Concrete issue 234 03 11 2009

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 3rd 2009

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UEA'S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

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ISSUE 234

RICH FULCHER TALKS TO EVENT

TUITION FEES: ''NO CHANGE HERE'' Local politicians questioned by UEA students for The Independent's Uni-Q panel debate.

Questions vary from tuition路 fee policies to the BNP. Emma Parrott Representatives from the Conservative, Labour and Green Parties met at UEA this week to debate and answer questions submitted by UEA students for the filming of a new online politics show, Uni-Q. In the debate, held on Friday 30th October for The Independent's website, Chloe Smith, the newly elected Norwich North MP for the Conservative Party, Adrian Ramsay,

deputy leader of the Green Party and Phil Taylor of the Labour Party discussed various issues ahead of the general election due in May next year.

Students formed all the questions for the panellists, who- following the format of popular BBC po.litics show, Question Time - were not allowed to view them before recording.

These ranged from the economy, to climate change, to the UK's role in Europe, but it was the topic of tuition fees which really got people talking.

Both Labour and Conservative MPs maintained that tuition fees

were necessary but Adrian Ramsay said that the Greens would abolish them, adding that 1,miversities should be funded as a 'public service' and 'free on the point of delivery' making them much like the NHS. He added afterwards that the "fairest way to do that would be through income tax".

Conservative MP, Chloe Smith, told the audience that funding of university fees should be a "blended" effort between the student and the state, using the example that the taxpayer "shouldn't have to pay for a millionaire's son to go to university".

When faced with the Green Party's comparison of university to the NHS, she argued that education is a choice and people should therefore plan for their child's higher education fees.

Phil Taylor from the Labour Party took another view, making the point that not everyone receives thousands of pounds of taxpayer's money for their education.

In a comment which was unpopular with most of the audience, he said that putting state money into paying for students to go to university "only benefits students".

One member of the audience

reacted to this by suggesting to Mr Taylor that if a student was to discover a cure for cancer that would benefit the whole of society.

THE PANEL This debate was the first opportunity for Chloe Smith to speak with UEA students after her recent win in the Norwich North by-election during the summer following the resignation of the Labour MP lan Gibson during the expenses scandal.

Chloe describes herself on her website as a "Norfolk girl through and through", but it was Adrian Ramsay, who told the students that he fought against the introduction of tuition fees when he was a student at UEA, who received the most applause thro~ghout the event.

Adrian Ramsay is a frequent visitor to UEA, being Leader of the Opposition on Norwich City Council, and is hoping to become one of the first Green MPs at the general election next year. Phil Taylor is hoping to contest Chloe Smith in the next Norwich North election and was previously a special advisor to the Labour Party.

STUDENTS UNITE AGAINST BNP ON QUESTION TIME Gareth Coventry A group of UEA students attended the demonstration outside the BBC studios in London against the controversial appearance of Nick Griffin, the leader of the BNP, on Question Time last month.

The group of students formed part of a wider contingent from Norfqlk

which was organised by the group Unite Against Fascism (UAF). who also organised an all-day picket on the day of the protest outside the studios with the intention of leafleting BBC workers to explain why UAF thought that the BNP should not be allowed on Question Time. lt has been estimated that up to 2,000 people attended the protest outside Television Centre, with many smaller protests outside the regional

BBC offices, namely Liverpool and Belfast. During the protest at the studios, 25 demonstrators were able to breach security and gained access to buildings, although they were quickly removed before they could make a permanent presence. The protest was mainly peaceful, though three police officers were injured and six protesters were arrested during the demonstration; however, one was arrested in connection with a prior

arrest warrant. Warren Bennett, joint secretary of UAF, claimed that "Today's demonstration was a brilliant example of a fine tradition of mass mobilisation against the Nazis. This is the tradition that has defeated fascism in the past."

INCREASE IN INTEREST The episode of Question Time in question attracted an audience of 8.2

NEWS

NO~FOLK FAILS TO RETAIN

GRADUATES AnER DEGREE

CARNAGE COUNTDOWN. CONTROVERSIAL STUDENT MONITORING PROGRAMME. PIPE LEAK LEAVES RESIDENTS WATERLESS.

INTERNATIONAL NORWICH$' ENCHANTING GHOST WALKS

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HAL~OWEEN LEAVES ITS FRIGHTFUL MARK ON UEA STUDENTS.

fEATURES

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NOl,IGHTIES AMNESIA: WHAT WILL YO.U REMEMBER FROM THE DECADE?

MAriJDELSON'S POLITICAL MONOPOLY

TRAVEL MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE CHANGING FACE OF THE BAHAMAS

HOW ST. IVES BECAME THE SEASIDE TOWN OF THE YEAR. A WALK THROUGH NEW YO~K'S FINEST.

THEMOOD LIFE: HOW HARD IS I TO GROW YOUR OWN?

DO S ORGANIC FOOD AC ALLY BENEFIT YOU IN ANY WA?

2 NEWS

concrete.news@uea .ac. uk

STUDENT WINS LITERATURE AWARD Nick Church

DONATION NOT DISCRIMINATION "outmoded" and said

lucy Moore Students across UEA followed others in petitioning the

Antoinette Fawcett, a PhD student at UEA, has won second

National Blood Service when they came to campus last

prize at t he Keats-She ll ey Prize Awards 2009.

week.

The peti ti on

The

Prize

Awards,

set

up in 1998 by the KeatsShe lley Memorial Association,

recogn ised

students' anger about the organisation's lifetime ban on sexually active gay and

have sex with a man once, then become a monk for the next 20 years and you would still not be able to give blood."

However, he was keen to state that the campaign did not want people to boycott giving

blood.

Instead,

students were encouraged to 'donate for a gay mate' and

encourages talented poets and

bisexual

essayists of all ages and walks of life to write on Romantic

blood.

The ban has stood since

themes:

the 1980s despite the fact that each week over 2,000

called 'Donation Not Discrimination' is trying to

blood donations are needed

alter people's perception of

to meet demand.

In a statement

HIV/AIDS as 'gay' diseases and show that it is overall unsafe

poems

relevance

of

and

modern Romantic

inspiration, , and essays on Keats, Shelley, Byron, or Mary Shelley.

men

"the

rules mean that you could

from

giv1ng

issued

make this known to the nurse taking their donation.

The

UK-wide

campaign

on its website, the National

sex practices regardless

This year prizes are awarded for

Blood Service defends its pos1t1on: "Research shows

sexuality that causes these diseases.

poems on the theme of "Find",

that completely removing the

The petition will be sent to

which

Ms.

Fawcett entered

with

he r

poem,

entit led

current exclusion on blood donati on from men w ho have

who will then be presenting

"Where Places Exist".

Ms. Fawcett is currently

sex w ith m en wo ul d result in a fivefo ld increase in the risk of

studying and translating two Dutch modernist poets, Jijhoff

HIV-infected blood entering the blood supply."

and Achterberg.

The winning poems were

Dan organised

announced by Professor Janet

described

"FIND"

Todd at an award ceremony at St Matin's Crypt, St Martin-inthe -Fields, London.

Commenting on the poetry entries, Professor Janet Todd,

Youmans, who UEA's petition, the policy as

of

NUS LGBT officers in London it, along with those co llected from other universities, to the Department of Health.

Students located in the Hive managed to receive over eighty signatures supporting their campaign.

CARNAGE - ROUND THREE Mia Wecker

and attacking Carnage UK is

President of Lucy Cavendish College, Camb ridge, and sitting on the judging panel said, "The judging panel found all the poems enjoyable this year. We read a selection

The controversial student pub crawl, Carnage, is set to return to Norwich on Monday 9th November.

of life-enhancing poems about suffering, caring and

Carnage UK, which is staged in 15 different cities, has

remembering; while a more surreal group of poems gave us dogs spouting Latin and lost hats scrambling together."

Prof. Todd was joined on

increasingly found itself under pressure as more and more college leaders and student unions are condemning the organised pub crawl.

said it was a rip -off; they felt

the judging panel by poets John Hartley Williams and Matthew

are growing Concerns that the event is actively

exploited [due to lack of drinks discounts]" While this could

Sweeney.

First prize went to the Buddhist poet D H Maitreyabandhu for his poem

encouraging students to drink too much- arguably a problem endemic amongst students.

Varsity Leisure Group, which runs the night, argues it curbs

entit led "The Small Boy and the Mouse."

Services Manager, says that the Dean of Students' Office

Tom Sutton, the Union's Welfare Officer, warns

The Keats-She lley Memorial Association was founded in

is always worried when an event such as Carnage takes

that "events like Carnage can damage relations with

1903 under roya l pat ronage and exists to commemorate Keats, Shelley and the other English Romantics who spent much of their time in Italy, especially Byron and Leigh Hunt, and to stimulate interest in Romantic poetry.

place, since lots of students do not know their own limits when it comes to alcohol consumption. Consequently, neither the University nor

local residents. ammunition to want more policies on issues and policing."

the Union of Students has endorsed advertisement for Carnage on campus. Yet Brown states that singling out

Carnage UK say that they are providing stewards and

Jill Brown, the UEA Student

not the answer, since the real problem is student drinking behaviour in general: "it's the whole drinking culture which needs to be tackled."

Binge drinking does not seem to be the only potential source of conflict related to Carnage, though. Brown states that previous Carnage events have received m1xed feedback: "some students who attended

be seen as exploitation, the

binge drinking

it's giving those who anti-student like housing

medical services on site, as well as free soft dnnks.

NEWS 3

concrete.news@uea.ac.uk TUESDAY 3rd NOVEMBER 2009

Is it right for workers to strike in the public sector?

"Well I feel sorry for the workers but I think it's inevitable that technological advances will replace workers and have more of an impact on modern workplaces.

Because that's what it's about; modern advances in the industry cause people to lose their jobs.

So, it's inevitable but sad ."

"Essentially it's a worker's right to and if workers aren't being paid well then why should they do the job? Yes they have a responsibility to the public but I think the responsibility shouldn't be that of the workers to suffer, so it should be down to the owners to offer pay to ensure workers do provide an efficient service."

"Obviously if the reasons are not legitimate and they're just moaning then they shouldn't be entitled to.

"But in the case of the Royal Mail workers the reasons are legitimate and therefore they should be allowed to strike.

And although it will cause huge inconvenience for the British public it has to be done."

"When things get that bad then I don't see why they should not be allowed to. With the postal strike in particular I think it's a bit immature because no one seems to be really sure at exactly what they're angry about. Neither side are talking to each other.

So there has clearly been a communication breakdown."

NORFOLK SUFFERS BRAIN DRAIN Chris King A recent report by the College University and Union (UCU) has reve.aled significant regional differences in the numbers of those with university degrees or equivalent qualifications.

UCU statistics show that on average 27% of Norwich residents have degrees, whilst the figure is just 19% for the rest of Norfolk. In particular, the areas of South West Norfolk and Great Yarmouth are the worst performers, with both in the bottom ten throughout the country for degree holders.

LACK OF JOBS Whilst this may appear to suggest the existence of an endemic problem with the numbers entering higher education in Norfolk, it is more a reflecti_on of the employment situation in the region. lt seems that a lack of job opportunities are driving graduates away from Norwich and Norfolk to places such as London, where the chances of gaining suitable employment are higher.

Dr Louise Bohn, UEA Outreach Manager, believes

that "for these particular statistics, I would imagine that the proportion of graduates reflects the graduate jobs in the area," rather than the quality of education available, "as graduates tend to be relatively mobile when job hunting."

Indeed, UEA has been playing more of an active role in promoting higher education in Norwich and throughout

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.

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: !.

; City Academy jointly funded by UEA.

Norfolk after being branded "elitist" last year.

UEA, who were branded "elitist" by former Norwich North MP, 0!. lan Gibson, for their perceived lack of involvement in local schools and the community, have numerous outreach programmes engaging with schools and local businesses and reaching out

to communities that may not have considered entering higher education before. This includes over 180 students acting as ambassadors for the university.

PROJECT EVOLVE A solution to potential problems facing graduates attempting to find employment in the local area is Project Evolve. lt is a government-funded initiative designed to help graduates gain experience through its internship programme and assist them in developing skills and transferrable approaching the local and regional job market.

The project is in operation at UEA, City College Norwich and NUCA. Whilst it does not guarantee to find suitable employment for graduates, it aims to provide them with the necessary experience to do so.

According to Sophie Major of Project Evolve, who has in the past suffered from the lack of employment opportunities in the region, the fact that such a programme is running arguably "implies a lack of job opportunities in Norfolk and Norwich," which can be attributed in part to the

"very competitive job market, especially for graduates."

This is supported by statistics which reveal that one in seven employers in Norwich have received more than 150 applications for each available position, increasing the burden on universities and colleges to provide students with the necessary support to deal with unemployment and the dearth of jobs available, prior to graduation.

"STARK DIFFERENCES" Speaking to Eastern Daily Press, South-West Norfolk MP Christopher Fraser said that he is not convinced that the statistics show a region whose population has less chance of gaining a degree. "Rather," he says, "the figures suggest that the area may be suffering from a lack of jobs suitable for graduates, and those with a degree are therefore dissuaded from living here."

The UCU reports argues "stark differences" that between "haves and have nots" is widening and is mirrored across Britain.

The report can be found at www.ucu.org.uk/index. cfm?articleid=4220

STUDENTS AGAINST BNP

million, which is almost three times the usual audience figure. it is unlikely that this will be the sole performance of the BNP on Question Time. Mark Thompson, the BBC director general, has suggested that the BNP may be invited to make an annual appearance on the programme. Mr. Thompson defended the BBC's position saying it was up to the government to ban the BNP. The BNP claims that as a result of appearing on the programme, it has seen a 30

UEA ART Gordon Malloy Visual arts students from UEA's MA in Creative Entrepreneurship will be showcasing their work during November in the offices of international law firm Alien & Overy, in Bishops Square, London .

Dominique Bivar Segurado, Elizabeth Haider and Keith Pomeroy will be exhibiting their work in an event that also marks the future delivery of the course to the University's London campus set to open in 2010. lan Welsh, an established London artist and part-time tutor on the course, will also exhibit recent work with his students.

Course director lan Chance said, "With this showcase of contemporary art at the prestigious London premises of Alien & Overy, the MA in Creative Entrepreneurship at the University of East Anglia moves from theory to practice in the application of creative enterprise."

per cent increase in interest for BNP membership. An early day motion in the Commons has been signed by ten MPs who condemned the BBC for the judgement by its management and the BBC Trust. Nearly 1 million people voted for the BNP in the European elections last summer, granting a place to Nick Griffin and a colleague to the European Parliament.

The party is currently discussing amendments to its constitution regarding its ban on <;ertain ethnicities joining the party membership.

E~HIBIT The innovative MA in Creative Entrepreneurship aims to give people who are in the process of establishing their arts careers the support and practical business skills to be a success. The students address the key demands and challenges of contemporary creative practice, acquiring legal and financial skills while developing abilities in areas of funding, communications and new technology.

Earlier this term ViceChancellor, Professor Ed Acton, spoke of the "enormous opportunity to have a base in London," especially concerning unique masters degrees, including the MA in Creative Entrepreneurship.

r

4 NEWS

concrete.news@uea.ac.uk TUESDAY 3rd NOVEMBER 2009

THE POWER OF WORDS The Creative Writing Society is to hold an open mic night, "The Power of Word s", in aid of Oxfam, taking place in the Grad Bar on Monday November 9th.

With the event beginning at 7.30pm, the society's President, Chris Ogden, said the night will "have a wonderful mix of poetry, prose, comedy and music" with a variety of performers.

Speaking to Concrete, Chris sai d, "As a society, we're trying to be more ambitious in our reach thi s year. "it's th e first time that we've held an event for charity to my knowledge; if it's successful, we might start doing so on a regular basis!"

The event is held in association with Oxjam, Oxfam UK's festival arm and is comp letely free with the organisers hoping to take donations throughout the night.

WELLBEING WEEK UEA is organising its third wellbeing week from th e 16th to the 20t h of November, with each day focussing on a different aspect of wellbeing.

Each day will have a theme - or a path to wellbeing - from five identified as important in a re cen t large sca le research project (www.foresight.gov. uk).

Events, activities and workshops will take place throughout the week, including the main wel lbeing fair, held on the Tu esday in the LCR. People can find out more about the week at www. uea. ac. u k/ dos/wellbeing.

REMEMBRANCE WEEK Cllr Evelyn Collishaw will lead a remembrance service on Sunday 8th November, followed by a parade through the city centre and a service at Norwich Cathedral.

The service will take place on St Peter's Street outside City Hall at 10.40am, which the public are invited to attend and watch from nearby areas.

UNIVERSITY PLANS TO MONITOR STUDENTS Danny Keillo r UEA Union Council resolved to adopt a resolution relating to the new visa points system, la st council summit, on Thursday 29th October.

The visa system instructs universities to monitor the attendance and potential radicalisation of non -EU students as well as to report to the government about non-EU student s who are not fully attending their course, regardless of whether or not the contact time is compulsory.

The Union Council voted to suppo rt Rach el Archer 's, a fourth year LIT student, motion with an overwhelming majority.

The motion calls for of action, various lin es including writing to Peter Mandelson, the Minister responsible for Universities, Home Secretary Alan Johnson and UEA's Vice-Chancellor, to publicise th is issue to all UEA

students.

The motion also aims to encourage UEA staff to do all they can to oppose the monitoring of st udents and to work with other organisations to ensure no further imposition by the state upon the academic community.

Furthermore, it calls for the Union to inform the University and College Union (the Trade Union for all academics, lecturers, trainers, researchers and academic-related staff working in further and higher

education throughout the UK) of the UUEAS' so lid arity with the UCU's position on this.

"SPYING GAME" Sally Hunt, the General Secretary of the UCU, regards the new system as a "s pying game" and claims that members do not want to get involved in the new system.

There have been some worries that the new system will deter non-EU international students from applying to British universities, which

wou ld have a wide spread impact. Worryingly, in 2008 the Qua lity Ass urance Agency, the Universities' Watchdog, reported that various universities in Britain are now financially dependent on overseas .students, and thus could become financially unviable if a reduction in the of international numbers students was to occur.

The basis for the new responsibilities put upon academics is securi ty.

"BOGUS STUDE NTS" Issues have arisen in the past over "Bogus Students" using student visas to gain entry to the country. However, the Home Office was unavailable to comment on this matter.

The Union Council's decision on the 'State tracking of International Students' brings the UUEAS in lin e with other Student Unions, including Southampton University.

STUDENTS TAKE THE PISS Rosie Stamp Recently updated statistics for 2009 from U EA Estates department show an in creased penchant of UEA students for synchronised false alarms and public urination.

In an annual discussion with UEA Estates and its security team, Concrete discussed the new cohort of freshers in campus accommodation, campus sec urity, and statistics of various crimes on campus.

Fal se fire alarms are a major problem on campus.

This year, 34 incidents have been recorded.

Recently, 13 fire alarms w ere set off simu ltaneously, leaving students outside their accommodation for two and a half hours.

Concerns have been raised by Trevor Smith that we may begin to get a "crywolf situation, where genu in e alarms are ignored". In 2008 there were only 9 malicious

fire calls, causing UEA Security to believe the sudden increase is due to people playing some sort of game, or challenging each other.

Public urination is also a problem this year, with walls needing to be disinfected on a regular basis. Trevor Smith says th e worse area is around the Dean of Students building, and " is getting to the

action by relocating the smok in g patio 路to the other Hive doors.

So far this year only one burglary has been reported on campus, compared.to 2007

point where office staff do not wish to open their windows".

Clearly linked to LCR nights and the location of smoking areas, the Union have taken

th eft remains a . significant problem, with 23 being stolen thi s year. Dav id Whales, Security Team Leader is keen to improve the awareness of

where there were 5 incidents.

Campus and Services Manager, Trevor Smith said "the increased police presence has undoubtedly helped ".

However, bike

students towards th is issue, for exa mpl e recomme ndin g the use of D-locks when sec uring bikes, as th ey are " far superior to chain locks".

In 2007 there were two assaults on campus, and in 2008 there were three . So far thi s year the figure remains at zero. Trevor Smith highlights the fact th at " alcohol is nearly always related to assaults on campus betwe en stud ents".

Universities in larger cities such as Manchester and London are often required to provide their securit y teams with stab vests in order to deal with the threat of knife crimes. UEA has so far managed to stay free of more violent crimes. " In a way it's good to be talking about these issues rather than knife and guns on ~campus," said David Whales in reference to more minor offences. He also noted how UEA has one of the lowest crime rate s of all university camp uses.

SHOE BOX APPEAL A Christmas shoebox appeal for orphans in Nepal organised by UEA students is in need of volunteers.

The appeal - supported by the charity ChildSmile which is run by former UEA student Hena Parmar- needs volunteers to help wrap shoeboxes as well as run the stalls where the shoeboxes are to be sold, in the Hive during Week 9 from 12-2pm.

There will be two wrapping events, on Sunday 1st and Sunday 8th November in Union House room 1.33 from 1-3pm.

For any more details, or to volunteer, contact Jen on jennifer.taylor@uea.ac.uk.

STUDENT BURGLARY RISK Students are three times more likely to be burgled than any other group but are largely unconcerned about the risk they face in becoming a victim of burglary, a new National Union of Students (NUS) survey reveals.

The survey shows that 84% of freshers are not concerned about crime, despite the likelihood of it occurring.

NUS Vice President for Welfare, Ben Whittaker, said, "Because most stud ents live in communal households, they are particularly at risk from walk-in theft. We would advise students to take extra care when it comes to making sure their doors and windows are locked, and to get insurance which covers walk-in theft ."

GRADUATE UNEMPLOYMENT RISE Graduate unemployment has increased 44% .within a year, according to research released by the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU) Levels of joblessness have not been as low si nce the mid-nineties, with the HECSU warning the picture cou ld be worse for those graduating this year.

6 NEWS

concrete.news@uea .ac.uk TUESDAY 3rd NOVEMBER 2009

NORFOLK DNA DATABASE Nearly 1,000 DNA profiles of innocent people in No rfo lk have been added to a national database, w hi ch parliamentary an swers comp lied by Liberal Democrat s have re vealed.

This comes after the ruling last yea r by the Eu ropean Court of Human Rights that the practice of adding DNA profiles to the datab ase was il legal.

There are a to t al of 64,029 Norfo lk DNA profi les on the database, w it h t he government estimating that 20.8% of the people on the database are innocent equivalent to 13,318 profile s in total in Norfolk.

Conce rns from UEA students have also been expressed over th e rece nt discove ry of an extensive of "dom estic databa se extremists" including many innocent demonstrators with clean criminal records . (See Domestic Extremists at UEA below).

"THE WAVE" NUS CLIMATE PROTEST "a are planning - a "carniva l-style procession " - and demonstr~tion, December 5th, in suppo rt of action against climate change ahead of t he UN climate ta lks in Copenhagen.

NUS wav.e" street

. Hop in g to be the biggest ever demonstration in support of acti on agains t climate change, NUS hope thousan ds will descend to London, as well as Glasgow.

The wave is being orga nised by th e Sto p Climate Chaos Coa lition and su ppo rt ed by th e Nati ona l Un ion of St udents (NUS). A plan ned fi nale wi ll see the demonstrato rs enci rcli ng the Houses of Parl ia ment.

For more inform ati o n go to: http ://www.n us.org.uk/ en/Ca mp aigns/Gr ee n-Zo ne/ The-wa ve-co me-t ogeth er-tostop-climate-c haos/

UEA STUDENT BECOMES A PC SO

ZIGGURATS IN ARCHITECTURAL AWARD

Rachel Handforth

Tasha Percy

A second yea r Chemistry stud ent is one of the latest recruits stepping out on the beat after joining the ranks of Norfolk's Special Constab ulary.

Vanessa Greaves is one of 14 new constables who are patro ll ing the county following an official attestation ceremony at Norfo lk's Constabulary's Wymondham headquarters.

Vanessa, 25, lives in Foxley near Reepham and joined the Special Constabulary because she was keen to do something worthwhi le with her spare time: "I wanted to do something that wou ld get me out and about meeting new people and that would really make a difference".

"So far I've only been out on duty a few times, but there ha s been lots of variety which I like.

"I was patrolling around UEA one night during Freshers' Week which was quite interesting, as I normally on ly see the campus in daytim e. "lt was odd to think that no one would be aware that under th e uniform I was ju st another student. I have also been out on duty in Dereham a couple

of ti mes and I have had the opportuni ty to work alongside both regular officers and other Specia ls."

Assistant Chief Constable Charlie Hall said: "The Special Constabulary is a team of volunteers from the local community who provide tremendous he lp and support to regu lar police officers."

The Special Constabulary is a voluntary body to help the regular police force in meeting th e policing needs of the community. Their roles include providing high visibility patrols and helping police major inci dents and events.

The Ziggurats - Norfolk and Suffolk Terrace - have made it into the Architect 's Journal top ten British University Buildings.

They came in at eighth place behind suc h buildings as Leeds University Lecture Theatre Block and Oxford University's Radcliffe Camera.

Th e UEA press office commented that "the large-sca le 3-D effect impact of the ziggurats standing together, their posi tion between the park landscape and the urban sty le of the

centre of the campus and, of course, the conc rete al l contribute to their uniqueness."

The build ings are listed as Grade 11, meaning they are "particu larly significa nt build in gs of more t han loca l interest". But, "most importantly", the press office said, " the architect thought of the quality of life of the students who would live in them, ensuring that they could jump out of bed and get to lectures in five minutes flat an d tha t t hey co ul d all enj oy stunning views from their bedroom window, as all rooms face the Broad."

DOMESTIC EXTREMISTS AT UEA? PIPE LEAK PANDEMONIUM Nick Church UUEAS is to write to the Home Secretary, MP Alan Johnson, demanding confirmation as to whether UEA students' details are listed in the databa se monitoring and tracking "domestic extremists", as a result of a Union Council policy.

James Silva, of GameSoc and propose r of the motion, wa s outraged at recent discovery of a national government sc heme to monitor "domestic ext rem ists", w hich in fact contains many peacefu l protestors With w it h no cr im in al records. a campaigning Union, and many students tak ing part in such legal protests, he expressed concern over the potentia l of UEA students being listed on the database.

In other events, Union Council has passed four referendum entries submitted during the UUEAS' "You Co un t!" campa ign, whic h will be put to a policy ballot for all UEA student s.

The entries include a potential boycott of Coca-Cola, lobbying for a mu lti sto rey car pa rk, stock ing the minimum 路 co pi es possi ble of t he Dail y M ail and stocking, w here avai lable, East Ang lian f ruit and vege t ab les.

Law Postgradua te Representative and cha ir, Ri chard Reynolds, st ro ngly

cr iti cised the NUS' new HE Zone conferences as "d isgracefu l". Set up to give students across the country a chance to take part in workshops and hear speakers on the main policy iss ues for students, Richard Reynolds sa id it was in fact an event for "c hummy sabb [sabbatical] officers around the country" and "structurally poor".

"BALANCE OF PROBABILITIES" Council also passed the motion concerning disci pl inary procedures, which Concrete reported on last issue, obliging UUEAS' to challenge the proposed amendment to di sc iplinary procedures. The university proposed the use of the term "balance of probabilities" instead of beyond reasonable doubt.

In other events motions were pa sse d for the Union to boycott Fruit of the Loom, the suppl ier of numerou s uniforms and clothing to universities across this count ry and the US. The move came after t he closure of t heir only factory with a un ionised workforce.

UUEAS' also pledged support fo r t he Aust rian st udents in Vienna occupying un iversity bui ldings in protest aga inst increas in g privatisa ti on of highe r education .

Paul Well ard Students in campus accommodation were without water for over 24 hours after a major water main on campus fractured.

The fracture affected all residents in new campus accommodation - Britten, Col man, Paston, Kett, Victory, Browne Nelson Court, INTO, the Health Centre and the nursery.

Working throughout the night contractors were able to repair the fracture early morning on 22nd October,

with the frac ture bei ng found ea rly morning on 21st October.

Students were urged to use only th e bathroom sinks, kitchen sinks and toilet flushes where absolutely necessa ry, and to not use showers or water for drinking.

Speaking about the incident Welfare Officer, Tom Sutton, praised the University. "This problem caused a massive inconvenience for students in UEA residences", he said, "however, the Un iversity acted we ll grasping the severity of the issue and dealing with problem both quickly and effectively."

UNI-Q PANEL DEBATE Phil Taylor wa s surprisi ngly ho nest when questioned on Labour 's role in the credit crunch, admitting that New Labour had not managed to end the cycle of boom and bust - he told the audience "We came to the edge of going bust... we did not do enough".

The prod ucers of Uni -Q, Catc h 21, hope that this on line show will attract young peo pl e and ra ise an in te rest in poli ti cs by embracing new media and t rave ll ing aro un d univers iti es. Chl oe Smith agreed, saying that "this ki nd of event is rea lly positi ve, I thi nk this really

plays to w here we need to go w ith new media". Adrian Ramsay also spoke of the positive effect such debates have.

"We also engage with people on the doorstep and we have a lot of student s doing work experience because it's good for the CV - it lets people know w hat sort of jobs th ere are out the re" he to ld Concrete.

The foo tage of th e de bate is availab le to watch at www. indepe nd ent.co .uk/stud ent as will be the rest of the series w here next week the show is in London.

FREE ENTRY All NIGHT

SELECTED SHO S

8 INTERNATIONAL

concrete.inte.rnational@uea.ac.uk

Magic and Mirth on Norwich's Ghost walk

London Calling

Nishavitha Murthi

Chen Zhao

it was a much awaited event; rumours went aro und that last year's Halloween walk was a trip not to be mi ssed and consequently , this year, a ticket was very much in order.

Situated in a park next to the Adam and Eve pub, the Halloween ghost walk on Wednesday 28th October had two sessions, one at 7 .30pm and the other at 9.30 pm. In a team of 15, the walk was led by the "Man in Black" as he referred to himself. As the name sugges t s, the man was clad in a full length black cloak

matched with a black top hat and black boots. He claimed to be inhuman and 150 years of age!

The wa lk consisted of a tour on foot around the park in wh1ch different scenes of the haunted past had been recreated. The guide related real life tales and medieval secrets of Norwich. The walk proceeded along the river bank with random encounters with lighted pumpkin faces, skulls and ghostly looking creatures hanging on trees.

The moonlight that shone between trees, the night mist

and the chilling sou nd effects by the team all added to the spookiness of the night.

There w as a humorous si de to it as well. Intermittent com1cal commercial breaks (mcluding an advert for eBay!) received a number of chuckles. Moreover, when trick s or stories did not invite as many frightened faces, the Man in Black himself joked about them creating laughter. The walk ended with an announcement that the subsequent day's newspaper headlines would apparently read : " Nobody survived the

ghost walk" which start led everyone. whether However, anybody else surv1ved or did not remains a mystery.

A real life Halloween nightmare!

Xin Chen When I was studying in the Netherlands in 2007, I was invited to a Halloween party in a pub. That was my first ever Hallowen experience, you can imagine how excited I was. But the only problem was I dressed in Chinese traditional

finery; Qipao

to be precise. Though my friend thought the Qipao was gorgeous, I still felt there was no consistency between the party and my dress. All in spooky and scary costumes; I started to feel uncomfortable and went to the toilet.

I never thought that could be the most embar ra ssing t h i n g that happened on that night. I was locked in the toilet! The lock seemed normal, but when I tried to open it, it didn't work any Look ing around nar row toilet,

I wa s anxious and full of fear. Suddenly I heard girls laughing a short distance away. I shouted " Help!" and knocked on the door to attract their attention. it worked. " Don't worry, I' ll find somebody to help you," a girl said. A minute later I was rescued by the pub staff and returned to my friends. They were talking about a girl who was locked in the toilet; I admitted it was me. How embarrassing it was, they rocked with laughter. But at that moment I felt' relaxed; the most terrible thin g had happened.

Two month s later I met the girl who helped me when I was locked in the toilet at my friend's farewell party.

We became good friends and every time we talked about that night, she said the Hal loween party brought us together.

Since I arr ived at London Heathrow airport in June, a strong impu lse ha s driven me to travel around the entire London area. The capi tal city seemed to have many secrets waiting for me. One month later, I was finally able to go with my friends.

Holding a map and a tourist handbook in my hand, I decided to go to th e Tower of London first. The trave l route was not as hard as we imagined but it took us a while to work out the complicated tube map. We could not even find where the River Thames

underground, a magnificent tower jumped into our sights: impressive in colour, size and extent. We could not stop shouting and celebrating. But climbing the steps and having a look at the views was the th ing we most wanted. All of us were laughing at others and taking photographs to record such a happy time.

was, as there were so many colourful lines on the map.

Luckily we reached the London Tower Station.

When we came out of the

I realised I actually did not have many requirement s and was easily satisfied. This happy, beautiful and fortunate mome nt was enough for me.

Why I love Halloween HuiZhou If someone asks me what will remember about England, Halloween will definitely be listed at the

man, who was standing still at the corner without saying a si ng le word, wearing a pure pale mask without any

top. The fun is not just about partaking in customs, but also the preparation of trying to stand out either as scary o r as distinctive. This year I decided to go as a mystery lady with an amazing mask.

With a misty moon floating in the dark, th e night was full of the Halloween atmosphere; spider webs and freaky pumpkins were hung around everywhere. We went into a pub, dancing and watching people surrounding us. Everyone else thought a witch with a broken broom, exaggerated smoky eyes and blood on her face, was sca ry but I disagreed . La ter on a

express ion, really made me afraid. But at the same time I w as impressed, so I went to him asking for a photograph together. He simp ly nodded his head, but still no words came out of his mouth.

Halloween is the a unique occasion, and I think it 's also the day everyone tries to be creative. Through imagi natio n, we were exp loring the excitement of being different, and we re sligh t ly cu ri ous about whether real ghosts walked among us. Unce rtainity is the most attractive part of Ha ll oween to me and thi s specia l fee ling w ill neve r be forgotten.

I ~

10 COMMENT AND OPINION

concrete.opinion@uea.ac.uk

TUESDAY 3rd NOVEMBER 2009

Britain Not Persuaded After Nick Griffin's controversial appearance on Question Time was watched by over 8 million people, Lucy Moore examines what happened on this night in political history.

This was Nick Griffin's big night. As the studio lights rose on the panel, the question that had fuel led mont hs of media debate was finally about to be answered. Would the BNP manage to silence their critics and worm their way into the affections of the British public? The answer was a resounding no.

From the very sta rt, Griffin was revealed to be hugely under-prepared and completely unwilling to engage with those who opposed him. Every quotation attributed to him was flatly denied as an "outrageous lie" fabricated by the media. Even when he was confronted with questions about the core ideology of his party, Griffin remained evasive. When asked about his Holocaust denial, all he cou ld say was " I don't know why

I used to say those things", and he seemingly invented anecdotes and statistics that he was unable to back up, for example his cla1m that 84% of British people supported the BNP's immigration policy. Sweating and smirking his way through the show, Griffin 's mission to make the party acceptable failed spectacularly. By the end, the audience had no clearer idea of what his party stood for than an hour before.

The only thing that was made clear was that Nick Griffin is a thoroughly unpleasant man. He described Islam as "a wicked and vicious faith", homosexuals as "pe rverse" and "c reepy " and attempted to defend a picture of him standing with Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke on the grounds that Duke's branch of the

KKK were "non-vio lent." lt is hard to believe that anyone would have been fooled by his democratic exterior.

One audience member hit the nail on the head when she described Griffin as "a wolf in sheep's clothing."

Griffin's fellow panellists, though well meaning, were often a little too indignant. Jack Straw particularly let his anger cloud the points he was ma~ing. lt was Bonnie Greer, deputy chairwoman of the British Museum, who most effectively managed to confront Griffin. Her body remained turned away from him for the whole programme but she wa s never angry in her dealings w1th him. Instead she was funny, softly spoken and managed to make Griffin look far more foo lish than the other panellists combined did.

The BNP's one concession of the night came when Jack Straw refused to acknowledge that people were turning to t he BNP because of Labour 's failures on immigration.

Despite his assertion that the problems of immigration were being rectified , the presence of Griffin on the panel testified the complete opposite. Straw's we.akness on this point is the very reason people are seeking out the BNP and he would have been in a much stronger

pos ition had he admitted this.

Overa ll though, it was the audience who came across best.

One audie nce member in particu lar summed up the whole programme fantastical ly when he said to Griffin: "You'd be su rp rised how many peo ple would have a whip round to buy you and your supporters a ticket to go to the South Pole. it's a co lourless landscape. it will suit you fine."

All Griffin could do was grimace.

Debate: Should the Daily Mail have published Jan Moir's article?

Fact box Gareth Coventry The content of Jan Moir's article about Stephen Gately's death was deeply unpleasant, offensive and potentially libellous. The timing of the publication of the article, just before Gately's funeral , w as also gross ly insensitive. The natural response to this article is that it should never have been published in the first place; however, it is just too easy to say that.

If the Doily Mail had not published this article, though, then the accusation would be of censorship.

The specific example of Jan Moir's article is hard to justify as being in the public interest as it mvolves the issue of censorship in relation to celebrity, but generally such censorship, legal or se lf-impo se d, may affect good, responsible and respectable journalism.

This ha s happened already where some businesses have used privacy laws in order to prevent potentially embarrassing disclosures.

Without debates over content, we will discover great difficulty in either finding or establishing th e

line between what is acceptable and what is not acceptable ; neither will we see how society has progressed.

For example, in 1987 The Sun published a headline: "Fly Away Gays - And We Will Pay," in which they offered to give gay men the money for a one way ticket to Norway. This homophobic article was met with little controversy when originally published. We can contrast thi s admittedly low point with reaction to Jan Moir's article and it is uplifting to see how soc1ety has beco me intolerant of homophobia.

If we accept that we live in a society that genumely accepts and values a plurality of views, which pays more than merely a lip service to the se ideals, then we must also accept that occasionally we will run into views that we strongly disagree with . On the se occasions we should not run away and put our heads in the sand but in stead use our powers of reason and debate, in order to show why these views are unacceptable in the first place and try to persuade people to our way of thinking.

The Press Complaints Commission received a record 25,000 complaints about the a rticle.

The article was quickly spread over Facebook and TwiHer. Brands such as Marks and Spencer a nd Nescafe removed thei r adverts from the page.

gainst James Dixon The Doily Mail has garnered an image as a paper that leans to t he ri ght of political opinion. Recently, however, they appear to have lost their balance and toppled over in a strong gale of old-fashioned homo phobia.

The matter at hand is Jan Moir's risque article about Stephen Gate ly's untimely death . Whilst freedom of speech is a hallmark of British socie ty, there is a fine line bet ween opinion and subtle hatred. Moir has created her own 'line' by drawing a large black cross over homosexuality and its practitloners. The fact is that the Doily Mail has an extremely large readership across Britain which means her views will have been read by thousands . The snide, bitter voice of homophobia whispering in the nation's ear is a sad sound to hear.

The title to the article, " Why there was nothmg 'natural' about Stephen Gately's death," is suggestive enough as it is. The Doily Mail has since changed the title to "A strange, lonely and troubling death ." This change in headline does not change the content of the article. Moir opens

he r article with a comment upo n the modern celebri t y stati ng that we should "ex pect t he unexpected" from ce lebrities, especia lly those w ho " live a life shadowed by dark appetltes or fractured by private vice." Is it therefo re difficult for the reader to be li eve Ga tely's ho mosexua lity to be one of t he aforementioned evils?

Moir con ti nues her diatribe against ho mosexua lity stating that the "circumstances surrounding his death are more than a little sleazy." She puts t he final nail in her caree r 's coffi n with her claim that Gately's death "strikes another blow to the happy-ever-a fter myth of civil partnersh ips." She claims in a response to the uproar she caused that her comments were misconstrued . If anything, Moir has misconstrued her own comments.

That this article ever made it past the editor of the paper is quite a surprise. lt should not have been pub lished. Moir can apologize and blame the furore on internet campaigns but the poisonous stream of homophobia ru nning through her article is inescapable. There is nothing 'natural' about Moir's opinions.

"I wanted to go into the mens' toilet ... to see if there were any tasty men in there" Sa m Lewis, PSI 2

COMMENT AND OPINION 11

concrete.oplnlon@uea.ac.uk TUESDAY 3rd NOVEMBER 2009

LA LA LA LA LA LA lJATIOaJAL..ISM LAW\ LA LA LA LA f'RIOE ~A LA LA LA ~A ~A LA (,A

Mr. Gr'~itt1 de you not ackt1owledge tSte lf!Yri.sd eimiisttitie e 08twe" the &f.JP doctrltte and the ~~l ioeorog~ P

Postal pressures European comeback kid?

Jack Brinded Unfortunately, the attitude of my peers seems to be that postal workers are selfishly striking nationwide for money. They also seem unenthused that the NUS support the CWU (Communication Workers' Union).

Of course it is by no means their fault; they can only see scraps of half-truth kicked down to them by members of our "freE( press, such as the Guardian columnist Mark lawson, who set about the character assassination of CWU leader Billy Hayes by comparing him to Arthur Scargill in a recent article.

."Despite what the media, would have us believe, the government caused this strike, not the union" Oespite what the media would have us believe, the government caused this strike, not. the union.

They persecuted mail workers on grounds of ."inefficiency" and "modernisation", regardless of the facts.

I could go into how Royal Mail doubled its annual profit this year to 拢321m (in a recession ... ), or say that it offers a cheaper service than its private sector rivals, or that it's more

of a commercial beneficiary of the internet than a by-passed dinosaur.

However, this strike shouldn't be solely justified on the terms of dull, profit-minded economists or the cold, dehumanised, numbercrunching system by which they define success. This strike can and should be justified on the grounds of democracy.

The cause of this strike is not money at all, it is the "urgent modernisation" (mass redundancy) pushed for by that pantomime villain Mandelson, who resides in the unelected and ancient lords, working for an undemocratic government who scrapped one fifth of all Britisb adults' votes in 2005.

Ac.celerated "modernisation" and downstream access (which allows competitors to use RM to deliver their mail), as well as longer routes, heavier bags, compulsory movement to night shifts and management bullies meant workers had no choice but to strike.

This strike needs the people's support; the CWU is one of the last of a dying breed: a union both willing and capable of challenging a government in its vindictive (and illegitimate) Thatcherite crusade to destroy all public services. This strike stands for the good of the many against the greed of the few. it's not just about postal workers; their fate is that of the entire public sector.

David Biggins last year William Hague gave a speech in the House of Commons which ridiculed Gordon Brown for ratifying the Lisbon treaty, effectively ending Britain's substantial power of veto in a variety of different areas. At. the time Hague had assumed that it would be Gordon Brown who would be greeting

"President Tony Blair... through gritted teeth" as he would, once again, be subordinate to Blair's authority. Now the Conservatives have come to realise that it is increasingly likely that it will be David Cameron who will be subordinate to Blair's authority and the.very thought of it 路is making them squirm.

Personally, I would welcome Blair as the President of Europe. The .allegations against Europe are well known; that it's leading to a rise in immigration and costing jobs in the UK, that it's raised fuel taxes, that too many laws are being made in Bruss~ls and not enough in the United Kingdom and that it is a fundamentally undemocratic body. If half of these criticisms are true then we need a radical reformer to take the reigns and steer the European Union in the right direction.

In the 2005 labour.Party Manifesto it was stated that labour wanted to vote 'Yes' to Europe to "keep. Britain a leading nation;' This is because labour realised that if Britain is to have a future it must have powerful ties with Europe to maintain business opportunities and economic prosperity. lt is worth

noting that the strongest supporter of the EU from the Tory bench is none other than Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Kenneth Clarke. lt seems that the more entrepreneurial the politician, the more likely they are to support Europe.

I have never bought into the arguments that write off Tony Blair as a "warmonger" over the mistakes made in Iraq. I often think that people have been too quick to write off his Ireland legacy and the Good Friday Agreement. More than this, Tony Blair has a presence on the world stage.

With the rise of the Chinese and Indian economies, America is no longer the world's only superpower and if Britain wants to keep its rational, liberal voice heard, we're going to need a real personality to champion our views. Britain needs to appreciate just how influential this man could be in helping to secure a prosperous future for our country, and it needs to r!'!alise that if we want make Europe more tolerable then we will need Britain's voice to be heard - because if the British won't support him, then what hope does he have for Europe?

IF YOU HAVE A COMMENT OR OPINION THAT YOU WANT TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST ON ANY ISSUE, THEN THIS IS THE PLACE FOR YOU. PLEASE CONTACT CONCRETE.OPINIONS@UEA.AC.UK AND WE'LL GET YOUR VOICE HEARD!

I 12 FEATURES

Noughties

concrete.features@uea.ac.uk

concrete.features@uea.ac.uk

TUESDAY 3rd NOVEMBER 2009

TUESDAY 3rd NOVEMBER 2009

•

mnes1a Mandelson's Monopoly

As we approac~ the end of this centul)t's first decode, G-areth Cov~ntry takes a look at two of the most prominent features of the last ten years; the meteoric rise of the internet and our growing obsessi.on with celebrity culture.

On New Year's Eve 1999, the world, after an intense media panic, held its breath to see whether the Millennium bug would spell the end of civilisation for mankind. Luckily for us we are still here, and in a few weeks time, the first decade of the twenty-first century will be over and, inevitably, the debate has started about what the Noughties will be remembered for. Among the most prominent features of the Noughties have been the rise of the Internet and the cult of celebrity. So what has been the influence of these features on our generation and how these influences have affected the political discourse in the UK? Despite being a product of the Cold War, it was during the Noughties that the Internet really took off, with more people gaining wider access and faster bandwidth speeds. The Internet has had a massive impact in revolutionising communications, especially via the use of social networking sites such as Facebook. About 25 million people in the UK who are at present on a social . networking site. These sites have helped to change our pattern of consumption; for example MySpace has provided the opportunity for up-and-coming musicians, like Lily Alien, to establish an online fanbase. The Internet is likely to continue to revolutionise society as long as the recommendations of the

Digital Britain Report are successfully signatures before it closed last week. implemented, with the aims like Although the Internet has become universal access to broadband by 2012 increasing!~ intertwined in our everyday and an increased online presence for Jives, it should be remembered that state-provided services. there are still 17 million people aged Political parties have used the over 15 in the UK who have no access Internet in order to gain access to to the internet, with evidence to suggest a wider audience. Devices which as that the uptake is coming slower, WebCameron, which was launched and that non-users are becoming in 2006, have enabled parties· to increasingly 'militant'. Also a recent broadcast their message directly to t he ·survey by Harvard has cast doubt on the public. However if you wanted to be popularity of social networking sites; it cynical, it could mean that the leaders has estima:ed that ninety per cent of are able to put across their message traffic on Twitter is generated by only without any meaningful questioning. ten per cent of users with an average In turn, the Internet has provided more tweet posted every seventy four days.

In 1968 Andy Warhol famously opportunities for ordinary voters to hold political elites directly to account remarked that in the future everyone with the Internet enabling voters to would be famous for 15 minutes. question the party leaders though such This saying has been updated for the devices as web chats and initiatives like Noughties, with some declaring that Ask the PM. The next general election on the weo, everyone will be famous is likely to be fought with a heavy to fifteen people and some would say online pre~ence; already most leaders the level of exhibitionism on the web of a political party have a blog or an has helped Warhol's prediction to come account on a social networking site. true, with people becoming famous for Yet the move into 'cyberspace has not being famous without any discernable been without problems for politicians; talent. This facet is what has separated Gordon Brown's performance on this decade's cult of celebrity from YouTube detailing his proposals for MPs previous decades. The thirst for fame expenses has been widely ridiculed and has lead to increasingly bizarre antics the most popular petition at present on with the recent balloon hoax in America; the official 10 Downing Street site is a where a couple, who had previously e-petition calling for Gordon Brown to appeared on the US version of Wife resign as PM which has attracted 72,232 Swap, pretended that their young son was inside a runaway balloon filled with helium with the intention that the media exposure would gain them a TV reality series.

The concerns over the negative effects of the cult of celebrity seem to be well jurtified; a survey conducted by the Breast Cancer Campaign in 2008 concluded that a sizeable portion of · women were concerned more with the cult of celebrity than their own health.

Another survey by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ALT) found that, depressingly, 32% of their pupils cited Paris Hilton as a role model. ALT went on to conclude that the cult of celebrity is actually reducing their pupil's educational aspirations, with many of their pupils thinking celebrity

FEATURES 13

b

Intra uct.

ron

Peter Mandelson has been described in recent years as the "most powerful man· in Britain"; he creat.ed .the New Labour Rose and he's had more reinventions than Madonna. David Biggins profiles the most fascinating character in British politics.

When the former Work and Pensions Secretary, James Purnell, resigned from Gordon Brown's cabinet earlier this year, Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, and Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport, Andy Burnham, were supposed to follow, causing a coup that would have surely ended Brown's premiership.

....•....

• is an easy option career wise which does not require much effort and all that is needed is an entry to a talent competition. Such an impression is misleading; often those who win these competitions, such as The X Factor, and are genuinely successful afterwards

"32% of pupils cite Paris Hilton as a role model " tend to have spent years perfecting their art beforehand rather than being raw undiscovered talent; Leona Lewis attended three high profile stage schools, such as the ltalia Conti Academy and The BRIT School, before auditioning for The· X Factor. The same is true for Alexandra Burke who also comes from a singing background.

Although there has always been an element of the cult of celebrity in

the political realm, it does seem to · have taken on a more aggressive form. ~ Gordon Brown had his credibility as a serious person for serious times questioned when he mentioned that he phoned Piers Morgan and Simon Cowell to check on the welfare of Susan Boyle the day after she was taken to The Priory for tr.eatment for exhaustion.

This gesture was thrown in his face; it was remarked in contrastto his handling over the release of the Lod<erbie bomber, which took him almost two . weeks to comment on and • fa&fter whose son was one of the tfDstqes killed in Iraq lambasted Gordon Brown for failing to contact him while making time for Susan Boyle.

So, the Internet; its impact is beyond question, but is it a force for good or evil? Is David Cameron attempting to brainwash our na'ive public with his dishwashing technique? Or is it an opportunity to bring ·down the higherups from the comfort of our swivel chairs? For certain, it's accelerated the rise of celebrity culture almost exponentially.

" Ma ndelson may never g ain c re dib ility w ith the British p ublic "

I

Instead, after Purnell stepped out of the door it was quickly closed behind him. lt is generally accepted that the man responsible for shutting the door was the prince of darkness, Peter Mandelson. Somehow, at the last moment, Mandelson appears to have persuaded the remaining rebels that Brown was the only realistic candidate to lead the Labour party into the next election. Over the past few weeks and m,onths, however, rumour after rumour has cropped up in a variety of newspapers and blogs about the possibility of there in fact being one very strong contender for the role of Labour leader • Mandelson himself.

The whispers startecj turning into screams earlier this year when Justice Secretary, Jack Straw, announced a "constitutional shakeup" that would allow, for _-_..... the first time, life peers to renounce their titles (previously, only hereditary peers such as Tony Benn and former Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home were allowed to give up their place in the Lords). If that move wasn't enough to raise eyebrows around Westminster, last week a radical reform was proposed which would allow members of the House of Lords to enter the House of Commons to answer to Parliament. These reforms raise the question: just who are these measures designed to benefit?

Technically, Mandelson could become Prime Minister today as the Queen can appoint whoever she likes to rule the country, although traditionally there has always .been one logical stipulation - that person's ability t~ govern. For example, if the Queen saw fit, she could call Jeremy Clarkson to Buckingham Palace and ask him to form a government. However, if Clarkson put forward a proposal that banned all cyclists from the road, no one would vote for it, so it couldn't

become legislation and f you cannot make any new legislation then there is no point in being in charge. Admittedly, Mandelson has a more pr3ctical chance than Clarkson of becoming Prime Minister (being a politician helps for a start) as he frequently ::lemonstrates that he has a huge influence over his Party and could readily command a majority; however, he still faces tricky constitutional difficulties. A Lord can become Prime Minister {Lord Salisbury, for example) but it is a generally an unworkable scenario as they cannot enter the House of Commons and therefore they cannot answer to Parliament. Furthermore, as we don't elect our Lords it would not be particularly democratic to have one in charge of our country!

Of course, even if Mandelson could become Prime Minister, there's no evidence to suggest that the country particularly wants him to. He's been involved in so many scandals that he's earned the nickname 'the Comeback Kid.' Starting in 1998, Mandelson had been forced to resign 1rom the role of Secretary of State b r Trade and Industry over a perceived conflict of interest when he failed to declare a private loan from the Paymaster General. As the matter was only a perceived conflict of interest (in the public's and the media's eyes at least) and not an actual conflict of interest, Mandelson was able to cheerfully return to Government a mere year later as Northern Ireland Secretary.

He lost his job, again, after it was alleged that Mandelson had lobbied for Srichand Hinduja to be allowed a British passport after Hinduja had made the very welcome donation of one million pounds to the Millennium Dome project (which Mandelson had been in charge of as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry). After an inquiry, Mandelson_was : leared of any wrongdoing; however, it was too late.

Blair had already forced Mandelson to resign for fear that his continued presence would make the Government appear 'sleazy'.

The reputation of sleaze never has, and never will never escape Mandelson. He may have caused millions of British citizens to choke on their cornflakes when it was announc~d at the end of last year that he would be returning to Government for a third time - but he was never going to be in for an easy ride. In March this year, he had green custard thrown in his face by Leila Deen, a Plane Stupid campaigner, who claimed tha t M andelson had 'bullied' Ed Miliband into accepting the proposal for a third runway at Heath row airport.

She angrily claimed that it was an outrage that Mandelson was allowed to represent Britain's green interests and that "the only thing that's green about Peter Mandelson is the slime coursing through his veins". Harsh words, but Deen is certainly not alone in her hostile view of Mandelson. His ability to calmly bat away unwan~ed questions from skilled interviewers such as Andrew Marr and Jeremy Paxnian probably does him more harm that good as his previous experi ence in television (where he worked as a researcher and producer for the current events program Weekend World) gives Mandelson the now cursed association with 'spin' that so damaged Tony Blair's credibility during the later years of tenure.

Mandelson may never gain credibility with the British people but his influence over Labour cannot be underestimated. Prince Charles 'greets him as 'the red rose man,' referring to Mandelson's decision to change Labour's symbol from a militant red banner in favour of a friendlier, more electable red rose. This is a simple, though striking, example of how Mandelson is regarded as one of the key architects in modernising the Labour Party and was partly responsible for them, crucially, getting elected. Furthermore, he is also said to have had enough power to play 'kingmaker' by supporting Blair and not Brown after John Smith's death in 1994.

The idea of Prime Minister Mandy is, obviously, complete speculation.

His ability to make governments and kings and silence rebellions is eerily impressive, but his political skills have never translated quite as well into the public sphere (or even into the business world as he has yet to miraculously solve the Royal Mail dispute, which, as Business Secretary, falls under his remit). The man himself, in his usual headline-tantalizing way, has never denied the possibility of running for t he top job, simply commenting that such a move may be "one comeback too many."

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14 FEATURES

concrete.features@uea.ac.uk TUESDAY 3rd NOVEMBER 2009

•

The Morbidity of Med 1a There have been an inordinate number of high-profile deaths over the past year - but how have print and online media chosen to write about it? Alice Violett delves into the journalism of celebrity death - do they ask the questions everyone wants to know or are they simply disrespectful?

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Celebrity death is a real boon to media _outlets. How many people headed straight for a reputable news website or turned on the TV for confirmation when they first heard that Michael Jackson was dead? The deaths of household names are a great excuse to fill several pages of lower-end newspapers with speculation about how they died, 'last pictures' in which, oddly enough, the celebrity in question was still alive, and quotations from people who might have seen them in concert once. And then there are follow-up stories, biographies, editorials, interviews, funeral and memorial coverage, photographs of relatives looking doleful/getting on with their lives, maybe even a colour supplement all about the star's life. Und?ubtedly, a lot of mileage can be gained from the death of a celebrity, but is this at the expense of respect for those left behind?

Extreme speculation seems to surround any unexpected celebrity death. lt took a decade for the media, most famously the Daily Express, to conclude that Diana's death was an accident; she was in the prime of her life and a figure of 'disrepute within the Royal Family so there just had to be some kind of conspiracy.

To use the more recent example of Stephen Gately's untimely death, some media outlets

could not accept the possibility that a healthy 33-year-old could die of natural causes, Jan Moir of the Daily Mail being a notable example of a journalist denying medical fact. The fact that Gately was gay made the story even juicier; a story about someone dying because of their supposed 'lifestyle' is bound to get more people talking than one where they die arbitrarily. In the aftermath of Jacksop's death, meanwhile, all manner of aspersions about his health and the circumstances surrounding his death were published in the Sun; some of which turned out to be true, others which were later dispelled or quietly dropped. The death of Bob Woolmer, coach of the England cricket team, in 2007, was absolute dynamite for the

tabloids; the three months it took Jamaican police to conclude he had not been murdered gave the press plenty of time to theorise about what had happened. The message is clear; speculating about unexplain~d deaths sell papers.

The other effect of such speculation, though, is felt by those close to the deceased. lt's one thing to lose a loved one; it's another to see their face in the newspapers every day/ ·surrounded by spurious claims about the details of their death ..How can someone move on from a death when faced with articles such as Moir's that sully the memory of the departed? The article's damage was not I imited to Gately's family; his loyal fans, many of whom will always associate him with being young, were disgusted by the article. Even those who weren't particularly interested in him were incensed by such a disrespectful, homophobic article; the message of the thousands who complained and forced an apology from Moir was that speaking ill of the dead was simply unacceptable. Jackson's death invited an outpouring of grief but the public was also reminded by the me~ia that he was tried for paedophilia; something he was not found guilty of, yet will always garner a mention in any account of his life/ again showing a lack of respect for his nearest and dearest who might prefer to remember the years when he was at his best, untainted by scandal. Interestingly, Jade Goody's transgressions were glossed over posthumously; begging the question, what makes one dead celebrity more worthy of forgiveness than another?

This reporter remembers recently reading an article about the death of Tory MP Piers Merchant which concentrated almost wholly on the fact that he was 1Sieazy' and had had an affair in the late 1990s, with little regard for anything he might have achieved in his life. lt is safe to presume that his wife, who took him back, and the rest of his family, would not have been pleased to have such negative memories resurfacing after his death. In an obituary, getting the balance between positive and negative aspects of a famous person's life can be tricky, but sometimes the impression is given that the writer isn't even trying. lt isn't just the newspapers, though/ who have a lot to gain from celebrity death. The advent of 24-hour news channels- mean.s that as soon as a famous person dies, everybody knows about it, and the channels get something to fill their airtime with. L!nfortunately, there's only so far a breaking story about deat h can be st retched on TV. What usually happens ill' the aftermath of a recently-announced

celebrity death is as follows: news of the death is repeated every ten minutes "for those who have just joined us"; someone does an outside report, usually from somewhere where very little is going on; a hastily-produced montage is shown. The length of time it takes to

which broke the news of Jackson's death, being one, the BBC being another. On the other side of the coin, there are sites that are notoriously untrustworthy; most people have learnt to take Wikipedia with a pinch of salt; contrary to a user's claims at one point, Art Attack presenter Neil Buchanan is very much alive.

The net-savvy can spot a mocked-up page a mile off and don't believe anything until it's been verified. However/ the uncensored, usergenerated nature of the Internet means that more extreme/ unsupported speculation and conspiracy theories can arise surrounding such deaths/ whilst the Internet's anonymity makes it easy to feign insider knowledge. lt seems that speculation, reasonable or otherwise, exists all over the media but that published, professional/ widely available material, at least, should bear in mind the bereaved families of the deceased.

"The fact that Gately was gay made the story even juicier" investigate a death tends not to lend itself to live TV, although television is be a little more restrained than newspapers when it comes to the question of exactly how somebody has come to die.

The internet, of course, is a different beast altogether. There are 'trusted' sites; TMZ.com,

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LETTERS AND EDITORIAL 15

concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk TUESDAY 3rd NOVEMBER 2009

EDITORIAL

LEnERS An open letter to UEA students

concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk Hannah Livingston

Lauren South, Alex May, Gemma Henzley

concrete.editorial@uea.ac.uk Alice Violett

concrete .editorial @uea.ac. u k Alice Violett

Naomi Fraser, Nick Clinch, Alfie Kirk

R concrete.editorial@uea.ac.uk Denise Bartlett

concrete.food09@gmail.com Edward Leftwich

Rachel Handforth, Amanda Hill, Sarah Cox, Hazy Hale, Mia Wecker, Lindsay Harris

concrete.new s@uea.ac.uk Nicolas Church

Emma Richardson, Sarah Cox, Danie Hadley, Hayley Hurrell

concrete.lifestyle@uea.ac.uk Samantha Lewis

Emma Parrott, Gareth Coventry, M ia Wecker, Lucy Moore, Chris King, Rosie Stamp, Gordon Malloy, Danny Keillor, Natasha Percy, Rachel Ha ndforth, Pau l Wellard

ORS concrete.intern at ional@uea.ac.uk Qingning Wang & Filipa Mendes

Bruce Sigrist, Grace Alten, Vicki Wheatland

concrete.turf@uea.ac.uk Rebecca Wiles

Do students who persist in parking on the Earlham Park car park realise how selfish their actions are?

By taking spaces meant for genuine users of the park i.e. walkers, dog walkers, runners and families, they are preventing them from enjoying their activities.

Because most st udents do not patronise the cafe in the park, preventing genuine users from being able to park and therefore patronise the cafe means that the young man who runs the cafe is being deprived of his livelihood. Since term started, his takings have dropped significantly and there is a danger that he will onl9 open at weekends. For parl< users like myself who live alone, the chance to have a meal or coffee with other users will be taken away, meaning that our chance of social interaction for that day will be gone. For some, it may be the only time that they talk to another person all week.

May I remind students that the notice at the entrance to the park states that the car park is "Strictly for park users only".

I appreciate that you need to attend lectures but there is an excellent bus service to UEA and there is the bicycle!

I know for a fact that several of you live off Unthank Road (I have been followed on several occasions by students from the car park and down Unthank Rd where they have turned off into the side roads.) so why not bus or even walk! Wo rse still are the students who drive over from the Village side of the road to the car park and the student who parked in a disabled space and put a note under the windscreen wipers stating that they had broken down and would be back in two hours!

Please be more considerate.

Sincerely, Pat Gyte (Mrs)

Tom Hunt, Miha Klement

Notice Xin Chen, Chen Zhao, Hui Zhon, Nishavitha Murthi

concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk Danny Collins

concrete.opinion@uea.ac.uk Davina Kesby

Ben Frith, Robert Schatten, Georgina Wade, Lucy Bowers, Beth Robertson, Chris King, lan Hobbs

Jack Brinded, David Biggins, Gareth Coventry, James Dixon, Lucy Moore

NON-EDITORIAL Greg Mann

AI ice Violett, David Biggins, Gareth Coventry

Simon Partridge, Kyle Spencer, Laura Smith

concrete.travel@uea.ac.u k RacheiConquer

Martin Lippiatt

SOMETHING YOU WANV TO WRITE ABOUT? ~.

waN<'l

..

HOTOGRAPHER

concrete.features@uea.ac.uk Melissa York

Tliere are nzanN

Laura Smith has taken photographs on behalf of Concrete for the previous two editions of this newspaper but has been miscredited. Concrete offers it's apologies for this mistake.

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CONCRETE PO BOX 410, NORWICH, NORFOLK, NR4 7TJ 01603 593466

Concrete 1s published by UUEAS Concrete Society ©2009 Concrete. ISSN 1351-2773

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Letters should be addressed for the attention of the Editor, Hannah Livingston . Letters must include contact details, but we will consider anonymous publication.

We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity as necessary. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those

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16 TRAVEL

concrete.travel@uea.ac.uk TUESDAY 3rd NOVEMBER 2009

If's better in the Bahamas Lauren South

tells us why the Bahamas is such an amazing place to visit and how some of the islands are being changed forever.

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"it's better in the Bahamas" is what the commercial promises and yes, I would have to agree. The Bahamas certainly deliver in way of desert island paradises, white sands and a turquoise sea. But it all depends on what you want out of a holiday - and I choose the word holiday because no matter how action packed you make it, no matter how much scuba diving, lobster spearing or water sports you cram in, you do it alongside drinking a plethora of rum, rum punches and Goombay Smashes. There is no escaping the snail's pace of life and that is why three weeks here is heavenly for some and stifling for others.

The Bahamas is actually an archipelago of over 700 islands, many of which remain secret from the vast majority of tourists and thus the beautiful beaches are untouched and almost exclusive to the extent that some coup les fee l entitled to use them as their own private beaches .

Contrary to popular belief they are not part of the Caribbean and by no means should be confused with Barbados or Bermuda; they are in fact in the Atlantic Ocean and considered to be part of the West lndies. I spent my holiday in Green Turtle Cay, Abaca.

'Vacation in the Bahamas' sounds glamorous; you would expect entire American families decked out Ralph Lauren prep style . However, this is not really what I saw - for starters there are no palm trees here.

Also, the landscape is surprisingly inhospitable, leaving the Bahamians with no natural resources and a huge dependence on the sea for their livelihood. Fishing is still the main occupat ion on the smaller islands and there is an abundance

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of marine life to be glimpsed even by a less than competent snorkeler.

For me, what made visiting the Bahamas better than visiting other Caribbean islands like Jamaica and Antigua was that we were not staying in a hotel. The 20 foot Boston Whaler named 'The Boombastic' gave us the freedom and independence to see the Ba hamas beyond our own small island. The islands are tiny compared to anything at home - the main modes of transport on the is land are go lf karts. Everyone knows each other and as tourists we felt genuinely welcomed to the country.

On top of that everyone is relaxed and the atmosphere is consistently chilled - even on the plane over,

"Eve ryone knows e ach other and, o s tourists, we felt genui ne ly welcome d to the c ountry" the charming yet alarmingly lax pilot gave no concern to safety regulations and carelessly skimmed over the instructions to open the fire exit. lt is easy to be lulled into a sense of complete security in this extremely pleasant climate and very easy to forget that the boat you are driving is not part of a Disney ride and that safety precautions must be taken . Yes, t he water is know n to be very safe, and it's so clear you can practically see what you are swimming with, but take the boat out to about eight

metres deep and the radar picks up various shadowy outlines of lengths reaching up to six foot; a reminder that one danger here is a real threat.

And this was our routine for the next couple of weeks: snorkelling, beachcombing, eating, drinking and sleeping. We hunted for sand dollars on the empty white beaches, read trashy novels in hammocks slung between casuarina trees, took the boat out to stranded islands and snorkelled in any spot we liked. There was no TV and no real nig ht life beyond the occasional reggae band or chatting with locals and other visitors at Nippers, the nearest bar.

Within a few days we felt part of the community, which was brought home to me one morning as we returned f rom our first dive to be presented with two filleted barracudas from uur next-door neighbours.

So it was with mixed feelings that we learned that Green Turt le Cay is about to change forever. Over the next two years, the island will be develo ped into a 180-acre golf and spa resort, which will bring much needed revenue. Most controversia l are plans to build a large marina in place of the picturesque harbour.

Property prices will soar, and luxury yachts, of the kind already festooning Treasure Cay, will for the first time be able to dock at Green Turt le. The transport links and infrastructure will improve, and so will the average standard of living. And yet this is a classic tale of mixed blessings; with these changes a more relaxed way of life will disappear, causing sadness for some but for others, will completely consolidate the epitaph " it's better in the Bahamas."

UK: St. Ives Alex May

a leisurely stroll through the ancient cobbled streets of St Ives, meandering between quaint fishermen's cottages steeped in history and culture, and one cannot fai l to be mesmerised by the town's beauty. Its title- "Seaside town of the year 2007," as voted by readers of the Guardian - evokes images of a tacky Cornish ho li day resort, overrun by tourists and ruined in high summer.

But the reality could not be farther from the truth.

Muse to such famous artists as Peter Lanyon and Sir Terry Frost, it is no surprise that St Ives is primarily renowned for its artwork. The world famous Tate St Ives - opened in 1993

by H.R.H. Prince Charles - stands tall, overlooking the magnificent Porthmeor beach, where surfers, children, locals and holidaymakers alike enjoy the magnificent views out over the horizon. lt is an inspirational setting for such inspirational work.

Alternatively, one can spend a lazy afternoon lounging in the garden of Barbara Hepworth - th e famous

sculptor who lived and worked in the town - where her works have been lovingly preserved and displayed for the public in her very own garden.

Aside from art and culture, which can be found around near enough every corner of the town, there is an array of different things to be seen and done. Why not take a walk down to t he sa ndy botto m harbour an d watch the local fisherman land their daily catch of fresh fish, or sample some of the delicacies from one of the many wonderful restaurants along the sea front? You could always take a stroll along one of the numerous sandy bays and let t he silky white sa nd glide through your toes while paddling in the mild clear blue Atlantic. Take a picnic, set up camp on the small sandy cove of Po rthgwidden, and wait for a glimpse of sea life: dolphins, porpoises and basking sharks have all been seen swimming in the bay and its surrounding waters. Whatever you do, there is one thing which is sure; the simple beauty of St Ives will not fai l to t ake your breath away.

New York!

Gemma Henzley " I want to wake up in t he city tha t never sleeps. New York, New York ."

Wise words, Mr Sinatra, wise words . I mean, who wouldn't want to open the ir eyes in one of the most vibrant and varied cities in the world? Unfortunately, the stingy government don ' t rea lly take our desire to travel into account when paying student loans into the bank .

So sit back, grab a coffee and let me guide you around the Big Apple in Concrete's overdraft-friendly way.

Without being too obvious, The Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty are both solid places to begin any trip to NYC. As emblems of not just the city, but of the whole of the USA, they add a great deal of majesty to the place. A visit to Lady Liberty in particular gives one the sense of what it means to be an America n; the tra dition, t he diversity, the power. Not to mention, of course, the rather extensive gift shop, which even the most

noncha lant of tou ri sts cannot he lp getting excited by. The Empire State Building's gift shop, comparatively, is rather poor, but the simply aweinspiring views of M anhattan and beyond more than make up for any disappointment you may be feeling over mediocre knick-knacks.

If museums and art galleries are your thing then New York will certainly not let you down. The Met, The Guggenheim and MaMA are all world -famous establishments and a day spent browsing them is a day spent browsing some of the most famous historical and artistic pieces in the world.

Let's not forget shopping!

Bloomingda le, Saks and Macy's are the Mecca of New York shoppers, yet Brooklyn and Coney Island have some of the quirkiest purchases around, as well as offering a different perspective on Sinatra's beloved "New York, New York."

FOCSOC 17

concrete.editorial@uea.ac.uk TUESDAY 3rd NOVEMBER 2009

Discover Europe with ELSA Naomi Fraser 'ELSA Sac' is the University of East Anglia's very own Law Students 'European Association'. We organise events, trips and actlVities that cater to students at UEA who may have a particular interest in European law, travel on the continent and those who have any curiosity about the academic and legal element of the European institutions.

Our attention to professiona l excellence in these areas is not the full

extent of our mission. As well as looking fantastic on your CV, a large part of the ELSA experience is social bonding and networking -our past socials have proven a success and there are many more great events lined up for the upcoming weeks.

Fancy seeing a European film with like-minded people?

Attending talks by innovative guest speakers? House parties with international flair?

Bowling 'internationality' tournaments? Or perhaps

involved in our getting traditional English Christmas events? If you have a passion for learning about EU countries and striking up 'cross border' relationships and, of course, having fun, ELSA IS the society for you.

The main event 1n the ELSA calendar is the annual Brussels trip; four days in the city at student rates. There'll be organised tours of the EU institutions as well as a host of cultural delights with the added bonus of a native

student on our committee to guide us around all the afterhours hotspots! Fantastic outing, great beer and delicious Belgian chocolate, and all for less than £100.

Booking will open up soon and shall be advertised around campus for non-members.

If you'd like to learn more about ELSA or sign up, please contact t.wilcocks@uea.ac.uk or find us on Face book!

•

Plenty of Greens Something for everyone This issue, Nick Clinch extols the virtues of Alfie Kirk explains to FocSoc that there's more to Games the Green Party's presence on campus. Society than you might think.

The UEA Greens are one of the largest and most successful Green Party student groups in the country. We have a great relationship with the Norwich party and Adrian Ramsay, Green Party Deputy Leader and MP candidate for Norwich South, who will be starting this t erm off with an insightful talk about the world of green pol itics.

We've also had the obligatory jaunts to the pub, canvassing sessions around Norwich and we've been wo rking with other organisations on issues such as climate change. A trip to the eco-friendly Adnams brewery is also on the cards!

The Greens can cla1m to have some of the most relevant policies for students.

Now the Liberal Democrat is gravitating leadership towards supporting tuition fees, we are left as one of the only parties who support free higher education. And which party is better known for

tackling environmental issues?

If change isn't brought about soon we are going to be the ones cleaning up the mess left to us by previous governments who lacked the will to tackle the issue with real fervour and dedication.

However, we are more than a purely political entity.

We are part of a movement championing the value of our planet and the importance of social justice. Although the Greens deal in politics, we differ from the main parties in our desire for real change, not the maintenance of the statusquo and gradual sl ide into the territory of privatisation and the centre-right agenda.

To get involved with UEA Greens or help Adrian beat Charles Clarke at the next general election, please contact us at ueagreens@ gmail.com, or JOin our facebook group, UEA Green party. Give in to temptation and join us, nothing beats the rewards of being green!

Most people only know the Games Society as that bunch of weird geeks with the foam weapons and medieval armour, seen on Sundays around campus. In truth, this is just the most visible face of one of the larger and more diverse societies. Be it the familiar board games everyone fondly remembers from childhood or the adrenaline-fuelled, terror-

driven madness of Zombie (played overnight, in the darkened Congregation Hall, once a semester), the Games Society probably plays it.

Tabletop roleplaying games, including the famed Dungeons and Dragons, make up a large portion of the society's activities, but computer games, war games, card games, live games (similar to amateur acting) and Live Action Role Play (LARP - the one with the foam weapons) all make up elements of the society.

A commonly held misconception is that the Games Society is comprised only of antisocial, insular geeks. Nothing could be further from the truth (except perhaps the geek part), as the society's activities primarily revolve around socialising with friends ... and running away from zombies. Don't dismiss the more bizarre events, such as LARP, for their eccentric appearance.

ES ETY

This is a society dedicated to having fun, whether that involves releasing the inner child and playing bludgeoning Monopoly, one another with foam swords, desperately holding off zombies with a NERF gun or bravely delving into dungeons to save beautiful monsters from ravening princesses. Come along to Board and Card Games Night, every Wednesday in the Congregation Hall, for a taster of the fun.

Want to write for FocSoc? FocSoc needs you ! If you'd like to see your societ y or club in Concrete, please em ail concrete.editorial@uea.ac.uk. You don't necessarily have to write a profile -we could interview you if you prefer. Any other suggestions for society- and club- related articles you'd like to see on this page are also very much welcome; after all FocSoc is a page dedicat ed to wha t you - yes, you ! -get up to w he n you're not studying.

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18 FOOD

concrete.food09@gmail.com TUESDAY 3rd NOVEMBER 2009

The Ten Bells tunes into student taste buds Cocktail of Emma Richardson the Fortnight

The ou tside comes indoo rs, was my first im pression of The Ten Bell s on St Bene dict's St, wh en I w as greeted with traditi onal vill age signpos t s and a teleph one box; Th e Ten Bell s is no ordi na ry pub, but it definitely has som e co un t ry charm about it . Ima gin e co mb ining you r grann y's si tti ng roo m with t he decor of an arts fes tiv al and th at's it. Th e choice was to be ma de between t he kitsch so fas (goo d for hung ove r lunc hes) or rus ti c tabl es fo r so methin g a bit more formal. Al so wi t h a sp rinkli ng of fairy ltgh ts and abs inth e at th e bar thi s co ul d be a new student home.

Th e menu w as quite limited, but w e w ere impre ssed with the origina lity and it w as ce rt ainl y no st anda rd pub grub . Th e cho ice of fi ve dishes (two of w hi ch are vege tari an)

cha nges week ly. We t ri ed t he beef cu rry, wh ic h w as delic iou s, fu ll of flavour, tender bee f, and ju st th e right amo un t of spice, my only co mpl aint w as t hat my rice w as a bit w atery. We also tried th e rabbit, oni on and fo ndant potato casse role (much mo re exc itin g tha n yo ur average mashed potatoes), w ith roas t pa rsnips, w hi ch was tasty. The ra bbi t was good bu t not fantastic, but then rabbit does ge nerally lac k in substance. it was ve ry refre shing to find somewhe re th at served game, as opposed to th e stan dard m eat s, wit h ph easant ap pear ing on the menu last w ee k I was to ld. it was obvio us fro m looki ng at t he menu t hat not only is t he che f pass ion ate abo ut wh at he ma kes, bu t is deep ly co ncern ed with mak ing su re t hat his me nu

I

uses seaso nal and local produ ce so you ca n munch away wi t hout having to worry abou t you 're food m iles, and know your helpin g th e local economy. Tha t 's today's good deed do ne ' Dessert was more lim ited .wit h o nly t hree options, bu t all were crow d pleasers. Th e banoffee cre pes wi ll put a reminisce nt sm ile on the face of any weary t raveller! The apple plum and pear crumble was a modern take on an old winter classic, bu t when coupled wi t h vanilla pod ice cream it certainly worked ane w.

The most outstandi ng th ing abou t t his gem was the price - simply £5 for a matn cou rse and £3 for a desse rt ! As everyt hing was pri ced t he same the re was no need to limit op ti o ns in regards to price, as st ud ents o ft en have to. lt was de ligh tful change to be able to choose from a men u based on wha t yo u fancie d 'at her than what you can afford.

Alt hough t he pub was a bit dark, it's a rough di amond perfect for a cheap and more unu sual lunch o r winter warmer (next time we ' ll be making sure to try the mulled wine too) and given its close proximity to Earlham Road and Dereham Road and its large eer ga rde n for t he summer, it deserves to beco me a st udent favour ite - even if just to see th e retro te lep hone box in side '

Danie Hadley and Hayley Hurrell We know it's a tough tim e of year. The first few easy wee ks are ove r, and now your lect urers are all about t he essays. Dull , \ dull, dul l. On top of th at, you're knackered fro m 6 wee ks of LCR-ing, \ t he nights are drawi ng in fast and 9am is not you r frie nd . Conc rete is here fo r yo u at t his ti me: we have here t he perfect trea t to pu t a wee smile on your face, an d a drea my taste in you r mouth. The Bailey's Chocolatini is a warmi ng, decade nt drin k and is just eno ugh to keep you going for just that one more hour wi t h your damn semina r work. Let's just say, that a drink this good will take t he pain away.

Shake together with ice: SOml Baileys Don' t forge t to add a 10ml Vodka cheeky 15ml Choco late sp ri nkle of cocoa Liqueur powde r!

Strain into glass.

From pastries to pickles, Pumpkin and orange dark chocolate brownies local shops have it all Sarah Cox

Sarah Cox Did you read th e arti cle on th e 'Tesco-isa ti on' of No rwtch in t he last iss ue of Concrete bu t sti ll found yo urse lf ba ck th ere? Sh opp ing loca lly does n't have to be ti me co nsuming or ex pensive as long as you kn ow wh ere to go. it's a great way to suppo rt local busi ness, and trea t both yourse lf and th e environm ent by cutting out nasty chemica ls and pointless pac ka gi ng.

Fo rd an d Yarha m greengroce r on Gloucest er Street (off Unt hank Ro ad, betwee n th e laund rette an d Lloyds) is a great pl ace to start.

Se llin g every vegetable you can name, and some you probably ca n' t, it also has a huge range of sea food , brea d, milk, eggs and th e best Dani sh pastries in th e city. Who needs t hat new Tesco on Unthank?

Venturing into th e city ce ntre, Norwi ch

M arket ca n look like an intim idatin g littl e tented world from wh ich you'l l never emerge, but don' t be afrai d ! Between th e dodgy neon leg warm ers and Hann ah M onta na cushion s a huge range of amazi ng loca l produce is for sa le. Wh eth er it 's th e chea pest cup of tea in Norwich (Ch arli e's food stall, SOp! ), traditional Norfolk ice cream, or a j ar of pi ckl es bigge r th an your head, th ere's al most nothing th at can' t be found th ere . Sa ll e Organ ics are currently se lling six free range eggs for a qu id, whi ch is chea per t han Te sco, and you' ll find it almost imposs ible to resist th e smell of Henry's Hog Roas t.

For great fres h produ ce, and fr ien dly advice on how best to coo k it, chec k out C.J's Fruit and Veg, and City Fis h or M. P Snell ing's sea food stall at the front- th at 'We Got Crabs' sign is funny every tim e.

Ingredients: 250g Dark choco late, ideally 75% cocoa

butter togeth er in a gl ass dish over a pan of simm ering water, until tot ally melted.

250g Unsal ted butte r 250g Cas ter suga r 3 Eggs 150g Whit e or wh olem ea l se lf raising fl our 200g (a pprox half) Of a very smal l pumpkin

4) Whi sk toge ther the eggs and sugar in a large bowl th en add th e chocolate mixture and stir until smooth .

Zest of on e orange Total cost for one batch: £4 .50

5) Gent ly fo ld in the flour, th en th e roasted pump kin .

M eth od:

6) Grate th e zes t of an orange into th e mixture and stir agai n.

1) Prehea t you r oven to 180C. 7) Pour th e m ixture into a bakin g tray lin ed with 2) Peel and de-seed t he pumpk in, cutting half into tiny cubes . Pl ace cub es on a baking tray and roast in th e ove n for tw enty minutes.

3) M ea nwhil e, heat th e broken chocolate and

grease proo f paper.

8) Bake for 25 minutes, remove, lea ve to coo l, cut into squ ares and dust wi th icin g sugar. Serve with vani lla ice cre am or orange sorbet.

LIFESTYLE 19

concrete.lifestyle@uea.ac.uk TUESDAY 3rd NOVEMBER 2009

Conftssions o a V'E}l student Grace Alien tells all about

what lies ahead for us poor indebted students. am currently in my last year of university studying History of Art, which means that I'm one of many trying to come to terms with the prospect of entering into the 'real' world.

I recently stumbled across an article in Grazia (this is what I'm reading when I should be doing dissertation research), in which a 23 year old and a 37 year old debated the difficulties encountered in graduating in their respective generations. I couldn't help but agree with the older lady; perhaps we students expect to find work after we leave, and believe that to have actually attended a university and left with a degree is something outstanding.

My brother graduated last summer and very conscientiously embarked on a two -month teaching course. it sounded hard go ing; practising his teaching techniques on a Spa nis h guy wi th halit osis and a flirtatious middle-aged woman . The result was that he got a certificate at t he end of it and once again was instilled with a sense of confidence that this time he wou ld certain ly get a jo b. Which he did ...working in a cupcake shop . His confidence may have been shot but he continues t o grin and bea r it at ' Buttercup' (wearing a lime-green apron ...poor guy).

The point is that leavi ng university will inevitably be quit e un palatab le; living at home aga in, working some dead-end barte nding job and wondering what good all those years of studying did. So I say t his: it isn't going to be plain sailing, so get as much out of UEA as you can before everything gets t hat bit mo re

Concrete Pub Guide 2009/1 0 Following last issues Confession, Bruce Sigrist went out this week consuming beverages strictly for research purposes to bring you the ultimate guide to pubbing in Norwich.

A wise man once sai d: " I love pubs," and who are we to question wise men? With this air of nonsense in mind, Concrete set out on a mission to go beyond the usual routine of LCR/ Prince of Wa les Road and delve into Norwich's famed pubs.

the hairy disposition and enjoy Woo dforde's Nog and pickled eggs. it has t he same wooden look of the Prince of Wales - if a little older - and makes for a fine visit on a sunny day when the secluded riversi de decking is open .

Prince of Wales Pub

Norwich Playhouse

The first visit turned out to flout these rules; the aptly named Prince of Wales Pub ... on Prince of Wales Roa d.

A very 'traditional' pub, The Prince of Wales is sleek, clean and has the dark mahogany look we're all familiar with . Perhaps more importantly, it's where we've been buying our Carnage T-shirts over the last few weeks. The Prince of Wales is great starting point for a night out due to its location, which is why you've probably already heard of it.

The Playhouse got dealt a bad hand on its visit (it was THAT wet Friday night a couple of weeks back) but nonetheless showed resolutely British spirit as fifty soaking figures huddled up indoors and quietly grumbled. it's not as spacey as the above-mentioned venues, but more than makes up for that with a great atmosphere and some daring decor. it's worth noting that as an accompanying bar to the theatre, the Playhouse is understandably small but even by reputation manages to hold its own against some of the bigger pubs in Norwich. Having said that, the drinks are rather pricey; perhaps that's one of the pitfalls of sharing your license with a popular theatre. The Art School Student Union also warrants a shout out...converted church anyone?

The Compleat Angler Further down, by the Riverside Bridge, sits the Compleat Angler. Overlooking the River Yare and not two minutes from the train station, the Angler is a great place to go not just before a meet or a train, but if you're of

The Garden House Pub One pub that really speaks for itself is the Garden House. The name says it all; the place prides itself on a sizeable, partly sheltered outdoor patio area .

Obviously this is weather dependent, but its location (Pembroke Road, right near Unthank) guarantees that it's within an arm's reach from a lot of students. When Concrete visited students seemed to make up most of the clientele, which expla ined the friendly high-pitched bubbub that seemed to follow us around . This is definitely a pub to congregate in and if memory serves, a great place to bring a pimped-up wheelbarrow once a year.

Beluga Bar On the more 'suave' side of things, Beluga wa s a great find and a worthy addition to the busier area of town .

Apparently a new establishment, this three-storey bar has taken upon itself to fill up with thrones, chandeliers and pol ish, making it reminiscent of a royal palace rather than a Norwich boozer.

The whole roof is a giant smoking terrace and allows plenty of room for

what should be a lot of enthusiastic pub crawlers once word gets around. it's one of those places that hasn' t made up its mind whether or not it's a bar or club, which is just as well . Like Prince of Wa les, Beluga is a stone's throw away from Po Na Na and makes a great change from pre-drinking in your living room . You are looking at over £4 for a Jagerbomb though .

The Birdcage The Birdcage is definitely a highl ight of the Norwich bar scene. Situated in Pottergate (those back alleys near the market place), it shines with a warm, vintage look and - like most of the pubs covered - is highly adaptable to live music, quizz~s or daytime relaxing.

If a pub has cakes and board games on display, you don't need to try hard to be pleasantly surprised .

Concrete hopes you'll keep an eye out for some of th ese gems. Most are surrounded by neighbouring pubs and make great starting points to those spontaneous, unplan ned nights that inevitably end in traffic cones.

Can you face winter?

Vicki Wheatland

Brr!. ..has anyone noticed that winter is almost here? Your skin certainly has. As the largest organ on the human body, your skin is continually working to keep harmful nasties away from your delicate tissue, vessels and bones. With winter fast approaching and bringing its entourage of icy winds, freezing temperatures and indoor heating, your skin is working overtime to keep you looking your usual radiant self.

The skin constantly produces lipids and these molecu les prevent it from losing moisture. Although the moisture in the skin constantly evaporates, during the winter months it loses the opportunity to moisturise itself, because unlike in summery humid con ditions t he ski n cant replenish itself by soaking up moisture f rom the air. This often leaves us with dry and chapped skin.

The key is moist urisation! You may have that new snug w inter coat to keep your body toasty, but t he skin

enough to use liberally and packed full with Pro-Vitamin BS and UV filters to help battle against those pesky UVA and UVB rays. What more could you ask for?

on your face is exposed every day to the harsh winter elements. For you lovelies who may already be clued up on the benefits of moisturising, using your normal tried and tested moisturiser may not be enough to protect your delicate skin in the months to come. Also, it's essential to keep using a moisturiser with an SPF factor in the winter. Whilst a reminder that the summer months have past, the damaging effects of the sun continue throughout the winter with UVA and UVB rays still out to age and harm our skin.

But what moisturiser to choose?

Concrete's done a little snooping and shortlisted the best of the best (You can thank us later!).

Best Buy for Oily Skin- 3 stars Clinque Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion (£15.00}.

Although quite pricey, Clinque cla~i s that this lotion is not just any old lotion but a 'moisture drink'.

Pe ect for those with oily skin; it is abl to moisturise and protect without the worry of a break out.

Co crete's star buy! - 5 stars

0/I

Best Budget Buy - 4 stars Simple Skin Replenishing Rich M oisturiser.

At only £3 .29, this little moisturiser is great for everyday use. Light enough to double up as a ma ke-up base, chea p

•

Complete Care Multi-radiance

m lOOm/ {£7.49) Crammed w ith vitamin P and SPF 15 this one gives all day protection wi h minimal greasiness and illUminating particles. This product is without doubt the holy grail of all wi~ter moist urisers, and at a great price. Sold.

er

•

•

20 TURF

Diary of a student smallholder The concept of 'food miles' is now be ing widely talked about in the media . Tom Hunt reports on the successes and cha ll enges of on attempt to produce food closer to home. lt all began with a crazy idea: why not keep chicken s in our own back ga rd en to provide free-range eggs and give the local community something to work together on? Before we knew it, the idea had become an impending rea lity as the long sum mer weeks drifted by, and in no time we were ready to pick up our poultry.

Over the course of the past decade, Britain has lost 200,000 allotments to developers. According to Country Smallholding, aro und 100,000 people are currently on waiting lists for land. With this back log, we set about making our own way towards

plot, a blossoming elderflower tree

out of the car before their droppings

and a mountainous compost heap, we put together a ramshackle pen

oozed through th e flimsy base of the cardboard box. Mess averted, we set them down and opened the

he ld together by chicken-wire and bamboo. With some help from the neighbourhood kid s, we had transformed a wi ld spot into a sec ret garden. Finally, a chicken run arrived through th e post, was quickly assembled - upside down reassembled correctly and placed in the centre of th e hideaway. Now all we needed were chickens. it was with thi s intention that we clambered into a tiny car and pootled

smal lh olding.

down sun-mottled country lanes to the tun es of Michael Jackson. On our

A pat ch of waste land opposite the house had been chosen for the

arrival at the farm, th e farmer plucked up four lucky cluc kers: for a pound

site of our project, dense with nettles and bracken that we vigoro usly set about wtting back to bare earth.

apiece they were bargains.

Hurrying home, we were keen to introduce the warblin g fow l to their new abode and to get th em

Alongside

an

optimistic

vegetable

•• •• \. 1

lid . A cacophony of cackling and frantic flapping burst forth, as they scattered to escape. An hour or so later, scratched and ex hausted, we had them all gathered together again from va ri ous neighbourhood gardens and adjusted them to their new surroundings.

At first, the w hole thing ran smooth ly enough and we quickly collected our first few eggs. The run held up well, keeping the chickens secure from foxes and other dangers. The chickens even acquired affectionate nicknames. However, we soon hit a serious snag. One evening, we gathered them into bed and locked them up for th e night. On returning to replenish their water, we were

:: , .

-

.

*~~~

shocked to find them gone. The door

glasses of elderflower cordial,

unlocked, they had been swiped from under our noses in no time. Incredibly,

we wondered w hy the perpetrator

it appeared that We st Earlham was plagued by a mysterious chicken thief: we were merely th e latest victims in a se rie s of chick-nappings, wh ich went on over the summ er.

Forlornly, we were left to pond er the fate of Meg, Muriel, Marjoram and Madeleine, brooding over a few

as

couldn't have gone up the road to take chickens being given away for virtually nothing instead .

Now all we have is a pen full of thriving corn stalks, a sad testament to our lack of chickens. Nevertheless, we remain co nvinced that it can be done and the idea of student smallholding has not been abandoned.

The organic myth? 5 minutes with: lt is commonly taken for granted now that buying organic food is better in o number of ways.

Miha Klement considers whether there is truth in the organic claims.

There are sc ientific studies in abundance, bu t there is still no answer as to whether organic farming

But nutriti on and taste are possibly lesser worries in the minds of organic shoppers: claims that it is

has ever seen an African sa lt mine can tel l yo u tha t the on ly organic thing is the workers. The problem with the

is th e way to go.

Nutrition wise,

bette r fo r the enviro nment and pub lic health are more commonly cited.

organic labe l is that is symbo lizes that the person who buys it cares about

Whi le it remain s unclear whether

everything from famine in the third wor ld to the fish in the loca l stream . it's like Nike promising you that if

there

is

no

evide nce th at organical ly produced is any better than conventio nally grown food. A team from the London School of Hygiene & Tropica l Medicine exami ned 162 papers that compared organic and conventionally produced food and conc luded there is no evidence to support the claims that organ ic is more nutritious. Another claim made is t hat 'o rga nic food ta stes better.' A popular study by Penn & Teller demonstrates how the organic ideal can alter people's expectations and change their perceptions of reality. The study consists of a

the amounts of pesticides use d in conventional farming are high enough to be a health hazard, it is certai nly

you wear their stuff, your friends will

_

VvrcH

Concrete spent five minutes with Tran sition Norwich's Anne

be a change in thinking as we move away from being a consumption

Dismoor an d Clive

soc iety. This could impact really positively on the co mmunity if

Leggett, who

are passiona t e about the need for significant lifestyle changes in order to reduce our ca rbon foot print s.

co nsidering • th e When environment, claims are often made that organic food generates healthy soi ls and reduces soi l erosion. In this case organic farmers do frequen t ly

think you're cool and your athletic performance will increase.

But of course it's not all that grim. There are many good aspects of organic farming and conventional techniques have many fa ults of their own . Thi s is why th e debate should

Ann e: In esse nce Transition Norw ich is an organisation which recognises

rotate crops, but in some cases the frequent till ing t o tack le the weeds is

not narrowly focus on which is better, but on how to make farming

often sa id that organ ically produced fo od is ·better for you.'

actually causing erosion. So it could

sustainable. In the wo rl d of peak

be argued t hat it wou ld be better to use he rbicides t o tackle t he problem. lt has come to a point now where stores offer organic sa lt; anyone that

cent of th e subjects picked th e organ ic banana as the better one and said things like; "it actua lly tastes more

oil and growing populations across t he wo rl d, t his wi ll become an increasingly pressing issue. What is needed now is a rational approach to these iss ues. All orga nic shoppers should reconsider thei r certainties with regard to organic foods and make su re they are not j ust a part of a huge farming religion, t hat in the US

like a bana na, if that makes sense."

alone brings in some $23 billion .

conventional ly grown ba nana cu t in half. One half is then labelled organic and the oth er non-orga nic. Random passers-by are t hen asked to t aste each and pick the better half. 90 per

IRANSITION

Wh at is Tra nsiti on Norwich ?

that we must become less dependent on oil and more focu ssed on local communities. Currently our lifestyles are based on the assum pti on that there will co ntinue to be plentiful and cheap supplies of fossil fu els, in parti cul ar peak oi l. We need to develop a life style not depend ent on oi l, which will require radical change.

W hat especially needs to change?

Anne : We ne ed to localise our economies as much as possible, es pecially when it comes to food supplies and energy. There needs to

people work together.

How can students make an impact?

Cliff : Join the 'Norl ets' scheme (website: www. norlets.org.uk). This is a scheme based in Norwich where people can trade skills, services and goods without money. This locali ses the economy and potentially could save students sig nificant money.

Similarly, using freecycle.org is a way to engage the community in protecting the planet.

Anne : it's impo rtan t to reduce our food miles and buy local produce .

There is a whole alternative local co nsumption world out there and the best thing is for students to become a part of it .

Bex Wiles

.

you fford to eplace your th·ng ?

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22 SPORT

concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk TUESDAY 3rd NOVEMB ER 2009

Five minutes with: Harry Low Ben Frith speaks to the UEA Korfball president.

.

lan Hobbs Norwich City have had a busy fortnight which began with a television showpiece against high-flying Leeds United, who at the time were the only side unbeaten in the top four tiers of English football.

Norwich started badly, conced ing an early goal when Bradley Johnson headed home from a Robert Snodgrass corner. However, Norwich had a number of chances following the goal and were eventually rewarded when captain Grant Holt equalised from

to see th e team move up to fifth in the league, with manager Lambert stating after the game that automatic promotion is a fair aim for the Canaries this season.

Norwich's next challenge came away to out-of-sorts Stockport. Holt scored a brace and We s Hoolahan scored a penalty after Chris Martin had been fouled in the box. Stockport did get themselves on the score sheet but it was nothing more than a conso lation as the Canaries triumph ed 3-1.

close range.

Both teams had their chances in the second half, but it was Leeds who snatched victory when City keeper Fraser Forster mishit a goal kick straight to strike r Jermaine Beckford who slotted the bal l in the back of the net, leaving Forster and his teammates flabbergasted.

The Canaries had a chance to bounce back five days later when they hosted Swindon Town . Norwich

â&#x20AC;˘

came close when Holt hit the bar with a powerful shot but soon after, Chris Martin slotted in a low shot to give City a deserved 1-0 lead.

The remainder of the game wa s by no means champagne football, with both team s guilty of shaky defending and wasting chances.

Norwich held on to claim al l three points and, although the match lacked entertainment, the fans were happy

How successful were the Korfball team in the BUCS championship last year?

Well, our first team is the only team in BUCS and it wasn 't that successful in that we came tenth in the country.

Obviously in 2005, 2006 and 2007 we won the first team nationals and last year we came runners-up in second team nationals, which isn' t BUCS but it's a pretty big achievement.

What are your chances this year?

I think we've got a really good shot.

We've got a new coach, and with some fresh faces we stand a really good chance of winning, or at least getting to the final.

Considering table tennis and horse riding are Olympic sports, without a doubt it should be. it's now recognised by the IOC as an Olympic sport, but it's . stil l not in the Olympics. I think it 's a How do you feel th at korfball benefits matter of time though; a matter of when, not if. from being a mixed-gender sport?

Massively, because with maleWh ich physical attribut es make for dominated sports you tend to find its a bit too competitive. Sometimes it t he best korfball players? can be taken a bit too far. And with all Agility, balance, good reaction s. Speed female sports it can be quite a bitchy, is very useful, I'd say the ability to 'backstabby' kind of environment. change your pace quickly as well.

Height does help, no doubt, but it's But wh en you bring them together, you kind of take the edges off both of certain ly not the only thing you need. those aspects, and get a really good We had a girl last year who wa s under blend.

City have drawn non-league minnows Pau lton Rovers in the FA Cup 1st round, a game which will be televised on ITV on Saturday 7th November. Paulton, a Somerset village with a population of under 5,000 will be the venue for this fairytale tie and you can be sure that Rovers, who play their football in the Zamaretto Leagu e, will be after a huge sca lp.

BUCS Results - Wednesday 28th October

Do you feel th at korfb all should be an Olympic spo rt?

five foot and she was one of our best players- top female goal scorer in the korfballleague, so it's by no means the be all and end all if you' re not too tall.

Can any of the UEA Korfball teams make it to a national level?

I don't know. I th ink they could make the England students' korfball squad, but I don't think there's a chance they would make the full England squad.

Maybe the student korfball squad, that's a realistic target.

How would you entice new members to start playing korfball?

Well, if there's a boy who wants to sign up I'd tell him that the ratio is three girls to a guy! And if I want a girl to sign up I'd probably tell her that korfball is less bitchy than netball. You can take it as seriously as you want; we are fairly chilled out, and if you just want to come up and play casually we are

Women's Basketball lose out to Wolverhampton Robert Schatten Another difficult night for the UEA Panthers Women's Basketball team saw them come away with no reward for a valiant effort against league leaders Wolverhampton on Monday, as the team continue to struggle in Midlands Division lA. The Panthers will take one big consolation from this game - they gave the visiting squad much more of a game than anyone else has this season.

The 43-67 fina l score didn't do justice to the competitive nature of the game, and Wolverhampton scored 12 of the final 14 points to somewhat embe llish their margin of victory.

The Panthers managed to score more points than the visitors had conceded in their previous two games combined, and thi s wa s the first game Wolverhampton have won this season by fewer than 40 points.

Bozena Rochfalusiova scored 14

po ints to lead the Panthers. Nicole Lucioni and Nicole Ozg un Jimenez each had 6, in a balanced scoring effort from the whole team. The squad were also successful in getting to the foul line, and put such pressure on the visiting defence that Wolverhapton guard Keyfiala fouled out in the third quarter. Wolverhampton were led by Dejewska, Vl!ith 29.

The Panthers will perhaps be more enthused by t heir defensive effort, however; for three quarters of the

match the home team matched their il lustrious opponents and controlled the defensive rebounds. Only a brief spell at the eod of the second quarter, when Wolverhampton used a series of fast breaks to turn a three -point gap into a ten -poin t half-time lead, was the difference between the teams going into the final period .

UEA may have suffered defeat this time, but the squad is fast improving and the outlook for the season stil l looks bright.

.

SPORT 23

concrete.sporl@uea.ac.uk TUESDAY 3rd NOVEMBER 2009

'The Viking' prepares to raid the PDC ranks Danny Collins lt has become something of a phenomenon amongst sportsmen in recent years to write unwarranted biographies, devoid of experience, drama or insight.

Wayne Rooney recounting his life story at the grand old age of 20; Ashley Cole retelling how he "nearly swerved off the road when he was offered only SSk-a-week by Arsenal"; a sense of moral alienation has become common among the ranks of Britain's sportsmen.

So it is refreshing to read the account of 2004 world darts champion, Andy 'the Viking' Fordham's remarkable life in his newly-published autobiography, The Viking.

The five years that followed Ford ham's rise to the top of his sport have seen him suffer life-threatening health conditions linked to his 31 stone frame, become a reality- TV star and undertake a training regime that helped him shed half of his body

weight. If there is a sportsman with a story to tell, it is Fordham.

He recently switched to the Skysports-supported PDC darts association from the BBC-backed BOO, as he explains: "The only reason I moved was because there are more tournaments, which I need to get

" ... it was not unknown for him to drink up to twenty-five bottles of lager before a match" back to where I once was.

"Although there is more money involved due to Sky, it wasn't the main motivation."

Asked if he could see himself reaching the same heights he attained at the BOO, Ford ham is cautious in his assessment, saying, "At the moment I'd probably say no, but I didn't see myself being back behind the oche at all a year ago."

He continues, "I'm putting in more

practice than I have done for a long time. I want to get back the attitude I had when I first started the darts when I was young."

Fordham is an amiable man, and this trait is evident both in his book and in person. His lifestyle has changed completely from that which accompanied his years at the top of the sport; at one point it was not unknown for him to drink up to 25 bottles of lager before a match. lt is therefore testament to Fordham's resolve that he has been able to conquer his alcohol demons despite running a pub in his hometown of Dartford.

With Fordham's weight loss has come many changes, especially to his dart-playing style. He explains: "I have to use a lot heavier darts, but I'm getting there. lt takes a lot of adjustment, like learning to play football with a smaller ball, but I'm getting there."

Ford ham's story recounts many of his legendary drink-fuelled escapades, an image which darts- and its fellow alcohol-related sport, snooker - are

attempting to remove in order to build a respectable image. He suggests that "years ago, you would go away for a weekend and get drunk, but you can't do that now. Professionalism and money has removed that aspect. You can't afford to go away and embarrass yourself."

He even suggests that, with the new, cleaner image darts has cultivated, there is scope to have the sport officially recognised by the International Olympic Association .

Fordham says, "people suggest darts isn't a sport, but if shooting is rewarded for the skill of staying rigid and hitting a target, then what is different from darts?"

Fordham will no longer be playing if darts is ever bestowed the honour of an Olympic berth, but being gifted the chance to play his beloved game again following his life-threatening ailments is reward enough for Fordham as he continues on the long road back to the top.

Button finally realises potential Chris King

The search is now underway for student teams to compete in Series 17 of University Challenge. Come along to the trials where we'll test your knowledge on a wide range of subjects and maybe you'll get on TV. We'll be holding two trials events:

1. Tuesday 3rd November in LT 4 6pm-8pm 2. Monday 9th November 1n LT 4 6pm-8pm Filming for University Challenge takes place between January 2010 and April 2010 inclusive. So you must be a student at UEA for this period and available for filming.

Any questions then please contact Stuart Alder- stuart.j.alder@uea.ac.uk

Back in December last year you could have been forgiven for thinking that the career of Jenson Button was over. Without a drive for the forthcoming season after Honda's withdrawal from Formula One, and low on confidence as well as results, only a hopeless optimist would have backed Button for World Championship glory.

Yet following a scintillating fight back at lnterlagos two weeks ago, this is exactly what he has achieved. Racing alongside the most experienced man in Formula One, Rubens Barrichello, and under the tutelage of former Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn, this season has seen Button finally achieve his potential.

For the first time since 2004 he has had a car to match his ability, with Brawn GP providing near-faultless reliability and race pace far superior over the course of the season to that" of any other team .

The story of Brawn GP and Jenson Button has many of the features you'd expect from a classic fairytale; a team formed on a wing and a prayer, running a car built on a shoestring budget with less than a month's development behind it and a driver under no illusions as to his lack of achievement in Formula One, despite an abundance of talent.

Thanks to victory in Brazil, Button became only the tenth British driver to hold the World Championship Trophy aloft, but despite the 'feelgood' nature of his triumph, it almost didn't happen. From starting the season in unstoppable

form, accruing six wins from seven races, a run of disappointing finishes left his title hopes hanging in the balance.

With Button's team-mate Rubens Barrichello looking to leave Formula One on a high and Red Bull rivals Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber pushing him all the way, 1t looked as if he was unable to handle the pressure. Yet at lnterlagos Button showed why he is a worthy champion; having qualified In a disappointing fourteenth place, it would have been all too easy to collapse and admit defeat.

Instead he pulled off a sublimely smooth yet recklessly brilliant performance, scything past opponents with consummate ease, at times jeopardising his chances of even finishing the race by throwing caution to the wind, in order to settle the Championship before the final race in Abu Dhabi.

"For the first time since 2004, he has had a car to match his ability... " lt remains to be seen whether Button will end his relationship with Brawn GP by joining Mclaren, and forming the 'British dream team' along with Lewis Hamilton, but whatever happens, his stock has risen and is unlikely to fall any time soon .

Indeed we can only _speculate as to whether this year's triumph will be the high point of Button's career, or the first of many future glories for Formula One's latest champion .

â&#x20AC;˘

-

concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk

FoRMULA ..-

TUESDAY 3rd NOVEM BER 2009

1

Chris King charts Jenson Button's long-awaited ascent to the pinna cle of motorsport.

CANARIES

DARTS

KoRFBALL .

Concrete investigates Norwich's F.A. Cup first-round opponents, Paulton Rovers.

Concrete catches up with fo rmer darts world champion Andy 'The Viki ng' Fordham .

Ben Frith speaks to the UEA Korfball c lub p res ident Harry Low.

11.1

Gunn on target as UEA ease past Loughborough

Women's Rugby see off Medics

Danny Collins

lucy Bowers Beth Robertson

UEA 1st XI- 2

UEA Wome n's Rugby claimed the presti gious tit le of 'Club of the Yea r' at last yea r's Union CASAs and alrea dy it see ms to be an award t hey are w ort hy of. Wit h enth usiastic new

Loughborough 4th XI - 0

â&#x20AC;˘-

...

Th e UEA Men's Football 1st XI ea sed into t he second round of the BUCS Cup with a comfortable 2-0 win against Loughborough 4th XI at Colney Field on Wednesday.

Two first-half goals from front man Chris Gunn confirmed UEA's superi ority in a ga me in which th ey were never truly troubled . And against a Loughborough side t hat they will face twic e more thi s season, this displ ay gave reason for optimism for th e coming month s.

Indeed, th e flu ency of the UEA attack in the first half tore

rare attacks of Loughborough .

th e Loughborough defence apart.

After only ten minutes, Gunn had capitalised on disord er amongst the Loughborough defence to slot past the static keeper.

Th e inability of the opposing defence to cl ear danger from th e flanks was a reccurring theme of the first half, and was aga in punished wh en Loughborough failed to clear a looping cro ss . Emett Rowe mishit an atte mpted shot, but Gunn again stepped up to slot the ball away for his, and UEA's, second.

In a marked contrast to their Midlands counte rparts, the UEA defence, marshalled commandingly by captain Mark Roach, w ith stood the

From this sol id foundation the UEA attack was able to penetrate the weak Loughborough left flank at wi ll.

Rowe showed good awareness with some pin-point passing that stretched the Loughborough defence, but a mixture of last-ditch defending and poor finishing kept the deficit at two .

If Loughborough were feeling the pressure of the occasion they certainly made it apparent with a double substitution in only the 30th minute.

However, they somewhat fortuitou sly managed to enter the break only two goals down.

The fluen t first half was rep laced with a scrappy encounter after the break as Loughbo rough undertook a

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:

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damage limitation exercise.

UEA were lucky to avoid conceding a penalty in th e 70th minute when th e referee deemed th e ball not to have struck the hand of a UEA defender.

However, aside from thi s minor scare, ch ances proved few and far between.

The Loughborough attack, particularly down th e right flank, possessed pace in abundance; however, the touch and end product of their right-winger was certain ly not befitting of someone sporting fluorescent yellow boots.

Loug hbo rou gh, in th eir increasing desperation for a goal, provided UEA with amp le opportun it y to counterattack. Gunn had several opportunies to comp lete hi s hat-trick, but th e

Loughborough kee per w as provi ng to be a stubborn opponent.

And so th e second-half deadlock would rema in until th e referee fi na lly call ed tim e on a game th at w ill leave th e UEA 1st XI w ith a justi fia ble sense of optimism.

A highly impressive first-hal f showing followed by a comfortable con solidation period in the second half showed a bal ance that will stand the team in good stead for the forthcoming season.

Having drawn th eir first league game against Oxford Brookes, UEA wil l hope to continu e their cup form into league campaign and push for promotion .

Ziggurat football: LAW smash t ree past DEV in final Georgina Wade

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Men's Football was the fourth event on the 2009/2010 Ziggurat calend ar, taking place over two days.

Last week saw the prel imin ary round in which each school could submit two teams; t he top 16 progressed to battle it out in the finals, which took place ear lier last week.

Th e preliminary round saw the Pharmacy school on top form, getting both of their teams through to th e finals. However, it was not to be their day at the final s, as both team s lost to Education 2 and NBS respectively in th e first round .

The Educa ti on school was on strong form , with both t eam s advancing throu gh to th e second round of matches.

Fou r tea ms rem ained aft er

th e first

two

rounds

of

knock-

out matches : Law, Languages, Development and Education.

The Law t eam gave a sterling performance, beating the Education first team 4-1. In an exceptionally close match , Development edged out Language in a pena lty shoot-out that la sted longer th an the game!

The fina l was not t o be suc h a clo se-run affair, with Law putting t hree goals past th e Deve lopm ent

team to take th e title .

Following the football, Bio logy lead the overall rankings, closely followed by NBS/Economics and the combined SWP, Art and Music schools .

The next round of the Ziggurat competition takes place th is week with Ladies' Netball, followed by the pre liminary ro und s of th e m ixed Badminton next week .

t alent and a co nvin cing pre-season w in again st t he UEA M edics under th eir belt, th e tea m look to be on form fo r th e seaso n ahead.

Captai n Ni col a Kaciu bskyj ex plains: "A lot of new players have joined th e clu b this year and we always have a great turnout at each traini ng session." .

The home game turned out to be a crucial test for a lot of new players, many of w hom had never before set foot on a rugby pitch . Despite some di ¡culties, UEA kept up t hei r defence, gaining the upper hand in th e scrums before the decision was made to continue uncontested.

The opening try was scored by flanker Toni Bladon, w hich wa s soo n fol lowed by tries from wing er Vimb ai M ukwenha , flanker Charlotte Thurston and fly-half Davin a Willso n.

A conve rsion ki cked over by Will son in the final minutes secu red UEA th e match as it clo sed on a re spectabl e 27 -12.

Th e si de's 09/10 BUCS campaign opens w ith an early start on Wedne sday, wh en the team will make the much awaited trip to Coventry in an attempt to kick-start th e new season with a win.