Concrete 399

The official student newspaper of the University of East Anglia | Established 1992 | Issue 399 | 13th February 2024

An interview with Concrete Confessions

pg. 8

Concrete Sex Survey

pg. 12-13

Venue: The Beauty of Burlesque

pg. 4

Sex Survey 2024: Concrete's findings How many of the 'Five Ls' have you completed?

Have you ever felt pressured into having sex?

Have you ever received unwanted sexual advances or attention?

Graph showing how people described their first time

Eve Attwood

Co-Editor-in-Chief

Over the Christmas period, Concrete conducted our annual student Sex & Relationships survey, with 565 respondents filling in the survey and detailing their thoughts on issues surrounding all things sex, gender, body confidence and the ethics behind the porn industry.

Of the 565 respondents, 60% were female, 33% were male, 6% were non-binary, and 1% identified as ‘other’. As a result of the survey being fairly split between students who identify as ‘single’ (269 students) and ‘In a relationship’ (272 students), we were able to obtain diverse responses, particularly on issues such as the porn industry and the use of sex toys. In addition, whilst nearly half of respondents were heterosexual (271 students), over ¼ of respondents identified as bisexual (175 students) and over 5% identified as queer (38 students).

Concrete’s findings, particularly in terms of the construct of virginity and pressure around a person’s

‘first time’ were particularly interesting. As seen in the graph above where respondents could select multiple answers to describe their ‘first time’, an overwhelming number of students described the experience as ‘enjoyable’, ‘awkward’ and ‘anticlimactic’. The fourth most selected answer describing the experience ‘as Pressurising/ worried about doing it well’ suggests a dichotomy between students enjoying their first sexual experience, but similarly feeling somewhat anxious or insecure about it.

sexual harassment or a disregard for their consent.

Perhaps a more concerning finding

by Concrete were the amount of students who described having felt pressured into having sex.

56% of respondents said they felt pressured at some point in their life to have sex, with 44% claiming they had not felt pressured.

However, 80% of respondents answered ‘yes’ to the question asking if they had ever received unwanted sexual advances or attention. To this question, only 20% answered ‘no’. This suggests a large portion of UEA students, both male, female, non-binary or other, have experienced either

Porn was another issue that heavily divided respondents, with 73% of students claiming they wouldn’t have a problem with their partner watching porn, whilst 27% said they wouldn’t approve of this.

30% of students claimed to watch porn weekly, however another 30% claimed they never watched porn.

Many who believed it was wrong to watch porn whilst in a relationship cited ‘issues with the porn industry’ such as ‘violence and misogyny’, and claimed watching porn could easily become ‘unhealthy’ and lead to ‘unrealistic’ sexual fantasies and expectations.

Graph showing how regularly UEA students have sex Others described porn as a way to engage in ‘sexual pleasure’ alone and claimed it was fine as long as those in a relationship had ‘discussions about whether they felt comfortable with their partner watching porn’.

In terms of self pleasure, 59% of respondents said they owned a sex toy, whether that was to use alone or with a partner, and 12% said they would like to own one. There were also a number of respondents who identified either as Asexual or Aromantic, or had never previously had sex. In answer to what age they had first had sex, 60 respondents claimed

they had never had sex, and 8 responded they had never had sex because they are asexual.

You can find the rest of the Sex Survey results on pages 12-13.

These provide greater detail on issues such as sexuality and contraception, as well as more detailed answers about the best and funniest sexual experiences of UEA students. We'd like to thank everyone who participated in the survey. Keep being sexy UEA!

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eDITORIAL

13th February 2024

Best Publication… in the Midlands?

Matthew Stothard Co-Editor-in-Chief

Hello, happy new year (I know it’s too late for that now but still), and welcome back to the best student publication in the Midlands! No that’s not just me being over-confident, the Student Publication Association said so.

And yes, I know we’re not in the Midlands, but we won so go with it.

In all seriousness, I could not have been more thrilled to see the Concrete logo appear when I was refreshing Instagram on the way home from the library to see who’d won! There are a lot of amazing student publications in the region, and it is such a credit to everyone who worked on Concrete in 2023 that we were named as the best! I am particularly pleased to have won, given that the application myself and Eve submitted put a heavy focus on our coverage of UEA’s finances across last year which I remain extremely proud of, as well as our cultural output across Concrete and Venue, which is one of our greatest strengths as a publication. So thank you to everyone who has contributed over the last year, from the writers to the section editors, senior editors and everyone else in between – I’m so proud of you all and so pleased our hard work has been recognised.

now starting to field the ‘what are you going to do next?’ questions for the second time, and this time there’s no academic escape route!

We’re also beginning to think about the future of Concrete once we’ve left, and now we’re way over half way through our run as editors, it’s scary to think how quickly that last editorial is rushing towards me (mind you at least I’ll actually have ideas for what to write in that one!).

For now though, there’s still lots of fun to be had! This issue sees the return of our annual sex survey! Thank you to all 565 of you who filled it in – we could not have done it without you and I hope you enjoy reading the results! A particularly massive thank you to Eve who took the lead on devising the questions and compiling and laying up the results so brilliantly, and to our section editors who have embraced the theme so well!

Later in the term we still have lots to look forward to – next issue will be issue 400 (which has quickly become my passion project!), and after that there’s still the national SPAs, Derby Day and lots more besides! For now though, thank you to the SPAs (I still can’t quite believe it!!), our amazing team and all of our readers – I hope you enjoy issue 399!

It's a weird time of year at the moment. As a Master’s student, I’m

Solutions for puzzles on page 21

The University of East Anglia’s Official Student Newspaper since 1992 Tuesday 13th February 2024 Issue 399 Union House University of East Anglia Norwich NR4 7TJ www.concrete-online.co.uk Editor-in-Chief Eve Attwood Matthew Stothard concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk News Molly Warner Senior Writer: Jamie Bryson Home of the Wonderful Fiona Hill Senior Writer: Linda Vu Global Syed Hamza Senior Writer: Sankavi Naresh Features Eleanor Radford Comment Sam Slade

Home of the Weird and Wonderful Eve Attwood

Co-Editor-in-Chief

In typical Concrete style, we’re starting off the year with a bang (no pun intended) with the annual Sex Survey! While I’m definitely not a maths person, I weirdly found gathering all the data from the survey really interesting, seeing how people’s opinions differed from question to question and getting to read everyone’s wild and wacky stories. One thing that was really important to me going into this issue was to reiterate that the Sex Survey is for everyone, regardless of your sexuality or gender identity. I was reminded by all the student responses that sex can often be perceived as a kind of competition, a race to the finish line instead of something to be cherished and enjoyed. Many students opened up about how they had originally held a lot of anxiety around sex, but that in hindsight they would have encouraged their younger selves to not put so much pressure on themselves, to look at it as something to be enjoyed instead of to be rushed through, or to be perfect at. Some of our findings were funny and at times bizarre, others were full of love for current or past partners, and some were concerning, speaking to negative and traumatic sexual experiences. We have tried to represent all of these views and experiences in their raw and honest form, and we really hope you will get something out of reading them.

In other news, Concrete has been lucky

Science Rana Dawood Senior Writer: Max Todd Lifestyle Mia Galanti Anne Glia: Jadyn Lansana Travel Cordelia Gulbekian-Faram Puzzles Cal Paul-Moola

enough to be awarded ‘Best Publication in the region’ in the regional Student Public Association (SPA) awards! This is a huge honour for us and for our team who work tirelessly on every issue, and we are extremely grateful to the SPA for recognising our hard work. It was an unexpected surprise, but one our team has been super excited about.

Since this is the first issue back of the year, I was reminded of how the JanuaryFebruary season can be difficult for many people and overwhelming after the long break of Christmas. The university term often goes by so quickly that we rarely have time to sit and breathe, and to reflect on the achievements we’ve made so far.

For many of you (including myself!) you might be working on your dissertation, worrying ahead to summatives, or struggling to get back into a routine. I’m trying to remind myself that in the midst of all these things, spring and summer are on the way, and that you are allowed to have days or even weeks when things don’t go to plan. Resist the temptation to be overly hard on yourself just because of the incessant ‘New year, new me’ rhetoric.

There’s nothing wrong with being ambitious or wanting to achieve great things, but it can be good to ease yourself into the new year. After all, why rush the time before it’s gone again?

Cut-outs: all Freepik

Sport Sofia Royal Senior Writer: Felix Sumner Online & Copy Editors Dan Laughlan Lisa Melo Konrad Social Media Lizzie Bray Daisi Parker Ellie Dharamraj Concrete Photographer Innes Henry First Year Rep Abby Eastwick Venue Team Millie Smith-Clare Tshequa Williams Lily Glenn Sara Budzinska Sophie Handyside Caitlin Bennett Will Muncer Lily Taylor Ore Adeyoola Lucy Potter Editorial Enquiries, Complaints & Corrections concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk

No part of this newspaper may be reproduced by any means without the permission of the Co-Editors-in-Chief, Matthew Stothard and Eve Attwood. Published by the Union of UEA Students on behalf of Concrete. Concrete is a UUEAS society, but retains editorial independence as regards to any content. Opinions expressed herein are those of individual writers, not of Concrete or its editorial team.

News

3

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

Chief Resource Officer responds to open letter about postgraduate scholarship reduction Eve Attwood

Co-Editor-in-Chief

Back in October, my Co-Editor Matthew reported on the reduction of the UEA postgraduate scholarship scheme, and the open letter this sparked from third year International Development student, Harriet Foote. This letter was written to Vice-Chancellor Professor David Maguire and Chief Resource Officer Ian Callaghan after Foote, along with many other UEA students, noticed a change to the original postgraduate scholarship scheme discount.

Previously, UEA offered a 50% discount for students who had achieved a first class undergraduate degree, allowing them to study a Masters programme at a competitive discount. Now however, the discount has been reduced to 30%. This still remains one of the most competitive discounts for postgraduate study amongst the top 25 universities in the Complete University Guide, but has received backlash from students.

As of late January, Ian Callaghan, UEA’s Chief Resource Officer, has responded to Harriet Foote’s letter, addressing the reduction directly. He stated: ‘The decision to reduce the level of the continuation scholarship was not taken lightly by the Executive Team. I believe that we have been as fair as we could have been to the current third year students.’

Explaining the reasons for the reduction, Ian Callaghan said it was a ‘pricing decision that was taken in conjunction with all members of ARM Executive (including the Faculty Associate Deans for Admissions) in reviewing and balancing the costs and benefits of the Scheme.’ He continued by adding that the ‘origins of the Scheme were to encourage students with a first class degree from UEA to undertake a (what was then) Graduate Outcomes positive stream rather than reporting as a non-graduate outcome. That was at a time when our Graduate

Outcomes were below where we would have wished them to be.’

In line with how ‘UEA’s finances have come under pressure’ recently, Ian Callaghan stated that ‘we have had to increase fees and reduce scholarships wherever we can’.

Despite that, Ian Callaghan stressed that UEA still has ‘a very competitive offer in the market, and offer a higher discount than many of our closest competitors.’ He also pointed to the ‘number of donor funded scholarships available that are advertised via the UEA scholarship finder.’

Harriet Foote, author of the open letter and leader of the original campaign against the scholarship reduction, responded to Ian Callaghan by stressing that many students including herself ‘haven’t budgeted for this [new] amount’ and that many ‘now find themselves in a difficult decision between choosing

education and financial security’.

Foote highlighted her reasons for choosing UEA, ‘with the expectation of working towards a Masters’. ‘I came to UEA,’ she said, ‘because it was the only university I could do a Masters at. I came to this university because I thought it valued student experience and input.’

discount to many

when compared other universities.”

For more information on the postgraduate scholarship in question, visit https:// www.uea.ac.uk/study/feesa n d - fu n d i n g /s c h o l a r s h i p s / undergraduate-continuation.

In a final plea, Foote urged Ian Callaghan and the Vice-Chancellor to ‘reconsider the one off raise of 10% to the scholarship.’

A UEA spokesperson said: "Students graduating with a first class degree can progress to a postgraduate course with a 30% fee reduction scholarship. All other alumni are eligible for a 10% tuition fee discount.

“We believe that this remains an attractive offer for students wishing to progress their studies at UEA and offers valuable financial support, while still being a competitive

Image: Unsplash

UK had "serious concerns" over Israel's compliance with Interational Law Jamie Bryson

News Senior Writer

Official court documents, made public last month, have revealed UK Foreign Office lawyers were unable to conclude whether the state of Israel was in compliance with international humanitarian law in its bombardment of Gaza late last year, ahead of a review of British arms trading licences.

The government review - requested

by Foreign Secretary David Cameron - initially concluded it had “serious concerns” over the IDF’s (Israeli Defence Force) use of physical force against the Palestinian population and whether it was subsequently violating International Humanitarian Law (IHL).

The UK government revealed these findings as part of its response to the Global Legal Action Network’s (GLAN) legal challenge against the Department for Business and International Trade's decision not to stop British arms firms from trading weaponry with the Israeli state.

When quizzed on the matter in parliament by the Foreign Affairs select committee in January,

Lord Cameron claimed that no such review was undertaken.

However, in response to Israel’s initial attacks on Gaza in October, an internal assessment of 28 existing government (arms trade) licences - alongside 28 pending applications - led to an initial review of the legal legitimacy of the assaults on November 10th, with further assessments conducted later in the month and in December. The concluding remarks of a review conducted on November 27th read, “the volume of strikes, total death toll, and proportion of those who are children raise serious concerns”.

The document also stated “concerns around the basis on which Israel is granting or withholding consent for humanitarian access” (such as basic aid) and added that the central government’s lack of clarity on Israel’s compliance with IHL “posed significant policy risks”.

This came after the government received official reassurance from the Israeli embassy on November 26th that it was in compliance.

However, the UK government’s Joint Assessment Unit concluded that the UK and Israel had “different views” of what was required to comply with IHL and did not have sufficient information on this technicality, leaving the final decision to UK government ministers.

have all publicly backed the call.

The Scottish Labour Party - led

by Anas Sarwar - backed the SNP motion for a full ceasefire in a vote in the Scottish Parliament Image: Unsplash

The revelations come at a time when an increasing number of

“They will continue to bear further

consequences if they

do not end their illegal attacks”

Western opposition politicians are urging the UK government to call for an immediate ceasefire in the region, in line with other Western nations, including France, Sweden and Canada. The Scottish National Party (SNP), the Green Party (of England and Wales and Scotland), Northern Ireland’s Sinn Féin, Alliance, and SDLP

at Holyrood in November defying the UK Labour leader Keir Starmer’s instruction for its members to vote against it and instead call for temporary “humanitarian pauses” and a lately, a “sustainable long term ceasefire”.

Other individual MPs have continued to defy their official party instruction, including Labour MP for Coventry South, Zarah Sultana, who - in response to the publication of the Foreign Office court documents - told a committee of MPs, “This issue should be getting way more coverage, but, as far as I’m aware, has only been covered by one mainstream UK outlet.”

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News

13th February 2024

Inquiry into UEA Department for Education to investigate claims of "bad Student's death practice" concludes Katherine Hutchison

Molly Warner

News Writer

News Editor

An inquest has heard that a university student has died while battling mental ill health.

Kasey Challenger, a 21-yearold Psycholog y student at the University of East Anglia, died within halls of residence on campus in April 2023. The inquest concluded after three days on the 30th of January 2024, giving a conclusion of suicide.

Kasey had been receiving several forms of support whilst studying at UEA, including dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) from the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust, as well as mental health mentoring at the university.

The inquest heard that Kasey – who identified as non-binary and used they/them pronouns – warned their therapist that they were “stock-piling” medication just less than a fortnight before dying of an overdose. The court heard that on one occasion, Kasey had disclosed to university staff that they were stockpiling medication, resulting in the university’s security staff confiscating 140 packets worth.

But on April 4th, nine days before their death, Kasey made another admission to their therapist, Richard Wink, but Kasey’s claim was not escalated to UEA welfare staff, or their care co-ordinator.

When asked why this measure had not been taken, Mr Wink said, “My assumption was that the plans we had in place for Kasey were quite

robust because of the process that they had managed”.

Giving a conclusion of suicide, area coroner Yvonne Blake said: "Kasey really wanted to be at university - it was described as a number one life goal."

"Kasey was a fragile and shy person who courageously battled and was clearly very well-liked but was perhaps too reliant on services," Mrs Blake said.

Following the inquest's conclusion, the University of East Anglia released a statement paying tribute: “Kasey was a hard-working, determined, and talented individual who was passionate about psycholog y and showed such promise in tackling the challenge of psychological inquiry.

"They had a creative turn of phrase and enjoyed the parkland space around campus, especially the wildlife.

“Kasey’s family and friends were enormously supportive of Kasey’s ambition and motivation to study, and our thoughts remain with them at this time.”

Do you need support?

Samaritans can be contacted 24/7 by calling 116 123.

Image: Concrete/Innes Henry

The Department for Education have been asked to investigate claims of “bad practice” in the recruitment of international students.

The investigation comes after the Sunday Times reported that Britain’s top universities have been using agents to recruit international students, who have higher tuition fees than domestic students, whilst being subjected to lower entry requirements than domestic students, subsequently leading to an investigationlaunchedbytheDepartment of Education in search of ‘foul play’.

Robert Halfon, the Higher Education MP, commented that he was “very disturbed” by these reports in the Sunday Times and that it “clearly showed bad practice in the use of agents and that’s not acceptable”.

Halfon also agreed that it was important to ensure “we are comparing like with like” and wants a “level playing field for all domestic students as well”.

Where The Sunday Times claimed Britain’s top universities were paying

agents to recruit overseas students, universities have rejected this claim of domestic students being ‘squeezed out’ by international applicants. The report, however, has failed to distinguish between entry requirements for international foundation years and full degrees.

Vivienne Stern, the chief executive of Universities UK that represents 140 universitiesrespondedtotheseclaimswith the statement: “International Students are a key part of the success story that is UK high education, and the Sunday Times story fails to distinguish between entry requirements for international foundation years and full degrees”.

University leaders complained that the report unfairly compared entry requirements on non-degree courses with those of mainstream undergraduate courses and ignored figures showing the rising numbers of UK students enrolled at Russell Group universities.

Other higher education associations in the UK have defended the pathway route and recruitment methods for international students following the Sunday Times’ allegations. Stern also

elaborated and explained that “it must also be understood that entry routes for international students will reflect the diverse countries and education backgrounds that these students come from, and that some will need bridging courses to enable them to progress to UK degrees, signifying the importance of the lower entry requirements.”

Harry Silom, an NBS postgraduate at UEA, states that international students “make up a considerable proportion of those studying at Postgraduate level.”

“Where home students provide less value to universities on tuition fee basis, the focus on international recruitment has increased, incentivised by these lower entry conditions”. Where bridging courses may not have been fully available or funded enough to be at a high enough standard, there is the chance this would affect the teaching standards for the domestic students.”

UEA launches 2030 Strategy Matthew Stothard Editor-in-Chief

UEA launched its Strategy 2030 on 25th January, with an overall vision statement of ‘solving the challenges of our changing world by working together sustainably.’ T his comes after extensive consultation in the autumn semester with staff, students and external stakeholders (including alumni). The university has outlined that in the delivery of the strategy it will focus on ‘the aspirations and needs of prospective and current students’, ‘the scale and impact of our research’, and ‘the way we operate as an organisation’.

It hopes to become “a leader in developing a new sustainable model for how universities operate.”

Firstly tackling student education and experience, UEA aims to widen access and participation and improve student outcomes consistently across subject areas.

They want to create a “new, radical [teaching] model… to enhance quality and deliver long term financial sustainability.” This will include ensuring the university’s range of courses is “up to date and market focused,” drawing on international

ideas, using more ‘TechnologyEnhanced Learning’ (where appropriate) and adopting “a teambased approach… for the delivery of courses.” There are also plans to grow student numbers, particularly through apprenticeships and with international students because of current high competition for UK students. UEA aims to achieve this through “articulation agreements and transnational education activities with selected high-quality universities.”

The strategy emphasises UEA’s position as a dual-intensive university, and it outlines plans to intensify research around three ‘strategic themes’: ‘ClimateUEA’, ‘CreativeUEA’ and ‘HealthUEA’.

The university hopes to increase collaboration with organisations at the Norwich Research Park and extend their research base. They are also planning to “draw out greater commercial value and other wider benefits” from research projects.

The third strand of the strategy is based around ‘organisation development,’ with an aim to develop “a highly motivated staff community, effective processes and systems, and first-rate external partnerships.” The

strategy is clear that UEA needs “to be more business-minded, efficient with our resources, and improve the quality of our operational delivery.” This will include continued investment in digital infrastructure, ‘selective investment’ in the refurbishment of buildings on campus, and plans “to create a single, unified professional services team that is capable and flexible in its way of working, and organised around key processes rather than structures.”

Externally, UEA plans to “increase participation from across the East of England,” and develop local, national and international partnerships. They also aim to be ‘economically, environmentally and socially sustainable,’ including plans to return to financial sustainability, and maintaining a commitment to reach 100% net zero emissions on campus by 2045.

In the coming months, the university will now look to develop its implementation of the strategy, with the aim that it will drive UEA’s direction for the coming years.

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13th February 2024

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

US and UK launch strikes on 36 Houthi targets Molly Warner News Editor

Britain and the United States have launched a wave of strikes against 36 Houthi targets in Yemen.

According to US officials, the wave of assaults were designed to disable any further Iran-backed groups that have attacked American and international interests in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.

The strikes on the 3rd of February mark the third time that the US and the UK have conducted a joint operation to strike Houthi weapons and sites. They first began air strikes on January 11, with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saying the action was “necessary and proportionate to protect global shipping”.

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement that the military action, with support from other nations that included Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand, "sends a clear message to the Houthis that they will continue to bear further consequences if they do not end their illegal

attacks on international shipping and naval vessels".

He added: "We will not hesitate to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways."

In response, the Houthis have been committing almost daily attacks against military and commercial ships transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Houthi have also made it clear that they have no intention of retrieving.

UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said that the move made by the US and UK was "not an escalation" adding that: "The Houthis' attacks on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea are illegal and unacceptable and it is our duty to protect innocent lives and preserve freedom of navigation.

allies, with the support of many international partners, in self-defence and in accordance with international law."

Speaking

to

Sky

News,

the

“They will continue to bear further

consequences if they

do not end their illegal attacks”

US retaliatory strikes as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, as well as as calling for an exit of the 2,500 troops currently in Iraq as part of an international coalition to fight Islamic State. In January, US military officials launched formal talks to wind down the coalition’s presence. This process is expected to take many years.

UEA’s Student Union have released the following statement on behalf of their Student Officer Committee:

“ The UEA Students’ Union condemns the actions of the UK and US government in striking cities in Yemen. We stand against any form of action that brings further conflict and tension to the region and call upon both governments to seek a diplomatic and peaceful resolution.” “ To all our Yemeni students, your union stands with you and if you need any support do not hesitate to contact us as you have our full support”.

leader of an influential Iraqi militia group said it does "not accept or acquiesce to the violation of Iraqi sovereignty".

Dr Firas al Yasser, from the Harakat Hezbollah al Nujaba group, warned that: "We have said it before in a clear and direct way, we don't accept threats.

"That is why the Royal Air Force engaged in a third wave of proportionate and targeted strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen.

"At the moment, if any members of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq are targeted, or any jihadi or resistance fighter from any part of the resistance forces are targeted, there will be retaliation from us.”

"We acted alongside our US

Iraqi officials have condemned

Image: Unsplash

England's sexual health services are at "breaking point" Sunny Driscoll

News Writer

The Local Government Association (LGA) has declared that England's sexual health services are edging to 'breaking point,' due to an alarming surge in demand. The latest data indicates a substantial rise in sexually transmitted infections across more than two-thirds of council areas, particularly in the rates of gonorrhoea and syphilis.

The demand for sexual health services in the UK is growing, with almost 4.5 million consultations being carried out in 2022 – an increase of a third since 2013, as per the LGA. In 2022, 2.2 million diagnostic tests were being carried out, which is a 13 per cent increase from the year before.

The LGA's findings highlight the pressing challenges faced by the UK’s sexual health services, highlighting the need for urgent attention and resources to meet the escalating demand. The Chairman of the LGA's Community Wellbeing Board expressed grave concerns, underlining

the possible consequences of this strain on the nation's overall health.

"The unprecedented increase in STIs is placing an immense burden on our sexual health services, pushing them to the brink of collapse. It's imperative that we address this crisis with urgency and allocate the necessary resources to support these vital services," remarked the Chairman.

Sexual health clinics now find themselves grappling with an overwhelming demand for their services, with the need for additional staffing, resources, and infrastructure.

As the demand increases, these clinics risk being unable to provide effective care to those seeking their assistance.

Dr Claire Dewsnap, president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, says the quality and accessibility of services is under threat: "Without sufficient investment, sexual health service users will face severe challenges in their ability to access expert, timely care. This data not only demonstrates the deeply concerning trajectory of STI [sexually transmitted infection] growth, but also the need for a robust national strategy,

backed up by adequate funding. As demand for care increases, without imminent action, we compromise our ability to safeguard the sexual health of our nation."

Jodie Crossman, national nursing representative for the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, said that the LGA’s findings match up with her own experience.

A potential backlog in appointments, longer waiting times, and compromised quality of care could result from the overstretched sexual health services. This poses serious public health risks, as delayed or inadequate treatment can lead to the further spread of infections and increased health complications.

“We agree with the report” she said.

“It’s interesting, a year or two ago I was speaking about a breaking point, then again during the covid-19 pandemic we were speaking about it again. Sexual health is constantly in one (breaking point) and the situation hasn’t got any better in recent years”.

The LGA discovered that between

2015 and 2024, the public health grant received by local councils was reduced by £880 million and has called on the government to urgently publish 2024/25 public health grant allocations for councils which provide further funding to meet the demand.

England's sexual health services are demanding immediate attention.

The LGA's findings and the Chairman's concerns underscore the urgent need for concerted efforts to prevent a collapse of these services.

“The unprecedented increase in STIs is

placing an immense

burden on our sexual health services”

In response to this crisis, it is important that there is a new focus placed upon sexual health services prioritising the allocation of funding to aid the hiring of new staff and resources.

Image: Unsplash

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FEATURES

13th February 2024

Love Across Wi-Fi: The trials and tribulations of long distance relationships Ore Adeyoola

Features Writer

It’s February, and love is in the air. Shop windows are full of Valentine’s Day displays, restaurants are unusually fully booked for a Wednesday and couples all around the world are putting aside time to celebrate love. But some of us will be spending our Valentine’ Day staring at the pixelated image of our significant other through a computer screen.

Image: Unsplash

Long distance relationships (LDRs) are extremely common at university.

According to a 2015 study, 75% of students have been in a LDR at some point during their academic journey, which makes sense. Many people either go into university still with their hometown sweetheart or date someone who graduates before them- personally, I’ve been in both situations.

Starting university is an incredibly stressful experience for a lot of us.

Uprooting your life and the comfort of your family home to start a new journey where you don’t know anyone is overwhelming enough. Adding navigating a long distance relationship for the first time on top of that could easily lead to arguments and breakups.

It’s no wonder many couples, despite their best efforts, break up during this period of separation. Despite all this, long-distance relationships are backed by statistics, a 2018 study from BetterHelp found that they have a success rate of 60%. All hope is not lost!

Image: Unsplash

Image: Unsplash

When my boyfriend and I went longdistance I was incredibly unprepared for how hard it was. It was my first ever relationship, everything was new.

Sure I’d feel a twinge of dread whenever I thought about how far apart we’d be, but if we’d survive dating through the first COVID lockdown, we’d be fine!

Spoiler: we were fine, but it tested our relationship in ways I didn’t know were possible. At its hardest and most toxic, we reduced our bi-weekly calls to once a week as we found ourselves arguing too much. It got that bad. Thankfully we pulled through, and although we’re long distance again this year as he’s graduated, we are a much healthier, much happier couple this time. I’ve lived both the intensive lows and the euphoric highs of long-distance so you don’t have to, and now I feel well equipped to share my do’s and don’ts for anyone else in a similar situation.

DON’T: Pretend everything is fine when its not: This includes during those rare moments of in-person contact. I know it’s tempting to bury all our negative emotions because we don’t want to start a fight, trust me, you’re not alone with this. When I asked a few friends to share what they struggled with during LDRs, many expressed the pain of ‘wasting’ the limited shared time with their partner on arguments. But time spent arguing is not wasted time. Conflict is an important part of growing a relationship.

If we remember to treat our partner with respect and share our feelings instead of being accusatory, it can help resolve long-standing issues and lead to a stronger sense of mutual understanding.

Make Assumptions: No matter how long you’ve been with your partner, it’s impossible to know exactly what they’re thinking and their intentions. I’ve been with my boyfriend for four years now and still have to remind myself that I can’t read his

“Long Distance isn’t what I expected. I felt a strange sense of obligation.” mind. If your partner is on a night out and texts back slower, it doesn’t mean they’re cheating on you, no matter what that anxious voice in your head says. Most clubs are in dingy basements with bad connection anyways.

And if self-reassurance isn’t cutting it, communicate to your partner that you need clear, consistent reassurance.

DO: Regularly check on your partner: EVeryone has different communication preferences, some couples like texting all the time and others don’t. However your style, make sure to consciously take the time to talk about how your significant other is doing emotionally and mentally. These conversations help us understand our partner more, and help prevent built up resentment that eventually snowballs into nasty arguments.

“Long distance wasn’t what I expected. I felt a strong sense of obligation and restraint over me - that I had to build them into my days even though I had just moved abroad and had an

overwhelming amount of things to process and experience. Looking back, I felt like I missed some moments with friends because I was obliged to call them twice a day and that took me away from some experiences. Despite communicating my feelings, they would become angry or upset if I didn’t call daily and wouldn’t communicate their emotions, so I was constantly guessing what they were feeling.” - a friend discussing her experience with an unsuccessful LDR during a semester abroad.

Make time for each other Part of the commitment of long-distance is making time for your partner.

No matter how busy life gets, make sure to allocate a few hours a week to quality time. This doesn’t mean texting, or even a long phone call, instead treat these like e-dates. Make food on video call together and sit down for dinner, play co-op games like It Takes Two, use sites like Rave to watch movies together, the options are endless.

In my experience, having a television show or a story-rich game you’re both enjoying completing together helps to keep this time together exciting.

Talk about sex: Sexual intimacy is an important part of a lot of relationships, including longdistance ones. Just because there’s no physical intimacy doesn’t mean you can’t still be intimate with your partner.

Sexting, phone sex, and sending nudes are all fun ways to keep things exciting and fill the hole that distance creates- no pun intended.It’s always awkward at first, but not Find what turns you both on and utilise modern technology to make long-distance a little less miserable.

Unfortunately, not all relationships are meant to last forever. If you spend more time arguing than talking, find yourself dreading spending time with your partner, or even feel yourself outgrowing the relationship, it’s important to have those hard conversations and evaluate the future of the relationship.

University is a weird time, we change so much in a short amount of time and that sometimes means growing into someone who is no longer compatible with someone you still care about. It’s better to end things when there’s still love and compassion, instead of letting a relationship drag long past its best by date until it’s so unrecognisable from what it once was that you have no choice but to throw it out. Besides, life is a lot longer than the few years you spend at university. In my opinion, the person who is right for you will find their way back.

7

13th February 2024

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

LGBT+ History Month in 2024 Max Wrigley

Features Writer

LGBT+ History Month is the celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender history as well as how it has changed over time. It began in the US in February 1994 and, since then, has been a month-long yearly occurrence. It is celebrated by the UK (in February to coincide with a major celebration of the abolition of Section 28); Australia, Canada and the US (in October to coincide with National Coming Out Day on 11 October), and Berlin (in June and is known as ‘Queer History Month’). It first took place in the UK in 2005, after being initiated by the charity Schools Out UK. LGBT charities and organisations, as well as educational establishments, hold events to celebrate LGBT History Month and to raise awareness of it. They may even decide to add a rainbow flag to their social media profile picture.

Section 28, a law passed by a Conservative government in 1988, prevented schools and councils from promoting the teaching of LGBT acceptability. It resulted in mass protests by LGBT campaigners.

LGBT History Month aims to teach people about the gay and civil

Image: Unsplash

rights movement, which advocates equal rights for the LGBT community.

It also seeks to eliminate laws which bar homosexual acts between consenting adults and end any form of discrimination against those who are LGBT. The overarching aim is to promote an inclusive, modern society.

of society. While it’s still illegal to be part of the community in some countries, such as Qatar, and can be punishable by either imprisonment or death if someone discloses that they are part of the LGBT community, society has come a long way and is constantly improving.

A long time ago, being LGBT was frowned upon and was punishable around the world. Now, most countries accept the LGBT community and welcome same-sex marriage, as well as civil partnerships. Alongside this, terminology has changed too. ‘Gay’ once meant’ bright’ and ‘joyful’; now it’s a homosexual category for both men and women. ‘That’s so gay’ was often used as a derogatory synonym meaning ‘that’s lame/boring’; now, it’s recognised as a homophobic slur that should be avoided. ‘Queer’ once meant ‘strange’ and was used as a slur against the community.

However, now some people identify as being Queer as opposed to being heterosexual [straight] and it’s been reclaimed within the LGBT community (sometimes referred to as LGBTQ or LGBT+ community).

While I was at school, my knowledge of the LGBT community was lacking.

I didn’t experience LGBT education and, as someone who is part of the community, had to look up what it was. Had I known what ‘transgender’ was when I was at school, my life would be completely different to what it is now. I felt like I had to hide my gender identity while I was at school as I was too scared to tell anyone in case I was excluded or expelled.

Over the years, people have become more accepting of the LGBT community and it has become part

Life’s not black-and-white; it’s a rainbow that will always be there.

In 2016, it was made a requirement for schools to incorporate the LGBT community into their curriculum. The education would be age-appropriate and expose students to the different aspects of the wider community, rather than a black-and-white education only focussed on cisgender and heterosexual experiences.

UK universities’ finances on ‘Amber Alert’? New Report suggests Eleanor Radford

will be proportional or general.

However, this suggestion doesn’t seem unplausible due to issues such as the cost-of-living crisis.

According to new data by PwC, a third of the country’s universities saw a decline in applications from overseas (non-EU) students last year. Due to international student’s fee coming in at £18 thousand a year, compared to a UK student’s £9, 250 per year the income gap for UK universities in clear. Without change, an estimated £130 billion contribution to the economy, from higher education, will fade.

Based on research done by the PwC, universities will need to cut costs and save, however this can be hard for institutions to do as long-term savings can sometimes mean short-term spending.

A space however that will see these cuts is that of pay and pensions. On average, in November 2023, the figure for staff costs sits at 54% of the total expenditure. With over have of the sectors spending being on staff, it seems likely that this will be a space for cuts to be made.

Features Editor

Not only will this decline from international students pose a threat to universities, but data suggests that there will also be a decrease from home students after 2030. This is due to a decline in the birth rate in the 2010s.

However, it is important to highlight that this data cannot confirm a drop off in the next ten years, as more people may decide to attend higher education regardless of when they were born.

One area where there may be a growth is the rise of ‘commuter students’, e.g., students who commute from home to attend university. The report does not have a clear definition of what they label as a commuter student nor whether this growth

These cuts may also affect important work for the future. For example, the report finds that decarbonising the built environment, which can be defined as ‘the human-made surroundings

“A estimated £130

billion contribution to economy could fade.”

that provide the setting for human activity’ such as lecture halls, will cost close to £7 billion in higher education. Therefore, there will be a struggle for higher education to balance the finances and the importance of cleaner more environmentally focussed future.

This data creates a potentially bleak outlook on the future of higher education in the United Kingdom. The report by PwC summaries its report via traffic light warnings for its readers.

‘Cost based pressures’ is the only category in the red for near and long term. While most categories, are marked at double amber, only four others enter the green light. There is none which have been marked double green for both near and long-term impact.

It is worth remembering that this report is not wholly representative of higher education in the United Kingdom. The commentary is based on only 84 providers, with zero from Welsh higher education, and these providers tend to be in an above average position. For example, 83% of these 84 institutions had a surplus compared to 72% of the sector as a whole.

We will have to wait to see whether or not any of these suggestions become a reality but it is clear that whatever happens changes will have to be made.

Photo: Unsplash

8

Home of the Wonderful

13th February 2024

Sex and Summative Seasons: An Interview with Concrete Confessions Mia Galanti

Home of the Wonderful Writer

[ F o r t h e s a ke o f c l a r i t y, Concrete Newspaper and Concrete C o n fe s s i o n s are s e p a ra t e, unrelated enterprises.]

A l o n g s i d e f r e s h e r ’s f l u a n d g e t t i n g l o s t i n t h e Wa l l , i t i s a U E A s t u d e n t ’s r i t e of passage to submit an anonymous message to Concrete Confessions.

C r e a t e d i n 2 0 17 a n d b o a s t i n g over 18,000 followers, the Fa c e b o o k page serves as many things: a place to vent; a noticeboard; a missed-connections page; a g a t h e r i n g o f l i ke - m i n d e d p e o p l e. B o t h p r o s p e c t i v e, current, and previous students a l i ke gather to shoot their shot with attractive strangers they’ve spotted in Sportspark, complain about rising food p r i c e s i n t h e S U S h o p, o r confess their love to friends m a r ke d o n l y w i t h i n i t i a l s .

I t i s n’ t h y p e r b o l e t o s ay that Concrete Confessions serves as one of the student cornerstones of UEA. S o w h a t ex a c t l y i s t h e appeal?

Anonymous confession pages are nothing new; t h e y ’r e a staple of almost every u n i v e r s i t y. A n d y e t w h y do they still continue to amass so many followers a n d s u b m i s s i o n s ? A r g u a b l y, t h e s e n s e o f c o m m u n i t y.

Submitting a confession to Concrete Confessions is the e q u i va l e n t o f r a n t i n g t o a f r i e n d a b o u t a l e c t u r e r, b u t with more people listening.

It is a place to share anonymous shame and feel relieved when other people l i ke t h e p o s t t o k n o w t h a t y o u ’r e n o t a l o n e. I t ’s a q u e u e u p t o t h e s o a p b o x t o h av e y o u r f i f t y w o r d s o f fa m e, garner twenty laughing

reactions, and then move o n . W h a t ’s m o r e, i t ’s t o a n a u d i e n c e w h o g e t s i t . Ta l k i n g to a friend from home about U E A i s n i c e, b u t l a m e n t i n g about Circuit laundry to an entire d e m o g ra p h i c who h a s l i ke l y s a t i n t h e ex a c t same laundrette chair watching their washing r u n f o r fa r, fa r l o n g e r t h a n the thirty-minute timer is s o m e t h i n g e l s e a l t o g e t h e r.

“This university is so bizarre in general that absurdism does well here” But of c o u r s e, the Confessions page would be an untamed Wild West were it not for the work of the a d m i n s r u n n i n g t h e s h o w.

Though the page started w i t h t h r e e, n o w t h e r e i s o n l y one left, who over the years has built up their own microlevel of celebrity within the Confessions s p h e r e, f i e l d i n g t h e i r fa i r s h a r e o f questions for themselves. I was able to get the chance to ask them a few questions about their time serving as a Concrete Confession admin (though they opted to remain anonymous).

I guess my first question is, how did y o u e n d u p i n t h i s r o l e?

O k ay, s o f o u r y e a r s a g o, i t ’s 3 a . m . , a n d I ’m f i l l e d w i t h t h e d r u n ke n c o n f i d e n c e o f a mediocre white man. I message the page and ask i f t h e y n e e d e d a n y h e l p, a n d I guess the old admin must h av e b e e n o n t h e s a m e s i l l y

level of inebriation because within an hour I was on the team. Since then, we started w i t h t h r e e o f u s , b u t I ’m t h e o n l y o n e l e f t w h o’s s t i l l a c t i v e. I w a s a h u g e fa n o f t h e p a g e b e f o r e a n d h o n e s t l y, I s t i l l a m ; i t ’s m y b a b y n o w.

I had no idea it was just t h e o n e o f y o u n o w, i s i t a lot to manage? Roughly how many submissions do you get per d ay ?

I t ’s n o t t o o m u c h w o r k o n m y p a r t , h o n e s t l y, p r o b a b l y l i ke t w e n t y m i n u t e s o u t o f m y d ay i n t o t a l . M ay b e m o r e i f I ’m d o i n g a p r o j e c t l i ke t o p posts. In terms of submission a m o u n t s , i t va r i e s d e p e n d i n g on the season. Summer is the l e a s t b u s y, a n d s u m m a t i v e s e a s o n s / f r e s h e r s /e n d o f y e a r are probably the busiest. Low s e a s o n , I ’d s ay I g e t p r o b a b l y about thirty subs; high s e a s o n w e’r e t a l k i n g a r o u n d 1 5 0 a d ay, a n d i t ’s u s u a l l y around 50% of submissions that get posted. The other half are low enough quality to be deleted (although there are a lot of other reasons to delete a submission).

So how do you decide which ones get posted? What kind o f r e a s o n s d o y o u h av e f o r d e l e t i n g s u b m i s s i o n s?

Some of it is how I feel on t h e d ay, a n d t h e n t h e m a i n guidelines are things most

“High season we’re talking 150 [submissions] a day” n e e d t o s t i c k t o, s u c h a s : I s i t too identifiable? Is it making a c l a i m a b o u t a p e r s o n /g r o u p that has no evidence and could result in trouble on t h e p a g e ? I s i t b o r i n g ? H av e we already posted something similar recently? Is it going t o f l a g a n y Fa c e b o o k c o d e s?

Is it not the right tone (too h o r n y, t o o s a d , e t c . ) ? I s i t something you could easily Google?

Is it something someone has specifically a s ke d u s n o t t o m e n t i o n ?

I s i t j u s t n o t a s fu n n y a s the person thinks it is? Is it too intense of a mental health post? Is it a reply to a previous post that could easily just be a comment?

O b v i o u s l y, when the s u b m i s s i o n s a r e d r y, I ’ l l p o s t a few lower-quality ones, but I try to stick to that.

I know Concrete Confessions did a 2023 rewind of the most popular submissions; can you talk me through what that was like for you?

Are you able to sort of guess when a submission i s g o i n g t o b e p o p u l a r/g e t a lot of likes or were you s u r p r i s e d b y t h e r e s u l t s?

In terms of creating the list, i t ’s a s u p e r e a s y s p r e a d s h e e t t o m a ke. H o n e s t l y, I l o v e sorting silly little data points.

I c a n u s u a l l y s e e t h i n g s l i ke polls doing really well because i t ’s passive engagement.

Picture submissions also usually do really well because t h e y ’r e j u s t e a s i e r t o c o n s u m e than walls of text. I think that the nature of submissions has shifted a lot in the past couple o f y e a r s , [ l i ke ] w e d e f i n i t e l y used to see more memes – but who am I to dictate what the people want to see? Concrete [Confessions] is just a uni noticeboard, and if someone h a s s o m e t h i n g t o s ay a n d i t ’s important enough to type it o u t a n d s u b m i t i t , I ’m h a p p y t o g i v e t h e m a p l a t f o r m t o d o s o.

you’ve

been

doing

T h e r e w a s a n e ra i n 2 0 2 0 w h e n we had Peep Show memes, and I l o v e d t h o s e. P l u s a n y t i m e someone s ay s something outlandish and everyone copypastas it, it is stunning.

For purely selfish reasons, there was one submission d u r i n g l o c kd o w n w h i c h w a s about wanting some new friends to create a group c h a t a n d m a ke t h e p a n d e m i c feel a little less depressing, and I actually jumped in the c o m m e n t s t o j o i n m y s e l f.

T h r e e y e a r s l a t e r w e’r e a l l still really good friends and they all absolutely changed m y l i f e f o r t h e b e t t e r. I t h i n k l o c kd o w n s p a w n e d a lot of loneliness problems, and for the page to be able to help with that, even a l i t t l e, m e a n s s o m u c h t o m e.

I love that people use the page t o m a ke c o n n e c t i o n s , w h e t h e r that be romantic or platonic!

Thank you absolutely so much for answering all my questions and being so h e l p fu l , t h i s h a s b e e n s o incredibly interesting to hear!

Yo u ’r e

welcome!

Sometimes I’ll read a s u b m i s s i o n a n d j u s t k n o w i t ’s g o l d . I ’d s ay t h e m o r e c l a s s i c ‘c o n f e s s i o n’ style ones a l w ay s d o w e l l , e s p e c i a l l y when t h e y ’r e outrageous, but other times things can s u r p r i s e m e – l i ke t h e b e a n m e m e s ? T h a t j o ke h a s b e e n going on as long as the page ( w h i c h w a s l i ke 2 0 17 ) a n d I d o n’ t r e a l l y k n o w w h y. L o w e s t c o m m o n d e n o m i n a t o r, I g u e s s – p l u s I t h i n k i t m a ke s s e n s e because this university is s o b i z a r r e i n g e n e ra l t h a t a b s u r d i s m d o e s w e l l h e r e.

D o y o u h av e a n y p e r s o n a l f av o u r i t e submissions from across the time

t h i s?

Photo 1 and 2: Concrete

Confessions Between UEA Seshions

Photo 3: Unsplash

13th February 2024

9

Campus Kitchen Menu Changes this Semester Linda Vu

Home of the Wonderful Senior Writer

Recently, I spoke with a spokesperson from Campus Kitchen, Josie Hindle, about their new menu options and student perceptions of their service.

Firstly we discussed the new things at Campus Kitchen. She told us that Zest is keeping its menu rotations.

This semester their 50% deal applies to fish dishes, meaning fish and chips

“Pork sausage rolls for £1.30 each and vegan sausage rolls at £1.60”

on ‘FriYays’ are now £2.85. Alongside fish and chips, Josie told us they have also implemented new fish dishes in an attempt to introduce people to new dishes and proteins.

It’s not just Zest having menu changes – Blend (located just above Zest), and Box in the SU Bar are also introducing new items.

I asked Josie about the changes to Box and she told us that, after feedback, the pizza bases have been revamped. Additionally, there will be dough balls and an option to build your own pizza with as many or as few toppings as you’d like.

Blend’s new menu items include pork sausage rolls for £1.30 each and vegan sausage rolls at £1.60.

As we know, the cost of living is affecting a lot of students and I asked Josie what else Campus Kitchen is doing in order to aid students who are heavily affected and how they will address various

concerns of ‘shrinkflation’ by fellow students (who are unimpressed with what they see as decreased quality and increased price). Josie told us that they are aware of the concerns people have voiced on the Concrete Confessions Facebook page, and explained that, due to the cost of living going up, prices are reflective of this and Campus Kitchen is trying to keep them as low as possible. She also pointed to other ‘value’ options across campus - at Ziggy’s on The Street, sandwiches are discounted after 2:00 pm, Unio sells hot drinks at a lower price compared to other cafes on campus, and Ziggy’s and the Sportscafe are part of ‘Too Good to Go,’ an app dedicated to minimising food waste by selling unsold food at a discounted price.

top three spots on 1. the

personal favourite campus were:

Zest, day-to-day

because rotation

of cycle.

2.

Ziggy’s, because they have great coffee and all of the bakery items are handmade.

3. its

Box, great,

because of expansive menu.

If you want to provide suggestions to Campus Kitchen, you can find their feedback form on their LinkTree.

To browse more ‘budget’ options, Campus Kitchen has a LinkTree with a PDF linked to all the menu items from breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Finally, I asked Josie what her

Photo 1: Campus Kitchen Instagram/ ck_uea

Photo 2: Unio Instagram/ unio_ coffee

Nominations Open for the SU’s Transforming Education Awards Matthew Stothard Co-Editor-In-Chief

The Student Union’s Transforming Education Awards, which celebrate academic and professional services staff as well as student representatives, are returning this year for the first time since 2019.

For the first time they will be held in partnership between the SU and UEA, and Taylor Sounes (Undergraduate Education Officer), who is leading the project, hopes this will act as a way of cementing a positive relationship between the union and the university. She has emphasised however that the awards will remain distinctly student-led, with the event having been signed off by the SU’s Education

Committee, comprised of School and Faulty Convenors.

Students can currently submit nominations until 17th March, and they will then be involved in the shortlisting process, and presenting the awards at a black tie ceremony in the LCR on 9th May.

“Sounes [...] hopes this will act as a way of cementing a positive relationship between the union and the university”

Students can nominate their academics for a wide-range of categories, including awards for inspiring teaching, approaches to blended learning, and teaching which embeds the values of equality, diversity and inclusion.

Other categories for academics include the best undergraduate and postgraduate advisors and PhD supervisor. There is also an award for postgrad students who deliver teaching and two awards for whole Schools: School of the Year and Academic Society Partnership.

Other awards focus on recognising achievements within the SU’s academic representation programme, with awards for Convenor of the Year (recognising Faculty and School Convenors) and Course Rep of the Year (academic staff are also able to nominate students in these two

categories), whilst the award for SPO of the Year recognises the work of Student Partnership Officers, academics who, alongside School Convenors, lead on student representation within schools.

Taylor is particularly keen to emphasise the Professional Service of the Year award, which celebrates university departments outside of academic schools. The remaining categories are the Advocate for Students Award, the Experiential Learning and Employability Award for schools’ or services’ work on employability, an Academic Community Contribution Award for students, and a special recognition award decided by the Vice Chancellor.

Taylor

told

Concrete,

“I am incredibly excited to be bringing back this event that

is a key part of the fibre of our academic communities and for the first time in partnership with the University. My hope is that we are able to make this truly cross campus with nominations from every school and faculty and I’m confident we’ll get there. TEAs 2024 will build a legacy for years to come to celebrate your education.”

Further details and the form to submit nominations can be found at www.ueasu. org/education-hub/teas.

Photo: UEA SU Website

Society Spotlight: UEA Burlesque Soc LIzzie Bray

Home of the Wonderful Writer

Take this as a quick homage to the wonderfully inclusive and incredibly saucy members of UEA’s Burlesque Society. I’m not a member myself, but a fan from the crowd eager to shine a light on the immaculate energy they bring; not only to the stage.

I attended the most recent Halloween-themed show, Trick or Tease, at the Norwich Arts Centre to support a fellow performer. It was hosted by Liv, drag artiste

(liv_presents on Instagram) who opened the show with a deliciously dramatic performance of ‘Sweet Transvestite’ from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and was followed by equally tantalizing performances

by UEA’s finest Burlesquers.

Their mantra, ‘a society open to all, dedicated to empowering people to love the skin they’re in’, captures exactly how I felt after the show. Despite not performing myself, I left feeling like I could do it too and on an honest level, between the most incredible

dancers and the rhythmically challenged, the hoots and hollas from the crowd did not waver.

Each performance showcased numerous body figures and genders, and it wasn’t anything less than empowering. They had security to remove people who would rain on the parade, but nobody did – it was a completely safe and purely fun atmosphere.

Their next performance is the Valentine’s Day special, Chocolate and Cheeks, on the 20th of February at the Norwich Arts Centre, and

I’m sure it’s going to be far from nice and definitely all things spice.

I attended the performance with my only experience of Burlesque being the 2010 musical romance with Cher and Christina Aguilera.

I left understanding that it is less about nipple tassels and stockings, although they are half the fun, and more about the community of like-minded people and simply letting your hair down!

Photo: UEA Burlesque Instagram/ @ueaburlesquesoc

Home of the Wonderful

10

13th February 2024

A Very Norwich Valentine Fiona Hill

Home of the Wonderful Editor

When looking into the history of Valentine’s Day as we now know it, it would be difficult to ignore the influence of Norfolk over the last two centuries. It is quite uncanny how often the county appears within records of the celebration, with the oldest surviving Valentine’s Day card being sent near Bungay in 1477.

However, it was with the creation of the folk figure, Jack Valentine, that Norfolk was able to leave its mark on the global celebration of Valentine’s Day forever.

Cast your mind back 170 years ago.

We have arrived in Norwich on the evening of the 13th of February 1854. Just three years have passed since writer George Borrow

christened it ‘a fine city’. In some regards this is true, industry is booming, with the growing market for shoemaking establishing itself firmly at the centre. The burgeoning Tourism sector is also reaching new heights due to the recently found appreciation for Norwich’s medieval history. As a consequence, public libraries, parks and even medicine centres have started to be funded.

However, we are still in the heart of Victorian England and disease, poverty and overpopulation are rife. It is dismal to say the least.

Nevertheless, this is a special evening for Norfolk and, as you peer through the darkness, the soot and the grime lining the street and the newly built terraced houses, you begin to make out figures, people in the night. These are not the timeworn criminals you

come to expect lurking around the alleyways of Victorian cities, these are simply people full of love. They are parents, aunts and brothers leaving sweets for the children in their family, they are friends and neighbours offering coal to keep the house warm and sometimes they are lovers stepping out into the night with flowers and a note. From inside children and adults alike wait for a knock on the door and as they open it they are confronted with nothing but a present on the doorstep.

Jack Valentine has visited.

There has been no complete and successful research undertaken into how and why the figure and rituals associated with Jack Valentine originated. He appears in Norfolk folklore as a figure akin to Father Christmas, although his mischievous alterego ‘Snap-Valentine’ was said to play tricks on the recipient, often tugging the present away on a string! The peculiar thing is, both Jack and Snap cannot be found anywhere but Norfolk and, at a time when letter giving was by far the most prominent way of sending love on Valentine’s Day, puts the county at the forefront of influence for Valentine’s today.

For years Valentine’s Eve was a greater present-giving occasion for Norvicans than Christmas

Eve itself and in recent years there whas been a movement to bring such a unique history back to life through the legacy of Jack. For instance, in 2014 we saw the Norwich Lanes launch the ‘Bring Back Jack’ campaign, which resulted in 20 businesses grouping together and aiming to replicate the emphasis that Valentine’s Day had on local businesses in Norwich all those years ago.

Although Valentine’s Day is perhaps not as prevalent here as it was in the Victorian Era, there are still plenty of ways to celebrate on and around the day.

For a romantic film, Cinema City is showing the rom-com ‘Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind’ (14th) and Vue is also putting on the classic vintage romance of ‘An American in Paris’ (18th).

For date ideas beforehand I’d have to recommend either Yalm, Yard or The Wallow, although for something closer to uni then Eaton Park Café is always very sweet. If you’d rather do something with friends, then the live music in the city might be less overtly romantic, with the Waterfront hosting Sea Power (14th) and Norwich Art Centre following suit with the alternative rock band Flamingods (14th).

In a similar vein, Propaganda’s Valentine’s Day Party (16th) and the Burlesque Society’s Chocolate and Cheeks Show (17th) (see

article ‘Society Spotlight’) both promise to be great events.

It is so very easy to see Valentine’s Day as a time of pressure, whether that be to find either the perfect gift or the perfect partner. Norwich 170 years ago quite evidently did have its own array of problems, still, from what I can see they got Valentine’s Day right. It was a time to recognise all the different kinds of love in life and most importantly it was a time for both the ridiculous and the fun. And on that note, however you choose to spend your Valentine’s this year, don’t take it too seriously!

Photo 1: Concrete/lnnes Henry Photo 2: Unsplash

Concrete Archive: 26/02/2003 Eleanor Radford

Home of the Wonderful Writer

For this month’s dip into the archive, we’re looking at the February 2003 issue. The front page catches our eye quickly, with the bold tabloid-like font saying ‘FORCED OUT’. The story this relates to is a sit-down protest by students living in the village. They chose to take dire measures, in the form of an outdoor common room, after the university had failed to provide them with such amenities, despite common rooms being available to those in Nelson Court and Constable Terrace.

Edward Longmate, the leader, said that ‘the University Village doesn’t have a common room and with it being so far from campus it is fair to say that out of all the residences, the Village is one of the most obvious in need of one!’ However, all their plans fell flat as the then Director of Residences said such a common room would not be possible.

For an issue published almost exactly 21 years ago, many articles seem

‘cheugy’ or outdated. A clear example of this can be found on page 13 with some fashion recommendations for the avid Concrete reader. From suggestions of sweatbands being high fashion to the trendy emo fringes on half the models, it is clear that time has passed since this issue was released.

However, no matter the decade, some things never change. In an article titled ‘Pigeon- Holed’, some of the UEA schools have been stereotyped into a neat 300 words each. From SOC (politics, economics and philosophy) students being described as ‘frightful bores’ to HIS being cornered as ‘an inoffensive bunch’. Found on page 10, the article still rings true to many a UEA student. It also features a matching cartoonish drawing for four of the six stereotypes, something that was commonly found throughout the paper during the 2002-2003 running of Concrete!

In a section labelled ‘UEA Years’, the editors trawled through previous archives. Highlighted stories include 4 women being elected to SU officer

positions for the first time in 1993, two UEA students who had been attacked by local teens in 1998, and the passing of ENV Professor Ian Langford just the year before in 2002.

The paper also came with a housing guide for all interested students. The pull-out covered important topics: group size, location, what to do if you experience a burglary and even a celebrity flat-share game! The guide also sought to provide some solace to stressed out students via words of wisdom from a lecturer, the bar’s manager and both the international and finance officer. My favourite top tip included checking ‘that when the woman next door has an orgasm it doesn’t sound like Norwich FC just scored.’ Thank you, Prof Raymond!

An advert on the second to last page of the guide shows some approximate pricing of houses available. A 4-bed house on Bury Street, cost £47.30 per person per week, roughly £82.27 today.

Prices which seem rather idealistic to UEA students today!

Issue 149: 26th February 2003, Ed. Katie Hind

Global

11

North Korea demolishes a symbol of reunification with South Korea Sankavi Naresh Senior Global Writer

On the 23rd of January, it was reported that North Korea allegedly demolished a monument which symbolised the reconciliation with South Korea. This was ordered by leader Kim Jong Un, who reportedly said reunification is no longer possible and called South Korea a “Primary foe”.

On Tuesday, satellite images of Pyongyang revealed the absence of the Arch of Reunification, a symbol of aspirations for Korean reunification following a significant inter-Korean summit in 2000, as reported by NK News, an online platform dedicated to monitoring North Korea. NK News reported that the exact timing and method of the Arch of Reunification’s removal remained unclear. During a speech at the Supreme People’s Assembly on the 15th of January, Kim referred to the monument as an “eyesore” and ordered the constitution to be modified to delineate the South as a

Picture credits: Pixabay

“primary foe and invariable principal enemy”, as reported by official media.

According to records from the South Korean government, the 30 metre arch, officially named the Monument to the Three Charters for National Reunification, symbolised self-sufficiency, peace, and national collaboration. The monument is situated along the Reunification Highway which links Pyongyang to the heavily armed border with the South. It was built in 2001, portraying two women, each representing one of the Koreas, holding an emblem depicting the outline of the entire Korean Peninsula, reported by the now-deleted page on the DPRK-run website Naenara.

It was reportedly built to honour plans for reunification proposed

by Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea and Kim’s grandfather.

Although, purely symbolic, the alleged removal of the monument

heightens fears that North Korea has adopted a more provocative stance in its relations with the South and its allies, just months before the US presidential elections Tensions on the Korean peninsula have escalated due to intensifying military exercises by the South Korean and US militaries in response to North Korea’s Weapons testing.

North Korea stated its readiness for a “nuclear war” with its enemies.

The regime declared that it had successfully launched its first spy satellite in November. Additionally, last week, it announced the test launch of a new ballistic missile.

On Wednesday, South Korea’s military said that North Korea had launched multiple cruise missiles into the sea. This followed the firing of artillery rounds near the disputed maritime border between the two countries, two weeks prior.

In response to inquiries about North

Korea’s potential shift in its stance towards conflict with the South, White House spokesperson John Kirby informed reporters on Tuesday that they were closely monitoring the situation. He further remarked, “I would just tell you that we remain confident that the defensive posture that we’re maintaining on the peninsula is appropriate to the risk.”

the North’s assembly dismantled crucial government agencies that played a significant role in decades of interactions with Seoul.

Since assuming office in 2022, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has adopted a firm stance against North Korea, advocating for prompt and tough reactions to the North’s military activities, which have heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula. North Korea has vowed to “eliminate” South Korea in the event of an attack by South Korean and US forces. In late last year, North Korea declared a key agreement signed with South Korea in 2018, aimed at de-escalating military tensions, as invalid. In the aftermath of Kim’s recent speech,

Pakistan and Iran move to rebuild diplomatic ties after recent air strikes Kasey Campbell Global Writer

On the 16th January, Iran launched a missile attack on Pakistan’s Balochistan province, killing two children and injuring three other civilians.

The attack follows as a series of ongoing skirmishes occurring at the Iran-Pakistan border, due to struggles with separatist militant groups on both sides.

According to Iranian authorities, the attack was intended to target separatist terrorist group “Jaish al-Adl” and was not targeted towards Pakistani nationals. CNN reports that the attack sparked outrage in Pakistan, who has accused Iran of breeching Pakistan’s airspace calling the attack a “violation” of the “spirit of bilateral relations between Pakistan and Iran”.

According to Pakistani journalist Syed Muzammil, Pakistan recalled its ambassador from Tehran, declared Iran’s ambassador as “Persona Non Grata” and barred him re-entry to Pakistan.

In retaliation, Pakistan sent air strikes into Iran which targeted Baloch Separatists, two days after the Iranian initial attack.

These retaliatory strikes killed at least ten people, though multiple reports affirm Iranian authorities have confirmed that no citizens of Iran were among those dead. AP News reported that Pakistan named the retaliatory operation “Marg Bar Sarmachar”, meaning “Death To The Guerillas”.

This is seemingly a play on the infamous Iranian slogan “Marg Bar Amrika” (meaning “Death to America”) which was used as a form of protest during the Iranian revolution against the United States.

The border, separating Iran’s Sistan-and-Baluchestan province from Pakistan’s Balochistan province, is a turbulent area renowned for its violent clashes. Attacks from both sides are part of ongoing accusations of both countries allowing militant groups to cross their border and dates back to at least 2013, as main-

tained by Aljazeera. However, according to ABC News, the sudden escalation between the two sides has been labelled as unusual, with the recent airstrikes said to be the first high profile attacks between the neighboring states.

CNN reports claim Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry described concern over the attacks being launched “despite the existence of several channels of communication between Pakistan and Iran”. Ironically, on the day of the January 16th attack, Pakistani and Iranian naval forces were carrying out joint exercises as reported by Aljazeera. Of even more surprise were the images posted on Iran’s Foreign Ministry’s social media, showing Iran’s Foreign Minister, and Pakistan’s acting Prime Minister, meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos, hours prior to the attack. As a result, the Iranian attack that followed was surprising and unpredictable.

AP News claims that growing

tensions in the Middle East, with Israel’s war with Hamas, may be a potential catalyst behind the sudden escalation of the conflict. Whereas, The Economist’s Defence Editor Shashank Joshi, asserts the attack is in response to the bombing in Iran’s city of Kerman, which killed more than 90 people, in early January. In a BBC interview Joshi claims Iran is “wounded” after the Kerman bombing and the attack on Pakistan - following Iran’s attacks on both Iraq and Syria - may be display of power. According to AP News many countries have urged de-escalations between the Islamic Republics including China, Afghanistan and the United States, as well as The United Nations.

Presently, it appears as though both sides wish to de-escalate the conflict and are working to rebuild diplomatic ties. Aljazeera reports that recalled ambassadors are set to return to their abroad positions, as of January 26th.

Furthermore, that the countries’ foreign ministers have agreed that “working level cooperation and close coordination on counter terrorism and other aspects of mutual concern should be strengthened”. Therefore, further escalation seems improbable.

Picture credits: Pixabay

12

SEX SURVEY 2024 What is your gender?

What is your relationship status?

What is your sexuality?

13th February 2024

Have you ever questioned your sexuality?

How many sexual partners have you had?

Which parts of the body do you find most attractive?

“Waist, hips and back” “Butt and legs – as a trans woman waiting for HRT (but starting soon yippee!!) these are more or less my only body parts that don’t give me dysphoria.”

“Men: chest. Women: arse.”

“All of it.”

“Doesn’t matter what size, it’s always thighs.”

“Hands. Big sexy hands.”

“Personality” “Underboob” “Shoulders and back” “Neck”

What methods of contraception do you use?

“Love handles”

Do you use contraception?

SEX SURVEY 2024 What do you define as sex?

Best experience

Best sexual experience

“My boyfriend and I were having “vanilla” sex one evening and it just felt so intimate looking in each other’s eyes and kissing each other passionately. That was the night I came to realise I’m probably not as kinky as I always thought I was. I can appreciate the soft, tender sex a lot more.”

13

“Having sex on a private island (in Ireland!) in the middle of nowhere on a beautiful day in summer.”

“My house hosted a Halloween party and it was crazy. [...] 2 girls had found partners at the party and had returned to their rooms a little earlier, the other 2 girls had gone in with their boyfriends. My partner and I were making out in the kitchen and “A one night stand with a poly American sex eventually realised we could hear all wizard. He made me come 12 times in one night.” four of my housemates getting railed so we decided, fuck being quiet, let’s go!”

“By myself and with a vibrator.” “[My partner] pays so much attention to my pleasure every time that it’s pretty much always amazing. I think the first time I topped is probably up there though because gender euphoria.”

“I don’t kiss and tell”

Should couples watch porn or not?

“I don’t have an issue with the act of watching it, rather the ethical side of pornography. Would have no issue with my partner watching it on ethical sites or reading it.”

“I feel like the reason so many people are okay with it is because they don’t see adult film actors as real people. You wouldn’t be okay with your significant other masturbating to pictures of other people outside of porn, why is it so different?”

“I think every person is different and it may work for some people, and it might not work for others. Whilst I am fine with my partner watching porn, if they watched it every time they masturbated/ had to watch it to get off, I would have a problem with it.”

“It might help each person figure out something they want to try/what turns them on. In moderation, it isn’t a bad thing.”

“Sex when I’m in love with someone and we have great chemistry.”

“Again, I don’t be having sex” “First time I got head was nuts.

And then I was celibate for a bit. So then I got head again like 6 months later. Was even more nuts. Spiritual awakening type shit for real.”

Do you think those in a relationship should or shouldn’t watch porn?

“I’m acknowledging my struggle with porn addiction and working to better myself (yes, women struggle with porn addiction as well!). [...] I’ve noticed myself becoming increasingly frustrated because sex in real life wasn’t like porn. Also, I found it hard at times to get in the mood or orgasm because it felt physically impossible unless I watched porn. [...] Expectations of sex are unrealistic because of it and replicating porn in real life can lead to some serious consequences.”

“If you trust each other it shouldn’t be an issue, the issue starts when someone feels like their partner watches porn because they prefer it to their partner/ becomes excessive/isn’t communicating effectively.”

Funniest thing to happen during sex?

“I used to blow into a girl while eating her out to make her queef as I find it so funny” “While living in accommodation, we had the maintenance knock to fix the fire door in the middle of doing it. We later heard them laugh to themselves when they realised what they’d interrupted.”

“Inbetweeners on in the background while getting head. One of the characters was vomiting on a girl – funny as fuck.”

“My boyfriend’s cat started attacking his foot when I was on top of him. He was a lovely cat otherwise.”

“He told me he was a devout Christian who didn’t believe in sex before marriage (it was a one night stand). His response “He comes up for air and realises there’s was, it’s fine I’ll just go to mass on blood all over his face, his chest, the bed Sunday and repent” and the walls! We laughed about it so it wasn’t so embarrassing!”

“She took a BeReal while I was inside her” “Blood, everywhere. Literally smeared.

Looked like the joker, so quite possibly “My dog walked in on us when we did it also the worst experience.” for the first time. She knew exactly what was going on so tried to leave straight “A lamp fell on my head and we just away” carried on”

What do you wish you’d known before having sex?

“That it’s okay to not be ready and to take your time until you do it.”

“That you don’t orgasm every time”

“I wish there’d been any form of “It’s fun, but not mind-blowing, it doesn’t feel much different to a wank. trans-related sex ed. We barely had The extra enjoyment is all in the mind straight sex ed, and our gay sex - in the interpersonal relationship you ed amounted to “well, you know have with the other person, and in the that gay people do, so there’s no need to discuss that”, but there sharing of the experience.” was nothing whatsoever on trans peoples’ sex lives.”

“You don’t have to be completely

“Pee straight after!

Don’t end up with a UTI.”

“Trying to have sex for the first time without lube is silly”

shaved every time! I used to stress so much about this as shaving was a “My pleasure is important, the man very painful process for me and really shouldn’t be the only focus and I affected my confidence. [...] Being with deserve to be looked after too. My second boyfriend taught me that” people who didn’t care just proved to me that I can be sexy however I “That it doesn’t have to just appear.” be about love, sex can just be two people finding each other “More about queer sex” attractive and having some fun!”

“That if you play Limp Bizkit the girl leaves.”

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COMMENT

To SEND or to bury? The Tories and their tactics of avoidance Lily Taylor

Comment Writer / Music Editor It was revealed last week that the government have quietly signed a contract agreeing to cut 20% of funding for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), in a bid to bring down costs.

SEND budgets have been a growing issue for many years now, due to an increasing demand against large financial deficits. In an aim to tackle this, the government have devised the Delivering Better Value in Send programme (DBV), that encourages measures such as early intervention and placing children with special needs in mainstream schools. This, they believe, will help support a number of councils to cut their SEND budgets.

I spoke to a reception teacher about her stance on the DBV implementation.

She considered the DBV to be naïve to the complexity of early intervention and misinformed about the difficulties of teaching SEND children in mainstream schools. EHCP’s (Education, Health and Care Plans) provided by the government

do not cover SEND staff ’s wages, which means that the ratio of SEND staff to SEND children is highly unequal. Also, the average salary for SEND staff is low, at around £23,400 per year. It is possible to make more money working in Aldi than in SEND, which is why schools are experiencing difficulty in finding people willing to fill these positions. As a result of this, many children who need one to one support are not receiving it, which in itself is hindering the effectiveness of early intervention .

“It is possible to make more money working in Aldi than in SEND[...]”

In my opinion, paying these SEND workers such a low average salary is an utter disgrace. I’m not saying that working in a shop doesn’t have its challenges,

but working with a SEND child is entirely different. SEND workers are shaping lives for the better, allowing SEND children and young adults the space they need to learn and have the best quality of life they possibly can. Without SEND workers, many children with special needs and disabilities will grow up feeling isolated, which could result in an overall lack of support and a decreased quality of life.

The reception teacher I spoke to also argued that the impact of COVID-19 hasn’t been considered. The children currently in reception were born during the pandemic years, meaning they were born into the unconventional world of lockdown. As a result, the number of children who are emotionally underdeveloped has increased dramatically. Due to these children having difficulties regulating emotions, parents are then searching for diagnoses. This means that teachers are having to support and provide evidence for a huge backlog of requested diagnoses without additional funding.

think that the Conservative Party would have recognised their failings and strived to do more for the people rather than themselves. However, their nonchalance to the post-Covid impacts once again proves that they are still failing society, especially families including SEND children and adults.

So, you may ask, who are the cuts really helping? Well, reducing SEND costs will evidently not help SEND individuals or those who care for them, no matter what the government may try to make us believe.

Instead, they will reduce tax costs for the rich, making them even richer. It is another disgusting choice made by the government, and Rishi Sunak has a lot to answer for.

Considering all the political scandals that happened during the pandemic, you would

The blurry future of ‘X’ and the death of the bird Ore Adeyoola Comment Writer/ Film Editor On October 27th, 2022, billionaire and multibusiness owner Elon Musk purchased Twitter, Inc. for $44 billion, becoming the networking site’s CEO. In less than a year, Musk has made substantial notorious changes to the wellestablished platform. From enabling users to buy verification ticks through ‘Twitter Blue’, to rebranding the whole site as simply ‘X’, it is safe to say that Musk has caused quite a stir amongst Twitter/X’s dedicated user base.

Musk, a self-proclaimed “free-speech absolutist” has made Twitter/X a festering ground for bait accounts and borderline neo-Nazi indoctrination parading as ‘cultural awareness’. Twitter Blue’s payout feature is one of a few good updates that Musk has overseen on the platform. It allows Twitter users with X Blue to earn income based on interactions on their posts, which is great for creatives. However, even this update has unlocked a toxic new method to capitalise on outrage - bait accounts,

who will post purposefully insensitive or offensive content to farm interactions from rightfully incensed users, and earn money for being a poison to the X-sphere.

The bumpy journey of Elon Musk as Twitter CEO came to a screeching halt in May 2023

Credit: Unsplash

when Musk decided he wanted to step down as CEO a mere six months after buying it.

Like a child who is bored of their new toy, Elon decided that he no longer wanted to be “CEO of anything” and would instead be a chairman. He appointed Linda Yaccarino on the 5th of June of this year. With the current state of Twitter/X being so tumultuous, this has been speculated by some as a classic “glass cliff ” move -- appointing a woman as head of a company when it’s failing, ultimately setting her up for failure. Yaccarino’s priority is to make Twitter/X profitable for advertisers again- something Musk definitely didn’t help improve during his time as CEO. In the midst of all the chaos around Twitter/X, many users fled to other similar social networking sites for stability and solace, in fear of the sites future. Well known sites like Tumblr, and lesser known sites like Mastadon and Bluesky saw a rise in their user base as established Twitter influencers diverted their followers to alternatives.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg saw the Twitter exodus as an opportunity to debut his new Twitter alternative, ‘Threads’. The platform broke records due to its staggering user base in such a short amount of time, although of

Credit: Unsplash

course Zuckerberg had successful platforms with billions of users to advertise Threads to.

Although it had a strong start, many users quickly grew bored of Threads. The site was under-developed upon its launch, and missed what makes Twitter special.

Threads allow you to follow everyone you have on Instagram upon sign up already setting it apart from Twitter which survives on interactions between strangers and not necessarily friends and family.

The future of X/Twitter is blurry and unfocused.

Undeniably, it has a strong user base that has stuck with the site through all its many changes and phases, and a worthy successor has not yet arisen. As the site becomes more moderated again and small improvements are made under Yaccarino’s reign, I’m left feeling a naive hopefulness for the future of my favourite social networking site.

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13th February 2024

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

Look Beyond Western Imperialism and Open Your Eyes to Palestine

Credit: Unsplash

Jamie Bryson

News Senior Writer

Recently, I have considered how the nature of our relationship with social media can sometimes detach us from the stark reality of the lived experiences playing out on our screens. Many of us have become comfortable - perhaps apathetic - seeing violent or abusive content on a day-to-day basis. But do we honestly and outwardly acknowledge what is happening and how this could be directly connected to issues or institutions much closer to home?

I didn’t think I fell into this category.

But this crossed my mind one evening last month in particular, as I sat down, as I do most weekdays, with a post-work drink and my phone. The first thing I saw on my Instagram feed was a clip from an ITV News camera team who, whilst making a separate report, had captured an unarmed

Palestinian civilian bearing a white flag (an internationally recognised symbol of surrender) when he was suddenly and fatally shot by an IDF (Israeli Defence Force) soldier while trying to rescue members of his family. I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing. Made into a main feature on ITV News at 10, the reporter - with distinct bluntness - summed the incident up well, however, “Yet another innocent Palestinian civilian, killed while posing no threat whatsoever”.

The shock of seeing this on a mainstream news channel signalled to me just how much my fundamental view of this conflict, up until relatively recently, has been distorted by my largely unconscious reliance upon Western mainstream media much of which is not accurately or adequately reporting the scale and severity of the human atrocities occurring in Gaza. I massively praise ITV News for broadcasting

this report, which is now being used as critical evidence in numerous international legal cases against the Israeli government. I also applaud the bold and defiant campaigns against the Netanyahu regime by a number of Jewish faith leaders and communities in the UK and other nations who continue to promote unconditional peace and equality as the core premise of their practice.

British-made arms are being used to kill innocent Palestinian civilians in their thousands.

Fact.

If there is one thing that a university should teach us, it is to form independent and balanced views based on a diverse range of sound

evidence and accurate research.

While it is equally important to be pragmatic and listen and engage with those we may disagree with, we must not let this mindset prevent us from actively calling out such obvious abuses of the most basic humanitarian rights.

We have a duty as young, privileged and relatively safe Western citizens to both call out oppressive political regimes for what they are and raise awareness of how the institutional structures and historical context of our own country enable them to hide behind an archaic, white, western-style protective cloak when doing so.

There is no doubt whatsoever that the state of Israel is committing unambiguous war crimes against 2.3 million innocent citizens of Palestine (possibly including acts of genocide). There is no doubt whatsoever that many of our own state institutions and

systems in the UK (along with the US and others) are complicit in the facilitation of such acts through continued financial, military and political support for a far-right, ultra-nationalist and systemically racist regime.

British-made arms are being used to kill innocent Palestinian civilians in their thousands. Fact.

Suppose our generation is to be the one that finally breaks the chains of our imperial past. In that case, we must begin to openly acknowledge and speak out on otherwise hushed-up cases of continued hypocrisy and corruption in international relations and peacemaking. Suppose we don’t, as it was in the age of the empire.

In that case, the British state will continue to play a genuine role in the oppression and ultimate loss of life of innocent human beings such as those currently enduring such unjust and inexcusable suffering in occupied Palestine.

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Science

13th February 2024

This Month in Science: Blavatnik Early Days of IVF Award win: JIC Becky Sainty Science Writer

In February 1944, Miriam Menkin, was working as a technician for Dr John Rock, achieving the first fertilisation of a human egg outside of the body.

Dr John Rock was a fertility specialist at the Free Hospital For Women in Massachusetts. Miriam Menkin, his technician, had previously worked with Gregory Pincus, who was attempting in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) on rabbits. Despite holding a master’s in genetics, Miriam had been unable to pursue her original aim to become a doctor due to rejections from medical school, likely due to her gender.

Every week Miriam collected eggs from ovaries surgically removed by Dr Rock, and tried to fertilise them. Dr Rock hoped external fertilisation could help the 1/5th of his infertile patients who had damaged fallopian tubes.

After 6 years of meticulous research, including 138 attempts to fertilise eggs

in a petri dish, one week Miriam left the sperm in contact with the egg for 1 hour rather than 30 minutes, and two days later the cells had fused and divided.

In her absence, Dr Rock’s research group did not successfully fertilise another egg, and their group never progressed to transplanting fertilised zygotes back

Science Writer

Dr Yiliang Ding has become the first UK plant scientist to be given a Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists. A group leader at the John Innes Centre (JIC), she was one of three honourees in Life Sciences, and will receive money for research as part of the award.

Like many scientific breakthroughs, this fertilisation has been attributed partly to accident. In an interview, Miriam stated she left the incubation for longer because she was tired from soothing her teething daughter throughout the night before.

Nevertheless, the fertilisation represented a remarkable achievement for the group.

She went on to create further twocell and two three-cell zygotes, and her and Dr Rock published their findings in the journal Science.

Unfortunately for Miriam, shortly after the breakthrough, her husband lost his job and she followed him to North Carolina, where IVF research was not supported.

Becky Sainty

Photo: Wikicommons

into women. In the 1950s, after divorcing her husband, Miriam did work again with Dr Rock, who was now focused on developing a contraceptive pill.

This groundbreaking human fertilisation laid the foundations for later IVF research, ultimately leading to the first baby conceived from IVF born in 1978, still highlighted as a common method for assisted reproduction today.

Dr Ding has been recognised for developing innovative profiling methods to determine RNA structures inside living cells.

RNA is vital for all living organisms.

RNA acts as an intermediary; it is created as a copy of the code in a gene, and subsequently used a blueprint to build proteins.

However, further research shows RNA can be functional itself, and crucial to this are the complex, dynamic structures it forms.

These structures play a part in regulating gene activity, as Dr

Ding’s work is uncovering. Dr Ding has discovered 3D RNA structures which are involved in plant growth, development, and stress responses including cold adaptation.

One of the key stages these technologies uncover is the control of RNA degradation, which can be applied in antiviral therapies. Viruses have a major impact on both human health and crop production, especially with reduced use of pesticides.

The Ding group and collaborators have developed anti-viral molecules to treat Beet Yellows Virus. This strategy has proved very effective so far when tested in sugar beet plants.

The Blavatnik Awards are the largest unrestricted prizes for young UK scientists, and an important part of recognising and supporting scientific innovation.

Research Spotlight: The Sobolewski Lab TNT Express

Hidden away in the dungeons of floor 01 in CAP, the Sobolewski lab is looking at tunnelling nanotubes (TNTs) in lung cancer. Not to get confused with dynamite TNT, our TNTs act like the Eurostar between cells. They connect two cells via a tunnel transporting passengers, such as the mitochondria (aka the powerhouse of the cell), taking regular rides. There is previous evidence from other labs that TNTs are present in cancerous cells and the passengers they transport can cause cancer progression.

Natalia Cicovacki Science Writer

However, the current knowledge is very “messy” - what actually causes them to form and how to tell the difference between an actual TNT or a really tiny weeny bit of the cell that is stretching out, is unanswered.

It is also worth mentioning that TNTs form naturally in our bodies for example, immune cells use them to communicate with each other to pass antigenic information. So how can we target the cancerous TNTs and not our helpful ones?

With one published paper in the bag and another in the works, the Sobolewski lab is currently zooming into these cell signalling pathways, as well as looking at what other passengers travel along the cells’ Eurostar. One of the pathways the lab is holding a magnifying glass over is that of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), which causes your cells to grow, organs to regenerate and wounds to heal. In lung cancer, mutations in this signalling pathway and overexpression of HGF have been linked to its invasive growth, and interestingly, resistance to chemotherapy.

Photo: Natalia Cicovacki

This resistance has also been found to be due to TNTs transferring mitochondria. So are TNTs the reason behind how HGF is able to allow lung cancer to grow and become chemo-resistant?

My research so far has been investigating the cytoskeleton (cells’ skeleton) as there are a lot of similarities between the HGF and cytoskeletal pathway. This involves adding different inhibitors of the cytoskeletal pathway to lung cancer cells and seeing if there’s any effect, which at the moment is top secret classified information.

There are many unanswered questions in the field but we are unified by one: can we hijack the cells’ Eurostar to include chemotherapy drugs as passengers?

Photo: Innes Henry

L to R: Salonee Banerjee, Dr. Anastasia Sobolewski, Natalia Cicovacki.

13th February 2024

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

Survival of the Queerest Max Todd

Senior Science Writer

Why are you gay? If you’re asking this question, to yourself or others, you might find many different answers.

The popularity of the “gay gene” theory, that sexuality was not a choice but an unchangeable genetic feature, rose in popularity in opposition to a dark history of prejudice that saw it as a chosen ‘lifestyle’. Although no such gene has been discovered, it is clear through observation of the world around us that same-sex attraction is not only common, it is a dynamic force from person to person.

But the question remains, why are you gay, and not somebody else? We’ll probably never know for certain, but science can make some educated guesses.

Though there is current merit to an epigenetic theory of sexuality, the way our proteins alter the

expression of genetic information passed through generations, that during development as an embryo, the biological puzzle is far too complex to make any clear distinctions between what will cause a heterosexual leaning attraction or a homosexual one.

But there are other theories, one being that same-sex attraction is a positive force for social populations.

Same-sex sexual behaviour has been reported in 261 mammalian species (about 4% of the species) belonging to 62 families (about 50% of the families) and 12 orders (63% of the orders).

The authors include that this figure is likely under-reported due to the only recent interest of scientists.

Recent research published in the journal Nature provided evidence for two hypotheses.

One, that same sex attraction established and maintained social relationships, and two, that it

decreased instances of intrasexual aggression and conflict. To do this they gathered information on sociality and lethal aggression for the mammals within the datasets and compared it to the others correlated with instances of homosexual contact. The results were consistent across all control methods and far more prevalent in social species. For males especially, instances of same-sex behaviour were far more significant in violent species.

Furthermore, it was impossible to conclude whether any of these traits were passed on through direct genetic lineages.

So, if you feel the need to find a reason for what is natural and celebrated, one might be that you’re helping keep the peace of society. Look at you, so generous!

Traces of Trauma Rana Dawood

Science Editor

The dancing interplay between our genes and the proteins surrounding them is a fascinating array of biological processes and schematics.

Modification of gene expression does not change the gene sequence, more in the sense of activating or silencing different gene segments, and how they are read and then used. With the term ‘epigenetics’ first being coined in the 1940’s by the British embryologist Conrad Waddington, to phrase how genes interact with their surroundings to present observable characteristics.

In the past 50 years, this field of research has been constantly developed and moulded as our understanding of the mechanisms behind gene expression have drastically grown. The gradual emergence of these studies has disproven the popular nature vs nurture debate, highlighting that both are essential and influence each other. With modifications in this interplay identified as influencing numerous diseases and behavioural changes.

Trauma has countless forms and manifestations, leaving a deep and profound scarring in many. How it works, evolves, and where it hides, are all questions we’ve delved into.

Speculated of leaving a ‘chemical trace’ on our genes and hiding in our epigenetic processes. Yet

these mechanisms are constantly questioned and debated, with traces of trauma passed down labelled by some as ‘intergenerational’ or ‘transgenerational’.

‘Intergenerational’ meaning that an environmental stressor, such as a traumatic event, directly causes epigenetic changes in the offspring.

The Dutch Chinese famines being studied examples, e.g. Those who were in the womb during the famine, then later had offspring who had higher rates of neonatal obesity. Meaning that the body is able to adapt after experiencing the trauma and pass this epigenetic mutation down the line.

Recent research published in Nature highlights that those exposed to trauma and their offspring would benefit from additional health screenings, indicating that trauma is an important risk factor for adult-onset diseases such as cardiovascular diseases. A more serious manifestation of trauma.

Various studies even claim to have identified specific genes that have been influenced by traumatic events, sparking controversy over their conclusions. Some researchers completely disagree, stating it is a rare event, others completely stand by it, but until more research is carried out we stay speculating.

‘Transgenerational’ meaning that trauma exposure indirectly impacts the eggs/sperm, and the offspring passes down trauma to descendants who have not been exposed to

Photo: Unsplash

the stress. Even indirectly, simply the shaping of your upbringing, of those with parents who have lived through traumatic events. The way that traumatised individuals deal with their situation and interact with

“...speculated of leaving a ‘chemical trace’ on our genes....” their children heavily plays a role.

The Environmental Toll Of Disposable Vapes Caitlin Bennet Science Writer

What is a disposable vape?

According to the brand Innokin, a disposable vape has ‘four primary components’, ‘the battery, the logic board, the wick and the heating coil’, enabling this small, handheld device to be already filled and pre-charged, so that it can be used straight out of the packaging. This readily available and cheap source of e-cigarette makes them susceptible to overuse, as Green Peace phrases it in their recent review article, they are ‘one of the defining images of our throwaway culture’.

A poll carried down to the United Kingdom last September, showed ‘vape sales had soared to 7.7 million a week’, and that they produce so much waste which goes unrecycled, that they’d fill 22 football pitches every year. Meaning that every second, approximately 8 vapes go in the bin. On average this means by the time you’ve finished this article, nearly 1000 vapes will have been binned and probably will not be recycled.

According

to

GreenPeace,

disposable vapes are made primarily from plastic, they use some potentially hazardous materials which can lead to environmental pollution, and waste valuable resources. The charity also makes clear that due to the engineering behind the vapes, it’s difficult to detach the battery from the body, meaning that even if recycling was possible, it would be incredibly costly.

Another environmental question the use of these devices raises, is that the battery is made from lithium, a resource that we are running out of. GreenPeace states 40 tonnes of lithium was lost to vapes in 2022 for the UK alone.

One of the best solutions for the environment is to buy a device which is rechargeable and refillable, meaning the device could be used for longer, and would produce less waste. Another option if disposable vapes are better for your use, is to find a local recycling point which means that the materials in the vapes will be disposed of in a way which is environmentally friendly, more resource sustainable, and won’t create pollution.

As the increasing years of synergistic research are channelled into the ever growing field of epigenetics, the more we slowly understand. Yet we are currently at a stage where we are still unsure of the exact mechanisms and science of how trauma is able to reverberate through generations.

With harrowing wars, famines, and genocides all being speculated to leave an epigenetic mark in the descendent offspring, suspected to be more likely to develop disorders such as anxiety, PTSD, etc.

All we know is our traces of trauma shine through, tracing our being and shaping us as we grow.

Photo: Unsplash

18

Lifestyle

13th February 2024

What it means to be sex positive in the modern day Lizzie Bray Lifestyle writer

I’m a 20-something hetero-girl, of course my nights are consumed with back-to-back ‘Sex and the City’ binge viewings. It’s not a want but more of a need for every pop-cultureloving gen-Z to find some relatability when it comes to all things sex.

For me, I find comfort in the brutal provocativeness of Samantha and the romanticisation of Charlotte. I find comfort within my own dynamic, spilling all with some girlfriends about our latest sexcapades over a bottle of wine – it’s the crème de la crème of a midweek pub trip.

However, if we still believe in our New Year’s resolutions, top of the list was to extend dry January for, well, whenever I see fit – and I don’t mean from cosmopolitans. We all have high hopes of changing diets and exercise habits and others, like me, to enforce a somewhat temporary celibacy (a choice… honestly), and it’s been enlightening to say the least.

These attitudes towards sex, the Carrie Bradshaws of the world,

are what many might call sex positivity: sex is great and the more we have it, the better. This simply isn’t true and in the modern day, the meaning is constantly resurging.

I think we’ve all mutually agreed that everything is far too complex for labels and sex positivity isn’t excluded from this. S-E-X and everything in-between are a natural part of the human experience and if you haven’t already noticed, the human experience is very awkward, sometimes embarrassing, and entirely outrageous.

Lately, everything and everyone seems to either be having sex, or talking about sex, or coming out with candles labelled ‘This Smells Like My Vagina’: thank you Gwyneth Paltrow, I guess. But since when did I feel entirely comfortable with ‘sexpression’?

Why do some feel uncomfortable?

Sex positivity has meant something slightly different to each generation.

During the HIV/AIDS crisis, the promotion of safe sex combated the propaganda that gay people should just quit sex altogether. We have the free love movement of the sexual revolution of the 60s/70s, and the encouragement of female desire

has been an important part of numerous feminist organisations.

You could question whether all this talk about sexual positivity, especially towards liberating women within this umbrella, is somewhat coercive. Creating a culture where sex seems to be talked about more therefore pushes the narrative that sex is amazing and ‘normal’ so why wouldn’t everyone be okay with having a lot of it?

Credit: Pexels

"Sex positivity [..] operates in spaces with information around sex without stigma"

Acceptance when it comes down to the deed means realising your likes as well as your dislikes, communicating the okays and nay’s, not judging your partners dos and don’ts, and figuring out a fun middle ground. Simple, right?

Sexual desire could not be on your radar; or perhaps you’re experiencing a lull in libido; or your desire goes no further than a vanilla sexual taste (whatever vanilla means nowadays); or you’re a virgin and feel misunderstood by what people mean when they say they’re ‘sex positive’.

It’s not necessarily about bearing your sexuality on your sleeve, but rather being shameless with your acceptance. Sex positivity, as it is today, operates in spaces with information around sex without stigma – essentially, you do you.

On the other end of the spectrum, you could be experiencing sexual fantasies you have no clue how to communicate; or have a very high libido with a vast collection of pleasure toys; or even a serial dater that feels completely in their element with lots of emotionally

detached

one-night

wonders.

I have definitely submitted to hormones and possible FOMO, sometimes mixed with alcohol (responsibly, of course) when it comes to my sexual history, and I have also felt curious about things that I have had no experience with, and I have also not felt interested at all.

With anything, there’s levels to what feels okay to you and the beautiful thing is that no one is right or wrong. Sex positivity isn’t just about being the loudest person in the room, standing on top of the table and declaring how much you love masturbation.

You could also be the person at the back of the room, thinking ‘I could never’ but simultaneously thinking ‘good for them’.

The emergence of 'Sephora tweens' Lauren Barrett

Lifestyle writer

‘Sephora tweens’ is a term popping up all over the place at the moment.

Mainly on TikTok, these are tweens obsessed with everything skincare and makeup. Posting ‘get ready with me’ videos showing their extensive skin care routines, followed by their expensive makeup products. These kinds of videos aren’t unusual in this day and age – so why do people keep talking about them?

Searching the hashtag ‘sephoratweens’ or ‘sephorakids’ on Tiktok or Instagram will have you met with videos inside the store where testers of certain skincare and makeup brands, namely Drunk Elelphant and Byoma, looking completely mauled. Kids hoarding around the sections and fighting over products is not uncommon either.

Because of this, some shoppers have called to ban unsupervised children from the store. This all started because of a trend. With different developments in skincare products over the past few years popularising a more extensive skin care routine, there’s a much bigger market for the products. It’s not hard to see this either. Scrolling on TikTok for a few minutes will have you met with all kinds of beauty – and newly

Credit: Unsplash

skincare – influencers, sharing their favourite products and routines.

Looking at this on a surface level it seems like a positive thing. Sharing how to look after skin and address specific concerns leads to more self-confidence, and healthier body – after all skin is the largest organ.

As with anything online though, the target audience is not always where a video lands. Most of these influencers are in their midtwenties and their products are aimed at those in the same range.

While previous trends in the beauty sector have been centred around make-up products, which aside from debates on young people’s need for them, are mostly harmless; skin care is not the same. Retinols and harsh exfoliators are amongst

"Harsh chemicals like this can actually damage young skin" some of the star products in the eyes of young people now, without giving proper thought to the effects

some consideration for these tweens. Education should be a priority, rather than trying to ban them from stores and ridicule the

"Education should be a priority, rather than trying to ban them from stores" Credit: Unsplash they have on such young skin.

These kinds of products have been traditionally marketed to an older clientele to combat the effects of aging. Now, with brands using brighter colours and enticing marketing, they have unlocked a new generation. This isn’t such a good thing though. Dermatologists have spoken out explaining how strong these products are. Harsh chemicals like this can actually damage young skin, rather than the positive effects they have on more developed skin.

Having said this, it’s almost understandable to see why these tweens are using them. age is

one of the peaks for insecurity and, with a lot of discourse on anti-aging in media talking about preventing rather than reversing, the logic is clear. This, also paired with the ability to show off the expensive products to their peers that they have bought. The whole trend is almost reminiscent of the emergence of YouTube beauty gurus back in the day. Strong nostalgia of watching a makeup tutorial from one of the emerging stars like Zoella and trying to replicate what she’d done and taking her product recommendations. It’s this memory I think more people should feed back into and have

wrong use of products. Curiosity about taking care of their skin is a good thing. Perhaps those aware they have a younger audience should make videos explaining what products work for this sort of age range and try to help them get involved in an age-appropriate way. This paired with guidance from those in their lives showing them proper etiquette on using testers in a store.

As far as online trends go, this isn’t a harmful one. Hopefully some of the judgment can turn into education and self-care stays in the trend cycle. Everyone might be better for it.

19

13th February 2024

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

Anne Glia Your Agony Aunt, Jadyn

Q: How do I manage a work/ life/uni balance? I’m struggling to know which to prioritise and feel like they’re all suffering!

A: This is something I’ve definitely struggled with a lot over the years so you’re definitely not alone! My best suggestion would be to try to cross reference those areas of your life as much as you can! Balancing uni and life, I would say, you can do most easily. Studying with your friends at a cafe, for example, lets

"If fun is central

to your personal values, then you can adapt the way you study" you have that socialisation whilst also focusing on your work. And if you work in the city, then this makes going from the cafe to work an easier feat too! Something else that helped me was adapting my outlook so that I could view work as a place of socialisation too. Of course it may be that you don’t work with people you get on with,

but if you do, then that’s a place for maintaining social aspects.

I think figuring out what your biggest values as a person are can definitely help you to figure out your balance and how you can fulfil those values! If fun is central to your personal values then you can adapt the way you study with your friends to fulfil this, for example.

And of course you should also make rest and restoration a factor to prioritise too - if that’s something you can do with your friends too then that’s good too!

Please remember that you are not a machine and there’s only so much one person can do.

Overall, remembering that you don’t have to do any of these parts of your life alone is the most important.

Q: I feel like there's something wrong with me because I'm still a virgin but no one else seems to be and I don't know what to do.

I feel really afraid of sex but also a pressure to lose my virginity so i'm not left behind. Is it really not normal to still be a virgin at this age?

How can I manage these feelings?

A: First of all there is nothing at

all wrong with you for not having engaged in this realm of life yet and there still wouldn’t be anything wrong with you even if you never did! It’s completely okay and it doesn’t mean you are ‘behind’ at

Credit: Pexels

"There are no rules

on how, or how quickly, you should experience life" all. It just means you have been prioritising or allowing yourself to experience other things! Which are not any more valuable than sex is.

Our society tends to alienate and weaponise virginity, and it breeds a lot of unnecessary shame. I think a lot more people are unfamiliar with sex than we realise, simply because people are so ashamed in their level of experience.

But there are no rules on how, or how quickly, you should experience life. And there shouldn’t be a hierarchy of value in our life experiences either. You are not worth any more or less because of the depth of your experiences, and we wouldn’t think that way about any other factor of life either.

Everyone moves at different paces. What’s most important in intimacy is being completely

comfortable so that you are both safe and can enjoy it rather than feel afraid of it. You live your life for you, not for others, so just as with anything else, you are entirely entitled to go at your own pace in your personal experiences.

Sex is a scary thing because it’s so vulnerable, but it doesn’t have to be scary.

When the right person comes, and makes you feel comfortable, then you can go at your own speed with it.

That’s not to say that it needs to be

an intense romantic relationship either - casual experiences can also allow for secure environments too. it just needs to be the right person and moment for you and your body And if sex is something you actually never feel any wish to engage in, that's perfectly fine too - it doesn't make you any less of a person, and you don't owe your body to anyone either.

Stay

healthy

and

safe

<3

My experience on the pill Iona MacRobert Lifestyle writer

Typing into google ‘combined pill mental health’ caused an immediate surge of articles with ominous titles.

To name a few: ‘My nightmare on the pill’, ‘The pill made me lose my mind’ and various adverts for anxiety and depression relief (not an advert coincidence). As someone who has been on the combined pill for 6 months, I hesitated to read them.

Did I want to read something with no scientific data to prove it? Or was I just scared to read anything that mirrored my own feelings?

Then, I searched for some NHS evidence about the link between mental health and the pill. However, there were no clear, cold facts from the NHS about studies done about women. I came across studies done in Copenhagen, which linked higher risk of depression to women on the pill. These studies could be taken as individual data can be collected from women, which is not the case in the UK. So it was back to the NHS website which pre-warned me of the side effects such as nausea,

headaches, mood swings, acne, increased risk of blood clots and spotting. It was like trying out a new makeup product, would the blush suit me or would I break out in a rash?

"Was I just scared to read anything that mirrored my own feelings?"

Except the difference is all these side effects would come at a higher consequence.

What is the pill?

There are two types of the contraceptive pill that can reduce the risk of pregnancy or help reduce premenstrual symptoms.

The combined which contains a mix of progesterone and oestrogen OR the mini pill only containing progesterone only.

I remember trying to choose the

combined pill to take and was faced with ominous, medical words such as: Microgynon, Lucette, Lizinna, Millinette, Eloine, Femodene, Qlaria and Marvelon. Aside from taking paracetamol for a hangover or a hayfever tablet, I was not educated on what I should be taking. The worst part is that this pill goes into your body and you don’t even know the difference between the names. Even while the nurse sat with me and went through the potential risks, at the end of the day it was all trial and error.

The stories I read online of women on the pill were not side effects that got mentioned to me. I wouldn’t say that ‘mood swings’ is in the same bracket as feeling anxious, not yourself or unable to control your brain. In these articles there was a turbulent feel to how some woman felt. Iit made me uncomfortable to think I had to google these stories and that I didn’t feel warned enough of the implications. When I went to the nurse initially, she told me she was encouraging the implant. I never asked her why that was and I don’t know if it has something to do with the complications arising from the pill.

A month into taking the combined

pill and I actually felt relatively okay.

However, slowly over the months my moods now fluctuate a lot more extremely. Taking my seven day pill break, it was clear that there was a difference in how I felt being on and off the pill - one that is even hard to describe. One thing I have tried to do is cut down caffeine. Anyone who knows me would laugh at that statement but I do notice the ‘coffee shakes’ more prominently than I did before. Is this a direct cause of the pill? I can’t say for sure however, I know that feelings of anxiety are more prominent.

Writing this article for the sex survey edition wasn’t about finding breakthrough evidence about the effect of the pill on mental health.

I just wanted to draw attention to anyone that is on it to be mindful of how they feel and that feeling different isn’t in your imagination.

I used to think a lot of the articles were scare mongering or potentially putting me off the pill. Now I feel all women should be communicating how they feel so there is a broader view for the research for women’s health.

Credit: Unsplash

20

Travel

13th February 2024

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

Sex and Relationship Travel Stories

Anonymous Submissions

I'm from Norwich, and in 2015 I travelled to a festival in the Midlands where I met a guy and we instantly clicked. Turns out, he was also from Norwich, and had been to loads of the same local gigs as me, plus we had mutual friends! We've been together ever since - it seems all you need to do to meet someone local is travel a hundred miles!

I went travelling in Europe with my best friend and I ended up sleeping with a US navy officer at our first location (I was 19, he was 28). He then became obsessed with me and when my best friend and I moved on to the next location, he was saying how he wanted to move to England for me and even admitted to looking up on google if it was okay to be in a relationship with a 19 year-old when he’s 28. I never saw him again.

I was on a family holiday and my sister and this guy took an interest in each other. My mum made me follow her around everywhere so nothing inappropriate happened. It was really awkward because they were flirting and I was just often stood there smiling like Ben from Gone Girl. They wanted to go cliff diving together but my sister got so frustrated at having a chaperone she just watched because she couldn’t enjoy any of the dates. He seemed like a nice guy.

One night when me and my friend were coming out of a club in South America, this guy came up to me and started coming onto me really strong. He was extremely confident and kept telling me how he was a model, that I was very beautiful, how we would be perfect together, and that we could fall in love. He started complimenting me and wanted to kiss me. He said to me really seriously: 'I love your eyes, I love the way your skin smells, I love your blonde moustache.' I was dumbfounded. (I am a girl).

I was going on a family holiday to Kos and my (ex) boyfriend was invited. He broke up with me a month before we left so I brought a friend of mine to replace him. Every night she’d facetime him in the bed next to me and sneak off to the bathroom.

I went on a hike for two days with a girl I met just two weeks prior.

We left too late, so we arrived at our campsite in pitch black. After we managed to put up our tent, we looked around a little bit and decided we were the only ones camping there at the time. We went ahead, had sex, and didn't hold back on the volume levels. The next morning, we woke up and found out that there were other campers there who must've heard us. The most awkward eye contact during breakfast as they got out of their tents...

When I was travelling in Mexico, I kissed a guy once in a club. It wasn’t a good kiss; he bit my lip so hard I thought it was going to bleed.

A couple of weeks later when I had left the country, he messaged me saying he was going to work hard and save to buy a visa to visit me in England. I asked why, and he responded, ‘I fell in love. I’m going to marry you.’

Whilst I was on an overseas exchange, I made amazing friends who were staying in my accommodation. Just as I was heading to the shower, one of my housemates was stepping out and we bumped into each other in the hallway – she had her towel wrapped around her body. I greeted her with a wave. She smiled back, then bit her lip and slowly opened her towel, showing me her nude body!

She saw me staring at her figure and proceeded to wrap herself up again. She giggled, winked at me, and walked towards her room like nothing happened.

Me and my boyfriend went travelling together early on in our relationship. We were staying in a tiny ensuite where you could hear everything in the bathroom from the bedroom. One night, I was fast asleep when he woke me up to ask me to put my headphones on as he had diarrhoea and didn’t want me to hear. I wouldn’t have even known if he had done it whilst I was sleeping.

When I moved to Aotearoa New Zealand for half a year, I wanted to shed my old ways of living and grow into someone new. I knew it wouldn't be easy, and leaving my partner of two years behind was not going to help. For the first two months, we were doing just fine. By the time month three came around, it started to feel like the 12-hour time zone difference, the sporadic texts and irregular calls were a death sentence for our relationship. I was tied to someone who didn't really exist in the world that I lived in anymore.

I worried whether we would be able to reconnect at all.

Reflecting on it, I see how transformative the hardship was.

Because of my partner, I was exposed to parts of myself that I would never have seen if I left on my journey single. It's exactly those insights that make our connection stronger every day. I'm happier than ever to have him by my side.

Photo: Unsplash

I've been in a long-distance relationship for a few months as my boyfriend started his year abroad. For me, the main challenge was that, because he was living in a different country and doing a sport that took him to a lot of different places, I felt like my schedule would start revolving around his, and I wasn't in charge of my life. Although I felt selfish for feeling this, I didn't want to let resentment build up. Talking with my boyfriend, I decided that, even if it meant seeing each other less, I would more often prioritize my own life and schedule. We would still set times to see each other which would equally rely on compromising both of our schedules. Although this was difficult because it meant we might see and talk to each other less, I think resentment is easy to keep hold of in a long-distance relationship, and sometimes less time together can mean more time in the long run.

When I was about 17, I went on holiday with my boyfriend and a group of our mutual friends. We barely got to spend time together during the day, so one night we stayed up late watching TV on the communal sofa. It was about 3am and everyone in the house was asleep; things became heated, and we started having sex under a blanket. He was spooning me, and then suddenly someone walked past on their way to the toilet. She stopped to chat to us, and I don’t think she knew what was going on, but he was literally inside me under the blanket.

Three years ago, I was on holiday with my family on a Greek island. Whilst I was there, I had an intense fling with a local, which lasted for the few weeks I was staying there. When I left, he gave me his dead grandma’s bracelet as a token of his love, but refused when I insisted I shouldn’t take it. I ended things when I left due to distance, and it also felt too intense for a fling, but when I came back to England he continued to message and call me. I eventually blocked him. One day, I was studying in the library at university when I got a call from a housemate. He was standing outside my accommodation with flowers and gifts. I stayed at a friend's house for a couple of nights and never heard from him since.

I was on holiday with my boyfriend and his whole family. We had to share a room with his brother and his brother's girlfriend, which we thought would be a laugh, but ended up being a disaster. They argued the whole time, to the point that we were having to physically separate them because they were screaming at each other so much. They refused to sleep in the same bed on some of the nights, which really mixed up the sleeping arrangements! It was one of the most awkward weeks, especially since his parents paid for the whole thing, and a few days after we got back, they had broken up.

Photo: Ellie Dharamraj

Puzzles & Games

13th February 2024

WORDS: Lesbian

C ondoms

Q ueer

Orientation

Implant C ombined P ill Gay Intersex P atch C oil B isexual A sexual Injection Vaginal ring T ransgender Heterosexual

21

@ConcreteUEA

Sport

13th February 2024

22

“One of the hardest I have ever had to make.”- Sir Lewis Hamilton makes a shock exit to Ferrari for the 2025 season.

Sofia Royal Sports Editor

H e’s o n e of the g reatest drive rs to g rac e the s po r t of Form ula O n e. A s a seven-tim e world d r i ve rs ’cha mpio nship winne r, S i r Lew i s Hamilto n ne e d s no i nt ro d u ctio n, no r a n excuse for c reat ing histo r y o n a regular Thu rs d ay in ear ly Fe bruary.

It a p p ea rs the dr iver is in full c o nt ro l of both his fast cars and w h i r lw i nd ca reer, making the t ra ns i t io n fro m the Me rce des A MG Petro nas F1 Team to S c u d e r ia Fer rar i fo r the 2025 For mu la O ne seaso n. Afte r a n 1 1 - yea r stint at Me rce d es, Ha milton’s exit co m es as a s h oc k to anyo ne and eve ryone w h o h a s hea rd of th e nam e Lew i s Ha milto n, alth ough I ’m s u re n o o ne is mo re surprise d t ha n M e rc edes ’ Tea m P rincipal, Toto Wo lff given the pair have had one of the most successful d r i ve r- team pa r tn e rships.

Follow i ng Ha milto n’s ex it, Wolff state d : “ Lew is w ill always be a n imp o r tant par t of Me rce des motors po r t histo r y. H oweve r, we k n ew o ur par tners hip would c o m e to an end at so m e point, a nd t h at day has now com e.”

It wa s back in 2 013, whe n Ha milton bro ke h ead lines w i t h h i s move to Me rce des f rom McLaren- a tra n sition in w h i c h m a ny predicted failure.

But w ith 8 c o nstructors ’t i t les , 6 dr ivers ’c ham pionship t it les , 82 rac e w ins and 197 p o d iu ms , the end of the 2024 s ea s on w ill ma r k a n e nd to an i n fa mo u s era of do m inance, s u c c es s and teamwork than not even the likes of Max Ve rsta p pen a nd C hristian Ho r n e r c o uld re plicate.

Whilst there ha s be e n s p e c u l atio n ac ross th e m e dia for q u ite so me time that Lewis had b e en in ta lks with the M a ra n e l lo tea m; all se e m e d u nrea l istic, g iven Ham ilton’s d e d icat io n to M erce des, in w h i c h h e has of ten refe rre d to t he tea m as his “ fami ly ”. Afte r Lew i s h ad been linke d to a move to Fer ra r i in M ay of 20 23, p hotog raphs of Fer rari Team P r inc ipal, Fred Va s se ur and Ha milton had spa r ked inte rest ac ros s fans last Aug ust, with ma ny s u ggestio ns that the pair we re, onc e aga in, in cahoots a b o u t a Fer rar i co ntract d ue to Lew i s ’c o ntract w ith Me rce des b e ing u p fo r renewal. Any s i g ns of a tea m transition we re sw if tly br us hed off, with Va s s e u r revealing “ I talk to [Lewis ] at ever y GP, he race d for m e 2 0 yea rs a go and we are st ill c l os e.” Sho r tly a fte r, it was c o n f ir med that both Lewis and his tea mmate, Geo rge Russe ll

would re new th ei r c ont rac t s at Me rce des u nt i l 2025, whe re H am ilton s h owed h i s appre ciation “to t h e tea m t h at have supporte d me b ot h on a n d off the track. O u r stor y i s n’ t finishe d , we are d eter m i n ed to achieve m ore toget h er, a n d we won’t stop u nt i l we d o. ” I t se e m s that H am i l ton’s m ove m ay be base d on h i s c ont rac t with Me rce d es .

Rep or t s suggest that H a m i l ton wa s aim ing for a 3-yea r exten s i on

“We knew our partnership would come to an end at some point and that day has now come.” with an am bas sad or rol e, but his 1-year c ont rac t fa i l s contain an am ba s sad or rol e.

The first re ports of H a m i l ton’s m ove we re broad ca st vi a S ky Sports News. I t i s sa i d t h at H am ilton was i n d i s c u s s i on with Fe rrari’s P res i d ent , John E lkann. Th rou gh ou t t h e d ay, rum ours, s p ec u l at i on and confuse d c om m ent s from fans, we re tu r n i n g i nto shock, announcem ent s a n d state m e nts. With b ot h Fer ra r i and Me rce des d ec l i n i n g to com m e nt, Fe rra r i were t h e first to reach ou t to fa n s vi a the ir social m e d i a ac c ou nt s , announcing “Scu d er i a Fer ra r i is please d to a n n ou n c e t h at Lewis H am ilton wi l l b e j oi n i n g the team in 20 2 5 , on a m u l t i year contract.” T h e d r i ver h a s activate d a re l ea s e opt i on in a clause of h i s rec ent contract with Merc ed es , b u t if Fe rrari’s statem ent s h ows anything, it is t h at r u m ou rs of H am ilton ret i r i n g i n t h e near future, are fa r f rom t r u e.

Like ly to d rive i nto h i s m i d forties, the 39-yea r- ol d wi l l b e e nd ing his career on a h i gh with the iconic Fer ra r i ou tf i t .

A llege dly, his “m u l t i - yea r contract” will be for 3 yea rs , including an amba s sad or rol e, in which Me rce d es refu s ed .

Whethe r he succ eed s wi t h i n the team is a wh ol e ot h er story. I n a state ment a b ou t h i s ex it from Me rced es , H a m i l ton state d that it “i s on e of t h e hard est de cision s I h ave ever had to m ake. Bu t t h e t i m e is right for m e to ta ke t h i s ste p and I ’m exc i ted to b e

ta ki n g on a n ew c h a l l en ge. ” I t c om es a s n o s u r p r i s e t h at t h e l a st two s ea s on s for H a m i l ton a n d Merc ed es h ave b een forgetta b l e. Af ter fa i l i n g to gra s p a rec ord b rea ki n g ei ght h - wor l d d r i vers ’c h a m p i on s h i p t i t l e to Red Bu l l ’s , Ma x Versta p p en , n ew regu l at i on s , s u c h a s t h e c ost- ca p, saw tea m s wi t h t h e l i kes of Merc ed es , wh o t h r i ved on t h e exp en s e t h rown i nto t h e s p or t , st r u ggl e to s h ow pac e a n d l ac ked t h e c om p et i t i ve p er for m a n c e t h at t h ey h ad on l y t h e yea r b efore.

W i t h on l y 1 5 p od i u m s over a two- yea r s pa n , 2 0 2 2 wa s t h e f i rst s ea s on s i n c e H a m i l ton’s For m u l a On e ca reer, t h at saw h i m wi t h ou t a rac e wi n .

His Merc ed es c ou nter pa r t , h owever, h a s p ros p ered i n h i s t ra n s i t i on f rom W i l l i a m s to Merc ed es , wi t h 1 0 p od i u m f i n i s h es a n d a m a i d en rac e wi n i n Bra z i l . I t s eem s t h at t h e n ext two yea rs at Merc ed es won’ t res u l t i n a c h a m p i on s h i p wi n , a s tea m s p repa re for n ew rac i n g regu l at i on s i n 2 0 26, wh i c h c ou l d b e on e of t h e m a i n rea s on s for H a m i l ton’s m ove.

I t i s n’ t j u st t h e c on c ept of rac i n g for a “c h i l d h ood d rea m” tea m t h at ent i c ed H a m i l ton , b u t rat h er a h eavy payou t of over $1 0 0 m i l l i on p er yea r.

W i t h Joh n E l ka n n en s u r i n g t h at a l l d i vers i ty a n d i n c l u s i on p roj ec t s of H a m i l ton s a re em b rac ed i n Ma ra n el l o, i t wa s a n of fer h e c ou l d n’ t refu s e. T h e m ove wi l l a l s o s ee H a m i l ton bac k i n pa r t n ers h i p wi t h Fred Va s s eu r. T h e pa i r l a st wor ked toget h er i n 2 0 0 6 wh en Lewi s won t h e GP 2 t i t l e wi t h t h e A RT

“The time is right for me to take this step and I’m excited to be taking on a new challenge.”

Image: Unsplash

tea m , ow n e d by Vas s e u r. W i t h t h ei r re l at i o n s h i p s e c u re of ft rac k, i t i s c e rtai n t h at w i t h H a m i l to n an d Vas s e u r bac k i n part n e rs h i p, i t w i l l wo rk won d e rs fo r Fe rrari . H oweve r, H a m i l to n wo n’ t b e t h e o n l y a s s et Fe rrari w i l l b e ac qu i ri n g .

Rec ent n ews s u g gest s t h at H a m i l to n will be tak i n g h i s cl os est m e m b e r of t h e Merc e d es team to M aran e l l o n a m el y, his p e r fo rm an c e d i rec to r Lo i c S e roa, An d rew S or l i n an d h i s rac e e n g i n e e r, Peter B o n n i n g to n , m o re fa m ou s l y k n ow n as B o n o.

W h i l st H am i l to n l eaves a s eat at M e rc e d es b e h i n d , t h e c on s e qu e n c es of t h i s d eal fo r C a r l os S ai n z c o u l d p ote nt i al l y b e ca re e r c h an g i n g . Fo r C arl os S a i n z an d Fe rrari fan s , h i s exi t f ro m t h e team c o m es as a s u r p r i s e g i ve n h i s s u c c es s i n stop p i n g Re d B u l l f ro m a 1 00% wi n n i n g st reak l ast s eas o n .

H i s maste rc l as s of rac i n g i n S i n ga p o re, was n ot o n l y s o m e of the m ost e nte rtai n i n g rac i n g al l s eas o n b u t s h owe d h i s pote nt i al fo r t h e fu tu re.

For m any, i t was ex p e c te d t h at t h e S pan i ard wo u l d re n ew h i s c o nt rac t w i t h t h e team , i n stead , S ai n z an n o u n c e d : “Fol l ow i n g to d ay ’s n ews , S c u d e ri a Fe rrari an d mys e l f w i l l pa r t ways at t h e e n d of 2024 .

We sti l l h ave a l o n g s eas o n a h ead of u s an d , l i ke al ways , I wi l l gi ve my abs o l u te b est fo r t h e team an d fo r t h e T i fos i al l a rou nd t h e wo rl d . N ews ab o u t my fu tu re w i l l b e an n o u n c e d in due c o u rs e.”

W h et h e r

S ai n z h as a n ew c o nt rac t i n t h e wo rks fo r n ex t year i s u n k n ow n , b u t h i s s eve ran c e f ro m Fe rrari c o u l d s e e t h e d ri ve r m ake a m ove to Au d i fo r t h e i r 2026 d e b u t o r m ove bac k to h i s ro ot s w i t h Re d B u l l .

Fo r M e rc e d es , an e m pty s eat i s an o p p o rtu n i ty fo r m any d ri ve rs o n an d of f t h e Fo rm u l a O n e g ri d . Re c e nt re p o rt s h ave s u g geste d t h at Toto Wo l f f an d h i s team an d i n tal ks w i t h Fe rn an d o Al o n s o’s i n n e r c i rc l e. W h i l st t h e two -t i m e c h am p i o n s h i p w i n n e r i s ab o u t to e nte r h i s s e c o n d year at Asto n M art i n , i t i s al l ege d t h at h e i s wai t i n g to as s es s Asto n M art i n’s p rog res s fo r t h i s s eas o n b efo re h e m akes any d e c i s i o n s . M i c k S c h u m ac h e r i s al s o a p os s i b i l i ty i n t h e team . W i t h two years of F 1 rac i n g at H aas , S c h u m ac h e r c o u l d go f ro m res e rve to s e c o n d d ri ve r o n t h e team h i s fat h e r h ad rac e d fo r o n l y 1 2 years b efo re h an d .

Fo r n ow, Lew i s ’ex i t l eaves a h o l e t h at M e rc e d es w i l l f i n d ex t re m e l y d i f f i c u l t to f i l l .

S i r Lew i s H am i l to n’s i m pac t o n t h e team h as b e e n l i fe c h an g i n g an d re c o rd -b reak i n g fo r t h e C o n st ru c to r. H i s l egac y will p re d o m i n ant l y re m ai n with M e rc e d es , al t h o u g h t i m e w i l l o n l y te l l i f h i s m ove to Fe rrari res u l t s i n a h i g h l y ant i c i pate d e i g ht h W D C t i t l e.

13th February 2024

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concrete-online.co.uk/sport/ | @Concrete_UEA

Ha’way the lads!

Annabel Knill

Sports Writer

I f you ca st yo ur mind way, way bac k maybe you will re m e m b er the go lden d ays of S u nd e r l and FC. As a P re m ie r Lea g u e club, I wo uld proclaim my p r ide, wear ing my strip w i t h l oya lty, that yes, I , su p p o r t Sunder la nd. Yet the n rea lity stuc k and by 2018 they we re re legated to league one.

S low l y, and maybe surly, they h ave b een c law ing the ir way bac k u p the ta ble, w he re they a re n ow cur rently stand ing as seve nt h in the c hampi onships.

W it h s eventeen gam es still to b e played before the p layof fs , it c o uld be argue d th at S under land is still in for a c h a n ce, but maybe if they ju st s c o red a few mo re goals, I wo u l d feel a little mo re at ease !

Af te r t h e loss of Str ike r, Ross S tu a r t , to r ival cha mpionship tea m S outhampto n and Am ad D ia llo retur ned to M ancheste r U nite d a fter his loa n d eal at th e S tadium of L ig ht ex pire d, th e re h ad been a hole in th e f ront line. Then by the e nd of the seaso n anothe r b e love d B lack Cat, Lynd e n Go oc h, a Winger who had b e e n with Sunder land since 2 0 1 5 , wa s lost to Stoke city.

Yet eve ryone he l d t h ei r b reat h with the arriva l of t h e n ew m anage r, Michea l Bea l e, a l l hoping that thi s wou l d b e a new start that wo u l d h el p p u s h the team into a n ew u n i s on .

Yet und e r Beal e’s gu i d a n c e, the team has racked u p a tota l of thre e wins c om pa red to four lost and on e d rawn , wi t h anothe r vete ran p l ayer, A l ex P ritchard, also l eavi n g t h e team for Birm in gh a m C i ty, to follow the olde r m a n a ger, Tony Mowbray. Althou gh t h e tea m has said goodbye to m ay b e long-standing mem b ers , wi t h

t h e a r r i va l of t h e n ewest p l ayers on l oa n s u c h a s b rot h er of E n gl a n d ’s n at i on a l tea m p l ayer J u d e Bel l i n gh a m , Job e Bel l i n gh a m , S u n d er l a n d a reb u i l d i n g t h ei r tea m wi t h n ew f res h l egs . W i t h wh at m u st b e a great p res s u re rest i n g on Bel l i n gh a m s h ou l d ers , h e h a s p roved to b e a va l u a b l e m em b er on t h e f ront l i n e, c reat i n g a tota l of 3 0 a s s i sted goa l s a n d 4 goa l s of h i s own t h i s s ea s on .

A s S u n d er l a n d st i l l m u st st r i ve for b etter ac c u rac y i n ca r r y i n g a n d h ol d i n g onto t h e ba l l a s a tea m , I ’m s u re we a re st i l l yet

Image: Unsplash

to s ee B e l l i n g h am at h i s b est .

W i t h t h e n ex t m atc h agai n st M i d d l es b ro u g h looming, S u n d e rl an d ’s’ l atest gam e ru m o u rs of Jac k C l ake m ov i n g on S atu rd ay, Jan u ary 27 t h , to I tal y w i t h Lazi o are start i n g d em on st rate d t h e team’s g reat to f l y. T h e l os s of C l ake w i l l s ki l l o n c e agai n i n a te n s e an d s u re l y b e fe l t as h e as s u m e d n a i l b i t i n g f i rst h al f. T h e team t h e ro l e of t h e p ri m ary f i g u re at on l y b ro ke t h e d ead l o c k w i t h t h e S tad i u m of L i g ht , b e c o m i n g S toke C i ty, a team s i tt i n g 1 2 t h e c l u b’s to p s c o re r af te r t h e p os i t i o n s b e l ow S u n d e rl an d o n ex i t of t h e two st i c ke rs at t h e ta b l e, two m i n u tes b efo re t h e b eg i n n i n g of t h e s eas o n . t h e h al f t i m e w h i st l e. Jake Yet S u n d e rl an d ’s l ast-m i n u te C l a ke, t h e p l aye r t h at t ru l y t ran sfe r o n d ead l i n e d ay to ou t s ho n e t h e team t h i s m atc h , ac qu i re Ro m ai n e M u n d l e, t h e gl i d ed an d weave d d ow n t h e fo rm e r Totte n h am H ot s p u r l ef t , ef fe c t i ve l y carry i n g t h e w i n ge r, can o n l y b e s e e n as a ba l l fo r t h e c ros s , b eau t i fu l l y re p l ac e m e nt fo r C l arke. An d a s s i st i n g Ab d o u l l ah Ba’s l ef t s o, l i ke m any ot h e r S u n d e rl an d footed goal . T h i s p l ac e d t h e fan s , al l I can d o i s wai t an d s e e Bl ac k cat s o n a go o d g ro u n d i n g w h at w i l l c o m es of t h i s o n c e for t h e n ex t h al f. Al t h o u g h g reat , yet eve r c l i m b i n g , Team . t h ere we re a few fu t i l e atte m pt s f rom b ot h team s , S u n d e rl an d h el d t h e i r ow n , d o m i n at i n g Concluding his Eu ro p ean t h e bal l i n t h e s e c o n d h al f. st i nt af te r ju st h al f a s eas o n Yet , w i t h a m es sy b l u n d e r f ro m in Belgium, S u n d e rl an d Jen s o n S e e l t , p l ay i n g o u t of s e c u re d a l ast-m i n u te t ran sfe r p os i t i o n as a Ri g ht W i n g , an o n d ead l i n e d ay to ac qu i re own goal was s c o re d . T h i s Ro m ai n e M u n d l e, t h e fo rm e r c reate d a b i tte rswe et e n d i n g Totte n h am H ot s p u r w i n ge r, to t h e gam e, e n d i n g i n a b o u n d e d to re p l ac e C l arke. t h ree- o n e w i n to S u n d e rl an d .

H oweve r, st i l l p l ac i n g S u n d e rl an d c o m fo rtab l y on t h e tab l e as t h e p l ay of f a re start i n g to ap p roac h for t h i s c h am p i o n s h i p team .

Welsh Rugby star seeks new challenge in NFL Felix Sumner

Sports Senior Writer

As a young Welsh Rugby star, Louis Rees-Zammit had the world at his feet, already achieving 14 tries at the age of 23 years old for his country and playing in the Rugby World Cup 2023.

But unexpectedly he’s decided to drop all of that shocking and surprisingly to become an NFL star through the NFLs international pathway program (IPP).

For Rees-Zammit his journey into rugby started when he was in school, playing at that level as a winger and climbing the ranks since. He went on to eventually play domestically for Gloucester and internationally for Wales where he recorded his first try for his country on November 21st, 2021, against Georgia. He has always been a fan of the NFL with him supporting the same team as his father, the Washington Commanders, which has influenced his decision to pursue a different challenge in his career.

However, in a shock decision no-one saw coming, he revealed last month he was going to leave the Rugby Union immediately to pursue his dream of becoming an international NFL

star, through the NFL’s International Pathway Program (IPP). The IPP was created to allow international players a greater chance of playing in the NFL and so far, has seen quite a few rugby and foreign American football players successfully make it into the league. The IPP has criteria that must

“Rees-Zammit boasts appealing qualitites to the NFL through his devastating speed”

be met to allow potential stars to join the program which ranges from being younger than 24 years old and never playing football at a US college.

Rees-Zammit boasts appealing qualities to the NFL through his devastating

speed of being a winger which will aid his adaptation to a pacier game. On the other hand, physically he will do well in America as naturally through playing rugby he is a strong build. Aside from that, he will have to transition tactically as well. More challenges arise from remembering the playbook as effectively he will be learning a new sport but also will have to memorise the runs that he will be making to be an effective attacker. He will also see an increase in his pay as well since there is a multi-billion-dollar investment in the NFL which will allow him to make far greater than he did as a rugby player, so there is that as an appealing factor.

Regardless of the pros and cons of a shocking move to the NFL, Louis ReesZammit is an exciting prospect for the sport and will hopefully become one of the many names that have the switch from rugby. He is now in America completing a 10-week course in the IPP for the chance and has left him a very captivating candidate for many watching.

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Sport

13th February 2024

From treadmills and healthy eats to the bed sheets- Is sex better than your average workout?

Sofia Royal Sports Editor

As we delve deeper into the cold months of the year, with no scorching temperatures in sight for quite some time, it may be hard to get the motivation to go for your daily run, or even to the gym. If the next few

“Add a little bit of spice to your workout and embrace in ‘Sexercise’.”

months leave anything positive, it may perhaps be the opportunity to explore with your options when it comes to getting your daily dose of fitness. The average “YouTube Workout” can be boring and repetitive, but particularly hard in the confines of your squeakyfloored uni room. Instead, it may be time to add a little bit of spice to your workout and embrace in ‘Sexercise’.

It is what is says on the tin, but if you’re looking for a new and fun way to get your blood pumping, this daily workout may just be better than your average gym session. “Sexually active people take fewer sick days” says leading sexual health expert, Yvonne K. Fulbright, PhD. This is due to the antibodies your body acquires during intercourse, which help to fight against germs and viruses- so, whilst you should always be cautious that you could catch more than a few antibodies for your sexual partner, it’s always good to know that a session of ‘Sexercise’ might help your symptoms if you find yourself slumped with Covid.

If anything, having sex will encourage you to have more sex. Engaging in a workout in the sheets has been found to boost your libido, particularly for us ladies. By increasing blood flow, this helps to make your sexual experience better, which in the long run, makes you crave it even more. However, this also

leads to a boost in your stamina. Now, it’s no surprise that you make break out in a sweat during a ‘Sexercise’ session, but as you would at the gym, its wise to remember you’re still burning those calories. It’s estimated that the average person burns 20 calories during six minutes of sexual activity, whereas a 25 minute session can burn between 77 to 105 calories. Whilst this may not be too much, as you change from various average to experimental positions, you may be putting in more work than usual, which can help in toning and tightening your muscles.

Similar to your normal workout, sexual activity is a big stress reliever. You may have found during stressful summative seasons that your blood pressure has been through the roof, but according to Joseph J. Pinzone, CEO and Medical director of Amay Wellness: “There have been many studies. One landmark study found that sexual intercourse specifically lower systolic blood pressure.” By reducing your

blood pressure, you’ll find yourself to be a calmer and stress-free person, flying through the semester- which you can blame the endorphins for. As you do your ‘Sexercise’ you might feel the same way you do when you’ve finished your workout. Not exhausted, that is, but rather full of happiness that this ‘feel-good hormone’ supplies you with, helping with anxiety.

Image: Unsplash

Sex evidently has its health benefits, but if you’re looking for a workout a bit more substantial that a romp in the sheets, you may have to brace the cold weather for your trip to the gym.

But if you feel slightly anxious the night before a big exam or interview or perhaps needing a quick workout after a busy day, it may be wise to have a good old dose of ‘Sexercise’.

If anything, should your partner complain about you being “lazy” in the bedroom, remind them of the benefitsand if they’re not sweating, they’re clearly not doing it good enough!

The EPL- A Mid-Season Review Felix Sumner

Sports Senior Writer

As it goes for most fans, the Premier League has left some interesting and unbelievable moments this season, but for others it has been disappointing depending on what part of London or Manchester you support. However, we will take a deeper look at this season as it stands midway, at game week 19.

The War at the Bottom of the Table: Starting at the other end of the table, much fluctuation has occurred with teams slipping in and out of the danger zone. However, few surprises have really unfolded with newly promoted teams Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United all facing the drop.

Luton, however, have impressed scraping some decent results against larger sides which ignite their fans hopes of not seeing them dip back into the championship.

Everton have consecutively now faced relegation two seasons in a row. Impressively, after being deducted 10 points for financial fair play (FFP) they currently find themselves safe above the danger

zone. While some think Everton were hard done by for their deduction, they still have been playing relatively well even with odds against them.

It is still difficult to tell at this stage what teams we will see leave the Premier League, but my personal prediction is that Sheffield and Burnley will be relegated with Everton finally joining them in the Championship.

The Poor Performers and the Disappointments : Having finished a very underwhelming 12th last season, things appear to have stayed the same for Chelsea this season as they have crawled their way to 10th. So, what’s going wrong for the Blues this time around?

From face value, it would appear that a big summer transfer window would allow them to begin to challenge again for the highest honours but this has not been the case in reality.

Chelsea has struggled to find form in the league with losing points to easier sides where they should have prospered. Investment in the club

from their owner Todd Boehly has seen huge sums of money spent on signings that simply have not lived up to their price tag, which has seen him receive a lot of flak. Whether or not Chelsea improves after the new year, we will have to see.

I could spend the rest of the article writing about this next team as it’s the one I support but I’ll try and keep it short and sweet. Manchester United have had a difficult start to the season. This is no secret as our run of form has been so in and out.

High expectations of a 3rd place finish and the return of silverware to the Theatre of Dreams meant the pressure was on for Erik ten Hag and questionable recruitment over the summer has left some criticising his decisions. With the departure of Red Devils veteran David de Gea, Andre Onana was brought in as his replacement from Inter but his start to life at United has been rocky seeing him concede many easy goals. Furthermore, young Danish talent Rasmus Højlund has also found it difficult

to score, adding further to the inconsistency of the team as a whole.

United has seen failure so far almost in every competition they’ve been in, with the only success (so far) being the FA cup. While the season itself can be written off due to many factors, there is a spark of hope through INEOS 25% acquisition of United which potentially could impact in a positive way. But all in all, I am a very unhappy United fan this season.

The Surprises: Two teams come to mind when talking about surprise packages this season: Wolves and Bournemouth.

Both, with new managers, have seen decent results from games where the neutral may not have favoured them.

For Wolves Gary O’ Neil has seen some huge wins this season notably against Tottenham, capturing 3 points in games that really mattered.

The Battle for the Title: Finishing on the most exciting end of the table, the summit appears to have a fantastic title race set

up for the latter half of the season.

For contenders Liverpool, Arsenal, Villa, and City it really is “squeaky bum time” to find consistent form and win more points than the other.

While (sadly) Liverpool remain at the summit there are only fine margins separating them from the other contenders. It is difficult to say which team will win it but for me, Liverpool will edge above Man City this season.

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