-The Christmas Special
1
RESULTS OF THE CONCRETE DRUGS SURVEY
ISSUE 236
e
I
TUESDAY 1st DECEMBER 2009
e
~
Food festively helps you stuff a bird. Lifestyle provides low cost present ideas. Opinions questions the fnclusivity of Christmas. Features examines the make or break state of the high
street~
I
www.concrete-online.co.uk
e UEA'S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER e
FREE
STOLEN DATA PROVOKES GLOBAL AnENTION UEA to launch an independent inquiry into the theft and implications of stolen climate data. Theft provokes fierce debate on credibility of world renowned research of Climatic Research Unit. David Churchill UEA is to launch an independent review into the theft and publication of hoards of data which was illegally hacked from servers of the University's globally renowned Climatic Research Unit (CRU). The data comprised of several thousand emails dating back to 1996 which contain exchanges between UEA Professor and director of CRU, Phi! Jones, and other world leading climatologists. The phenomenon has catapulted the university stage, onto the global after accusations that the scientists involved colluded in manipulating and deleting data vital to the issue of anthropogenic climate change. Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and the BBC have all reported on the story, which
is seen as an indicator of how influential the University's CRU department is in rddtion to m:e!:;)tion policy and global climate solutions. The revelations have already caused divis1ons within the spheres of public and • scientific debate over the issue of climate change. Bob Ward, Director of Policy and Communications at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change at the London School of Economics, called for an inquiry. "There has to be some process to assess the substance of the email messages a~ well," he said. "The selective disclosure and dissemination of the messages has created the impression of impropriety, and the only way of clearing the air now would be through a rigorous investigation." Climate change deniers
have seized on the emails, suggesting they are evidence that climate change is an elaborate hoax which is being constructed on manipulated data. One particular email which has reverberated across the media network reveals Jones using the word "trick" in order to "hide the decline" in temperatures. Jones issued a statement directly in relation to the email insisting that "The word 'trick' was used colloquially as in a clever thing to do. it is ludicrous to suggest that it refers to anything untoward." Advocates of climate change have defended Jones and the integrity of the CRU's research. UEA's Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research said: "The publication of a selection of stolen data is the latest example of a sustained and,
in some instances, a vexatious campaign which may have been designed to distract from reasoned debate about the nature of the urgent action which world governments must consider to mitigate, and adapt to, climate change.'' The Met Office rejected calls for an inquiry: "If you look at the emails, there isn't any evidence that the data was falsified and there's no evidence that climate change is a hoax." On the nature of climate change The Met added: "the UN's panel (IPCC) ... provided unequivocal evidence for a warming climate, and a high degree of certainty that human activities are largely responsible." UUEAS' has pledged full support for CRU and its staff. Finance Officer Martin Jopp said: "We as students stand by good science and that's what ...
UEA STUDENTS PROTEST AGAINST A QUARTER OF WOMEN EXPERIENCING DOMESTIC VIOLENC.E.
UNION REFERENDUM FAILS TO REACH MINIMUM QUORMTE VOTES Gareth Coventry The Union failed to gain the necessary minimum votes in the 'You Count Referendum', which took place on the 24th November in the Hive, to ensure that the votes would be binding. The 'You Count Referendum' gave students four proposals, which they could either vote for, against
or abstain from, with the intention of helping to shape forthcoming Union policy. These proposals included limiting the number of copies of the Daily Mail on sale, a boycott of Coca-Cola, or building a multi-storey car park, all of which were voted against. The most popular by far was the proposal to stock East Anglian grown fruit and
vegetables where available, which received 369 votes in its favour. Students were given the option of casting their vote either in the traditional manner via the ballot box or via online voting, although to do this students needed to register beforehand and had to explain why they would be unable to be attend the vote on campus. However under regulations
the m1mmum the Union needed to make the vote binding was 500 but since the turnout was low, with only 459 people voting, it did not achieve this task. In explaining the low turnout the Students' Union Officer, Communication Natasha Barnes, pointed out that "no campaign convenor applied for election expenses and so it can only be assumed
that no official campaigning was done. In most elections you have to rely, at least to some extent, on campaigners to spread the word about the vote. As there was no campaigning I think this also contributed to the relatively small amount of votes." Many have expressed surprise that a referendum took place last week. Ms. Barnes went on to say that
"We have had referenda in the past which haven't reached quorum and so this is not out of the ordinary. However, it is obviously not a desirable situation ." In future referendums it is Intended that online voting will become more established and widely-used so that all students, whether on campus or not, will be able to vote online to boost the turnout.