Concrete 383

John Lewis Christmas pgs. 8-9

Dolly Carter Editor-in-Chief

pg. 17

Nanny State: pg. 24

Is football doing

AI and CCTV advert met with accusations of 'wokery' enough to tackle homophobia?

LCR to search one in five people following rise in Norwich spiking cases

UEA’s Students’ Union (SU) have increased their searches to one in ve people among a host of protective measures designed to protect students against spiking on nights out.

Since the beginning of October, 33 incidents of spiking have been reported across Norfolk, with injection being believed to have been used in 11 of these incidents.

While reports originate from a variety of locations, including Kings Lynn, Dereham, and Great Yarmouth, the majority come from central Norwich.

On 5th November, a joint statement was issued by Womens+ O cer Patrycja Poplawska, Welfare, Community and Diversity O cer Aaron Campbell, Postgraduate Education O cer Ayane Hida, Undergraduate O cer Ivo Garnham, and Activities and Opportunities O cer Lizzie Payne.

Alongside searching one in ve people in the queue, the statement says the SU will also aim to search all bags upon entry and re-entry, placing security sta , rst aiders, and the Alcohol Impact Crew throughout the venue to ensure student safety.

They will also be increasing the number informative posters around SU venues for use in emergencies and encourage students to utilise the anti-spiking devices available at the bar.

However, a diabetic student told Concrete she entered Sports Night with a satchel which was given "a cursory glance".

The satchel contained insulin needles which were completely missed by the security sta

Within the statement, the SU

O cers said they believe “the key to tackling issues like spiking and women’s safety in general, is in tackling the negative messages that men and boys receive about acceptable and unacceptable behaviours towards people, and speci cally women”.

They also apologised for the wording used in recent Instagram

posts on this topic, acknowledging they could be interpreted as victim blaming.

This follows criticism of a now deleted social media post released by Durham University Student Wellbeing which read “Drink Spiking is dangerous and something that you can prevent from happening to you and your friends… don’t

get spiked”. UEA SU have clari ed their position on this, stating: “we will never blame someone for being the victim of spiking, or any other harmful behaviour. We are on your side and will make sure that people found to be spiking are held to account”.

Chief Inspector Ed Brown,

from Community Safety at Norfolk Police, warned: “If your intention is to go and spike someone then be aware that this will have serious consequences for you when you are caught… Anyone found to be committing these crimes will be dealt with robustly by the police and could face a lengthy prison sentence”.

Thoughts on motivation and aspirations Editorial

How time flies...

eight in-print issues we plan to publish during the 21/22 academic year.

I am writing this editorial shortly after taking o from Prague Airport following a visit to meet my partner’s new baby brother. Much to our delight, Filip arrived with us in February this year but, much to our horror, we have been unable to visit him for a full nine months due to Covid restrictions on travelling to the Czech Republic.

Though we only managed to stay for a matter of days, as my partner must return to work, and I am needed for Concrete lay-up week, we managed to pack in an enormous amount during that time.

However, visits to Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral, and Charles Bridge paled in comparison to the valuable time we spent cuddling Filip, watching him fall asleep on walks, playing with his Peter Rabbit toy, and trying to convince him that mushy carrots are indeed the food of gods.

And just like that, our time with Filip was up. Suitcases packed, we returned to the airport with dejected looks on our faces, wondering where on earth the time went.

Of course, time does not spare us here at Concrete either. We’ve whizzed through a total of four issues this year, nding ourselves halfway through the

It feels as if my time as Editor-in-Chief is nishing before it has even begun, so I would like to take a moment to re ect on our achievements this semester.

We’ve hired and trained our 38-member strong team who never cease to amaze me with their dedication to ensuring Concrete continues to deliver high quality student journalism.

Our newest recruits, Features Senior Writer Lily Boag, Sport Senior Writer Metin Yilmaz, Copy Editor Julia Reynolds, and Online Editors Ray Khawaja and Rianna Jones have more than lived up to my expectations and have settled in to the publication process beautifully.

Our Breaking News team are also in full swing, so make sure to stay tuned for regular updates on the Concrete website!

At the beginning of the year, we spoke with a huge amount of you who visited the Concrete stand at the Societies Fair and congregated in Lecture Theatre 3 for our annual ‘Big Meet’.

Alongside this, we also launched the brand new ‘Concrete how-to guide’ which can be found via the ‘Get Involved’ tab on the Concrete website!

With the help of our Social Media Manager Badriya Abdullah, we’ve managed to revolutionise our social media output by posting regular article highlights on our Instagram and Twitter.

Freyja Elwood Deputy Editor

I had a revelation about a week ago that I often do not choose an easy route for myself.

What I mean by this is my proli c sense of taking on too much but also in my personal life too.

It was sort of a hard realisation because it raises a lot of “what ifs?” and speculation about what would and could be di erent.

Maybe it’s part of my personality? I’m a Leo if that means anything.

Another project I’ve been working on is the brand new ‘Concrete Crash Course’ which consists of four workshops covering topics such as distinguishing between Comment and Features, writing Arts reviews, nailing interview technique, and getting to grips with News articles.

These will be running from 6th December and can now be booked via the uea.su website.

I was also delighted to record our rst episode of the ‘Concrete Conversations’ podcast with News Editor Una Jones last week - keep an eye on our social media accounts for more details on how to listen to this soon!

Upon re ection, I realise we have achieved an awful lot and, much like baby Filip in Prague, Concrete is growing every day.

So, as I am left thinking about the souvenir baby sock and handprint packed ever so carefully into my suitcase, I wonder when we will be able to see Filip again, whether he’ll be walking (or even running) by our next visit, and what his rst words may be.

Then I stop and think to myself – how time ies. Let’s make the most of every moment.

By the time this issue has been published, we will have concluded our collaboration with UEA to deliver ‘Report for the Future’, their pilot climate journalism program as part of our commitment to delivering consistent, accurate, and timely climate coverage.

Grateful writers, grateful readers

Sam Gordon Webb Deputy Editor

Before arriving at UEA, I had an eating disorder so aggressive I could barely face eating a blueberry. My recovery journey has been long and di cult, lled with many ups and downs, bumps and curves, but writing about my experiences for this paper quite honestly changed my life. And I believe it remains one of the principal reasons I stand here today as your Deputy Editor.

In 2019, I recognised the power of telling my story to others. Of course the stories we tell needn’t be particularly personal - see our News and Global section - yet everything we write is

unquestionably avoured by our own experiences, making Concrete the student paper it is.

That aside, Christmas is around the corner. After the success - or to some, failure - of the COP26 festival in putting the problem of global warming back in the spotlight, as well as the brilliant work of our writers in telling the story of climate change in Issue 382, Concrete promises to continue o ering an accurate, timely and detailed account of the latest environmental issues, from campus to around the world.

Truth betold, hiding your deepest anxieties is like hiding from a pumpkin spiced latte. Not only is it impossible to justify, but it is incredibly detrimental

to physical and emotional health. Upon telling the truth of my life, a weight lifted o my shoulders. My irrational self, dishonest and manipulative, loitering in the background - had nally been defeated.

On a separate note, as the wintry weather conditions set in, please do keep safe on the roads, wear helmets and ensure bikes are adequately lighted when cycling. Your safety is paramount, and the risk is simply not one worth taking.

Finally, to students reading this, considering writing, or wondering what the incentive is to write for an award winning student newspaper, I hope my story helps.

Now it would be very typical of me after having gone: “God what am I doing” to proceed continuing exactly what I was doing previously.

And in absolute honesty in terms of extracurricular activities that bene t my CV, I don’t see my attitudes changing.

But for my personal life and extracurricular activities I do that are intended to be “fun” I do.

For the rst time ever, I’m trying to see myself as my main competitor.

My parents have always said to me “Just try and do your best” and in honesty in terms of exams, which are quanti able across the whole nation, I didn’t really get it - I needed to get the grades, I needed to make my best a certain grade.

But now as I enjoy my last year of university, my last year of university extracurricular hobbies and as I start to look for graduate opportunities, “just try and do your best” has a di erent, healthier meaning.

It means enjoy what you’re doing, and if you face challenges, push yourself for yourself.

Eat your vegetables and drink your water. See you in January.

Image: Pixabay

UEA to become a ‘safe zone’ with new app

Lauren Bramwell

UEA launches rst LGBTQ+ club night at the LCR

Una Jones News Editor News Writer

UEA has joined up with Critical Arc to produce Safe Zone. Safe Zone is a new and free app for sta and students to use with the aim to make users feel safer on campus.

The app has many functions such as connecting directly to UEA Security if they need assistance should you feel concerned, frightened, or threatened on campus.

UEA are using this app to ensure everyone on campus feels safer, including those working late at night or alone early in the morning, be this sta , or students in the library.

The app’s main function is a

help button which immediately connects your location to an o cer from Security so they can meet you and see you safely back to your car, a bus stop, or any destination on campus.

Safe Zone also enables you to be alerted if any incident occurs on campus, as well as allowing you to be connected with security if First Aid is required, or if you feel threatened.

The app can co-ordinate how to help you quickly and e ectively.

You will need to register on the app with your UEA email address, and your location remains private until you call for help and assistance on the app, after which your location becomes private again.

With Norwich o ering LGBTQ+ friendly nightclubs, pubs and bars in the city, UEA SU Welfare, Community, and Diversity O cer, Aaron Campbell, has now announced the rst LGBTQ+ club night at the LCR, on campus.

He said: “Part of my manifesto is about recognising marginalized groups and providing opportunities and spaces to those students.

I have a real heart for LGBTQ+ students and one thing I have heard is that there is not both a safe and appropriate club space in town anymore.

I wanted to provide such a club night to LGBTQ+ students.”

The club night ‘Spectrum’ boasts “great music, great company and a gay ol’ time!”, with tickets on sale for £3, and entry from 10:00pm on 11 November.

The music is set to include a wide range of genres, with a DJ who has worked on LGBTQ+ nights before, so everyone is expected to get a dance to a song they enjoy.

Students can expect to be reassured that the alcohol impact crew will be on hand, alongside the security team, briefed to best protect LGBTQ+ attendees.

Tickets can be purchased at uea.su/ tickets

VR headsets for UEA medical students

Una Jones News Editor

The University of East Anglia has become the rst university in the UK to give all students at Norwich Medical School their own virtual reality (VR) headsets.

1,250 students attending Norwich Medical School have been furnished with the headset for all ve years of their degree, having chosen one of four designs.

The headsets allow students to be transported into hospital environments, such as operating theatres and hospital wards, in addition to appointments and procedures from the perspective of patients.

Examples of the simulations

that students can access include, observing an A&E doctor assessing and treating a patient with chest pain, watching a patient undergo an operation, and observing the trauma team treat a patient with burns and fractures.

As clinical placements for healthcare students were limited due to the pandemic, the headsets provide an innovative and unique opportunity for virtual immersion in medical scenarios and surgical procedures without hindrance.

Dr Jordan Tsigarides, an Academic Clinical Fellow at the School of Health Sciences at UEA and VR Lead for the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital was highly involved in leading the project.

He has stated: “It’s no secret that the pandemic has highlighted the di culty of arranging

placements for medical students in healthcare settings, but this is an innovation that we have been working on for some time and Covid-19 has only accelerated us bringing it in.”

VR has already been considered as a way to treat patients, by way of digital therapeutics, which turns distraction into a more immersive and accessible clinical treatment.

As such, it is becoming more and more immersed in the medical eld, not just for patients, but also medical sta

At Penn Medicine’s Department of Radiation Oncology the development of VR has been critical in the advancement of cancer treatment through mindfulness and distraction therapy to alleviate fear and anxiety surrounding treatment.

Report for the Future: a collaborative e ort from UEA’s Project Change and Concrete

Dolly Carter Editor-in-Chief

Over the last few months, Concrete has been working with the University of East Anglia's Project Change to create Report for the Future, a climate journalism programme aiming to elevate young people’s voices during COP26.

Project Change is a new youth climate change programme of workshops, resources, and competitions from UEA. Alongside Report for the Future, Project Change are also running a speech-writing competition for 11–18-year-olds called ‘Dare to Speak Up!’, providing a range of learning resources for teachers, and held a

stand at Norwich Science Festival where they presented the ‘Wall of Impact’. Report for the Future was a competitive programme and applications were open to students from year 10 upwards.

Successful applicants received media training from Editor-in-Chief of Concrete, Dolly Carter, which included an exercise on debunking media jargon and an explanation of the best practices for covering climate stories. The group also worked through article writing exercises to help them choose impactful quotations, devise punchy headlines, and keep the reader engaged using the inverted pyramid structure.

After the training session, participants were allocated a day of COP26 to monitor

and, through the creation of a one-page report, used live coverage, news reports, and social media posts to construct their own responses to the subject from a youth perspective. Concrete also provided a group of 19 volunteers who were on hand to give advice and answer questions which arose throughout the duration of COP26. The Concrete team members shared their advice and expertise through a monitored group chat by posting links to useful articles, sharing interesting insights on COP26, and providing general guidance to the participants.

As a pilot programme, Report for the Future proved to be a successful collaboration between UEA and Concrete to help passionate young people in uence the climate change conversation.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Priti Patel asked to justify migrant claim

Tom Manning News Writer

The Home Secretary has faced criticism after claiming most boat migrants are ‘economic migrants’ as opposed to ‘genuine asylum seekers’.

Priti Patel claimed: “70% of individuals on small boats are single men who are e ectively economic migrants. They are not genuine asylum seekers.”

The comments from Patel came during a Lords home a airs and justice committee last month where the committee questioned her over her new policy of not considering any asylum application from people who pass through a safe country.

David Blunkett and Shami Chakrabati, two labour peers and members of the committee, called on Patel to withdraw or justify such claims.

Chakrabati said to Patel, “Both the refugee convention and the lives of desperate people are too precious for the Home Secretary’s 70% statement to go unchallenged.”

The Home O ce responded that out of 8,500 people arriving by small boat in 2020, 87% were men and 74% aged between 18 and 39.

A spokesperson for the department defended Patel’s claim saying “France is a safe country; people should claim asylum in the rst safe country they reach rather than making

dangerous and illegal crossings.”

The Home Secretary’s comments follow from the government’s new policy on immigration post Brexit.

Patel’s new borders bill caused controversy last month with human rights groups saying it breached international and domestic law.

Controversy further surrounded Patel as it was reported the RNLI could be criminalised if they assist boat migrants at risk of drowning.

In response to Patel’s claims, Dr Peter Walsh, researcher at the Migration Observatory at Oxford University suggests a majority of asylum claims (including those of people who arrived in the UK by small boat) result in a successful outcome.

He said: “It is reasonable to suppose that Channel migrants will be more likely than other asylum seekers to have their asylum claims granted.

This is because the nationalities that are most common among Channel migrants – like Iranian, Syrian, Afghan and Yemeni – have a higher-than-average likelihood of ultimately being successful.

It is not clear what evidence exists to support the claim that 70% of Channel migrants are economic migrants.

But on the basis of the available data, it seems unlikely that no more than 30% of Channel migrants would have their asylum claims accepted.”

Israeli Minister sparks conversation about accessibility

Rachel Keane Senior News Writer

As COP26 unfolds, the climate is not the only thing making headlines.

Israeli Minister, Karine Elharrar, was unable to enter the site of the conference due to accessibility issues. Elharrar, who has muscular dystrophy uses a wheelchair to get around, but upon trying to enter COP26 she found it required her to either walk or take a shuttle unsuitable for a wheelchair.

Since the incident, Ms Elharrar’s

o ce has told the Times of Israel she had to wait outside the venue in Glasgow for two hours before eventually having no other choice but to return to her hotel 50 miles away.

UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, apologised to the minister for the ‘confusion’ during a meeting with him and Naftali Bennett, Israel’s PM.

It is understood by the BBC that the organisers of COP26 believed the main venue was fully wheelchair accessible, whilst they also said the temporary structures built around

it passed all accessibility checks.

George Eustice, the UK’s Environment Secretary, appeared to blame Ms Elharrar and the Israeli delegation for the fact she was unable to get into the venue, telling BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “What would normally happen in this situation is that Israel would have communicated that they had that particular need for their minister”.

However, a spokesman from the Israeli Embassy in London responded saying the delegation had “communicated over the past

several weeks all the details about the minister’s requirements”.

Lib Dem peer, Lady Ludford, also criticised Eustice for his remarks, tweeting: “Not the most gracious of responses for the COP26 host to blame the guest”.

Mr Bennett has declared the situation a “learning opportunity for all of us in the importance of accessibility for all”, as well as thanking Johnson for his “quick intervention on this unfortunate incident”.

A formal complaint has been made on behalf of Elharrar.

Boris Johnson was seen unmasked during COP26 events this week.

Despite representing the United Kingdom on the world stage, Boris Johnson was unable to commit to basic health measures whilst attending the global summit.

Pictures of the Prime Minister sitting next to a masked David Attenborough have gone viral on the internet, leading many to criticise his behaviour.

The PM’s spokesman has said Johnson followed all the rules in place at the conference, stating “delegates are not required to wear a mask while seated”.

Shadow trade minister, Bill Esterson, tweeted: “Boris Johnson chose not to wear a mask sat next to David Attenborough at #COP26. Attenborough is 95 and is at a very high risk from Covid-19”.

Johnson responded to the criticism saying: “I’ve been wearing masks in con ned spaces with people I don’t normally talk to...it’s up to people to take a judgement whether they’re at a reasonable distance from someone...that’s the approach we take.”

Some people have acknowledged Johnson’s lack of care in both not wearing a mask and falling asleep during the conference was also re ected in his speeches on climate change. Bas Eickhout, Dutch Green MEP, observed: “He is regarded a bit like a clown”, whilst one EU o cial said “It’s not completely my taste to be honest” when asked about Johnson’s leadership. Le Point of the French media was also unimpressed with Johnson’s speech at the conference, saying he had indulged in his “usual humorous banter”. It seems many, however, were not laughing.

This comes as MPs and peers had been told to wear their masks when inside the Parliament building due to rising cases both across the UK and within Parliament. As of last week, it was made compulsory for all sta employed by the House of Commons to wear their face masks at all times, however it was put to individual choice as to whether MPs had to behave in the same way.

Within the Conservative Party there has been some backlash to the idea of reintroducing masks in Parliament, with Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg explaining that due to Conservative MPs knowing each other well, there is no need for them to wear masks.

Labour MP Ben Bradshaw represented the opposing view, tweeting, “You get chucked out of Parliament for not wearing a jacket and tie. If you won’t wear a mask, a recommended public health measure to protect others, nothing”.

It appears the Conservatives’ lacklustre approach to both Covid-19 health measures and the climate will continue to cause debate.

Rachel Keane Senior News Writer

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Facebook changes its name to ‘Meta’

Rachel Keane Senior News Writer

One of the biggest companies in the world has undergone a major rebrand.

Facebook, which was founded in 2004, has changed its name to ‘Meta’ so as to better “encompass” what the company o ers.

The name change will not, however, a ect individual platforms, such as Whatsapp, Instagram, or Facebook itself, but instead it is only the parent company who will welcome the change.

This comes as Facebook has

encountered a storm of allegations in the recent past about its tendency to put pro t over people.

Whistleblower, Frances Haugan, testi ed Facebook is“making hate worse” by pushing users toward extremism as a way to boost engagement on the platform.

Facebook has also been accused of multiple data privacy breaches.

It seems the rebrand could be an attempt to distract users from the scarier side of social media whilst presenting a new and exciting future in the ‘metaverse’.

Many have said the

metaverse could be the way we navigate the internet in the near future.

In the metaverse, people would be able to use a headset to enter a virtual world in which digital environments would all be connected.

This could be used as a new way of working ‘in’ the o ce, or as a way of sitting in the cinema or a theatre whilst actually being in the comfort of your own home.

It is also suggested people could use a 3D avatar as a representation of themselves whilst in

GPs and patients raise concerns about telephone appointments

Una Jones News Editor

Rheumatology patients and clinicians have spoken out about phone and video consultations, deeming them less diagnostically accurate than in-person appointments.

This comes alongside new r esearch from the University of Cambridge and University of East Anglia.

In the recent study, 86 percent of patients and 93 percent of clinicians felt that telemedicine was less accurate than face-to-face consultations, with higher risks for misdiagnosis.

Many patients struggle to accept a diagnosis from a GP without being seen in person.

Some respondents

raised concerns that online consultations may become overused as a cost and time saving measure, rather than in the best interests of patients.

Health secretary Sajid Javid has blamed the lack of GP appointments as the catalyst for increased pressure on A&E departments.

Some patients might nd telemedicine less accessible, such as those from disadvantaged homes without access to video chat and internet, as well as some elderly patients without the same level of experience with telephones and internet.

As such, telemedicine has the potential to increase health inequalities.

On the other side of the debate, some patients nd

phone appointments increase their accessibility if they have limited mobility or sickness making it di cult to travel out for regular appointments.

The NHS has stated patients are able to see a GP in person if they choose, which falls in line with the research team’s conclusion which focuses on telemedicine’s acceptability and safety, suggesting it can be improved by training for clinicians, o ering patients more choice if the scenario is deemed appropriate.

With o cial data showing GP appointments rose by 26 percent in the month of September, there appears to be a balance on the way.

the metaverse.

The potential of this technology is huge, hence why Facebook is so keen to become the ‘face’ of the metaverse.

Facebook has also invested heavily in VR headsets in the past.

They have claimed the metaverse “won’t be built overnight by a single company” and suggested they have a desire to collaborate.

Mark Zuckerberg has said:

“Over time, I hope that we are seen as a metaverse company and I want to anchor our work and our identity on what we’re building towards”.

He has chosen the name ‘meta’, he explained, because of its meaning in Greek - ‘beyond’.

It appears Zuckerberg’s goals have changed and he no longer wants to be grounded in social media.

Whether people will be willing to change their view of Facebook as it becomes Meta is another question.

The most signi cant cause of the rebrand is unclear - are Facebook hoping to shrug o their damaged reputation at the same time they change their name or is Zuckerberg really committed to changing the future path of the company?

Norwich Vegans’ Christmas market comes to The Forum

Alice Pritchard Senior News Writer

Local vegan group

Norwich Vegans are hosting their sixth annual Christmas market at The Forum in the city centre on Sunday 7th November.

The market is free to enter and will contain a variety of vegan food, drink and gift stalls run by small independent businesses.

Penny Franiel, founder of the Norwich Vegans, said:

“Having all the di erent stalls in one place, it allows people to see just how easy and accessible being vegan actually is”.

The market has gained popularity and size each year, going from just 30 stalls in 2015 to over 55 stalls this year. Penny said,

“The fact it’s continued to grow does make me very happy”. This growth re ects the results of a survey carried out by shopping comparison site, nder.com, who found that the number of vegans in the UK increased by 40 percent in the last year.

The vegan market comes at a time where demand is ever increasing.

Having surpassed Vegan Day at the beginning of November and alongside recommendations from the National Food Strategy to reduce meat intake to lessen the harmful environmental impact of our diets, there has been a steep rise in the popularity of Veganism in the UK. It is currently estimated that around three percent of the UK population eat a vegan diet, according to the survey.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

GLOBAL

Sienna Norris Global Writer

At the start of 2022, Republican Glenn Youngkin is set to take o ce as the new governor of Virginia. His win comes as a surprise to many, especially to President Joe Biden, who thought Virginia would remain a mostly democratic state as it did during the 2020 presidential elections, but Democrat runner Terry McAuli e lost by very few votes to Youngkin.

Since President Biden began his term back in January, his

approval rate has fallen to only 43%, for many reasons, including the fall of the global supply chains to the United States, gas prices increasing, but most notably, his decision to withdraw US troops in Afghanistan amidst the Taliban’s invasion of Kabul. Biden has been heavily criticised for this decision, and it was this action which really began to lessen his popularity.

However, Biden isn’t to blame for Youngkin’s win, as his opponent McAuli e seemed to push away voters with his approach, whereas Youngkin managed to appeal to both Republicans and Democrats.

Donald Trump became the rst Republican president in nearly a decade by the time he moved into the White House, and his term caused many Republicans to vote for Biden in the presidential elections that took place over a year ago. Youngkin kept the former president at arm’s length throughout his winning

campaign, as well as di ering McAuli e’s controversial approach, which made many democrats turn their backs on him.

According to many sources, the Democrat’s loss of both Virginia and New Jersey for state governor is sending shockwaves through the political party.

With a year to go before the mid-term presidential campaign, the Republican party’s tactics have seemed to win over many previous Trump supporters as well as swing voters.

Youngkin’s victory isn’t the only win for the party as Winsome Sears was elected as Virginia’s lieutenant governor and is the rst female and the rst woman of colour to take the position. Not only this, Jason Miyares, also became Virginia’s rst Latino attorney general.

Republicans seem to be taking the United States by storm in light of recent governor results, many are asking: what’s next for the Democrats?

Republicans’ surprise win in Virginia raises doubts about president Biden Determination, despair, and desire: Indigenous activism at COP26

Hamish Davis Global Senior Writer

From Sami environmentalists at the Venice Biennale to Europe’s largest network, Climate Alliance, cooperating with Amazonian groups, Indigenous interests have never been more integrated into the international ght against climate change. Right?

After all, at COP21 196 parties signed a 2015 Paris climate agreement that recognised the rights of indigenous peoples and the integration of indigenous knowledge into policies and actionspage 24, article 7, paragraph 5.

Yet last week, across the Clyde from the COP26 conference, a

gathering of Indigenous delegates commemorated the deaths of fellow activists.

As nation leaders planned and pledged, the commemoration across the river painted a di erent picture of Indigenous environmentalism’s alienation and persecution… in spite of plans and pledges.

The NGO Global Witness reported that four land defenders had been killed every week since the Paris accord, with one in three of the victims being Indigenous.

Last year alone, Indigenous communities su ered ve mass killings related to land disputes.

On the Philippine Island of Panay, nine Tumandok opposed to the building of a dam were killed in Military and police raids. The Philippines government signed the 2015 climate agreement.

The Global Witness’s report also cited “resource exploitation” as the cause for at least 30% of killings last year, the same business that is being given a disproportionate ear at COP26.

In the UN’s provisional list of attendees, at least 503 fossil fuel lobbyists are present. Double that of people in the o cial UN constituency for Indigenous people.

Latin American countries form a vast marine protected area

Melody Chan Global Writer

Panama, Ecuador, Colombia, and Costa Rica are the four Latin American countries that decided to join and expand their reserves. They want to interconnect their respective marine protected areas to create a large MPA (Marine Protected Area),[comma added] this proposed project aims to present ocean diversity in a space of 200,000 sq miles. It also follows the 30x30 campaign to protect 30% of the planet’s oceans by 2030. Max Bello, an ocean policy advisor, claims that “a new era - to provide protection to species which know no frontiers - has been born.”

By joining the existing reserves, the birth of a ‘mega-MPA’ will protect migratory turtles, whales, and sharks from foreign shing eets.

This shing practice has been deemed unethical and has exploited marine life. “A slaughterhouse [...] going on on a massive scale in international waters and nobody is witnessing it,” said Jonathan Green, the co-founder and director of the Galapagos Whale Shark Project. To limit illegal and under-reported shing, Ecuador’s president, Guillermo Lasso, announced plans to expand its 133,000 sq km Galapagos marine reserve to 60,000 sq km. A day after, Ivan Duque, Colombia’s president, added 160,000 sq km of marine protected areas. President Lasso said countries ‘have called for action, not words.’

Despite Latin American countries being underdeveloped, they have continued to reduce shing e orts. Ecuador’s environment minister, Gustavo Manrique, calls this joining force between nations “a new language of global conservation, [...] connecting maritime borders [...] to create a public policy.” Since 2019, Latin American countries are in the lead with MPAs, with Argentina counting 73 MPAs, Chile 25, and Uruguay 8. These MPAs amount to an MPA coverage of 23.02%.

Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, recognises Latin America’s joint e orts and names it a “bold and ambitious new initiative,” encouraging other nations to act collectively and to “do more to protect our world’s most precious resource.”

Beyond the perilous frontlines of Indigenous activism, on the concrete of Glasgow, it is perhaps of no surprise then that Indigenous delegates like Ita Mendoza express disillusion.

The member of Mexican collective Futuros Indígenas told the Guardian: “The COP is a big business, […] where people come not to listen to us, but to make money from

our land and natural resources.”

With $1.7bn of funding for Indigenous protection of land already being announced on the 1st of November, many others continue to see in the Conference of the Parties (COP) an opportunity to gain the advantage in a too often fatal ght.

Speaking to the UN news, former UN Special Rapporteur

on Indigenous Rights Victoria Tauli-Corpuz noted the e orts towards in uencing article 6 of the Paris agreement, concerning market cooperation: “The push is to really say that we cannot have market-based mechanisms if they violate indigenous people’s rights”. For now, a desire for change cautiously continues through the channels of COP26.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Torture and turmoil in Ethiopia’s Tigray con ict

Hamish Davis Global Senior Writer

Now over a year into the Tigray war that has rocked the northern regions of Ethiopia, a fresh UN report paints a troubling picture.

On the 3rd of November, a combined investigation by the UN Human Rights O ce and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) identi ed executions, torture, rape, and attacks against refugees. The 156-page review, partially based on 269 interviews, found that both sides had “committed violations of international human rights, humanitarian and refugee law, some of which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

On the 4th November 2020, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered an o ensive against the dominant regional party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Founded on a contested government report that the TPLF had raided a

military base, the northern o ensive initially yielded success.

However, in a growing con ict that has seen previous enemies of the TPLF, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), join the ght against the government, the tide has turned. In late October, insurgent forces claimed control of Dessie and Kombolcha, strategic cities on a major road to Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa.

October, journalists banned, and the internet subject to a blackout.

In order to gain access to this tightly controlled area, the UN had to work with the EHRC, connected to the Ethiopian government.

Yet, the ndings are as damning for the Government’s ENDF and allies as it is for the TPLF and OLA on the other side.

“Concerns had been raised about the quality of an investigation by the UN”

Before the publishing of the report, concerns had been raised about the quality of an investigation by the UN.

Humanitarian aid has been blocked since the 28th

The UN high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, noted from the report that ‘the majority of the violations’ in the early period of the con ict were conducted by Ethiopian forces and the supporting Eritrean troops as they moved into the Tigray region.

Notably in a foreign country, Eritrean soldiers have kidnapped thousands of Eritrean refugees, eeing from strict military service and persecution, whilst committing multiple rapes and mutilations. Eritrea refused to participate in investigations.

Investigating organisations have called on governments to conduct internal investigations.

Japan’s ruling LDP party takes comfortable election victory

Aislinn Wright Global Editor

Japan’s ruling party, the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), won a surprisingly comfortable victory in Japan’s general election held on 31 October.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s party won a total of 261 seats out of the 465 available in the lower house, the most powerful of Japan’s twochamber government, down slightly from its previous 276 seats. The LDP, and its coalition partner Komeito, won a total of 293 seats of the 261 needed to form an “absolute stable majority.” Voter turnout was at just under 56%, the third lowest since the end of the war.

Speaking to public broadcaster NHK, Kishida said “with the ruling coalition certain to keep its majority, I believe we received a mandate from the voters.” The LDP have ruled almost uninterrupted since the mid-1950s, last losing an election for the lower house in 2009. The Constitutional Democratic party of Japan, currently the largest opposition group, lost more than a dozen seats in the election. However, the rightwing populist group Japan Innovation party based in Osaka quadrupled its seats to a total of 41, becoming the third-largest party in the chamber.

Five oppositional parties, including the communists, had agreed not to compete against each other in marginal constituencies, hoping to consolidate the anti-LDP vote. The opposition groups called for greater help for low-income families hit hard by the pandemic, allowing married couples to use di erent surnames, and for the legalisation of same-sex marriage.

Kishida said his administration

would compile an extra budget for COVID-19 relief, prepare Japan’s health service for a possible wave of new COVID-19 cases over winter, and would attempt to address income inequality in the hope a vaguely de ned “new capitalism” would help retain votes from the middle classes.

Kishida also promised a more responsive government following criticism of former leader Shinzo Abe, who stepped down last year, and his short-lived successor Yoshihide Suga, who chose not to run in the LDP leadership contest, who were said to have lost touch with voters during the pandemic.

In all the uncertainty, the Ethiopian Prime Minister perhaps has greater concerns.

He has announced a nationwide state of emergency - calling on Addis Ababa residents to defend the city.

As the instability continues, one thing is for certain. Humanitarian crisis, involving thousands killed, is likely to get worse before it gets better.

Protestors killed in Sudan democracy march

Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Khartoum, its twin city of Omdurman, Wad Madani, and Atbara since 25th October to protest a military coup. Military re has killed at least seven people and left 140 injured.

Since 2019, the political situation in Sudan had been that it was governed by a tense union between civilian groups and the military. Before this, there was a 30-year-long military dictatorship led by Omar al-Bashir who was ousted in 2019 during a coup which ended his brutal rule.

To oversee the transition between powers, the Transitional Military Council was formed but a pro-democracy movement pushed for civilian rule. There was a stando that ended in an agreement to form a sovereign council to govern for the next few years. The rst 21 months were militarily led, followed by an 18-month civilian administrative rule over the council. The Sovereign Council was designed and set up to guide Sudan to democracy.

On the 22nd October, however, the military e ectively took over this co-rule, getting rid of the Sovereign Council and detaining Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok temporarily along with his wife and other government o cials. The

prime minister and his wife were returned to their residence the following day, but it’s not known whether the others were, or if they are able to move freely.

Sudan’s top general, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is behind the military coup. He was chief of the sovereign council (the militarycivilian co-ruling body), serving as head of state for the last two years. The general was supposed to give control of the council to a civilian leader in the next couple of weeks, instead, he dissolved the council and declared a state of emergency.

Tens of thousands of wellcoordinated protesters took to the streets of the capital of Sudan, Khartoum, opposing the coup, calling for a restoration of civilian rule. The scale of these protests, even in the face of full internet and mobile phone network shutdowns is the most serious challenge to the military’s complete seizure of power. Protestors outside the army headquarters were gunned down by soldiers. A doctors’ group said just in this instance at least three had been killed and more than 80 wounded.

Tear gas has also been red at several anti-coup rallies. Tahani Abbas, a Sudanese rights activist, said in the protests “the military forces are bloody and unjust, and we are anticipating what is about to happen on the streets. But we are no longer afraid.” Central bank employees also announced a strike to reject the coup, the ministry said.

Lauren Barrett Global Writer

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Nanny state: AI and CCTV by GLOBAL INVESTIGATES

features associated with their ethnicity.

“the technology is developing with no safety precautions or ethical reviews”

With further development, it is thought AI CCTV could soon match an individual to every text they send, every internet search they make, every place they visit, every purchase they make and everybody they associate with.

Data of this magnitude could allow a government to predict potential political unrest before it truly forms, posing a signi cant threat to human rights and political freedoms.

Guiyang which then had a population of 3.5 million to see how long he could evade detection.

It took only seven minutes for AI-enabled cameras to detect Sudworth and for police to have him in custody.

Surveillance of citizens is not unique to the 21st century or China, though she is at the forefront of the use of AI.

Former president of China, Mao Zedong, developed a network of local spies which he used to keep “sharp eyes” on the population and monitor for political dissent.

In 2018, a cybersecurity activist successfully hacked into China’s facial-recognition system, unveiling a web of CCTV cameras spanning the country that possessed the

ability to recognise an individual instantly by their face.

Arti cial Intelligence, AI, has been incorporated into almost all aspects of modern life, from facial recognition passwords on smartphones to adverts based on search history, AI is inescapable.

But when this technology is harnessed by a government to monitor its population it raises serious ethical questions and poses a signi cant risk to civil liberty.

It is China that currently appears to be leading the way in AI-based population monitoring, though the

same technology has made a worrying appearance in Europe and America in recent years.

China’s current system, known as City Brain, consists of an estimated 20 million AI-enabled CCTV cameras, forming a high tech web of surveillance that will one day capture every movement of China’s 1.3 billion people.

In 2018, the system was capable of distinguishing facial expressions, registering if a person’s eyes and mouth were open or closed, and most concerningly, it could identify Uighurs based upon their

An early version of this system is already in place in Xinjiang, an area in northwestern China and the site of prisons holding more than one million Uighur Muslims, the largest internment camps of a single ethnic-religious minority since the Holocaust.

Once the technology has been perfected within the camps, using it across China is an easy step to make.

For Uighurs outside the camps, they are now the most heavily surveillanced population on Earth.

“[The Uighurs] are now the most heavily surveillanced population on Earth”

AI cameras are able to identify them separately from other ethnicities within China solely upon their facial features.

Monitoring has now spread further, with Uighurs being forced to install monitoring apps on phones which use AI-powered algorithms to detect any unusual behaviour.

Something as small as leaving their house out the backdoor rather than the front is enough to trigger a warning within the AI system.

Avoiding technology is also out of the question as no social media activity is also categorised as suspicious.

Police reaction times to surveillance pings are extremely rapid.

In 2017 John Sudworth, a journalist for the BBC, travelled to the southern city of

His successor, Xi Jinping, has co-opted the term for his network of AI cameras, the eyes for the City Brain operation.

The Chinese government has long used major events to discreetly introduce new surveillance measures.

In the build-up to the 2008 Olympics which were held in Beijing, internet access came under stricter controls than ever before.

During the COVID-19 response, the Chinese government used private companies databases to access users’ personal data, a measure that may remain in place far beyond the end of the pandemic.

The British human rights organisation Article 19 recently released a report on the development of AI surveillance technologies by 27 companies in China.

They detailed that the technology is developing with no safety precautions or ethical reviews, particularly concerning when the technology is developed for use by o cial bodies such as the police to monitor the population.

An increasing number of human rights activists believe the use of AI surveillance poses a serious risk to human rights and freedom of expression, particularly political.

The global AI industry is predicted to be worth almost $36 billion by 2023, a growth of nearly 30 percent a year, and as such calls for strict controls on the industry are growing more urgent.

“Calls for strict controls on the industry are growing more urgent”

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Global Editor Aislinn Wright

Michael Kratsios, former president Donald Trump’s Chief Technology O cer, has said that “if we want to make sure that Western values are baked into the technologies of the future, we need to make sure we’re leading in those technologies.”

It can not be said, however, that the West has remained entirely ethical in its use and development of AI.

“The West [hasn’t] remained entirely ethical in its use and development of AI”

Several of China’s big AI developers are, at least in part, funded by Silicon Valley venture capital rms.

America’s police forces have also begun to develop their use of surveillance cameras.

Criticised heavily in recent years for racial pro ling, police have begun to use footage collected from home-security cameras, most commonly in the form of doorbell cameras.

Innocent devices when used by homeowners to watch their door for deliveries, but when the footage from these cameras is connected, it forms an extensive network of cameras that can be used by police to monitor an individual’s movement across entire cities.

Chinese-style surveillance networks have begun to crop up across the world.

In 2014, a Chinese telecom company sold a surveillance system to the government of Ethiopia, which has since been used in a crackdown on protests.

Brazil, Kenya, Ecuador and Great Britain are all known to have purchased video monitoring technology from Chinese companies.

The EU has also signi cantly increased its interest in AI.

In 2019, German MEP Patrick Breyer became aware of new AI technology which could detect when someone is lying based on their facial expressions.

The project, called iBorderCtrl, was being funded by the EU for its potential use on European borders.

Breyer used the EU transparency law to request details from the European Commission

concerning the ethics and legality of such technology, technology Breyer now refers to as “Pseudo-scienti c security hocus pocus.”

When the request was denied, Breyer sued.

The MEP claims “The European Union is funding illegal technology that violates fundamental rights and is unethical.”

The landmark case is expected to reach court in the new year.

The EU funding such projects is not a new phenomenon.

Horizon 2020 is the EU’s source for research funding, and from 2014 to 2020 it controlled €80 billion worth of funding grants for scienti c research.

Typically used for medical research, in the past seven years €1.7 billion was granted to security groups for researching technology to be used by police forces and border control o cials.

iBorderCtrl received €4.5 million from the Horizon 2020 fund, spending three years developing the programme.

The EU states the use of AI is crucial to counter crime, and its intended use is to enhance the region’s security to compete with the US and China.

However, ethical concerns remain. The development of AI brings concern that ethical scrutiny has been sidelined in favour of developing programmes as rapidly as possible.

Very little of the ethical analysis of AI programmes is ever made accessible to the public which furthers public distrust of these programmes.

All projects funded by Horizon 2020 must be assessed by a team of independent ethicists who can either approve a project or demand further ethical research, though their in uence is generally weak.

“Very little... of AI progammes is ever made accessible to the public”

Kristo er Lidén, a researcher at the Peace Research Institute Oslo, said that the process of an ethics review is often taken as an approval for the project, even when the review expresses grave concerns.

Speaking on the process, Lidén said: “[Projects] can easily be co-opted by

Speaking to German TV channel ARD and a reporter from Ser Spiegel, Burgess said “Refugees are seen as targets and goals to be registered” by AI security companies. Following the interview, Burgess was removed from his roles on Horizon 2020 ethical boards.

technology’s ability to completely corrode civil liberties if they are in the wrong hands.

Groups such as Article 19 are now calling for a ban on the use of AI technology in surveillance systems before the technology becomes too widespread to control and ethically monitor e ectively.

commercial logic or by general technological optimism where people bracket ethical concerns because they see new technology as a positive development.”

In a 2015 interview, Peter Burgess, a philosopher and political scientist who worked on three Horizon 2020 security projects, expressed his concern for the impact the technology will have on the migrant crisis.

The European Commission has denied that critics are removed from their posts stating to the Guardian: “No request for removing ethics experts participating in the assessments/checks has been received by DG Research and Innovation”.

As the technology continues to rapidly develop, larger numbers of human rights groups are expressing concern for the

Photo: Pixabay

FEATURES

Walking alone at night means being constantly switched on

To get home to my student house in Norwich, I have to walk down a long dark street.

Being a young woman scared to walk home alone late at night, I’ll often carefully scan this street. Reminding myself there’s safety in numbers, I’ll speed up so I can walk close to any other women I see. And then I worry because I’m walking quickly behind them, I’m probably scaring them too. In their minds, they probably think they’re being followed. At least, that’s what I would think.

“To get home to my student house in Norwich, I have to walk down a long dark street”

I’ll be alert when I walk past any tall hedges, dark corners, or when cars and vans slowly drive past on the empty road - and stop for unknown reasons. I panic when the wheels stop turning and the brake lights come on. I predict that a car door will open, and I might be grabbed.

This has never happened to me. But it’s happened to others. As I quickly walk along, I’ll take notice of the houses which still have lights on, from the pavement I’ll peer into the windows to see if there’s anyone sitting in their living rooms, so if I had to knock on their doors if I came across trouble, there would be someone to answer.

I’ve always planned to invest in personal safety devices for women, the ones we’re always advised to carry: rape whistles, alarms, sprays, and keyring tools. I constantly

remind myself to download a location sharing app. I keep in mind those TikTok videos which you can play aloud to pretend to be on the phone if your taxi driver takes a wrong turn. There’s YouTube clips too, ones that teach self-defence strategies for each way you could possibly be grabbed.

I’ve noticed the self-defence classes that run at UEA, considering if it’s worth investing my time and money as a young woman who may regret later not having done so. I have memorised if I ever thought I was about to be raped in the street, I must shout out ‘ re’ instead of ‘rape’, because this is more likely to attract people’s attention.

One of the main reasons I avoid drinking is so I can avoid the di culties which come with being a young woman in a busy bar or club. The police have said that 44 drink spiking cases have been reported since October. It just doesn’t feel worth the risk. It shouldn’t be this way. I should feel safe; every woman should feel safe.

No matter where we are, who we are, what we look like, what we’re doing, or what we’re wearingwe should all feel safe.

But do I feel safe when I’m told to cover my drink or use antispiking devices because it’s the only way to prevent getting spiked?

Do I feel safe when I’m told to dress modestly, so if I get sexually harassed or assaulted, it doesn’t come across as if I was ‘asking

“No matter where we are, who we are, what we look like... we should all feel safe”

“We check in on each other if we’re out late at nightfemale strangers supporting female strangers”

for it’? Do I feel safe when I am made more responsible for the chances of being sexually preyed upon, than the man who is likely to be accountable? When I see other girls out late at night, I instinctively worry for their safety.

If for some reason we strike up a conversation, I check they feel safe, or have enough money to get home safely - and they automatically understand my concern.

On the 4th of November, I participated in Norwich’s ‘Girls Night In’ boycotting of night clubs, to ensure the spiking outbreak was taken seriously by clubs and bars nationwide. Joining a new women’s safety chat for UEA students and graduates, we check in on each other if we’re out late at night - female strangers supporting female strangers.

Most importantly, I’ve read and listened to women’s personal experiences of spiking. And after taking in all of this information, I do my best to share it. To avoid any scenario in which myself or my friends could become the next victim, the next female face on the news.

Overall, the issue of women’s safety in Norwich and Norfolk can be seen throughout the rest of the UK as we seem to live in a social culture where this continued harassment and violence that threatens women’s safety remains publicly ignored, as men continue to dominate the spaces in which

Seasonal A ective Disorder makes winter much, much harder

Max Wrigley Features Writer

With winter fast approaching, people who have Seasonal A ective Disorder (also known as SAD: Seasonal A ective, or winter depression) see a change in their productivity levels as their bodies go into “hibernation mode”.

The long nights make it di cult for those people to wake up in the morning as they rely on the natural light to feel alive as opposed to feeling sluggish.

Even though there are alarm clocks speci cally for people who have Seasonal A ective as they have a background light to mimic natural light which gradually glows half an hour prior to the alarm going o , it is

extremely di cult to feel productive as there are fewer days which are sunny and the days are much shorter.

I didn’t nd out I had Seasonal A ective until 2018 when I was in a counselling session and the counsellor mentioned it to me.

This was the rst time I’d heard of it and, although I haven’t been formally diagnosed with Seasonal A ective, everything I’d been feeling during the winter months over the course of the previous few years nally fell into place.

The winter depression not only robbed me of my productivity, but also reduced the amount of hours in which I can be productive before darkness sets in and I become tired.

Even though people say we “all feel like that”, it’s more than that for anyone with

Seasonal A ective.

It has nothing to do with ‘needing more ca eine’, though it can take more ca eine for people like me to get anything done while it’s still pitch black outside or the sky is overcast, threatening rain, or looking like it’s about to let down snow.

When people ask me which season I hate the most, my answer is always winter.

While I can’t say ‘because of the bad weather’ since we’re in Britain and seasons technically don’t exist, I know I hate it because of what I, as well as many others, will soon be facing.

While winter might be associated with Christmas, for others, it’s associated with torture: the torture of not knowing whether tomorrow will be another day of not feeling productive due to the lack of natural light.

conversations and actions can take place to stop this social-historic pattern of inequality.

While I may have been fortunate to not have personally experienced any threats to my personal safety, I have friends and family who have.

We all know another woman who has.

This is why I’m scared to walk home alone at night, down the long dark street with keys in my hand, back to my home in the City.

Lily Boag Features Senior Writer

Photo: Pixabay

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The in-between: my journey of self-acceptance

Libby Hargreaves Features Writer

Are labels all that necessary?

This is the question I have found myself asking throughout my journey in exploring what identity means to me.

After being diagnosed with dyspraxia in primary school, I became aware that my di erence between the other girls on the playground was not merely that I preferred football to cat’s cradle, or that I would rather talk to the teachers than engage with my peers, but rather there was ‘something wrong with me’.

I was given educational assistance tools such as a writing slope and weighted wristband, which only worked to highlight this di erence in a class where I was already picked on for my intelligence and ‘tomboyish’ personality.

Once at high school, I began a long journey of s elf-exploration, especially in relation to neurodivergence.

I discovered the misconceptions of ADHD and found I displayed many of the traits related to the female diagnosis - such as hyper-sensitivity to noise, emotional instability, starting but never nishing projects, sleep di culty and a lack of verbal lter - and was nally informally diagnosed during GCSE study.

This meant that I was gifted the comfort of understanding myself more without the long process of testing in order to acquire medication.

Many traits of both conditions overlap and often feature comorbid mental health conditions

or tendencies such as addiction, anxiety and depression, all

Jamaican patois: my dislocated dialect

Krysta Mckenzie Features Writer

For the rst 10 years of my life I lived in Jamaica, and for the 10 years following, I have been living in this country trying to understand my familiarity and discomfort with it.

Although it took me a while to become accustomed to South London after moving from Jamaica, and my rst few years in this country were particularly isolating, there were moments every now and again where it

felt like it could really be home.

of which are also often much more arduous for women and those assigned female at birth (AFAB) to get diagnosed with or even be taken seriously

The history of ‘hysteria’ in ‘mad women’ as opposed to the more clinical ‘melancholy’ of men still prevails in attitudes today, where even professionals rush to blame ordinary hormonal shifts or heightened emotional sensitivity. A close AFAB friend, who was recently diagnosed with BPD, described the process as ‘long, complicated and demeaning’ echoing my own experience that ‘as a woman

I don’t have to feel so isolated as an immigrant in this country.

“There was a space in British culture to be lled”

The arrival of Caribbeans from the Empire Windrush in 1948 created a shift in the Arts and culture of Britain. Although there had been Caribbeans in Britain since the 1800s, the Windrush generation arrived at a time when there was a space in British culture to be lled. After WWII the British were trying to rebuild, and the people they invited to help brought their music, dance and language with them.

you get dismissed.’ I am now con dent in my identity and my presence in the world, though I still have struggles to work through, including the everyday battle between gender dysphoria against sensory comfort in tasks such as getting dressed due to fabric texture.

When such tasks trigger reactions such as panic attacks, it reminds me how constrained I am in my small section of the Venn diagram of societal and medical labels, and I am becoming better at reminding myself that, as Taylor Swift says, ‘I want to be de ned by the things that I love’ not a series of medical terms, symptoms or societal labels.

I am what I do and what I love and do not exist for others to try to make sense of or compartmentalise. I am multifaceted, forever changing and growing and am proud of my progress to self-acceptance.

disdain for people who speak in MLE - for some the language is associated with aggression, crime and social unrest. It is not perceived as a valid form of communication or expression because it does not obey the rules of Standard British English. This is clearly rooted in the colonial belief that cultures which are transgressive from white British culture are inferior.

There is something deeply insidious about the way the English invited Caribbean people to their country, only to subjugate them and make it clear they did not truly belong. This forced Black people to create spaces in this country which could be their home - in uencing new genres of music and the popular language of London while they did so.

“There were moments every now and then where [London] felt like it could be home”

Of course, travelling back to South London from Norwich will

never bring the cool warmth of stepping out of a plane into Kingston, Jamaica - but when I leave the train station there is an important sound that eases its way into the folds of my brain. That’s the sound of energy and music and life in the voices of Black Londoners.

It is an amalgamation of the voices of di erent immigrant communities in London, and it carries the familiar sound of Jamaican patois. I walk in streets which have a distorted sense of home, and it means

It is no surprise then, that this created waves in British culture, and I am relieved we are now at a place in our history where we can acknowledge the fact that genres such as drum and bass, dubstep, garage, and grime originated in Caribbean London, where Jamaican reggae was being fused with British music.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the integration of Jamaican patois into Multicultural London English (MLE) increased because of the way it was used in music.

By the 1980s, this dialect became popular amongst young Londoners. It now feels as if I cannot shift in this country without hearing or seeing something that reminds me of home.

But although this familiarity brings me a sense of comfort in London, there is an obvious

“This forced Black people to create spaces in this country which could be their home”

Despite this, they are paid no respect for their impact on the culture and are instead diminished and pushed to the corners of British society.

It especially disturbs me that there are White people who embrace this music and language for the sake of entertainment, only to then enforce the stigma that comes with using MLE and perpetuate racism against the people whose language is butchered on their tongues.

Photo: Unsplash

Photo: Unsplash

INTERVIEW

“Iraq had been decimated... I really Dolly Carter interviews former United

Zoom seems an unlikely place to be conducting an interview with a former United Nations Weapons Inspector, and further still to be discussing his tours in Iraq in search of Weapons of Mass Destruction. Yet here we are.

Former United Nations (UN) Weapons Inspector Mike Barley was seconded to Iraq three times in 1996-7 at the request of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM).

Established in 1990, following the Gulf War, its task was to monitor the elimination of suspected Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) and related facilities to ensure Iraq could not renew its e orts to acquire or produce such weapons.

Previously, working as part of the International and Organised Crime Group at Scotland Yard, Mike dealt with an inquiry into an allegation of perjury at a trial at the Central Criminal Court.

claimed British machine tools manufacturer Matrix Churchill were violating export licensing policy by shipping machines to Iraq to be used in the production of artillery shells and medium range missiles.

two new directors in 1989 who were working for Iraqi services, it was believed they were supporting the President of Iraq Saddam Hussein’s secret weapons programme.

holding station.

“It was believed they were supporting Saddam Hussein’s secret weapons programme”

However, after the uncovering of evidence suggesting the Department of Defence had, in fact, advised the manufacturing company on how to sell arms to Iraq, the trial collapsed in 1992 and Matrix Churchill were acquitted.

When the UN asked Scotland Yard for an o cer to assist them in the interviewing of Iraqi scientists and generals, Mike was deemed to hold the necessary skills and experience for the position – thus started his role within the Special Commission. Almost instantaneously it

Highlighting the striking importance of anonymity, Mike details how the group left behind anything which could identify their names or home addresses.

“We were given a blue passport from the United Nations, put in the back of a Hercules, and own into Baghdad with a: ‘we’ll see you in three weeks’ time’”.

Upon arrival, the situation was dire.

The UN Security Council had imposed a comprehensive embargo on Iraq following their invasion of Kuwait and breach of UN Weapons Conventions.

Speaking from personal observation, Mike says: “Iraq had been decimated, the infrastructure was poor, the people…”, here he pauses, sighing, “I really felt for the people”.

“The people... I really felt for the people”

never failed to bear his image in tandem with glori cation of his leadership.

Hired under the directive to interrogate, though he is quick to assure me he prefers the term ‘interview’, Mike worked alongside scientists and technicians who “all knew about the technical capabilities, but didn’t really know how to interview people”.

Stressing the importance of verifying all the information he gathered in interviews, Mike details the high-level reporting process, through the UN Chief Weapons Inspector Rolf Ekéus, who was later succeeded by Richard Butler, then communicating directly into the United Nations Secretary General Ko Annan.

I enquire as to his feelings on his personal security while touring Iraq, to which he assures me of the apparent nature of a counterintelligence operation.

If ever found on his own, Mike would be approached with

the aim of discovering more about his identity.

When probed on whereabouts he lived in England, a simple two-word answer would su ce: “just London”.

He also recalls being followed whenever the group left the hotel, something which proved useful if they ever found themselves lost.

They could ask the individuals following them for directions –invariably, they agreed to show them the way.

Despite being compelled to cooperate with Resolution 687, an order “to accept… urgent on-site inspection and the destruction, removal or rendering harmless as appropriate” of all WMDs, Mike believes the Iraqis stretched the de nition of co-operation “to the extreme”.

Another branch of his remit was to determine whether the Iraqi government were being deliberately deceptive, which he comments wasn’t

Photo: Gerald Sharp Photography

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

felt for the people”: Editor-in-Chief Nations Weapons Inspector Mike Barley

all too di cult to work out: “they put hurdles in, they would frustrate us as much as they could”.

“They put hurdles in, they would frustrate us as much as they could”

He o ers anecdotal evidence as to this deception, giving a feel for the circumstances under which interviews were carried out: a government advisor sat next to the interviewee would “either tell him the answer, tell him what to say, write it down for him, or answer it himself”.

In 1997, this general lack of cooperation culminated in the sudden redesignation of Iraqi factories and premises as presidential palaces, an area

outside of the Commission’s access rights despite being “quite large compounds, capable of storing weapons material”.

Iraq eventually barred weapons inspectors from entering the country in December 1998, making allegations they were a cover for American spies.

The in-situ inspectors were evacuated and a four-day US and UK bombing campaign ensued.

From an insider’s perspective, Mike is of the opinion this decision to bar the UN from Iraq can be partly accredited to a general mistrust of the organisation, but also believes the Commission “were getting closer to the real issues and closer to the real point” – a little close for comfort it seems.

In September 2002, Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair wrote a foreword in the ‘September Dossier’, the British Government’s assessment on Iraq’s WMDs, declaring: “the document

discloses that [Iraq’s] military planning allows for some of the WMD to be ready within 45 minutes of an order to use them”.

Popular British newspapers ran headlines such as “Brits 45mins from doom” and “Mad Saddam ready to attack: 45 minutes from a chemical war”, thus reinforcing Iraq as a public threat to Britain.

However, a year later in 2003, Chairman of the Iraq Inquiry Sir John Chilcot produced a damning report condemning Blair for making a conscious decision to blur the lines between his personal beliefs and what he actually knew.

Blair later addressed the report stating his decision was taken “in good faith and in what [he] believed to be the best interests of the country”.

Speaking on this topic with Mike, he tells me the Commission never found any evidence to support the prime minister’s claims: “I think I’m okay in saying that we never found any evidence of that… we found some of the precursor elements for these weapons, but I wouldn’t say that we found evidence that they could be

assembled and delivered within 45 minutes”.

“Why was I, as a policeman, in there?”, Mike shrugs, “allegedly because I knew how to talk to people”.

Individuals around the globe were seconded to the United Nations Special Commission with a view to travelling to Iraq to monitor their supposed production of Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Speaking on the time span of the tours, Mike is emphatic in telling me: “three weeks was enough, it really was enough, because the work was amazingly intense and not under the best conditions”.

Although he maintains it was the most fascinating task he has had to undertake within his police experience, he clearly struggled with the su ering the people of Iraq were forced to

undergo.

For him, “they were the victims in all this”.

“[The people] were the victims in all of this”

Mike labels Iraq at this time as a dictatorship, telling me of stories and rumours surrounding relatives of rebels being tortured and killed.

Eventually, people stopped talking out.

He saw a country which, through his eyes, was falling apart.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

HOME OF THE WONDERFUL

Mark Thompson’s 140-hour ‘Ultimate Space Lecture’

264 hours stands as the current Guinness World record for staying awake the longest.

However, unlike jumping out an aeroplane without a parachute from 7,500 metres and landing in a net, Guinness stopped recognizing it due to safety concerns. Instead, Norfolk-born President of the Norwich Astronomical Society Mark Thompson decided to attempt the longest running lecture.

Spanning from 11 to 12 September, the BBC Stargazing Live Presenter attempted to break the current record of 139 hours, 42 minutes, and 56 seconds before falling into a well-deserved 20hour sleep.

The experience went how you’d imagine: “There were a lot of occasions where I wasn’t with it in any way, be it visual, auditory, or just being so tired I just wanted to sleep.”

I asked Mark which moments were particularly strenuous. “There were so many times where I was hearing voices and thinking: “are they real voices?” When I was hallucinating, and I was hallucinating a lot, not just visual disturbances but also being away with the fairies for a little while.

There were times where I wasn’t aware that I was disappearing o to a happy place for a little while.” The auditory hallucinations were scarier.

“There were times where I thought there were other people talking when I was talking, and times when I kept hearing my own voice in my head and I couldn’t quite gure out if it was someone else copying me or someone genuinely talking while I was talking, so I paused what I was saying to try and trip them up.”

At some points, the voices didn’t seem to only come from his head. “There were a few telescopes on stage, and I thought they were actually alive. A real freaky, weird, moment. I remember thinking: “I’m going to have to move these, because they’re putting me o now,” and I remember trying to pick them up and moving them.”

A few family members witnessed the event, lling the gaps in his memory loss.

“Apparently, I was telling jokes when I had no idea I was telling jokes. There was one moment when everyone was laughing, and I asked: “why are you laughing?” I had no recollection of telling a joke.”

Although he hasn’t watched the lecture himself, he said he “might stick together some clips and make them into a kind of compilation video.”

Care where he rst found out about the world record.

“I found out it was ve and a half days and thought “no, I’m not doing that.” After years of recovering, I thought “Yeah I’ll have a go at that.”

I did a stint when I stayed awake for two nights and then gave a one-hour lecture, and that was just to see if I had the capabilities of dealing with sleep deprivation.

I coped with it really well and decided to try and break the record.”

Last year, Mark received an honorary doctorate from UEA, so that’s where it seemed appropriate to brave the event.

“I feel at home there, so it was the perfect choice for location.”

Staying awake for 140 hours is usually best spent in a place one can call home.

“It is a huge commitment for any venue to o er a lecture theatre for six days constantly, but they couldn’t have been more supportive from day one.

who knew about the science of sleep and the impact.”

Mark’s team advised him to lecture for 2 hours, have 5-minute breaks, and save a 90-minute gap for a sleep after 40 hours.

In the breaks, frequent light meals were consumed consisting mostly of nuts and eggs, mashed up for faster digestion.

To prepare, Mark had an increase in calories the day before to give his body a temporary respite from calorie restriction.

“I had some good nights’ sleep in the lead-up to the event so I didn’t start o sleep deprived. The last thing I wanted to do was to build up my tolerance to tiredness. It’s not like running a marathon where you can build yourself up to it, the more you do that the worse it gets.”

He also had a vocal coach to ensure his voice could keep talking for ve days.

streamed online anyway so that helped massively to make it more accessible to people all around the world. At times, at three or four in the morning, there were sometimes one or two people in the [lecture theatre].”

I can’t imagine many things more frustrating than staying awake for ve days, only to be disquali ed because of a lack of audience members.

Using an online platform eased some of his worries, as international people are more likely to be in di erent time frames. “That helped, absolutely,” Mark said.

While breaking a world record is a motivating prospect, it wasn’t the only one fuelling his ambition. Mark also used the event to fundraise for charity.

“Apart from eating healthily, getting myself o ca eine to make sure I could use ca eine as a more e ective tool in the event, there wasn’t a lot I could do to prepare.”

Mark allowed sleep scientists an opportunity to test on him. “I had three research teams which were doing a lot of things like seeing how much circadian rhythm was shifting as I became more and more sleep deprived,” which involved measuring melatonin levels and body temperature.

“I wasn’t aware that I was disappearing o to a happy place for a little while.”

There was another crew measuring his cognitive response times and brain activity and photographing every two hours to record how his visual appearance changed.

This isn’t Mark’s rst time delving into sleep deprivation. In 2015, he delivered a 24-hour lecture at the Royal Institution in aid of Marie Curie Cancer

“[UEA] couldn’t have been more supportive.”

There was some scepticism from the point of “what the hell are you doing that for” because it does sound crazy, but they were one hundred percent supportive.”

I asked Mark how UEA responded to the lecture.

“There was technical support from the UEA events team, which was fabulous, but essentially I pulled a team of people together because it wasn’t your normal, run-of-the-mill event, so I had to make sure I had specialists involved

Unfortunately, the ca eine didn’t stop the hallucinations, only the sluggishness.

“Ca eine is almost like a dam which stops the build-up of melatonin. If you start drinking it too early, then the melatonin levels start building up too soon. As soon as you start doing that and the ca eine wears out of your body, you get a burst of melatonin which forces you to sleep. It would have been counterproductive to start too early.” Sound advice for anyone planning all-nighters during assessment period.

Of course, the di erence between a lecture and staying awake is the requirement for an audience.

“As part of the record I needed to have someone in the audience at all times. The whole thing was

“I’ve been an ambassador for Barnardo’s for four or ve years now, and they’re a brilliant charity who do great work for underprivileged kids in the UK. It went without saying that I was going to support Barnardo’s with it. Anything I can do to help in their work, I’m very happy to do.”

Mark’s work with children is extensive, most popularly with his Spectacular Science theatre show designed to “get kids excited about science.”

He sees his role in society as someone who “can make science fun and interesting but also teach them a little along the way. Once you ignite that spark, the education system can take that and hopefully mould scientists for the future.”

Mark’s passion for astronomy was rst enthused at age 10 when he saw Saturn through a telescope, and he advises parents to get telescopes if they want their kids excited about space.

Perhaps avoid the animated

Jim Gell

Photo: JMA Photography

UEA’s COP26 climate vigil hosted by Green society

In conclusion to a fantastic week of debating, discussing, and exchanging knowledge during UEA’s COP26 festival, UEA Green Society hosted a Climate Vigil in The Square on Friday 29th of October.

Despite the autumn showers and chilling breeze, a modest yet powerfully passionate crowd turned up to share their thoughts, personal experiences, and most of all, solidarity, over the impending climate crisis ahead of COP26 the following week.

When asked about her expectations of the evening, Green Society President Gemma Polley commented: “I hope

this event will help to raise awareness of climate change on campus by bringing people together ahead of COP26 in an open and inclusive environment”.

Gemma and her colleagues also wished to “highlight the university’s own shortcomings, including their poor biodiversity targets, the biofuel scandal, and previous and current nancial investments in the Barclays banking group”.

Gemma went on to initiate the events proceedings by welcoming the crowd and giving a brief but highly impassioned summary of the current state of both the scienti c and political situation facing COP26, as well as the university’s “inadequate” record. A series of speeches followed, including one from PPL student Koteka Wenda

who used the opportunity to share experiences of how climate change a ects her own people and other tribes across Papua New Guinea, from where she originates.

This perspective particularly captivated the audience, with Koteka highlighting the often “silenced” or “unheard” narrative of indegionous peoples across the Global South regarding climate change and international environmental policy, despite them being the people who are experiencing its most substantial and immediate e ects.

She called on the audience to highlight this to their friends, politicians and governments. The intimacy of her account seemed to unite the audience in the highly personal and intricate reality of the climate crisis, creating an empathetic

and hopeful atmosphere. Following this, Green Society delegates made speeches before the oor was opened up to audience members.

The UEA COP26 Festival director, Ekaterina Dudacova commented after the event: “I’m really pleased with how the week has turned out overall, and despite the fact we weren’t able to ll the whole square today, this event has been a great conclusion through providing an open and inclusive platform for people to share and communicate their knowledge, ideas and perspectives on the climate crisis…

This kind of very personal engagement shows just how much people care and recognise this issue as one that a ects every single one of us.”

Media Mo-llective: ‘Tis the season of charity

UEA’s Media Mo-llective fundraising group, set up by Breaking News Editor, Emily Kelly, aims to raise funds and awareness for men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and male suicides.

The broad range of important and life-changing work – from encouraging social action to scienti c research – remains at the forefront of this year’s Movember campaign.

Using funds raised through charitable donations, Movember has been collaborating with the most

successful scienti c communities and best research to create e ective treatments and solutions as well as improving the accessibility to resources for men, and changing the way men think about health.

And they say the proof is in the pudding. Earlier this month, a study at the university showed that prostate cancer urine tests can now identify men at an ‘intermediate risk’ who can safely avoid immediate treatment and bene t from ‘active surveillance’ instead.

A groundbreaking trial earlier this year carried out in collaboration with the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital also found a home testing kit could help diagnose

aggressive forms of the disease ve years earlier, helping to reduce the risk of fatal outcomes.

But despite strong progress in some areas, problems still exist in others. According to The O ce of National Statistics, the male suicide rate for was 15.3 per 100,000* compared to the female suicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000, demonstrating the di cult yet hightly neccesary action underpinning the event.

November is the month of Movember, the globally recognised annual event involving the growing of moustaches to raise money “all the dads, sons and mates in our lives”. The SU athletic challenge is four, four, four, explaining why

Concrete has committed to writing 400 words on local, regional and national e orts to help promote men’s health. Concrete would like to share how you can get involved.

The Mo-collective team would appreciate donations through the UEA Media Mollective page, in the hope of raising over £500. Students are welcome to set up their own account and join the team in fundraising yourself, with Editor-inchief Dolly Carter aiming to move 60km for the 60 men we lose each hour of every day.

And most importantly, spread the word to friends, family and followers. Whether you’re growing a moustache, going to a seminar

dressed as a pitbull, or beer funnelling a pint of gravy, now is your chance – whoever you are, wherever you are – to make a di erence.

UEA’s COP26 Festival: Voices from the Reeds

The Voices from the Reeds performance took the audience on an environmental journey around the UEA Lake and Norfolk’s rich ecological history through a series of dramatic readings from Professor Steve Waters’ playscript. The rst dramatic performance encouraged the audience to engage in the relationship between gender, sexuality, and the natural world, an intersection often overlooked in historical environmental academia. As contemporary audience members, we could draw upon our own knowledge of the relationship between the patriarchy and climate destruction, whether through current political complacency as witnessed in summits such as the recent COP26, or even the rise in pollution as a result of rapid industrial revolution. In the performance, raw emotion provided a gateway into the uncomplicated appreciation of nature rather than the alienation which a patriarchal scienti c lens often brings. To conclude her piece, she left the audience with an incredibly poignant comparison: “Do we always stand in men’s shade? Don’t the brightest and

strongest plants stay in the light?”

Harmonized by birds singing as the performers captivated our attention, the wildlife of the UEA Broad provided the perfect backdrop for a range of brilliant performances. Many pieces had a clear thematic or political approach, including anti-capitalism, mental health, education and loneliness. This gave the performance an episodic feel whilst remaining cohesive, engaging a variety of interests in the conversation about climate change.

Each theatrical rendition was a part of something much bigger, asare each individual. A moment from a

particularly moving performance highlighted this: “we are participants in such great mysteries.” In What Peat Remembers, we visited the 1920s through the perspective of stratigrapher Margaret Godwin. Her focus on the life evidenced within the particles of the soil provided a sense of perspective that encouraged a level of awareness in the audience as we stood against the elements and observed the beauty of the natural world. The nal performance of the evening provided a contrast to this serenity, incorporating technology to provide an immersive sensory experience as we reached the present-

day narrative, the con ict between attainable green solutions and the political spin we are often o ered.

The characterful interpretations of Waters’ text brought to life standout messages, including thoughts especially relevant to our modern-day battle against climate destruction.

As we walked away from the Lake’s bitter wind and back to our insulated homes, we were left with the renewed understanding that “maybe the sea cannot be caged”, and subsequently wondering: “Why, with all the science, did we still go wrong?”

Jamie Bryson Home of The Wonderful Writer

Sam Gordon Webb Deputy Editor

Libby Hargreaves Home of The Wonderful Writer

Photos: Libby Hargreaves

Image: Emily Kelly

Photo: Giorgia Finney

COMMENT

Boris Johnson’s

Lauren Bramwell Comment Editor

As the world prepared to witness the COP26 United Nations climate summit in Glasgow this year, I eagerly sat waiting for what our own prime minister was going to put forward.

After years of denial and refusal to acknowledge the ever-increasing seriousness of climate change, Boris Johnson nally had the opportunity to rectify his previous mistakes and push the country forward with hope and a plan for change. Did he do that? Of course not.

Before the conference began this November, Johnson had already been seen to describe the U.N. report from climate scientists as “sobering reading” due to its

statements about there being very limited time to get global warming under control. This is one of the few times in which Johnson has actually acknowledged climate change and even implied his support in helping. This is incredibly interesting when you look at Johnson’s previous statistics, with his government vowing to reach net-zero emissions by 2025 yet all their strategies have been pulled to a stop or delayed according to the Climate Change Committee. So, this gradual support which has been implied by a couple of, what now seems empty, comments about the climate situation was a promising move from Johnson ahead of his COP26 talks.

This hope for the summit was very much needed following Rishi Sunak’s budget speech which concluded there does not need

lack of climate care

to be any urgency surrounding climate issues. He did not even use the phrase “climate change” once in his speech, and he only alluded to environmental matters in the third address to MPS around 40 minutes into the speech. As this climate crisis worsens, supporting and aiding in climate action must no longer be an afterthought to settle those concerned but at the forefront of our government’s own concern. Therefore, Boris Johnson’s implications of a successful COP26 outcome certainly increased my thoughts and hopes on how the summit was going to do.

However, without even going into the odd and unnecessary James Bond reference of a “doomsday” situation, Boris Johnson’s speech at the UN summit was disappointing. One of the most concerning parts of his speech was his ignorant interpretation of

global warming, “the retreat of the ice towards the North Pole … will o er opportunities not just for China but actually also for ourselves … parts of Scotland will become potentially very important for sea tra c of a clean, green variety.”

This comment clearly shows Johnson’s lack of genuine care for the environment and its crisis.

“Johnson’s lack of genuine care for the environment and its crisis.”

I believe this perspective demonstrates the absence of a thought

process from our prime minister, with him viewing the rising temperatures and the melting of the ice caps as a cause for “opportunity”.

It is a statement that lacks seriousness and urgency, while also providing false hope for our country.

No one will be around to bene t from these “opportunities” when we are underwater.

But, of course, actions can speak louder than words.

The number of COP-related meetings Boris Johnson has attended until March can be counted on one hand.

And you don’t have to look very far from the summit to see Johnson’s devastating lack of climate care, with him ying from Glasgow to London after warning world leaders to reduce their emissions.

Spiking: be bold and honest with us

Jamie Bryson Comment Writer

For many of us, clubbing is a staple part of university life. Whether it’s heading down to the LCR on a Tuesday night or the streets of Norwich at the weekend, clubbing has historically been a largely safe and secure social activity across our university towns.

Therefore, I do not need to begin to express how shocked and horri ed we have all been at the scale of spiking incidents this term.

As with all public safety issues, the relevant authorities are rightly under increased pressure to respond accordingly.

We have seen plenty of visual signs of action from our own SU and university management, such as increased presence from the dedicated SU Alcohol Impact team volunteers, for example, who I have witnessed rst-hand provide much-needed care and advice.

Indeed, this is to be commended and built upon.

However, we must also recognise it is the more subtle and even subconscious messages which can often make the di erence between the victim feeling alone and isolated or genuinely supported and cared for by the community if the worst happens.

In this light, I was disappointed last week, when I read a poster in the city entitled “Don’t be the victimDon’t get spiked”.

No matter how we may each personally respond to such a crisis, those in positions of public responsibility need to recognise many vulnerable young adults will experience a deep sense of victimhood in response to this form of assault.

These short but critical messages should therefore stem from positions of care and compassion - the principal aims of which must be to provide the increased

awareness and reassurance needed if the worst were to happen.

“These... messages should stem from positions of care and compassion.”

With what could this message realistically be replaced with then?

I say something quite simple and succinct such as ‘Five things you can do if…’, followed by some practical and reassuring steps we can all take to help and protect ourselves and those around us.

I rmly believe this is also a time to consider the e ectiveness of safety and security personnel at night venues.

For example, while I was out in a popular Norwich nightclub last week, I was very disheartened and frustrated to

witness two of the regular door bouncers completely ignore a middle-aged woman just a couple of metres away from them who was quite clearly in a very bad way, despite informing them of my personal concern.

Now I’d like to think we would all be willing to make sure a person was safe and secure, but I can’t help feeling cautious if a professional with specialised training is unable or unwilling to provide the, often critical, assistance needed in these situations.

Those responsible need to re-evaluate either the skills and attributes required for their security sta or perhaps even an additional care-based role primarily focused on customer welfare.

While I’d like to highlight this was an isolated incident in a private venue, I’m sure I am not the only one who has received a very unfriendly and unexpected response to concerns raised.

Yes, we need physically

able security to step in where appropriate, but we also need to feel a clear sense of care and compassion for our overall welfare and personal safety.

It is clear we are gradually beginning to understand and deal with this issue more e ectively.

“We all know that one victim is one too many”

But it is also an issue where we all know that one victim is one too many and those in the appropriate roles need to start having more bold and frank conversations about how they can best help that one to become none.

Photo: Pixabay

Photo: Pixabay

The struggle of being a young person

Lauren Bramwell

It no longer comes as a surprise to me that the government’s priorities do not lie with young people of the UK, especially not with university graduates. But the government’s plan of a national insurance rise to fund social care takes this thinking to a new low.

MPs have voted to raise employees’ National Insurance Contributions (NICs) by 1.25% which will raise approximately £12 billion per year to help fund the rising demand for social care.

I want to start by emphasising this social care funding is extremely needed, and to me, it is almost ironic since it is young people who are struggling so much from its underfunding in the rst place.

“The social care system in this country is in chaos.”

The social care system in this country is in chaos.

Many are vulnerable and left without food for days, and the number of suicides related to not receiving universal credit on time is catastrophic.

So, why are those who need the bene ts of social care the ones who are being targeted to fund it?

National Insurance is not paid by pensioners or landlords, meaning the young people of the UK are going to be hit the hardest. Despite Boris Johnson’s spokesman claiming this tax

is the most “progressive and fair way to raise money”, it is an extremely unfair, regressive tax reform.

This is a tax primarily on younger working people while the wealthy, older generations will remain almost completely untouched.

The Chancellor explained “it is fair: the more you earn, the more you pay”, but that isn’t how this tax form actually works. For those earning over £50,000 per year, the national insurance tax drops to 2% which means those earning above this threshold will pay proportionally less of their income in tax.

This will therefore further reduce the wages of the young but preserve the wealth of the old.

The struggles for young people in the UK are rife now, with pandemic job losses, soaring house prices, and expensive degrees being taught online without a price reduction.

Over the past two decades, house

prices rose by around 110% while average earnings by only 20%.

While the older generations watch their wealth grow from increased house prices, the younger generations struggle to make enough income to match the increasing rent prices.

So, how can the government see it as “fair” to increase a tax that will make the lives of younger people increasingly harder?

This regressive form of tax will be particularly damaging to those graduating from university with a student loan.

Once graduates earn over the repayment threshold of £27,295, they will face marginal tax rates of 42.25% for the next 30 years, compared to the 33.32% for non-graduates.

The government is also having discussions about lowering the repayment threshold of student loans to £23k which would only bene t

in the UK

the highest-earning graduates and students with higher incomes remain una ected.

The National Union of Students has deemed the deliberations as “simply astounding”.

This would simply widen the gap between the working class and the wealthy.

“This would simply widen the gap between the working class and the wealthy.”

This further demonstrates the governments’ lack of care and interest of young people in the UK, most speci cally those with lower incomes.

An expected nuisance for an unexpected guest

Stothard

Christmas: a time of peace, goodwill, and it turns out racism. This year’s John Lewis Christmas advert, Unexpected Guest, has been released and it has been met by a vocal minority with accusations of ‘wokery’ –shorthand for what most of us pleasant people would call modern and progressive.

Just so we are clear, the storyline of the advert centres around a boy meeting an alien and introducing them to Christmas. There’s a sort of love story between them and overall, it’s basically ET meets driving sales to a department store.

The main point to make is nothing

“Nothing about that should be controversial.”

about that should be controversial.

However, the fact the boy at the centre of the advert is black (and to some who are really stretching it, the fact the alien is white) is enough to cause outrage on social media.

Unsurprisingly these ridiculous outbursts can mostly be found on Twitter.

In the comments section of the

YouTube upload of the advert, it is a real challenge to nd any criticisms based around race and ‘wokeness’.

However, type John Lewis into Twitter and there it all is, mostly from the expected pro les with either no picture of the person behind it or with British and English ags in their name (and often both).

The culture war is at its highest presence on Twitter and it seems it only takes something as small as black people in an advert for the troops to be rallied to the defence of some idealist dystopia in which Britons are the champions of the world and all the minority groups (which seem to have such a hold over these complainers) just disappear.

Now it is of course important to exercise some perspective when talking about Twitter, after all, it represents a minority of the population, and it can easily become an echo chamber where the same buzzwords are bounced around between a few people with little thought.

What is perhaps scarier is how reminiscent these comments will be for many who have heard them from people in their real lives, particularly older relatives.

Discussions of ‘wokery’ and ‘snow akes’ represent a looming menace in our society – that of the people who are simply unwilling to accept values change.

What may not have been acceptable before is now, and it is certainly

acceptable for black people to be the stars of a British Christmas advert.

On Twitter, John Lewis defended their advert, saying varying opinions do not “excuse the racist responses” and they were absolutely right to do so.

While it is, of course, important to acknowledge how the retailer’s ultimate goal is to make money, having a black person in an advert does not mean they are ‘appealing to the snow akes,’ it is just a representation of what modern Britain looks like, whether you like it or not.

So, internet trolls, think before you type, get with the times, and lighten up – it’s almost Christmas!

Photo: Pixabay

Je Price’s talk at the Norwich Science Festival: the impact of climate change on Norfolk’s biodiversity

Mariam Jallow Science Editor

From the 2015 Paris Climate Accords to this year’s “code-red for humanity” warning issued by the IPCC, it seems 1.5 ºC has been in non-stop circulation.

As government leaders, organisations, and businesses at COP26 deliberated how they planned to keep the Earth’s temperatures increasing beyond the golden number, Norfolk-based scientists have continued their public talks explaining why it is so important for us to keep to our climate goals.

At his recent talk at the Norwich Science Festival, titled “The Impact of Climate Change on Norfolk’s Biodiversity”, Professor Je Price of the Tyndall Centre goes into the harrowing details of what a world above 1.5 ºC looks like.

According to Price, the lowest level of extinction risk posed by climate change within the 1.5 ºC target is already 1000 times the normal background rate.

He goes on to explain, “if we can hold things down to 3 degrees, we’re looking at the extinction of 20-25 per cent of species within the next 20-100 years.

With mass extinction events historically taking about 28 million years, to see this level of

extinction within 100 years should be worrying”.

At a 4 ºC increase, much of Southern Africa, the Amazon and Australia are projected to experience a total ecosystem collapse, with 75-100 per cent of species being lost.

Notably, current pledges made by world nations are setting us on a path of a 3.2 ºC temperature increase.

However, almost half of all insects, including Norfolk’s pollinators, will not survive this climate, and agriculture will be heavily impacted.

Dr Price draws on one of humanity’s most beloved natural commodities to exemplify the seriousness of the situation: chocolate.

The cacao plant from which the beans are used to create the candy is largely pollinated by the Cacao midge in Ghana.

No insects mean no pollinators, and ergo no more of the plants we look to as food sources.

What happens if we manage to meet the goal of a 2.7 ºC increase?

“In Norfolk, we have very few refugia for plants, with the most exposed places being Norfolk Woods, Foxley Woods and Cley [Norfolk Trust Properties]”, he states.

At an even lower emissions scenario, where we limit warming to 2 ºC, Price shows 50 per cent of amphibians lose their climate suitability, with the local protected species of great-crested newt becoming completely unsuitable.

This loss of ability to exist

and function within the warmer climate extends to 68 per cent of macro moths, and 75 per cent of grasshoppers and bush crickets.

In a solemn conclusion of the statistics, Professor Price says, “we’re changing what we’re used to seeing- that symphony of crickets and frogs at night will change.”

This begs the question, what can we do to prevent this change?

He lists a number of solutions for the audience, including putting a price on pollution,

consuming and wasting less, and the usual “reduce, reuse and recycle”.

Professor Price heavily expounds on what is becoming a more popular and impactful method of climate action- voting and educating.

The talk ends with a poignant and hopeful quote from the Professor: “If humans can cause the Anthropocene, they can also change directions to move towards the Gaiacene, and learn to live as part of nature, not just live with it.”

Norwich Eco Hub: Make Greener Choices workshop

Rosina Poller Science Writer

Norwich Eco Hub is a recently founded community interest company, deeply concerned with the environmental crisis looming over all our heads. With sustainability and eco-conscious living at its heart, the Eco Hub is seeking to create a dedicated space for the people of Norwich to come together and attempt to tackle climate change.

Although they are yet to nd suitable premises to create this space (which will be accompanied by an a ordable, plant-based café and co-working space) they are currently running various workshops and seminars across the city aiming to educate and facilitate discussions around sustainable living. Their recent event, ‘Making Greener Choices’ took the form of an intimate gathering of like-minded individuals in the corner of a local pub on a Tuesday evening.

The talk was led by Lee Rose, founder of Norfolk Solar, a highly regarded renewable energy company recognised by both the Renewable Energy Agency and Norwich Eco Awards.

“Sustainable living is often out of reach for people with less disposable income”

He started by passing around a rather large and heavy battery he had adapted for use in his electric bike, taking an already environmentally friendly transport method to the next level.

He then launched into a presentation detailing his journey to sustainable living, touching on topics such as following a vegan diet for almost 20 years, always opting for the less impactful travel methods, and trying to limit consumerism as much as possible.

The presentation mainly focused on ways in which he has renovated his home-energy system, making it as solely relying on renewable sources as possible.

Although a lot of the advice and tips given by Lee were out of the realm of accessibility for a vast majority of the student population, it was still a thought-provoking and interesting discussion.

This brought up the crucial point, of sustainable living is often out of reach for people with less disposable income or without the time or ability to make modi cations to their homes.

It will certainly be interesting to watch Norwich Eco Hub as it begins to establish itself as a valued space within the community. Paying their events a visit will hopefully inspire many to make more eco-friendly choices within their lives.

However, it is important to keep in mind the individual can only do so much to tackle climate change, especially when confronted by systemic barriers.

When governments and large corporations implement su ciently ambitious policies to reduce their impact on our beloved planet, only then will we begin to see a large-scale di erence.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Climate Change Corner: will green technology save us from the climate crisis?

George Barsted Senior Science Writer

At COP26 in Glasgow, world leaders have announced plans to make green technology cheaper and more accessible than highly polluting alternatives.

But how far do these announcements go toward making meaningful changes?

Will they be enough to help prevent the negative impacts of climate change?

Over 40 world leaders, including those from some of the most highly polluting nations such as the United States, China, and India, have agreed to the terms of a deal known as the Glasgow Breakthrough.

Focused on sectors with high levels of impact on the changing planet such as energy and transport, it’s hoped the agreements will use economies of scale and

government funds to make it easier and cheaper to pursue green alternatives.

“By making clean technology the most a ordable, accessible, and attractive choice, the default go-to in what are currently the most polluting sectors, we can cut emissions right around the world,” said Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson about the scheme.

The Prime Minister announced a three billion dollar fund for developing countries to adopt green energy and technology in place of existing solutions.

This money is hoped to tip the economic balance in favour of green energy, allowing it to become the go-to alternative for powering the Earth’s homes.

As part of the ‘Glasgow Breakthroughs’, various projects have been announced hoping to catalyse the changes needed for a net-zero economy.

The Green Grids Initiative is one of these projects.

Hoping to connect locations able to produce sustainable energy, such as sunny deserts for solar and gusty coastlines for wind, with populations across the globe.

This international network of energy grids will be able to power both rural and urban populations with sustainable energy.

By making the process of transporting clean energy much cheaper, those at COP26 hope to reduce the cost burden of sustainable technology.

The Glasgow Breakthroughs combine policy decisions and research, with investments and expertise in multiple sectors.

Using economies of scale, the aim to reduce the cost of renewable energies is likely to be kickstarted by these investments from various governments and philanthropists.

Technology like LEDs, solar panels and lithium batteries have reduced in price by 90 per cent over the last decade.

The countries gathered at COP26 hope for similar results for new green technology, with these markets eventually taking over.

Some of the commitments from COP26 have come under scrutiny regarding the e orts being made and the potential cost of net-zero.

The Glasgow Breakthroughs for example, although historical, only include countries producing 50 per cent of the world’s emissions.

Some experts reckon these measures don’t go far enough and relying on market-based solutions to x problems caused largely by a capitalist economy is likely to be less e ective than other more drastic solutions.

Activists like Greta Thunberg, echo these sentiments describing

the ideas where technologies will appear and erase the climate crisis as a “fantasy”.

Other commentators have argued the estimated 1.4 trillion dollars needed to get to net-zero levels and be spent in total on this kind of technology is too expensive and likely to end up being paid for by those on lower incomes, while higher earners and large companies that pollute avoid the cost.

Although this large amount of money for the race to net zero is eye-watering, the cost of doing nothing is far greater.

It’s hoped the Glasgow Breakthrough will represent a real change in the future of sustainable energy and technology, allowing a more secure and safe future for the planet and those who inhabit it.

Bizarre Science: do you need a brain to sleep?

Melody Chan Science Writer

Human sleep is de ned by polysomnography: the movement of brain activity, eye movement, and muscle tone.

However, as science progresses, varied research of sleepin other species has provided new de nitions.

When scientists began to inquire whether we needed a brain to sleep, they started investigating sleep schedules of creatures such as Hydra vulgaris - a tubular body less than half an inch in length, without a nervous system, and brainless.

Ketema Paul, a neuroscientist at the University of California Los Angeles said he “is one of those people who thought sleep was all about the brain” but with time, has considered this to be an “erroneous viewpoint.”

Carolyn Smiths, a neuroscientist at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke who has studied placozoans for more than 10 years, proposes sleep is not only for those who have brains.

This notion has been exempli ed via UV-light experiments on jelly sh and Hydra species.

Taichi Itoh, a chronobiologist at Kyushu University, along with his colleagues observed how sensitive these species were to light, and found Hydras were less responsive in the dark, thus pointing toward their sleep states.

Moreover, Michael Abrams and two other California Institute of Technology graduate students obtained sleeping activities from the Cassiopea jelly sh, claiming its motion declined from 60 pulses per minute to just 39 in the night.

Scientists have also tried to

monitor the amount of contractions species perform.

The rhythmic contractions indicate their rest cycles, and in 2017, the genes in the sponge Amphimedon queenslandica were navigated.

They were found to be responsible for carrying out circadian rhythms which turn on and o in the duration of 24 hours.

This was enough evidence for Davide Poli, a graduate student, to prove these species’ have “behaviour[s] that can be approximated to sleep.”

These research results have allowed scientists to discover profound sleeping functions, beyond letting the brain rest.

Having a deeper understanding of the brain and cells controlling sleep is hoped to help people who su er from illnesses such as insomnia, apnea and other sleeping disorders.

Photo: Pixabay

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

TRAVEL & LIFEST YLE

Country spotlight: Paraguay

Lauren Barrett Travel & Lifestyle Writer

When hearing of someone’s trip to South America it’s not often you’ll hear of a visit to

rarely falling below

30 degrees Celsius October to March.

Asunción is the capital of Paraguay and a must-see destination. It’s such a unique place mainly due to how much contrast is in such a concentrated space.

boasting the o cial residence of the President and is full of stunning buildings with plenty of restaurants and shops to ful l the wants of anyone looking for a slightly more tourist-y element to the trip.

exporter, steaks, burgers, and asado (barbecue) dominate their gastronomy.

La Cabrera is a restaurant specialising in this with a great ambiance, worth a booking.

Moving away from the waterfalls.

It’s heavily protected too, ensuring it stays in great condition. Mbaracayú Forest Nature Reserve, a sub-tropical forest home to over 400 species of birds, as well as alligators and capybara, is another place to nd animals and see some of the rarer

Paraguay has so much to er it’s hard to boil down into highlights, perhaps best visited on a backpacking trip or a holiday with more focus on

Tales from back home: Killarney, Ireland

Eve O'Donoghue Travel & Lifestyle Writer

When I tell British people that I’m from the south-west of Ireland, they think of shamrocks, leprechauns, Guinness and potatoes – they don’t hesitate to tell me that.

"They think of shamrocks, leprechauns, Guinness and potatoes"

And it’s true, growing up in Killarney, one of the island’s most popular tourist destinations, this iconography was ever-present in my childhood, but to a point where the keychains and tea towels that dangle outside shops ‘for Americans’ are practically invisible to me.

In the place of pots of gold and little green men, I see the remnants of businesses that tried and failed, a spot where I cut my knee as a child.

I see people that are a able and sel ess, but also deeply suspicious of one another, a hangover from our colonial past.

A sense of home, to many Irish people, mingles personal history with shared cultural history.

Killarney is that home for me.

Killarney has it all – its architecture is modern enough to re ect the pro table European state that Ireland is in 2021, but many pubs and shops could as easily belong in 1921.

When I visit home, the streets are a reminder of my heritage and Ireland’s metamorphosis over the last century, yet all of that is gra ti’d over by my own memories as I pass alleys that I’ve painted with vodka vomit and co ee shops where my mom would take me after a hard day at school.

Charlie Foley’s pub, where

"I pass alleys that I've painted with vodka vomit"

my great-grandmother was born in 1910, is a place I was turned away from more than once for forgetting the birthday on my fake ID.

I had my second kiss under a tree outside Killarney Outlet Centre and the boy stuck his gum to the bark.

There is still a faint mark of red where I wrote TROTSKY on the bank during my Communist awakening at 16.

It’s funny to think of the tragedies and victories of my teen years unfolding on ground that Bram Stoker and Jane Austen treasured.

The National Park is the jewel of Killarney.

In the summer, it is swarmed with visitors drawn to the wild, majestic landscape.

That time of the year the entire forest is green.

Boys in Kerry jerseys kick around a ball in open spaces and young families picnic despite the wasps.

As the autumn approaches, the tourists vanish, and decay ensues.

The heavy sweetness of a wet July day turns into torrential rain that forces the aging leaves onto the brown October oor.

Every year, I feel this death and the approaching rebirth deeply.

As I’ve changed and grown, the park, too, experiences eternal transformation.

Within the park is Muckross Abbey, an old Franciscan friary, an ancient yew tree grows within its cloisters, a Celtic symbol of death and resurrection.

This sacred space is the starkest reminder of the many personal histories that

have begun and ended there.

“Níl aon tínteán mar do thíntean féin, mar a deir an seanfhocail.”

There’s no hearth like your own hearth, according to the old phrase.

This is a cliché of Irish school essays everywhere, and yet it is apt to describe the intertwining of person and place.

"There's no hearth like your own hearth"

You can take me out of Killarney, but you can’t take the mountains, the crowded pubs or the Kerry cynicism and bleakness out of me.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Comment: Should sustainable living be a choice?

Jessica Trowbridge Travel & LIfestyle Writer

We are the generation of change, or that is what has always been told to us.

Often when discussing climate change the news chooses scare tactics: ashing images of burning forests and oil slicked seas, but maybe instead of showing us how we are the issue, it is more bene cial to write about how easy it is to be the solution.

Sustainable living is the rst step we can make to help the environment and, as we all know, it is no longer an option not to make some changes.

Often it can feel that living a more environmentally conscious life is a privilege, with organic produce and recycled products costing more to the consumer.

Arguably it is corporations that are mainly responsible for the mass in ux of emissions and high cost of sustainable products.

However, whilst trying to encourage

change in these areas, it is still important to look introspectively and make smaller changes where you can.

One of the easiest and quickest ways to begin a sustainable lifestyle is water conservation.

There are a few simple and quick steps to prevent excess water wastage and likely might include things you already do: 5-minute showers may sound too quick, but you will save 2.5 gallons of water every minute!

These changes will also save money o your water bill, such as only washing full laundry loads by allowing dirty clothes to build up a few extra days.

Clean water is now considered a limited resource – maybe we should treat it that way.

A change of diet in the form of becoming a vegetarian or vegan is another example of a sustainable change.

‘Meat-free Mondays’ was launched in 2009 and their website includes an impact calculator which visualises the di erence we can make by giving up meat for just one day.

Becoming a vegetarian has never been easier with many meat alternatives, you could always start by drinking plant milk and giving up just one type of meat.

At the end of the day, it is better to try and eat less meat than not attempt to make any dietary changes for the environment.

Fast fashion is often a buzz word when criticising our generation.

In 2019, the Pretty Little Thing 99% sale caused a huge stir in the media, highlighting not only were companies producing clothes in bulk and as cheap as possible, but that people were willing to support this business practice.

Instead of focusing on the negatives of fast fashion, however, I believe it is more important to acknowledge that sustainable clothing is expensive and not nancially accessible.

So how can we be more sustainable with our clothing?

Firstly, buying fewer new clothes and avoiding trending items is an easy and sustainable way to save

money.

Of course, clothes do not last forever but ways to make them last longer include washing clothes less often and attempting to x any small holes or rips.

Lastly instead of falling into the trap of fast fashion you can choose to shop and donate to charity shops, limiting textile waste as well as a ordably expanding your wardrobe.

Our generation isn’t doing enough.

"Our generation isn't doing enough"

We all need to choose change and begin living more sustainably.

Even one small change to you can have huge impacts to the environment.

Fight for your ight: travel and privilege

Emily Kelly Travel & Lifestyle Writer

In my twenty-two years on the planet, my experiences with e cient transport have been fairly limited.

I grew up in an area with three buses a day. I have also only ever taken one ight – we went from Bristol to Glasgow and spent longer travelling from the airport to my grandparents’ house than we did on the plane, before the Icelandic volcano eruption happened three days later.

My experience contrasts with that of my friends: one aspires to be a travel writer, another is a dual citizen so has grown up with international travel as a staple part of her life, and my boyfriend spent his adolescence moving between Europe and Asia, country hopping along the way and seeing so much more of the world than I can even imagine.

At rst glance, it may be di cult to see how I can consider myself privileged in terms of travel, but once you take a step away from a Western-based view, the picture becomes a lot clearer.

How to stay safe on a night out

Lauren Bramwell Travel & Lifestyle Writer

Since the easing of lockdown, the number of spiking cases has dramatically increased across the country, especially on university campuses.

According to a survey completed by The Tab, almost 12,000 students believe a friend has been spiked since the start of the Autumn semester.

This spiking ‘epidemic’ triggered a lot of responses from universities, some even starting a hashtag “#don’tgetspiked”.

I truly believe that implying women are responsible for preventing getting spiked and protecting themselves is an entirely ignorant approach to have in 2021.

It has reached the point where suggesting women need to make sure they don’t leave their drinks unattended, to hold our thumbs over bottles, to not share drinks with strangers is simply tone-deaf to the situation.

around 190 million Europeans have never left their home country, despite the majority being in the EU where travel between states is completely free and requires no visa.

Victim blaming women disregards the much-needed conversations that need to be had about men and their behaviour.

So, instead of exhausting women by telling them how to protect themselves, since that is what they’ve been conditioned to do since they were young, we need to have better education on what to do once you actually have been spiked.

There are many di erent methods of spiking which means there are endless di erent symptoms to look out for.

The main ones, however, are having a loss of balance, feeling sleepy, visual problems, nausea, slurring/ communication inabilities, and unconsciousness.

Also, from experience, you will know when your friend begins to act out of character or di erently.

"Once you take a step away from a Western-based view, the picture becomes a lot clearer"

In Africa, on the other hand, despite promises to phase out individual country visa requirements from the African Union in 2018, there are still several countries where it is impossible to visit without a speci c visa which can cost hundreds of pounds.

Flight costs are also a limiting factor - it is cheaper to y from Kenya to Dubai than to Morocco, on the same

Look at the irony of the USA, an economic powerhouse and one of the worst perpetrators for gas emissions, ying a motorcade across the pond to protect Joe Biden on the roads as he travels to and from a climate conference.

Whilst the environmental impact of my lack of travel was usually a secondary factor to cost when making decisions, it is something I am proud of now.

Whilst it may not seem clear from what I’ve said so far, I have had some amazing travel opportunities without ying: boat trips to France with school

could have missed a lot of this.

"These experiences are a part of me... I could have missed a lot of this"

Whilst not necessarily in a conventional sense, I consider myself privileged to have travelled at all, although I do plan on ying more when the uncertainty of Covid is over!

I think the most frustrating aspect of the situation is that while blaming women for not protecting ourselves, there are simultaneously no resources online or throughout universities that help us know what to do once we do get spiked.

Once you suspect either you or your friend has been spiked, the most important thing is to remain together or with someone you trust.

While substances can take e ect quickly and can make it hard to communicate, try and ask a security sta member to help you.

It is also recommended to contact 999 and go to A&E if things become even more urgent.

Finally, call the police because spiking an individual is illegal.

SPORT

Comment: Mikel Arteta’s rst 100 games, has his appointment been a success?

Metin Yilmaz Senior Sport Writer

Mikel Arteta is 100 games into his tenure as Arsenal manager, and whilst his ‘process’ nally seems to be bearing the fruits of its labours, the journey to this point has been a bumpy one, to say the least. The jury remains out as to whether or not his appointment has been a success.

To give Arteta the bene t of the doubt, steadying the ship left half-sunken by Unai Emery was always going to be a gargantuan job. Poor cyclical squad building at the club meant that a major squad overhaul was required at Arsenal upon his arrival. The squad was imbalanced, over-relying on an injury-prone Kieran Tierney at left-back, and too often elding players void of the creativity required to play for Arsenal. Below-par or troublesome players on sizeable wage-bills like Musta , Sokratis, Guendouzi and Mesut Özil, to name a few, were also littered throughout the squad, and were perhaps who Arteta was referring to when speaking of “egos” present at the club.

Whilst his transfer record has by no means been perfect (the signings of Willian and Alex Rúnarsson can attest to that), generally, the Spaniard has managed to clear the club of its ageing deadwood, and instead,

has instilled young, committed players in their place. His bravery in going against the grain to sign revelations Aaron Ramsdale and Ben White, amongst others, must also be praised. If there’s one aspect of the job that Arteta has succeeded in, it’s transforming the squad, culture and feel of the club.

But what about the results on the pitch? In his rst season in charge, Arteta won the club a record 14th FA Cup, with an FA Community Shield to boot. To win a trophy alone can’t go unnoticed, but to do it by beating the three best teams in the country in Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool, is some achievement.

Nevertheless, Arteta’s doubters will point to his abysmal start to the following season, which saw the club sitting 15th in the table come Christmas Day 2020, as a reason to question his ability.

Yet, I merely put this down to Arsenal’s squad still not necessarily being ‘his’ by that point. The 3-4-3 was the formation of choice, but was elded merely to accommodate for the lack of players, especially in the #10 position, capable of playing in Arteta’s preferred 4-2-3-1 system.

Since Emile Smith Rowe was promoted to the starting eleven on Boxing Day during a 3-1 home win against Chelsea, the club hasn’t looked back.

Arsenal have diverted from the 4-23-1 just once since this xture, and their form has thanked them for it, with the

Gunners having since accumulated the third-most points in the Premier League, equal to West Ham, and bettering the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, and Leicester City.

Barring the three opening league games of this season where key players were either missing or yet to have joined the club, Arsenal have largely looked a team whose attacks, both in patient build-ups and counters, are more uid and convincing. The

Gunners have also become more di cult to break down defensively, and nally have a backline which more or less picks itself every week. The club is also grinding points out of games where they mightn’t have in the past, which will be a welcome sight to supporters.

Given the context, Arteta has done a decent job as manager in his rst 100 games. He’s

provided solutions to several of the problems left to him by Wenger and Emery, has won silverware in the process, and looks to have assembled a promising squad for the future.

He’s done enough to be branded successful thus far, but with a squad that he can con dently now call his own, the expectations for his next 100 games will understandably be much greater.

Climate change: the threat to sport as we know it

Dan Laughlan Sports writer

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought a halt to all sporting events and left us without them for nearly three months. However, for many, this is merely a dress rehearsal for the increased e ect climate change will have on sport.

At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, drink breaks were introduced in football for the rst time due to the extreme heat.

England cricket captain Joe Root su ered from dehydration and had to be taken to hospital after competing in 43-degree heat in the fth test of the 2018 Ashes.

Both tennis and cricket have since introduced ‘extreme heat’ policies, allowing umpires to suspend or abandon games if it is deemed too hot. Cricket games in Australia have already faced

cancellation, something we might have to get used to sooner rather than later.

For the rst time ever the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be played in the winter rather than the summer, due to the extreme heat expected in Qatar. Even with this change in place, temperatures could still reach up to 25 degrees.

What does this mean for the future of sport?

Well, experts are predicting by 2050 one in four English football grounds will face ooding every year. In golf, one in three UK courses will feel the e ect of rising sea levels.

In addition, out of the 19 countries who have hosted the Winter Olympics, only ten will still be able to do so by 2050.

Venues in Adelaide and Perth are projected to have a 60% increase in days with temperatures above 40-degrees over the coming decade.

To help tackle these issues, the UN created the Sport for Climate Action framework. This contains ve key principles for sport: to undertake systematic e orts to promote greater environmental responsibility, reduce overall climate impact, educate for climate action, promote sustainable and responsible consumption and advocate for climate action through communication.

On top of this, at COP26 the UN will now also require governing bodies to achieve a 50% reduction in overall C02 emissions by 2030 and be net zero by 2040.

It is now up to the governing bodies to change the way their sports operate, as well as what we can do in our lives to make a change to prevent climate change from getting worse. There is no better time to start than now.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Azeem Ra q: institutionalised racism crisis at Yorkshire County cricket club

Oscar Ress Sport Editor

It has been 14 months since Azeem Ra q rst made allegations of racism, and the handling of the situation from Yorkshire has been widely criticized as unacceptable.

On the 8th November, he settled his employment tribunal under the new Yorkshire chairman Lord Patel.

When allegations were rst made in September 2020, the YCCC got an external enquiry to investigate the case. Despite this report being completed in August 2021, they chose not to release it and rather deny any presence of institutional racism.

The situation has nally accelerated in the last few weeks as it was revealed, current player and former England batsman Gary Ballance used the slur ‘P***’ in relation to Ra q, as well as various other examples of casual racism. Ballance has been suspended by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Former England captain Michael Vaughan was accused of racist comments but denied these allegations. He has since been red from his BBC show.

Roger Hutton then resigned as Yorkshire chairman and publicly criticised the rest of the board and the ECB for a “reluctance to act”.

Yorkshire have since been suspended from hosting international or major matches by the ECB.

The whole situation has been undoubtedly hard on Azeem Ra q, having su ered from racist abuse throughout his career.

He revealed the racist acts he endured left him “close to suicide”.

The failure to deal with this situation with any clarity or compassion has led to the cricket community coming out in support of Ra q on social media.

A review of the report by Sports Journalist George Dobell made for di cult reading.

The allegations made by Ra q were damning. The racist incidents were simply played o as “banter” by the YCCC report: “Ra q broke down in tears at one point, the player insisted he had no idea he was causing o ence and would have stopped if Ra q had asked”. The “player”

was later revealed as Gary Ballance. It then went on to equate this to Ra q referring to his Zimbabwean teammate [Gary Ballance] as a ‘Zimbo’.

The conclusion made by the independent enquiry was they refuted that Ra q “was o ended by [the other player’s comments], either at the time they were made or subsequently.” Following this, Yorkshire revealed in their statement, they were “pleased” to report that none of their sta would face any action.

Critics say this is another mistake in a long line of them in the handling of this case.

New developments in this case have emerged due to the increased coverage. Ex-teammate Rana Naved-ulHasan has o ered his support to claims made against Michael Vaughan.

Hutton and Ra q are both expected to speak to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee at their meeting on November 16.

Azeem Ra q will continue his ght and many within the cricket world will hope for this to lead to lasting and seismic change in the game.

A review of the T20 cricket World Cup

Oscar Ress Sport Editor

The T20 cricket World Cup is in full ow, this week marks the end of the Super 12 phase of the tournament and the start of the knockouts. The four semi- nal teams have been decided: England, Australia, Pakistan and New Zealand.

The rst semi- nal will see England face New Zealand, a repeat of the 2019 World Cup nal, in Abu Dhabi.

The other semi- nal is Pakistan, who are the only team to remain unbeaten through the Super 12s, playing Australia, who sneaked through on net run rate from their group, in Dubai.

The fear, amongst some fans, that the pitches might make for some attritional cricket has been proved incorrect. However, the games have overall tended to be one-sided and there hasn’t been any major shocks.

The real surprise has been India failing to qualify for

the knockouts. This is meant to be a home tournament for them and despite the change of location to the United Arab Emirates, they still have a very strong squad but we’re unable to get the results they needed. Pakistan and New Zealand, who quali ed from their group, simply played smarter and more consistent cricket over the ve games. This sees an end to Virat Kohli’s captaincy in T20s and Ravi Shastri’s time as coach, who will be replaced by Rahul Dravid.

Another disappointment was the West Indies, who saw their tournament fall at with just one victory. It signi es the conclusion of a great West Indies squad, who won two World Cups in ve years and were pioneers for six hitting relocation in T20 cricket. It appeared to be the last time we’ll see two greats of the format, Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo, wear the maroon of the West Indies in a World Cup. Chris Gayle is arguably the greatest ever batsman to play T20s, he has

a staggering 22 hundreds in the format. Bravo is one of the greats as well, says he’ll build on his 553 T20 wickets by playing a “few more years of franchise tournaments” but his international career is over. The West Indies will now hope young players like Nicolas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer and Fabian Allen can take this team forward and be inspired by the iconic side that came before them.

The absence of any real shock results will worry the International Cricket Council (ICC), the gap between cricketing nations is getting dangerously large. The result of the toss seems to be having too much of an impact on the games as well, a large majority of victories came from sides batting second. This will all be things to ponder for the ICC who have another T20 World Cup to host in Australia next year and a 50 over tournament in 2023 in which we might see changes to try to restore some uncertainty to the results.

The semi- nals will be fascinating, Pakistan and England will undoubtedly be favourites to make the nal but there’s nothing more unpredictable than knockout cricket.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

SPORT

BUCS makes its much anticipated return to UEA

Victoria Todorova Sports writer

Last year, due to the Covid pandemic, BUCS competitions were canceled, but it now returns after more than 500 days.

Fixtures take place every Wednesday, and on the 13th October 2021, we saw the return of BUCS. UEA participated in home and away xtures across a range of sports including basketball, football, hockey, lacrosse, netball, tennis, badminton, rugby and squash.

Returning to the games means a lot both for the clubs and for individual players. Daisy Walker, the President of the Women's Hockey Club shared her opinion about returning to BUCS:

The rst 3 weeks have already produced some excellent results, including a number of victories: the Men’s Badminton team at Notts Uni and Lincoln with a score of 8-0 in both matches, the Women’s Badminton team at De Montfort University with a score of 5-3, UEA Men’s Hockey rst team against

“As a club, we are thrilled to be playing again! We had always loved playing BUCS games before the pandemic, especially after our win in the Conference Cup of 2019. This year is even better as we are entering two teams, which gives even more of our members the opportunity to get involved with BUCS. The atmosphere of BUCS games is unrivaled, so I am so glad that our younger members nally get to experience it.”

Oxford (11-0) and the Tennis Men’s 1s at the Cambridge 2s (12-0). The Futsal 2s team stood out with its win against Belford 1s with a score of 120, which is a great start to the BUCS season for them.

Our teams at UEA also compete in local leagues alongside their BUCS commitments.

An example of this is Rowing, as Club President Gabriel Smith says:

“UEABC attended Cambridge Autumn Head on the 16th of October where we recorded two wins from two with our W.ClubB 8+ winning by 31.9 seconds and our W.ClubB 4+ winning by 39.6 seconds. We also attended Norfolk Long Distance Sculls on the 23rd of October where out Men’s four placed 1st and 2nd, were the second fastest crew of the day and the fastest sweep crew, winning by 1 minute 45 seconds. Our Women’s four also placed 1st…We won UEA sport ‘club of the month’ for our achievements at races, and partaking in the COP26 fundraising.”

Congratulations to all Sports Clubs on their successful start to the term

Is football doing enough to tackle homophobia?

Una Jones Sports writer

Josh Cavallo, Australian professional footballer for A-League club, Adelaide United, has come out as gay.

This announcement means that Cavallo is the only openly gay male professional player in the world.

Although several footballers have come out after retiring, such as Aston Villa’s Thomas Hitzlsperger, very few elite male players have done so during their careers.

Branded as brave for being open about his sexuality, many have pointed out that for Cavallo, being his authentic self should not need to represent anything more.

Former England player, Gary Lineker, tweeted: "It is absurd that coming out is a brave thing to do in football.

It is though, and I am full of admiration for Josh for treading a path hopefully many others will follow.”

However, women players nd themselves facing the opposite stigma, and their sexuality is assumed to be anything other than

straight due the hypermasculine foundations of the sport.

Amal Fashanu, daughter of former footballer John Fashanu has also refuted claims that it is easier for female footballers to disclose

their sexuality, ‘Women players often face the gay label just because they are playing the sport – even before they might have even considered their

sexuality.’

With Stonewall’s ‘Rainbow Laces’ campaign, there have been attempts to promote equality and inclusivity in the sport, alongside FIFA’s continued support by backing Pride-based football events and LGBTQ+ clubs.

However, there are still events that make footballers and fans alike feel unwelcome. With the decision to host the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a nation where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by up to three years in prison, many members of the LGBTQ+ community might feel ostracised and prohibited from attending.

Qatar World Cup organisers have assured fans that they will not stop anybody from entering the country based on sexual orientation. However, this oversight suggests that rising homophobia in the sport is not being addressed.

It is hoped that football organisations do more to address these issues.

and the BUCS season. UEA+SPORT wishes all teams good luck in their upcoming competitions.

We encourage all UEA students to attend matches and support their teams. Fans in the stands are an integral part of competition, and the words of Shota Manabe, a member of the UEA Baseball team, highlights the importance of support.

“This gives teams incredible power. When you see that there are people who believe in your victory, you try even more to avoid

mistakes during the game, you try to do everything possible not to let your fans down and win not only for yourself, the team or the club, but also, and rst of all, for your fans.”

So, do not hesitate to come to home matches at Sportspark and root for your favorite teams. Full information about our teams, places and xture times can be found on the BUCS websites and UEA+SPORT Instagram.

Good luck to everyone, both fans and players!

UEA Sport come together for Movember

Oscar Ress Sport Editor

The UEA sporting community is coming together this month to support the charity Movember, focussed on raising awareness for men’s mental health.

For an individual wanting to get involved, you can ‘grow a mo’ over the month or it could be participating in the activities that have been organised by the sports clubs. These clubs will highlight opportunities to donate and the UEA+Moves app now o ers a donation feature.

Tennis, Lacrosse, and Hockey have joined forces to put on events in which they try each other’s sports, money raised on the day and from tickets go towards Movember. This is happening on the 11th and 18th.

There are Movember touch rugby, netball, and rounders tournaments taking place.

Pole Fitness and Cheer

Dance have organised ‘bring a boy’ to their respective sports. Which is likely to be an entertaining event as well as being for a good cause.

Watersports are also involved in Movember, there will be the annual 24 hour row from 12pm on 24th to 12pm on 25th happening on campus. Water Polo is also doing a land training fundraiser.

Movember is a great cause and covers important issues in our society so those who are able to get involved in events and donating should.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Photo: UEA Sport

Photo: UEA Sport

Photo:UEASU