the tour of Pakistan on the first day has sparked a chain of events that led to the England Cricket Board (ECB) postponing their trip to Pakistan, citing their player’s “mental and physical well-being”.

“they deserve to be treated to quality cricket”

The Australian tour of Pakistan, which is scheduled for February and March 2022, could now be put at risk due to the actions of these cricket boards.

Pakistan have had a difficult relationship with international cricket of late, as they were unable to host cricket against other countries after a 2009 terrorist attack during a Sri Lanka tour of the country.

It was only in 2015 that Zimbabwe made the trip over, but since then there has only been tentative steps by major cricketing nations to make that all important return to play cricket in the country.

According to the overseas players that appeared in the Sky Sports documentary “Out of Exile”, they have only good things to say about their experience and welcomed

playing more cricket there.

Pakistan is a cricketmad country, their Prime minister Imran Khan is a former captain of the cricket team and they deserve to be treated to quality cricket. Since the incident in 2009, most of the home cricket played was forced to take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

There are multiple issues with the decision by the ECB to cancel the men and women’s tour.

Pakistan made the brave decision to come to England and live in a biosecure bubble in the summer of 2020 at the height of the Coronavirus pandemic. so as not to leave the ECB without a home test summer and therefore support them financially. As a result

“failing a member of their cricket fraternity” of the U-turn made by the ECB they now face accusations of failing “a member of their cricket fraternity” and hypocrisy due to speculation that the pandemic was a potential reason.

Former England captain Charlotte Edwards suggested that the board has a “very short memory.”

The British High Commission of Pakistan distanced themselves from the decision and confirmed that

the government had no say in the cancellation of the tour, seemingly ruling out “security concerns” as a plausible reason for the cancellation.

The Commission went as far as to offer their support to the progress of cricket’s return to Pakistan.

Widening financial inequality in the international game continues to be a problem, with the “big three” of England, Australia and India distancing themselves.

This is not the first tour cancellation by a major nation in recent times, and fear exists that this will not be the last.

The future of cricket in these difficult times relies upon these giants of the sport doing all they can to help cricket prosper.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons Image: WikimediaPhoto: Commons Wikimedia Commons

Teenage sensation Emma Raducanu Oliver Dyson & Bethan Reid Sport Writers

Raducanu has had a meteoric rise to fame. She has gone from playing in the same event as UEA’s Number One at the end of May to being the first qualifier ever to win a grand slam less than four months later.

She was ranked outside the top 300 for Wimbledon and was ranked only 150 at the start of the US Open, which meant she had to go through qualification.

This makes her achievement of winning the US open without dropping a set that much more impressive, as she had to play ten matches to win the title.

This also made her the first British woman to win the US Open singles title for 53 years, with previous winner Virginia Wade watching her lift the trophy in New York.

Not only is this huge for British

tennis generally, but it’s also having an important impact on women wanting to get into the sport as well as some of our current members here at UEA Tennis. Bethan, a member of our social squad explains that “while Raducanu is four years younger than me, I still find her incredibly inspiring despite being someone who is still fairly new to the sport.

While I am not suggesting that I personally will ever be competing in a grand slam, it does make me believe that improving at tennis is a possibility for me if I commit to it and don’t talk myself out of it like I usually do!

This is something I feel really struck me with Raducanu’s exit from Wimbledon, the strength to come back and dominate in the way she did so soon after is something that I hope will never be forgotten no matter where her career goes from here!”

Although Raducanu has been

dominating the headlines, a mention must go out to someone much closer to UEA. Norwich born and bred wheelchair tennis player Alfie Hewett managed to achieve the calendar slam in the wheelchair men’s doubles with British partner Gordon Reid, a feat that even Novak Djokovic has never achieved.

Not only does this mean he’s won every single wheelchair men’s doubles grand slam in 2021, it also is their eighth consecutive grand slam title together.

Rounding up an impressive US open campaign for British tennis, Joe Salisbury became the first man to win both doubles events at the US open for more than a decade winning the Men’s doubles with American Rajeev Ram and the mixed doubles with another American, Desirae Krawczyk.

Raducanu has played an incredible part in an even more tremendous year for British Tennis and an inspiring summer for British sport.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

5th October 2021

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5th October 2021

24

SPORT

An introductory discussion with UEA Rugby President Cameron Dix zoom, nothing compares to an in person social. As a club, we love a whole Sport Editor club pre-drinks followed by a big sports night.

Aside from nights out, What is your role in UEA Rugby? I’m looking forward to spending more time together I am President of the club. I as a club on and off the pitch. essentially manage the club and my fellow committee members. What are the potential challenges that you see for What are your ambitions for UEA Rugby going forward?

UEA Rugby this academic year?

The pandemic Over the past year and going into arguably hit us hardest the next, we have been as a sport. As the sport requires a lot pushing serious performance. of close contact, the rules prevented This includes a greater emphasis us from competing for over a year. on strength and conditioning, With a long providing more prescriptive time out of the sport and out of training and introducing video the gym, it will take some time to game analysis for our first team. rebuild the standard Our goal for the club once played at. the year is 1st team promotion and Therefore, we are pushing players a strong recorded performance harder to practise their skills and across our two other BUCS squads. improve their fitness outside of training hours to accelerate What are the social aspects performance across the squads. of Rugby that you are looking forward to most this year? How would you encourage students to join Rugby at UEA? Whilst we managed well over

Oscar Ress

We push performance and want players to play at their best, but we do accept all abilities. We want to give everyone in the UEARFC family the opportunity to thrive and have their efforts recognised.

At the end of the day, regardless of what team you play for, you will socialise together.

Ones players and threes players will be far off in rugby ability but are equal as people. This is an ethos I discovered early on when joining the club and something I really want to ensure the club carries forward, no matter how distant in ability our teams could eventually become.

In terms of BUCS this year, how does it work for Rugby and how many teams do you have?

In the club, we have three BUCS teams each made of 23 players. The first team is made of the very best players in the club and the subsequent teams are comprised of those in development, striving to make it into our first fifteen.

No player is fixed into a team, and

we do a complete evaluation every 3 weeks to ensure we are giving all players a fair chance to play the level of rugby they deserve. If players don’t make any of our BUCS sides, there is still an opportunity to play for our Trojans team on a Saturday against local teams such as Norwich.

What is favourite

your earliest and/or sporting memory?

One of my earliest memories was a double milkshake. For those that aren’t aware, if a game is won, we celebrate in a huddle and sing the classic song “Milkshake” by Kelis.

On one occasion, both the seconds and thirds played at home and won simultaneously.

To celebrate, we completed a milkshake with 46 players as opposed to the normal 23.

Safe to say it was a messy night in blue bar.

The Sports Executives role is “to support and represent all of our sports clubs”. They are important people to be able to contact throughout the year for those who are joining sports clubs .

A number of them explained their role and what they are looking forward to most for the upcoming year. The Colney Lane representative Tom Poole said that it was the “colney fortress crowds being back to their pre-covid best” as well as the newly installed floodlights that he was most looking forward to.

For watersports representative Gabriel Smith, it’s the “collective watersports fundraising for the COP26 festival”, which will include a River clean.

Imogen Cliff, the sports publicity officer, is excited for UEA sports people “going to matches, tournaments and competing again” and restarting her role of publicising the achievements in those events.

Jordann French, who represents martial arts, is looking to make up for lost time. Martial arts as a contact sport struggled to continue throughout the various lockdowns last year and in doing so, she wants to ensure that there is a “comfortable transition back into their somewhat regular routines” for everyone involved.

Bethan Reid wants to “bring the dance and gymnastics (D&G) clubs into the spotlight” as the D&G representative. Feel free to contact any of the sports execs via email for any questions and queries.

If you could have competed at Olympic level in anything, which would be your dream sport?

It would be very easy to say rugby 7s as I do really enjoy the sport but outside of rugby, I’m an avid sailor and competing at an Olympic level would be a dream come true.

Similar to rugby, there’s a lot out of your control that is often unpredictable.

Who are your sporting The result of either heroes and why? sport simply depends on how well you face up to those Michael Jordan is a big hero of challenges.

Meet your UEA Sports Executive Team 2021/22 UEA Oscar Ress Sport Editor

mine. I’m not the biggest basketball fan out there but I’m fascinated by his drive and the high standard he always demands from his teammates, but more importantly himself.

I strongly believe above most, it’s essential to always strive for greatness and to put everything you have into something when you say you will.

The fact that most don’t, often means that you will come out above the rest if you choose to hold yourself accountable to those high standards.

netball

announce

exciting partnership with Norfolk United netball club Oscar Ress Sport Editor

Photo: Concrete/Samuel Baxter

The formal partnership between UEA Netball and the local Norfolk United Netball Club was announced last week and signals an opportunity for both clubs to further their development in this joint venture.

The partnership will commence instantly ahead of the new season.

The excitement surrounding the relationship was obvious in various statements from the involved partners.

The statements came from Mark Heazle, Head of Sport and Physical development at UEA Sport, Karen Webb, Norfolk United Head coach and Deanna Hollings, the President of UEA Netball and Norfolk United player.

The joint statement spoke about the excitement of the two clubs “training and playing together across the netball competition pathway, locally, regionally and nationally.”

There was also reference to the newly formed pathway that now exists to allow players to have access to elite level netball while they study and improve

through their university journey.

Mark Healze made a statement from his position at UEA sport in which he spoke about his excitement for the “general development and growth of the sport of netball in Norfolk.”

This refers to the seeming benefit that the University of East Anglia has the power to bring to the whole local area.

Healze also talks about the tireless work of both committees behind the scenes in order to make the partnership happen.

The development for the university is obviously at the heart of his role and this partnership promises to provide a huge step in the right direction.

The Head coach of Norfolk United Netball, Karen Webb said: “It’s vitally important to the development and success of both our clubs, to offer our emerging local talent a preferred education pathway at the University of East Anglia.”

Webb suggests that the prospects of “men’s and mixed” netball could be explored thanks to this partnership, which would provide both clubs a chance to make netball more inclusive and diverse in the region and throughout the country.