Concrete issue 238 26 01 2010

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FEATURES PAGE 14

ISSUE 238

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HEALTHY DESSERTS? ~ ~~a.·s,~ DON'T BOTHER. Why the low-fat diet version just won't do.

THE 2010 CONCRETE HOUSING GUIDE Get advice about Norwich neighbourhoods, housemates and more.

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TUESDAY 26th JANUARY 2010

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REJECT APPLICANTS AT RECORD LEVEL Record numbers of university applicants expected to be rejected in the upcoming academic year.

Thousands of students rejected last year swell application numbers with a 30% increase at UEA.

Adam Plom Statistics have revealed that UK universities could reject record numbers of applicants this year due to the Government's admissions cap and a 12% increase in full-time applicants.

Tlie 10,000 extra places offered last year, subsidised by the government, have been withdrawn this year as part of universities funding cuts. Numbers of applicants is also thought to have swelled by many of the thousands of stude[lts who were rejected last year.

The cap is maintained despite the government target to increase the number of students at universities, as well as numerous universities exceeding last year's cap .

Government threat of fines will sanction universities to keep within the specified cap and are believed to be on a per-additional-student basis.

UCAS stats show that in 2009 a record number of 477,277 students took places at Britain's universities, a 5.6% increase on the 2008 level.

Fllrther still, in 2009 139,260 students missed out on a university place . This figure is expected to hit around the 200,000 mark for 2010/11.

Several Vice-Chancellors have spoken out against the system claiming that universities do not see overcrowding as a problem and would be happy to expand their intake of students.

However, for this to happen eytra funding would be required from the • Government.

While UEA has an

above-average class size, it has showed no signs of increased overcrowding despite the influx of new students in 2009, and has in fact decreased slightly.

However, Annie Ogden, UEA Press Officer, said that UEA itself has received 30% more applications than last year which "could be attributed to a number of factors, not least our continuing success in student satisfaction surveys."

UCAS Chief Executive, Virginia lsaac revealed in November that this year's interest in university places has been 'unprecedented', reporting a 15% increase in applications for 2010.

However, as this figure was revealed in November it is expected to have risen dramatically, particularly just before the UCAS deadline on the 15th January.

Natasha Barnes, the UUEAS' Communication Officer said : "The Government's target of increasing University participation to 50% can only work with financial backing.

The Government must provide the necessary resources to University's so this target can be met. If cuts are made, there will be consequences; there will be · qualified students who, despite having been encouraged by this government to apply to university, will miss out."

The University and College Union believe that the Governmen(s decision could be catastrophic, stating that thousands of talented students may miss out on a university places and even struggle to find employment.

SIMON ARMITAGE SET TO TALK AT UEA LITERARY FESTIVAL

UNION DELETES KORFBALL PAGES IN WEBSITE SERVER UPDATE Nick Church UEA Korfball society's club website came across an unexpected shock after the launch of the Union's new website two weeks ago.

Six years worth of match results, player statistics, photographs and other records stored on the website - hosted by the old Union website

server - were deleted without warning as the Union website's server changed.

The problem was found by th!! society's Publicity Officer when trying to update tournament records after returning from the holidays.

Ellie Nash, the Korfball Society's President, said how the loss came as disappointment as "a lot

of effort was put into the website" rather than through Facebook, increasingly more common amongst clubs and societies. She continued by saying how the society is very active, competing in around five tournaments and leagues a year, where post-tournament reports are posted on their website. "[The Union] didn't really communicate with

anyone [about the website] beforehanQ.", Ms. Nash noted.

She said without the Union hosting the website, it will cost more, "be ten-times more difficult to maintain, and hard to pass on to the next publicity officer in the committee."

While some of the records have been backed up most are lost, forcing the club to use Facebook as a means of

communicating to members.

After alerting the Union about the faulty website, Communications Officer, Natasha Barnes, admitted a lack of communication on the Union's behalf and apologised for the loss: "I can only apologise for what has happened. I know how much Korfball used their site, and in trying to improve the Union's website we seem

to have overlooked theirs. We are doing all we can to find a solution to this problem, and to

2 NEWS

concrete.news@uea.ac.uk

TUESDAY 26th JANUARY 2010

STREET BLACKOUT AGREED

NORWICH FRAUD HOTSPOT

Gordon Malloy

Nick Church

Norfolk County Council's Cabinet agreed to go ahead with plans to switch off streetlight s in residential streets between 12 midnight and Sam on Monday 25th Janua ry, despite vocal opposition and reservations from the local community Bert Bremner, Labour Councillor for the University an executive ward and member for community safety and community co he sion sa id he was "appa lled " by the decision and "rushed " consu ltation process .

Speaking to Concrete he said: " [Norfolk County Cabinet]

NEWS TURF OPINIONS FEATURES EDITORIAL

see m to think all peop le go to bed at 10 o'clock at night... they think everyone lives a village lifestyle. ''I'm frightened th ere will be an actual increase in crime as well as the perception of crime increasing ... the savings will be a pittan ce."

The plans will sw itch off around 7,800 streetli ght s in Norwich from the hours of midnight to Sa m.

Since last going to print, the police have broken their silence over the proposal say ing that while they do not object to the plans in principle they would not want li ghts turned off in high crime areas.

Norwic.h has been named as a card fraud hotspot with around 40,000 peop le in the city thought to have fallen victim to fraud criminals, new statistics reveal.

According to the annua l Card Fraud Index, compiled by the Card Protection Company (CPP), Norwich is the third wor.st city for card fraud in the country, behind Card iff and London . Nationally, the survey reports a 6% increase.

INTERNATIONAL had fallen victim to some form ofcard fraud. The city has also seen an 11% increase in card fraud in two years. One in seven victims reported losses of over £1,000 . The average loss for Norwich victims to fraudulent transactions was £710.

Kirkham, from Po lice's Economic and Computer Crime Unit,

TRAVEL FOOD FOCSOC LIFESTYLE SPORT udy w ith rain rn v111 9 la t r. hilly a nd I r zy.

Min: -1°C f 30'F

Report by Dan Holley

A CCP spokesperson urged all Norwich cardholders to be vigilant and take steps to avoid fraud criminals: " When out and about never let your card out of your sight. it's also really important to check your bank statements regularly and thoroughly so you can spot any suspicious transactions. " Thes e are simple steps that are very effective in the fight against fraud."

Cardiff was found to have the worst card fraud problem with 37% of consumers affected. London was second with 35% and Southampton following Norwich with 28%.

PCSO WARNS OF CAMPUS BURGLARIES Joey M illar

Min: -l°C I 28"F

recogr;1ised card crime was a growing problem: " The cases ca n be difficult to investigate as, although the victim may be in Norfolk, the offender cou ld be based one the other side of the world and have a bank account in a se parate country.

"We have had a number of successfu l prosec utions in which we have managed to obtain compensation for the victims. In cases where we can' t prosecute, w e are often able to freeze bank accounts to prevent furth er fraudulent transactions."

Min: O''C I 32°F

Min: -1°( I 30"F

Students were welcomed back to UEA with a strong security warning: the University's Police Community Support Officer, Hannah Alexander, made th e announceme nt after a spate of burglaries marred the return of students from the Christmas break.

"Accommodation sec urity needs to be tightened" Alexander told Concrete, emphasising the need to be wary of strangers, saying "People need to be challenged if they are not rewgnised".

She also hi ghlighted the necessity of keeping main doors closed and ground -fioor windows secure .

One burglary has been reported this se mester, but it is suspected that there have been a number of simi lar incidents that campus secu rity ha s not been informed of.

The reported burgl ary, which occurred in The Village, was "a direct result " of leaving a door unlocked. lt is thought that over 90% of incidents are due to similar mistakes.

Vi ctims reported an iPod and digital camera amongst the items taken .

Concrete was unable to contact the victims, but Aimee Mayes, a first year Biology student, was happy to discu ss

the break-in of her fiat which occurred la st term . "We came back from the LCR to see our kitchen window wide open."

Luckily, individual doors had all been locked, meaning that "the only thing that was ta ken wa s our alco hol but it was still shocking to think that

that the va st majority of oncampus burglaries also go unreported . The flatmates of the burgled flat this semester also failed to report to campus security for more than a week, severely reducing their chances of finding their stolen property.

so meon e had been in our flat without our knowledge."

Aimee's fiat did not contact security and it is suspected

The incidents occurred despite the comprehensive security on campus.

Throughout yem the members of campus sec urity patrol the site by foot, bike and van, at every hour of the day and night.

The University and .Eaton Safer Neighbourh ood Po lice Team will be attending the Housing Fair in February to give. adv ice to student s regarding sec urity. Please contact PCSO Hannah Alexander at Earlham Police Station on 0845 456 4567, if you require advice before the event.

concrete.news@uea.ac.uk

NEWS 3

TUESDAY 26th JANUARY 2010

"HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU GRADUATING WITH FAIR DEAL FOR PART TIMERS part time students limits Nayo Hunt A DEGREE FROM UEA?" ask Suze Wood and James Dixon the development of flexible

"I supplement my degree with part time work at a solicitors' firm as IT support. In IT, it is very important that you have experience, so I am getting this now to avoid problems after graduation.

"This has given me confidence, as I have already been offered higher jobs within the organisation which I had to decline due to my studies.

My degree ... offers me the specialisation I need to go further in my field. I need to have the degree and UEA offers me a high quality of qualification."

"I suppose with the recession I can see why people want to go on to get postgrad qualifications.

With a Literature degree the spectrum of work is very vast but this is a positive thing because it means there are many different directions. " I really try not to think about the rates of graduate unemployment, otherwise you get too freaked out, instead I'm just trying to get a good degree and see what happens 'after that... otherwise I can just go on the dole!"

"l;'olitics is quite a versatile degree. I feel I have lots of options, because it's all about ~he skills you are learning rather than the actual content of your degree.

"However, am less confident about the state the eco(lomy is going to be in when I graduate! I feel my degree has equipped me well for work, but getting some work experience would be more useful than doing something postgrad. I think the most important thing is getting some full time unpaid experience after graduation. "

"My degree is quite a vocational course, and there are definite advantages for going for that sort of thing, considering the current job market. The course has got a good reputation in the area and there are a lot of opportunities in Pharmacy; my main concern is passing the degree itself!

"Specialised degrees do make you feel more confident about finding a job, however it is also quite narrow. lt would be very limiting if I changed my mind and wanted to do anything else."

University think tank Million+ has issued a report calling for a singl~ fees system for part time and full time students.

The report, entitled 'Fair Funding For All', was launched in the House of Commons on Wednesday 13th January, called for the abolishment of regulations that make part time students pay fees upfront, and prevent them from accessing any student loans ..

Whilst the 2004 Higher Education Act protected the funding rights of full time students it excludes all part timers, who make up 43% of those currently in higher education and all postgraduate students unless they are on a teacher training course.

Part time students can currently attain minimal grants. lt is suggested that increasing interest on student loans will cover the additional funding.

Professor Les Ebdon, Chair of Million+, a lobbyist for former polytechnic universities in the UK said "the current differential treatment of full time and

options to study, undermines widening participation and creates inequity in institutional income."

NUS President Wes Streeting also expressed support for the move, calling the report "valuable and timely" and suggesting· that repayments should be achieved through a system of graduate taxing that is dependent on income and the number of credits taken.

The Union of UEA students is also fully in support of the move. David Sheppard, Academic Officer for UEA said: "Upfront fees were dropped some time ago for full time students so it is anomalous that they remain for part time students.

"Part time students should also get access to a t:;>roportiofl of the loans and grants available to full time students.

In a recession, where many people are lqoking to re-train and switch careers, it makes no sense to maintain such barriers to flexible routes for learning."

UNION VOTES ON. NEW SPORTS SABBATICAL POSITION David Churchill Sports club and society members will today vote in a referendum which will decide whether the Students' Union is to install a new fulltime Activities & Student Development officer.

The role has been devised

by Union Council with the aim of widening access to key national sporting events, and arranging further internal competitions to maximise participation and use of facilities across campus.

The Union Executive currently comprises of four full-time officers governing financial, academic, communications and welfare issues, but has no full-time officer overseeing sporting or societal interests. According to Socweb, approximately 6,000 students hold a membership to a sports club or society.

Although the Union already employs a f.ull-time Sports Co-ordinator and two parttime officers to oversee sports

and society events, it is felt that the vast membership requires a full-time officer to act as a central focal point for members' interests.

Part-time Sports Officer, Anna Thomlinson said "there is a lot that can't be attended to", adding that there was a need for someone who can do "more than draw up manifestos and answer emails".

Speaking to Concrete, Ms. Thomlinson explained that the proposed role was part of the Union's grand vision to revolutionise participation and engagement with sport on a national and internal level. One key responsibility for the new officer would be 'to ensure that clubs have access to competitions held by prestigious bodies such as British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) .

Ms. Thomlinson confirmed that although she receives invitations to BUCS meetings to discuss ways in which UEA can participate, there is no time to attend or arrange for UEA's

involvement in competitions. lt is believed that a full-time representative would ensure that students have widened access to such advantageous sporting opportunities. The new role would also involve designating and organising 'sports days' every semester to increase internal competition, and arrange regular fundraising charity events such as 'fun-runs' which will maximise the use of facilities.

However, concerns have been raised by sports clubs over the preparation of the referendum, Concrete has found. Rachael Tomes, Assistant Director for Sport at the UEA Sportspark, reported that she had been approached by a number of clubs who were "concerned that they hadn't been given enough information by the Union to make an informed decision" in the forthcoming referendum.

She added that club members had also expressed dissatisfaction over the timespan between the referendum

and the information received.

Many had only become aware of the referendum, which is to take place on the 25th and 26th January, when the Union released information on 18th January. A number of members felt "rushed" at only being given a week to obtain more information and make an informed decision.

Separate concerns have also been raised over whether the full-time officer role would clash with existing positions in the Union.

The way in which the Union has proposed to fund the full-time sabbatical role has also been met with some controversy. Within documents that were released last week, the Union announced that the annual cost of the new role would total £25,000. lt was also revealed that the financial burden is to fall on those joining sports clubs by raising the Sports Association Membership (SAM) by £5 per student.

A further £2,000 is to be taken from revenue

grants available to societies in order to fund the role.

Under the proposed financial arrangement sports clubs would produce 92% of monies to fund the role, with societies only picking up 8% of the tab.

An active member of the fencing club stated that "everything is fine" under current arrangements, and that they were unable to see "what benefit would be received back for the extra £5".

He added: "Would the extra funds not be better spent on more equipment?"

Ms. Thomlinson defended the proposed policy by stating that UEA's "SAM is still one of the cheapest in the country.

With the intention to keep up with the standard of other universities, we are still offering a competitive rate ...

If the extra funds were spent on equipment only a select few clubs would benefit, but clubs across the spectrum will benefit from having a full-time representative".

With regards to time-span,

UUEAS' Finance Officer Martin Jopp added that the proposals had been discussed numerous times at Sports and Soceities Council so individual Sports Committees should have been aware of the proposals as far back as November.2009.

Mr. Jopp also asserted there would be no clash with current Union jobs and the role is predominately concerned with lobbying acitivites. "[Regarding current Union positions] We appoint experts and trained staff with skills which are not expected of officers ...there will defintely not be a change of staffing structure."

4 NEWS CADAVERINE MAGAZINE UEA students are being offered the chance to have their writin g published by new online magazine, The Cadaverine.

Aimed sole ly at under-25s, its aim is to publish th e best poetry and pro se from fre sh and emerging writers .

All genres of literature are cons id ered, so anything from high modernism to cybe rpunk and fictitious cookery can be submitted.

If successful, a work will be published on the Ca daverine website and may also ap pear in antho logies and/or in affiliates of The Cadaverine.

An Arts Council-funded online magazine, independ ent press and writers' group, The Cadaverine offers to give a compre hensi ve and uncompromising introduction to the new voice s of English literature .

This provides a fantastic cha nce for creati ve writ ers to attract a broad audience to their work and importantly, find publishers and agents.

All submissions can be emailed to thecadaverine@ mac.com, along with a brief biographical sketch of your writing life and a recent photograph.

Alternatively, log onto thei r web site www. thecadaverine.com to read curre nt featured writ ers and find out more.

Jessica Keating

UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS

CAP

concrete.news@uea.ac.uk

TUESDAY 26th JANUARY 2010

CLASS SIZES TO RISE AS FUNDING FALLS Chris King Projected university funding cuts of up to £900 million may result in "many universities being force d to close, over 14,000 staff losing their jobs an d some of th e biggest class sizes in th e w orld", according to Sally Hunt, general secretary of the Unive rsity and Co llege Union.

M s. Hunt contin ued by sayi ng that the pl ann ed government cuts will be a "devastating blow" to the higher education system, adding "the dreams of many hardworking parents for their children to go to university ... will be over".

Although Business Secretary Lord Mandelson

has stated that the funding decrease will amount t o a reductio n of less than 5% over the next three years, leading British universities have reite rated that the proposed cuts, which may reach £2 .5 billion, will "bring them to their knees".

A repo rt by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development last ye ar show ed that the average ratio of stu dents to lecturers in the UK is 17.6, compared to an average of just 15.3 in OECD countries. lt ha s been suggest ed

that as many as 30 British universities could disappear as a result of the cuts, with many more fac ing fin ancial meltdown.

As a result, universi ty cla ss sizes co uld become th e largest in the world within three years .

With a higher number of stude nts than ever before being accepted for university courses in the UK in 2009 - a rise of 5.5% on the previous year - pressure on universities has similarly increased, with 75% of applicants being successful compa red with 78% in 2008. As such the government has taken the decision to enforce fines of £4,000 on any universities 'over-recruiting' stud ents, a position described by NUS

Presi dent We s Streeting as "absurd".

The ratio of students to lecturers at UEA is currently 18.8, higher than the UK average and that of many other leading universities.

Academic Officer David Sheppard commented that "reducing the University's has staff-to-student ratios been a priority for the current Vice Chancellor", who has dedicated a "significant amount of resources towards hiring more aca demic staff".

According to an official statement, "the University has committed itself to protecting and even increasing our academic resources to ensure that we provide the best possib le student experience".

DON PATERSON TO OPEN UEA FESTIVAL Helen Thomas UEA's Literary Festival return s to Lecture Th eatre 1 on Tuesday 26th January.

Following the success of the autumn se mester's talks from the likes of Carol Ann Duffy, Alexander M cCa ll Smith and A.S. Byatt, the spring will see eight more novelists and poets take to the stage to share their literary experiences .

The festival 's organiser, Professor Lavinia Greenlaw of the school of Literature and Creative Writing, said: "I am delighted to be given the op portunity to build on the remarkable success and reputation of the UEA festival se ries. We attract the best

writers from all over the world and the best audiences a writer could hope for."

This semester, Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry holder and twice-winner of the T. S. Eliot prize, Don Paterson in stigate s the se rie s of lectures in a reading that Greenlaw hopes will develop the series' poetry audience.

Working in associatio n with The Poetry Trust, seve ral of the festival's writers have agreed to spend some time with UEA's Creative Writing students, who will "be nefit hugely from their insight and expertise."

The international lineup of authors and poets include Don

Lalami (16th February), Joshua Ferris (2 3rd February), Robin Robertson (17th March), Jim Crace (19th April), Joan ne Harris (28th April), Esther Freud (13th May) and Simon Armitage (19th May) .

The festival celebrates

some of the most talented voices of our generation.

Joanne Harris is author of the cri tical ly ce lebrated and film adapted Chocolat, and Esther Freud, great grand-daughter

has been named as one of the 20 best young British novelists

by Granta.

Simon Armitage is one of Britain's best-known and loved poets and winner of numerous

of Sigmund , explores East Anglia in The Sea House and

awards. Publisher of nine poetry collections, he has also written novels, plays, and a highly-acclaimed version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

His forthcoming collection, Seeing Stars, has been eagerly awaited by the literary world.

All events are held in LTl and start at 7pm . Season tickets are £36 for students, and individual tickets are £6 from the UEA Box Office on 01603 508050 or online at www.ueaticketbookings. co.uk .

Paterso n (26th January), Laila

NEW LECTURERS BOOST HEALTH FACULTY University Minister, David Lammy has revea led that priority will be given to "vulnerable subjects cou rses". and hea lth ca re This ha s led many experts to bel ieve that traditional subjects suc h as English and History will suffe r. However UEA's Faculty of Art s an d Humanities have revealed to Concrete that they aim to acce pt the same level of students for 2010 as in 2009.

David Churchill UEA's internationally recognised Faculty of Health has received a boost from the appointment of four key experts in the health research sector.

Professor Val Lattimer, who joins from Southampton University, has been appo inted head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery (NAM) . The School already lies 6th in The

Guardian's university league table for the best Nursing and Paramedical Studies courses in the country. a Lattimer possesses commanding knowledge in the field of primary care which is seen as key to the Sc hool consolidating and improving its national status.

Further key appointments include Professor Jacqueline Collier, head of the School of Allied Health Professions,

Professor Alastair Watson as Chair in Translational Medicine, and Or John Saxton as Professor of Clinical Exercise Physiology.

All the appointments are viewed as key to enhancing UEA's research and teaching programmes. lan Harvey Professor expressed his delight: "The university plays a leading role in biomedical and health research and I am delighted to welcome four such experienced

colleagues to ou r team ... Each will bring enormous value in their own fields as we further enhance our expertise in health research and teaching.

I know they share the faculty 's vision of making a significant impact in health provision and we very much look forward to their respective contributions ."

WORLD LEADING In 2008 the Higher Education Funding Council for England

(HEFCE) cond ucted a Re sea rch Assessment Exercise (RAE), which confirmed that 78% of the research cond ucte d by the UEA's Faculty of Health enjoys " international standing", with 37% being deemed "world leading" and "i nternationally excellent ". lt is believed that this will provide the perfect foundation from which th e new appointees can draw inspiration to enhance and extend UEA's reputation.

6 NEWS UK-CHINA INITIATIVE Postgraduate students are invited to apply for a new British Council programme aimed at helping businesses in the UK and China fight climate change.

The groundbreaking 'Climate change solutions through action' initiative is looking for 15 UK and Chinese stude nts to take part from April to May 2010.

They will be given environmental · bu si ness consultancy training and asked to work together intensively to come up with innovative solutions to specific challenges facing real businesses.

Students will be selected from UEA, the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, the University of Manchester, Fudan University, Peking University, Tongji University and Tsinghua University.

UEA is the lead academic partner in the scheme, working with Forum for the Future, a development charity and the Ministry of Science and Technology in China.

The deadline for applications is Monday 1st March. Application forms are available from the Registry reception or can be obtained by contacting Lisha Li, China Projects Manager on 01603 591557 or lisha.li@uea.ac.uk.

EASTER C RAFT FAIR The Union of UEA Students Easter Craft Fair starts on Thursday 18th March in the LCR, Union House, with over 40 stands including many locally produced items. will include These pictures, jewellery, crafts, toys, pottery, chocolates, shoes, bags, hats, fashions, soft furnishings amd vintage clothing, as well as cakes, ales, Indian food, fruit and veg, and much much more .

Doors open 11am-3pm.

For further details please contact Jean Wills, Advertising Dept, Union of UEA Students, UEA, Norwich, NR4 7TJ. Telephone: 01603 592507 .

Mobile: 07776 141 012 Email: jean.wills@ueastudent.com.

concrete.news@uea.ac.uk

TUESDAY 26th JANUARY 2010

NORFOLK SAFEST COUNTY IN BRITAIN

NATIONAL STUDENT SURVEY RETURNS

Nick Church

Julia Rasin

Yearly crime statistics from the Home Office reveal recorded crime in Norfolk fell by 8.4%.

This equates to 57 crimes per 1,000 of the population, the lowest rate ir, England.

Detective Chief Superintendent, Julian Blazeby, said: "Norfolk is a safe county - in fact we continue to be the safest county in England with 57 crimes per 1,000 population . We have made significant reductions in criminal damage, drug offences and vehicle crime. There has been a small rise in fraud crime.

This was anticipated not only in Norfolk but across the country as a result of the economic climate."

Overall violent crime fell by 2% (a decrease of 183 crimes), drug offences are down by 13% (a decrease of 292 crimes) and vehicle crime fell by 14%, (a decrease of 701 crimes).

However, burglary rose by 15%, around 228 crimes, as well as robbery by 5%, an increase of 14 crimes.

"We stand firm by our pledge to reduce crime, antisocial behaviour and the fear of crime and will continue to visit all victims of crime. All residents in Norfolk can see crime figures for themselves for where they live - local crime maps translate these figures into visual pictures of what is happening in Norfolk's neighbourhoods."

This year's National Student is approaching, Survey comparing final year students' experiences on aspects such as teaching, assessment and feedback , academic support, organisation and management, learning resources, personal development and overall satisfaction.

Pa st performances have seen UEA proudly placed in the top five universities in England for satisfaction - but including Scottish universities UEA was in seventh place in last year's survey.

The survey has come under criticism from some student unions in the past for being a waste of government money with little representative Most notoriously, value. accusations of partisanship arose after a Kingston academic encouraged students to overrate their university because if "Kingston comes down the bottom, then the bottom line is that nobody

is going to employ you because they think your degree is shit." lt is supported by the National Union of Students, and felt to be a vital campaigning tool on student issues.

Eligible students are going to receive an email with detailed information during the week commencing 1st February.

Similar to the NSS, The Times ' Higher Education survey ranked UEA 13th out of 132 universities across Britain.

The survey recorded a marginal decrease in overall satisfaction from the previous year-from82 % to81%. ltalso concluded that most student concerns were focused on assessment and feedback rather than teaching.

CONSERVATIVES SEEK ELITE TEACHERS Nick Church Last week David Cameron launched the Conservative party's draft education manifesto which proposed to toughen up teacher training in a move which would aim to make the profession " brazenly elitist".

At a speech given at Walworth Academy, Cameron laid out his vision of how educational standards could be raised.

If implemented, the manifesto would obstruct PGCE funding for those who failed to get a second class degree or higher, as well as raise the minimum GCSE requirement from a 'C' grade in both maths and English to a 'B'. The Conservatives are also proposing to pay off the loans of students who achieve first class degrees, as well as give head teachers the ability to reward the best teachers with bonuses.

The manifesto also discusses the option of fast

tracking potential teachers who want to specialise in either maths or science subjects.

The proposals have come under fire from Labour and the Liberal Democrats. David Laws, Liberal Democrat MP for Yeovil , criticised the ambitious proposals by suggesting that they did not represent the proposed cuts that the Conservatives would make on education: "With the Conservatives targeting the education budget for cuts, their proposals will mean

fewer teachers and larger class sizes."

even

NAIVE PLAN? Or Nalini Boodhoo, deputy head of the School of Education at the UEA and course director for the Secondary PGCE the qualification allowing teachers to teach at key stages 3 and 4 - ha s complained that the Conservative proposa ls do not acknowledge the "complexity" of teaching: " lt is naive and misleading to assume a direct correlation between a higher class of

degree and more effective teaching."

PGCE tutor and former course director for the Secondary PGCE at UEA, Terry Hayden, articulated similar reservations claiming that "we wou ld miss out on some excellent teac hers if we just applied a blanket ban or financial block on students who, for one reason or another, may not have got a second class degree or better."

Concerns over a variety of the draft Conservative propo sa ls have been echoed by many students at UEA. Phoebe Wray, who studied for her PGCE at UEA last year, was dismayed at the idea of fast tracking students: " lt was hard enough to learn everything I needed to know in one year!" Samuel Grassby, a current PGCE student expressed disappointment over the proposals, stating that "employing slightly better graduates is not going to change negative perceptions of how children are educated."

JOURNALISM AWARD The 2010 European Young Journalist Award has been launched in an effort to find Europe's best up-and-coming journalistic talent. If you are a student journalist aged 1735 you stand the chance of being selected as a national winner from your country and taking home one of three prizes including a cultural trip to a European capital of your choice.

The EYJA 2010 challenges young journalists to engage with EU Enlargement by encouraging applicants to use journalistic skills to hone in on the impact, and multi faceted potential thereof.

The competition is open to journalists and journalism students from print media, online media or radio and will run from 20 October 2009 until 28 February 2010.

Submiss ions should focus on EU Enlargement from a creative and thoughtprovoking angle.

Participants must be citizens of one of the EU member states or Iceland.

!'Emission

de Television Michel Vinaver's L'Emission de Television will be performed

in French by the university's French theatre company, Sacre Theatre.

Sacre Theatre provides an annual opportunity for local francophile and francophone audiences to experience live French theatre, something which very few UK cities offer, and its audiences regularly include local A-level students.

This year's cast comprises four students from the school of Language and Communication Studies . The production will be staged from February 3-6 in the university Drama Studio with performances starting at 7.30pm.

Tickets, priced at £5 or £3.50 for concessions, are available by emailing Jon Hyde at j.hyde@uea .ac.uk or calling 01603 592272.

FREE ENTRY All NIGHT

SELECTED SHOTSrrom

8 TURF

TUESDAY 26th JANUARY 2010

concrete. turf@uea.ac.uk

Budget transport: cycling reconsidered

Big freeze puts strain on British wildlife

Tom Hunt

John Ferguson

UEA students need reliable transport that doesn't cost the earth. With petrol prices rising and bus passes too expensive for some, it is time to reconsider the pros and cons of the bicycle.

Drivers to campus will be aware that the University is pressed for car parking space. However, there are still major benefits to owning a car in 2010 even at a time when the consequences of climate change are widely acknowledged. For a start, despite increased congestion on our roads, driving is one of the fastest modes of transport.

The government estimates that in general, people walk 20% less than at the turn of the millennium. Undeniably, it is easy to get into a car and drive.

Cycling requires more effort, especially with stacks of books from the library to carry. Cars also have tremendous amounts of space for said books compared to the humble bicycle. This can be remedied in part by the use of panniers, but even then storage is limited and must be carefully balanced.

However, the bike has none of the environmental stigma

The seemingly continuous cold spell that has hampered Britain for the past few weeks has added a new dimension to the already complicated dynamics of Britain's wildlife.

As well as experiencing some of the lowest recorded temperatures in decades this winter, Britain has been laden with snow, ice and heavy frosts.

These conditions have put an unprecedented emphasis on the natural survival of the fittest phenomena, with many species suffering a significant drop in population numbers. The means by which wildlife have suffered are as varied as they are harmful, from the covering of ground food supplies by snow and deep frost, to the accelerated heat loss of thinly insulated birds and mammals.

These past few weeks have seen some serious wild losers. Our common small birds, for example, have been forced to adopt rather unusual behaviour in order to find food: reports of birds risking their lives feeding at the side of busy roads shows clear desperation, however other reports have revealed rather more astute actions, flocking in mixed species groups in attempts to

that attaches itself to the car.

Each car has an average C0 2 emission of three tonnes per year, in contrast to the carbon neutral bicycle. In fact, if the four million commuters who drive just four miles or less to work each day cycled instead, a million tonnes of C0 2 would be saved every year.

But when it comes to families, bikes are not seen as a suitable alternative. Parents would struggle to put the kids on the back and cycle them to school, though in summer at least they could cycle themselves. With people living further away from their schools and workplaces, it is no surprise that cycling currently makes up for just 2% of journeys in the UK. However, with increasing

amounts of people choosing to stay put for their holidays each year and avoid the expenses and emissions of air travel, cycling is becoming an alternative to the car for some, especially hard-pressed students. The money saved on petrol can be put towards food and drink and a tent can be shared between several bikes, making it possible to pitch up for the night wherever there is space. Shortcuts can also be taken through woodlands and fields, which cars cannot traverse. The problem with this, of course, is the British weather, which can be better withstood in a car than on an exposed bike, though with 40,000 towns across Britain there is always somewhere to shelter.

maximise foraging being just one of the various tactics birds have adopted .

The big freeze hasn't reserved its unfavourable effects just for birds; even our most majestic mammals have been distresse d. The various deer species that live in Britain are primarily grazers, so the carpet of snow and frost that has coated our countryside of late has presented a serious obstacle to their feeding. lt would be quick to assume that deer can simply brush this snow away, but unfortunately the energy spent doing this is more than what is gained by feeding on the' damaged grass that lies beneath. The deer's problems are made even worse by wasting precious energy reserves fleeing from eager photographers trying to snap that perfect winter shot. lt hasn' t been all bad news for our wildlife, with the last few weeks rewarding those who take advantage of the shortcomings of others.

Many large predators such as sparrowhawks and foxes have been doing fantastically well of late, due to weariness of their struggling prey species.

Surprisingly, certain mice and

vole species have been faring particularly well too. These small rodents tend to thrive around the grass that is under the snow and ice carpet and are consequently not badly affected by the cold. They also benefit indirectly from living under the snow carpet, as their natural predators, chiefly barn owls and kestrels, aren't able to spot them from above.

Perhaps those who have benefitted most from the big freeze, in strictly wild terms, are us. Not only has the snow presented us with some picturesque views, it has also resulted in certain species that wouldn't normally venture into our gardens doing exactly that.

Reports of birds not usually with gardens, associated such as migratory species, desperate for food coming into our gardens have been commonplace and it appears that we are only too happy to oblige them, with retailers reporting record bird food sales.

Environmental manifestos: Labour vs Conservatives Alex May Following

the

Copenhagen

climate change summit at the end of last year, the environment has undoubtedly become, as far as government policy-makers are concerned at least, the main focal point for all of the world's most influential leaders. The United States, Japan, Australia and the European Union are al l looking for new and innovative ways to tackle climate change and improve the state of our environment, both on an international level and closer

carbon emissions; developed countries have until the end of January to announce by how much they wish to reduce their emissions by 2020. The UK government previously established a target to reduce carbon emissions by 20% by 2020, but with the EU prepared to substantially increase this figure, it would appear that the UK is set to be pushed much harder in its attempts to tackle climate change.

So what exactly is the British government doing to

to home.

Having addressed numerous environmental issues at the conference, one of the main sticking points is how to reduce

deal with environmental issues in the UK? While. both of the main political parties may be working towards the same goal, it is clear that the Conservatives

and New Labour have diverging views on the best way to accomplish this task: the main focus for the Conservatives this year seems to be on effective waste disposal, whereas Labour is focusing more on energy efficiency, at home and in industry.

The Conservative Party has pledged to improve the environment by working towards zero waste; the plans include a floor under refill tax until 2020, with the intention of giving businesses long-term certainty to invest in new, more sustainable forms of waste disposal. In addition to this, the Tories wish to introduce a Responsibility Deal on waste;

a voluntary arrangement with producers in order to encourage them to reduce waste and improve measures for its disposal. An incentive scheme for families who recycle will also reward responsible

parents and bring awareness into the family home.

Labour, with a focus on sustainable energy sources, wish to triple the UK's production of renewable energy. A new ÂŁ100 billion

blueprint in this area shoul d deliver a step change in lowcarbon energy supply. This is in line with its target to make all new houses zero-carbon from 2016, whereas older houses will see 100 million low-energy light bulbs being given out as part of the effort: Labour hopes to phase out high-energy light bulbs altogether by 2011.

With five million households also set to receive help from the government to attain more effective insulation and a reduction in energy prices particularly for the vulnerable - it won't be long before the benefits are felt of our government's environmental policies this year.

,.-------

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www.goldentriangleproperties.co.uk

10 COMMENT & OPINION

TUESDAY 26th JANUARY 20 10

concrete.opinion@uea.ac.uk

Ea rthquake exploitation After the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti earlier this month, Tim Marsh looks at the response from around the world and questions whether the disaster will be used as a political tool.

As most of you will be aware, an earthquake struck Haiti on 13 January, leaving around 1.5 mill ion people homeless and up to 200,000 dead. Haiti is one of the poorest and least developed cou ntries in t he world, with 80% of its population living below the poverty line. Thi s meant t hat Haiti was not prepa red for t he earthquake and t he ir economic posi ti on res ulted in th e di saste r being much wo rse th an if th ey had adequ at e defe nces and res ponse plans in place.

The intern atio nal respo nse has been mostl y positi ve and aid is pouring into a country wh ich is usually ignored by t he ma instream media.

However, there have been suggestions that a country which has been indebted since it declared its independence in 1804 will be further exploited while it is recovering from

this natural disaster. The author and activist Naomi Klein outlined in her book The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism how natural disasters are used as an

"The disaster should not be used os on opportunity for exploitation" am ple opportun it y to pus h t hrough unpo pul ar pro-corporate policies wh ile citizens are recover ing from t he shock of a disaster. Klein and ot hers believe t hat there is a risk th at this could happen in Haiti, a country which has endured more suffering than humanly imagi nab le, and should be resisted every step of th e way.

A conservative think-tank ca ll ed the Heritage Foundation has already been exposed as to trying to exploit the Haitian situation. Just three hours after the earthquake was reported, an article appeared on their website with this quot atio n included; " In addition to providi ng immediate hu ma nitari an assista nce, the U.S. response t o th e t rag ic earthq uakes in Haiti offers oppo rt uniti es to re-s hape Haiti's long dysfun ction al govern me nt and economy as well as to improve th e publi c image of th e United States in th e re gion".

This stateme nt clearly implies exploiting the sit uation in Haiti, w hich is disgusting. Th e amount of comp laints they received on their website meant they repla ce d the origina l artic le wi th a m uch softer version.

The United States and

other nations should be focusing on humanitarian aid and providing the esse ntial infrastructure that would help Haiti to rebuild not just th eir homes but also their society.

The disast er should not be used as an opportunity for exploitati on and oth er un savou ry motives. The pri ority of a natural disaster should not be t he chance to make profit from such a dire si tu ati on. To do so is utt erly immoral.

To help Ha iti on the road to recovery, western countries need to cancel any remaining debt. The Haitian people have been exploited enough in th eir histo ry. Th ere is large opposition to this such as

the Facebook group " No shock doctrine for Haiti." The pressure f rom the pub lic, as w ell as various celebrities, has fo rced some positi ve concessions. The IMF has changed th eir $100 million loa n to a gra nt follo w ing massive criti cis m. Origin ally t hey only offered the loa n to Ha iti on co ndition th ey freeze 路public sec tor pay and raise f uel cost s in exchange.

Whil e th is is a victory, the battl e fo r fai r and ju st trea tm ent for Haiti is not over and pub lic pressu re needs t o be uphe ld. Thi s is a majo r humanitaria n crisis and t he Haitia n peop le need financial help, not a further push into the pit of poverty that they are curre nt ly stu ck in.

Debate: Can we legitimately ban protestors?

Fact box Henry Croft lslam4UK's proposed march through Wootton Ba ssett to honour the Muslim dead in Afg hani stan has sent the media into hysterics, and rightly so. The group have tainted the notion of a peaceful protest; hijacking it with the intent to fuel a vicious publicity st unt. Th erefore, the Home Secretary Alan Johnson made t he right decision to ban the group and their proposed march.

In light of the rece nt furore over Nick Griffin's appearance on Question Time, this might seem a tad hypocritical. With regards to consistency, Anjem Choudary, the leader of the group, should be given the same oxygen as Nick Griffin . Yet this is an altogether more sini ster matter ow ing to t he undercurrent of terrorism and malevolence t hat pulses through t he group and their take on protest. By desce nding upon a town famed for its patrioti sm, media savvy Choudary, who is a trai ned lawyer, high lights a desperate thirst for publicity rather than a legitimate desire to protest.

Ye s, there is the issue of all ow ing freedom of speec h, but a line must be drawn somewhere. We need to live in a soc iety that is as re spon sib le as it is democratic. This protest would have been a guise for insults, threat s and abuse; behaviour engineered to cause harassment and distress. The citizens of Wootton Bassett should be entit led to demonst rate their support for the troops in Afghanistan without experiencing abuse .

Ultimately, Johnson is movin g in the right direction. His decision was a responsible move in the same vein as the U.S. Human Rights movement in their challenge of white supremacy in the 1960s. Islamic supremacism, like white su premaci sm, is an ideology that flouts liberty, equality and our fundamental human right s. lt is an ideo logy t hat, unlike that of the BN P, is not concealed underneath other pretensions. Outside a court in Luton, the group paraded placards reading " Islam will dominate! Freedom ca n go to hell!". To let t his behaviour go undisciplined wou ld be irresponsible and downright stupid.

lt is now a criminal offence to be a member of lslam4UK, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The group have been banned under an extension of the 2000 Terrorism Act. lslam4UK was already banned under its other incarnations of "ai-Ghurabaa" and "The Sa cred Sect".

Against James Dixon A co ntrove rsial offshoot Mus li m group named lslam4UK had planned a demonstration through Wootton Bassett, the town known for unofficially honouring fallen soldiers from Britain's foreign exploits. The tradition of military support se rves to accentuate the unsavoury nature of the group's plan. The march would have invo lved the inflammatory act of carrying coffins in representation of innocent Muslims who have died in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The demonstration would have disregarded any sense of taste or humility. However, the march never happened as it was banned by the government and later the group as a whole was banned. Thi s is not necessarily a posi tive course of action.

Britain is a country that holds freedom of speech as one of its core va lues. As a co untry, we be lieve that everyone has the right to hold and express an opinion. This does not mea n t hat we mu st accept each other's opinions and beliefs

" Will doesn't look unlike a lego man ..."- Grace Simpson, LIT 3

as truth . We can disag ree with each ot her by voici ng our ow n opin ions .

Along with most of Britain, I would firmly disagree with the actio ns of lslam4 UK. As a majority though, we shou ld be able to se nsib ly accept that there will be a minority of extremists willing to disagree with our values of decorum and re specting the dead.

There is a certain irony in fighting a war for freedom of speec h w hi lst denying this very right to some parts of our society. There should be no assumption that our adva nced liberal society will be free from unsightly protrusions or controversial clamours.

Callous minds will continue to exist in British society no matter what th e political climate of the day is.

Bann ing the freedom of expression of the se groups will on ly force them underground whe re t hey may emerge with even more extreme views. lslam4UK shou ld be allowed a platfo rm, but they mu st rea li se that th e incoming tide of freedom of speec h w ill be su re to quick ly wash them away.

I

I

concrete.opinion@uea.ac.uk

TUESDAY 26th JANUARY 2010

COMMENT & OPINION 11

Since moring into my n,.., houe,

HaJf the lights in the

I hllft had to m&D allowancea for ~

houe don't work.

certain dillfcult1-.

I

my carpet 11 aUclder than a velcro toftee.

There la no deadlock on the front door.

Thil makes WW, on the ground Door, vary vulnerable to attack.

I

Whether or not this mysterious adhesive originated from a human being, I'd rather not know.

Thil mea.ns that after 8 o'clock, the hou.ae 11 prone to become a twlllt world of spectres.

• A touch of class Housing horror Jack Brinded

I

I

Britain in the 21st century is a long way from confirming John Prescott's pre-1997 election statement "we are all middle class now". 13.2 million UK citizens live in poverty, which is around one in five, whilst 53% of UK citizens still consider themselves to be working class.

However, rather than attempt to represent or help such people, the UK's major political parties still seem obsessed with courting the 'middle class' vot e. Over the past 12 years, on New Labour's wa tch, free market philosophy has remained relatively unchallenged and the gap between rich and poor has continued to widen. By 2007 it was at its widest for 40 years.

Three years on, at the start of a new decade, little has changed; Britain remains one of the world's most inequitable and unfair countries. Yet Labour ignores the working class, refusing to champion the people w ho need them, having betrayed them to win power in the fi rst place.

Of course, recently there has been speculation that Labour might be returning to its working class roots, stemming mainly from a joke

by Gordon Brown at the expense of David Cameron's background as part of t he Etonian elite. This, of course, proved to be little more t han empt y rh et oric and hot air. In t he same

week that David Cameron set out "brazenly elitist" plans to improve the education of t he middle to upper classes, t he current Prime Minister decided that in the upcoming election battle (rather than attempt to help the disadvantaged) he will devot e his· attention to wooing the 'middle class' voters, stating he would create "more middle class jobs than ever before".

Far from a return to the class politics of old, New Labour is singing t he same old tune, and the playing fields of Eton remain a safe breeding ground for the elite. The government seems content to let those less fortunate than themselves go wanting, relying heavily on the assumption that the working class base upon which Labour was created have nowhere else to go, to avoid scaring t he skittish wealthy minority who have no interest in Labour anyway.

For t oo long now socialism has been a dirty word in British politics, and for the sake of the ignored and neglected majorit y I hope t hat changes, and soon.

Matthew Allison it's that time of year again, when we must take it upon ourselves to find suitable housemates and accommodation for the · next academic year. So many factors must be considered; who · to live with, who gets which room, rent, location.

Speaking from experience, I would urge any freshers worried about missing out on the best houses not to panic and to take their time.

In my first year I remember the panic my housemat es and I felt as our mates seemed to be getting t hemselves sorted. For this rea son we rushed int o signing on the first property we viewed with the company Golden Triangle Properties.

This was the start of an exasperating year of prevarication and excuses.

The omens were bad from the start. Upon moving into the hous~, I was dismayed to find my bed was broken and made a request for a new bed to be delivered. After being palmed off from one employee to the next, I slept on the floor for the first two weeks of the term. Eventually a bed was unceremoniously dumped

in the back garden in its constituent part s. I was assured that someone would be round to construct the bed within the week. Two weeks passed so I took it upon myself to put the bed together myself, admittedly a risky decision. The bed that I built lasted longer than I or anyone else expected, a good two or three weeks.

Inevitably though, that too caved in and I was back on the floor. Finally a decent bed arrived and all seemed to be well until our next problem came about.

"An extra couple of weeks looking could save you a whole year of hassle!"

We walked out the front door in early February to be confronted wi th a 'to let' sign. it's not a legal obligation to ask tenants if they want to stay on for the next year, but it certainly is basic courtesy.

We encountered most of our problems with Golden Triangle in the run up to leaving the property. lt is standard policy to request that

the house is cleaned to a suitable standard before the next tenants move in and a professional cleaner is often hired. The price given was totally unreasonable at £300 for one day! I was t old by one razor sharp employee t hat money would be spent on 'cleaning the carpets'. The property contained no carpets. lt was agreed that my parents would take time out of their bank holiday to clean the house to the st andards specified.

September came around and we were determined t o have our full deposit returned. We were informed that Golden Triangle had claimed over £100 out of the deposit for "cleaning costs," after all t he t rouble we had been through ! At one point it seemed that an employee was making a breakthrough and the money would be returned; however, we were later informed t hat she had left the company. Finally, the day arrived in mid October when out full deposit was returned and Golden Triangle were out of our lives forever.

So, take your time, because an extra couple of weeks looking could save you a whole year of hassle!

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.OPINION@UEA.AC.UK AND WE'LL GET YOUR VOICE HEARD!

I 12 FEATUR.ES

TUESDAY 26th JANUARY 2010

concrete.features@uea.ac.uk

concrete.features@uea .ac.uk

THE 201 0 CONCRETE HOUSING GUIDE

Who should I live with?

In halls of residence, it's easy to lock yourself away and bask in your own glory. The only time you really need to commune with others is when you're cooking; the majority of halls even have ensuite bathrooms. But in a house, cooking, ·cleaning, washing (clothes and yourself) and the seductive comforts of sofas will mean that you'll actually have to live with these people and see their faces grinning over a cereal bowl every day. So choose caref ully. Here are a few words of advice from students in and around campus.

- -- - - --- - - -- -- -- - - -- - - -------~-------------------- -- ·

Housing Checklist

will probably be in a normal student house on a side road, but there are some huge terraced houses on Earlham Road itself that are let out to students.

Davina Kesby

Attend the Housing Fair on Tuesday 9th February from lOam to 4pm in the LCR. This is yo'ur opportunity to ask questions and get direct responses. Then visit the Home Run list from Tuesday 9th February at www.ueastudent.com/ homerun to start finding houses!

Bowthorpe

Choose your housemates. This needs to be done carefully as rash decisions result in at least one miserable university year. See page 13 for more info.

Unthank Road Start visiting properties. Visit as many as your timet able allows to get a feel for student housing and ask lots and lots of questions, no· matter how stupid you feel at the time. Speak to t he current tenants if you can.

Make sure you pay a visit to the Union's Advice Centre before you sign the contract. They'll look over it free of charge and help you to understand all of the legal jargon. it's also a good idea to do the same with any written record that your landlord provides you with.

Sort out your bills! This includes setting up a house account or assigning individual utilities to people, paying the TV licence and updating your insurance you parents' insurance may not cover you in rented property.

Get your paperwork in order. Make sure you've got all of . your contracts stored away safely, a CORGI certificate (which validates a house's gas appliances) and a council t ax exemption certificate.

Make an inventory of items in your house which is either written or photographic, or both! Then get your landlord to counter-sign it so that all damages that are not created by you are accounted for.

If there are any problems with anything in the property your landlord has a statutory responsibility to repair it.

•

Unthank Road and its surrounding area is one of the most popular student housing hotspots in Norwich. The 25 bus route is directly onhand, and the Unthank shopping precinct is full of great local shops.

The proximity to town is great, as well as the abundance of shops, two Co-ops, two butchers, greengrocers, estate agents, chemist and a Subway to mention a few.

There are also three or four or maybe even five pubs in very close proximity, but they tend to be quite expensive, even if they are really nice. The main issue with Unthank Road is the distance from campus. it is only a ten minute bus ride, but the buses have a nasty habit of not turniog up, being stupidly late or being too futl on a regular basis. Any of these circumstances leave you with a 30-40 minute walk to campus t hat isn't helpful if you are in a rush. it's a fun place to live that is convenient for everything apart from getting to campus quickly.

Ed Leftwich

Earlham Road Like anywhere in and around the city, living on Earlham Road has both advantages and disadvantages. One of the great things about living on Earl ham is the fact that walking into town and uni are .pretty easy, although t his does depend on what end of Earl ham you live on.

If you want to risk it and rely on the buses, for the most part they're pretty good but when they're bad they're awful!

Earlham runs right from the city t o beyond the University Village so, obviously, t he facilities vary. Wherever you are, t he big drawback is the lack of buses at night. After a cheeky lCR, you're either going to have to walk back or get t he 25 and walk through to Earl ham. Neither of these options are particularly desirable, so unless you have a hefty beer jacket, you're going to need an actual jacket!

Primarily, the student residential area is nearer the city end of Earlham Road, where you have the Co-op for all of your shopping needs, as ·well as a few nice pubs. As for the accommodation, .you

What t o say about Bowthorpe? Well, t o put. it quite simply, there are both major pros, yet considerable cons to living in t his area. At about half an hour's walk from the University, it is far from the ideal situation for a UEA student. This is not to say all areas, I hasten to add, but H4mbleyard itself is not much t o look at.

However, having lived there for a considerable amount of months now, Bowthorpe can be said to be a t horoughly agreeable place to live in. For a start it has reliable bus services to the University and to the centre of Norwich, and in most parts there are bus stops only a few minutes walk from where you would be living. What's more, the houses in Bowthorpe tend to be much bigger and better laid out than some of the houses nearer the University. They not only have bigger bedrooms, but also more of a homely feel, often with less . of that studenty vibe. Although there are no large supermarkets or restaurants, there are a variety of little corner shops, as well as an Aldi, a Co-op and a Roy's within walking distance from the Humbleyard area. There are also a few takeaway places, which is always handy.

B.owthorpe therefore does have its advantages, despite everything else.

Keri Dickens

• •

How do I choose a house?

Here's .a few things to consider when choosi ng a house.

•

Dereham Road Situated just outside of the Golden Triangle, Oereham Road can often leave a student feeling cut off, especially in comparison with the heaving student population of Unthank and Earlham. Getting to university can often he tiresome and strenuous as Dereham Road is served not-so-frequently by the number 21 and 22 buses which take approximately 45 minutes to get to campus.

However, Dereham Road is, on average, cheaper t han Unt hank for essentially the same type of property. There are takeaways coming out of every crevice and there are some seriously trendy watering holes right on your doorstep like the Norwich Arts Centre, the Fat Cat, The Belle Vue and the Ten Bells.

•

•

The Avenues l ocation-wise, The Avenues are probably the best. Not too studenty but also not isolated, The Avenues are at the centre of t he Golden Triangle, halfway between uni and town and on the 25/35 bus routes. l ocal facilities include a bank, a pharmacy, a fish 'n' chip shop and an off-licence.

The Avenues are quieter than surrounding Unthank and Earl ham but this serves to make the area rather dangerous at night.

M elissa York

I

"Your mates who are good for going out with are not good for sharing houses with. The biggest grating thing is washing up and cleaning. If you like living in a clean house, don't live with people who make mess. Don't be like, "Oh, we'll get over it 'cause we're mates" - you won't, you'll hate them. My best mate, I hate him so much. I love him but he's an absolute bastard. He never does the washing up and I want to ram it down his throat every time."

"From my experience, don't live with a couple. lt sounds cliche but it's absolut ely true."

"Don't live with anybody."

Think about what kind of student you are. If you're the centre of attention, the life and soul of the party and an all-round social whore, you don't want to be living in Bowthorpe. Similarly, if you came to university to do well in your degree, t hen Unthank may prove a little too distracting. You've lived a year of student life, you should have worked out what camp you're i n.

Decide how many people you want to live w ith. Two can be calmer and easier but it's also very intrusive and, if you argue, there's no other shoulder to cry on. However, living in a house with five or six people can make paying bills ridiculously complicated and inter-house teams can begin to form to break the harmony.

Thinking about what you need out of your room is another important factor.

If you have a long term boyfriend or gir lfriend, a double bedroom may be a necessity. The size of the rooms may affect how much rent you pay as well.

• There is an increasing trend for parents to buy houses in the area for their children to live in, using it as a future property investment. This can be great as you' ve- got a more informal relationship with your landlords. But, should anything go wrong, it can be very awkward and friendships can be ruined.

• You may not have considered that renting student accommodation isn't for you. There are other options available such as becoming a resident tutor on campus which means your rent is cheaper and you don't have to wait 30 minut es for a bus every day!

TUESDAY 26th JANUARY 2010

FEATURES 13

Advice from students who've been there

- 14 FEATURES

TUESDAY 26th JANUARY 2010

concrete.features@uea.ac.uk

Question Time for Blair On the 29th January, Tony Blair faces the toughest inquisition of his life by the Iraq Inquiry. Blair's answers could determine whether he could legitimately be put on trial for war crimes. David Biggins explains why this is the political. event of the year and why it could turn out to be even more significant than the forthcoming general election.

Last month, the former Director of Public Prosecutions, Ken MacDonald, wrote a damning article in The Times which openly accused Tony Blair of subterfuge and deception in the decision to take Britain to war with Iraq in 2003. "Since those sorry days", writes MacDonald, "we have frequently heard him repeating the self-regarding mantra that 'hand on heart, I only did what I thought was right.'

But this is a narcissist's defence and sel f-belief is no answer to misjudgment: it is certainly no answer to death."

The article followed an interview with Fern Britton, in which Blair admitted that he would still have preferred to remove Saddam Hussein from power even with the hindsight of knowing that there were no 'weapons of mass destruction' hidden in Iraq. " I would still have thought it right to remove him," Blair said. "1 mean, obviously you would have had to use and deploy different arguments, about the nature of the threat."

Despite the fact that the interview probed less into Blair's decisions regarding the Iraq invasioQ, and more into how his personal Christian faith influenced his time as Prime Minister, his comments were seized upon by the British media. Headlines such as: "Fern Britton asks Tony Blair the big questions" from the Daily Mail and "I would have invaded Iraq anyway" from the Guardian whipped up the country into thinking that Blair had accidentally offered a part-confession of t he illegitimacy of the invasion itself and, indeed, perhaps he has.

Going to war on the grounds of regime change is highly problematic when it comes to international law. Although it had openly been the United States' policy for Iraq since Clinton, it would certainly not have received parliamentary backing in the United Kingdom, as evidenced by Jack Straw's recent testim~ny to the Chilcot inquiry. "There would have been no legal basis for it ever being our policy,'' said the former Foreign Secretary. "There would almost certainly have been no majority in cabinet or in the Commons." Should the Chilcot inquiry into Iraq conclude that Blair's motives were indeed of regime change, his reputation would become irrevocably tarnished and it would only fuel the already heated cr ies for Blair to be put on trial for war crimes.

War crimes aside, however, what exactly did Blair mean when he said, "I did what I

thought was right"? In Britain, a cosy interview with Fern Britton might make for sensational headlines, yet Blair revealed nothing in the interview that has differentiated from his previous position whilst he had been in power, or even afterwards. Over the past two years, Blair has been lecturing on the subject in great detail as part of the faith and globalisation course that he teaches at Yale University. In the lectures, Blair challenges the view that if Hussein had not been removed from power in 2003 the Middle East would be a safer place, claiming that the former Iraqi leader "would be in competition with Iran for the leadership of radical Islam", radically aggravating the the dropping of chemical weapons, this time · hydrogen cyanide, on the Kurdish town of already uneasy status quo.

Perhaps drunk on his success in achieving Halabja, killing 5,000 civilians.

Although the Labour government's now the Good Friday agreement in Northern Ireland, Blair also sets out his belief that the infamous 'dodgy dossier' and its association key to resolving the chaos and instability in with spin maestro Alistair Campbell (who the Middle East lies in the bloody Palestinian curiously defended every word of it earlier this and Israeli conflict. Should a peaceful month at the Chilcot inquiry) will forever haunt settlement ever be reached, Blair feels, then Blair, it is rarely argued (and if it is, unwisely this would forever undermine the radical argued) that the contents were completely narrative of extremist Islam. Blair has stressed fabricated . The prominent weapons inspector that Hussein's regime aimed to deliberately Dr. Hans Blix gave an account on Iraq to the jeopardize the hope of peace ever being U.N. on the 27th January 2003 (just two achieved in Palestine. lt is not too difficult to months before the invasion), which makes see his point . During the Gulf war, Iraq had for insightful reading if you consider Blair's launched a six week long missile attack on state of mind at the time. The report (which Israel (which was not a combatant) in the hope is readi.ly available from the U.N. website) of provoking a wider conflict in the Middle notes: signs that documents relating to uranium enrichment were being deliberately East.

Even before September 11th, Blair was concealed; discrepancies of 6,500 chemical troubled by Saddam Hussein's potential bombs; "strong indications" that Iraq had arsenal of nuclear and chemical weapons. He produced more anthrax that had previously was reportedly paranoid about weapons such been declared and that "at least some of this as 'dirty bombs', which are, essentially, easily was retained after the declared destruction constructible, conventional explosives w~ich date"; and evidence of the illegal importation have been mixed with radioactive material. of chemicals as well as "disturbing incidents Blair's concern stemmed from the fact that and harassment" relating to inspectors Hussein had previously used weapons of mass attempting to carry out t heir assigned duty. destruction in the 1980-88 Iraqi conflict with Blair is to. face the Chilcot Enquiry himself Iran, where he deployed 'mustard gas' and on the 29th January and it is likely to be the other, similar mutagenic and carcinogenic political event of the year, surpassing even chemical agents. If inhaled, such chemical the general election. In the wave of such weapons will attack the respiratory system extraordinary cynicism facing the former Prime and cause internal bleeding and blistering; Minister, it is unlikely that he will be placing however, even without inhalation they can his hand on his heart once more. However still cause first and second degree burns to the debatable the decision may be, Blair has skin, as well as drastically increase the chance already established why he both logically and of someone developing cancer in their later morally thought Britain should go to war with life. At the end of the war Hussein ordered Iraq- he now needs to prove himself legally.

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TUESDAY 26th JANUARY 2010

EDITORIAL 15

CONCRETE EDITORIAL EDITORIAL concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk This Monday was officially the most depressing day of the year. The lethal combination of

Hannah Livingston

R

concrete.editorial@uea .ac.uk

miserable weather, broken resolutions and the overall comedown from the Christmas spirit has proven, year-after-year, to turn even the most

'Sexiest Lectuer', as voted for by all you lovely rea ders, will be announced in the next issue so get your votes in while you still can at www. su rveymo n key. co m/ s/votefo rn u m be ro ne .

What's more, you'll find a link to our annual sex survey within these very pages (page 14), so you

RacheiConquer

jovial and chipper of us into a character ripped straight from the lyrics of a Leonard Cohen song.

can all go and brag about your sexual conquests

To tackle " Blue Monday" (who names

anonymously and then potentially win a secret

concrete.editorial@uea.ac.uk

Sarah Morgan, Josh Weatherill, Sophia

these things?) we have a few cheerful little announcements for you. Firstly, FocSoc have

Denise Bartlett

Thompson

Alice Violett

concrete.travel@uea .ac.uk

ITOR

announced a name change and will from here on in be known as 'In Focus'. Secondly, UEA's

sexy prize.

i2twe deannah

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NON-EDITORIAL concrete.features@uea .ac.uk

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HOTOGRAPHER Greg M ann

David Biggins, Keri Dickens, Ed Leftwich, Davina Kesby Casper Palmano, Ella Chappell

INTERNATIO AL

ION Martin Lippiatt

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1ST

Qingning Wang & Filipa Men des Hector Lowe

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ISSN 1351-2773 ~ Letters should be addressed for the attention of the Editor, Hannah Livingston. Letters must include contact details, but we will consider : anonymous publication. We 路 reserve the right to edit for length ' i and clarity as necessary. Opinions : ! expressed are not necessarily those ' 路 of the Publisher or Editor.

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16 INTERNATIONAL

concrete.lnternatlonal@uea.ac.uk

TUESDAY 26th JANUARY 2010

Hoping racism becomes an Say no to racism obsolete word

Have you ever experienced racism? Do you know anyone who is suffering from racial abuse? If yes, you can seek help from these places:

Julia Sherman

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.~

Racism . it's a word no one likes to hear, and unfortunately it is heard too often . In a world that is becoming ever smaller and smaller (figuratively speaking of course) thanks to the Internet and all of the global exchange and interaction, it is surprising that racism . still exists . However, as sad as it is, we all know and are well aware of this fact.

Thankfully though, UEA has offered me a breath of fresh air. At a schoo l with st udents from over 100 countries, it would be very easy for ra cism to rear its ugly head in such a meltingpot of nationalities. Happily, I have seen the opposite. Now maybe I just don't get out enough, but in almost five months that I have been at UEA I have see n an em bracing of different cultures and

individuals, rather than an alienation. My experience has been that people have shown interest and genuine curiosity about the fact that I am from America, asking questions and seeking to clarify stereotypes .

Outside of my school, I have also seen different cultures embraced, especially in all of the International Student Society (155) events (and yes, English students also attend these events).

From the delicious sushi and curry nig hts to the film nights and the upcoming spring semester international party that will highlight cultural performances; these events focus on learning from each other's cultures . While it would be easy to say that I haven't seen any racism while at ISS events, I also haven't seen it around campus in general. Rather, I see students

• Try to talk to your personal academic advisor, who is not only responsible for students' academic performances, but also can help with other problems .

• The Union Advice Centre and The Dean of Students' Office are also places wh ich offer support to international students; talk to an advisor about your situation .

• You can also report racist incidents, in both criminal or non-criminal terms, to The Norfolk Constabulary on 0845 456 4567, who will carry out investigations and then provide protection .

• Call the police on 999 if necessary. of different cultures com in g togethe~ benefiting and growing from their diverse friendships .

While it is true that racism is unfortunately still a problem in the world, and being realistic, I'm sure it does exist somewhere in our safe little bubble at UEA, the point is

.

that any racism at UEA is very limited . And hopefully, one day, such broad acceptance view will reach beyond our campus and to the world in general.

Maybe even one day the term 'racism' will become a forgotten word , no

The uniVe rs ity Trade Network A history of Race: past and Presen t . . h . h h. :~;;r:rc::~: o~~h~e:~~~d~

the

N1s av1t a Murt 1

Filipa Mendes Race . Short as the word may be, it doesn't necessarily have a straightforwa rd meaning.

Different people may have entirely unrelated views on race, what it means to them as individuals or as part of wider societal groups.

But why is race still such a powerful concept in the 21st century?

Nowadays, words like racial supremacy don't tend to feature in the media as much as they once did . Thankfully, society seems to have evolved into an ever inclusive environment where people's skin colour doesn 't afford them any obvious advantages.

However, words like prejudice or disc rimination certainly still play a role in our flawed little world. They may not be spat at or thrown into casual conversations but they do creep up on us, more often than you 'd like to believe .

The modern world has a way of making anything and everythi ng acceptable .

An obvious example of this

"over500 years ago, it all started off with slavery and unlawful prosecution mostly related to skin colour or religious belief" is the World Wide Web .

This has created a boom in information-sharing and has indeed become an invaluable resource for most.

Freedom of speech, which is certai nly of paramount

importance, has reached a whole new playing field thanks to this extraordinary resource . But not all can be positive. Many use it to fuel hatred, and hate websites have increased drastically in recent years . From this, one can appreciate how " racism " is anything but a static concept. Over 500 years ago, it all started off with slavery and unlawful prosecution mostly related to skin colour or religious beliefs . Today, social favouritism tends to be more su btle, and yet equally

harmful, encompassing a much broader spectrum of problems such as bullying or xenophobia, to name but a few.

In the days of globalization where freedom of transit is a growing phenomenon, abolishing any kind of racism seems like an exceptionally good idea . And every single one of you can help - all you need to do is accept others for who they are, regardless of where they come from, how rich they are or what they look like. Easy ... right ?!

New to UEA? Do the phrases " I need books !", " Where do I buy cooking utensils, pillows, duvets? ", or "what about comp.ute rs?" leading to " I am about to go crazy" seem familiar? For many this semeste r, circumstances are such that you have left your home to settle in this part of the world and call it your home for the next few yea rs . lt is a new beginning; however, the faces and places are new and for some even the language and culture might be of concern. You might not even have the vaguest idea where to buy a frying pan to have that nice hot omelette you want. Well, it might not be the end of the world just yet.

The University Trade Network (UTN) is a new free social networking website, created by a UEA student for students which allows anyone to buy, sell, exchange or display second-hand essential

items.

Being previously owned would mean that these essential day-to -day bits and pieces will definitely be at a much more affordable price for students looking for a bargain. Of course this also means that UEA leavers have the opportunity to offer their unwanted items for some extra cash or, better yet (and more charitably) for free to the newcomers. Moreover, by con necting students, it is a chance to meet new people and make new friends.

This website was established by our very own international student Hieu Van Tran (Kevin Tran) from Vietnam . Kevin, who is currently a third year Business student, has been working on this idea based on previous experiences of newcomers and leavers, and has brought it to life with the aim of improving the university experience for students .

concrete.travel@uea.ac.uk

TUESDAY 26th JANUARY 2010

Greek Getaway After trekking through Greece during the summer, Sarah Morgan recounts the untouched beauty that she discovered.

)

I I

Last summer, I spent about three weeks hiking through Greece. Apart from the beauty of the country, what surprised me the most was how it was so untouched by tourism. We spent three days in ~thens, which was a dusty haze of crumbling concrete and noise. The backstreet and local residential areas where we stayed were congested and the air was thick with heavy pollution.

But it was honest, and it was cheap.

Amongst the chaos lie some of the most awe-inspiring sights; the Acropolis sits high 'above the dusty city against a backdrop of blue sky; it reminded me of a god on a giant throne looming over the city and its dwellers. Below is the Plaka flea market, nowadays more tech than 'flea', with its colourful array of old and new.

The best way to reach the mountains from Athens is by train. In five hours we were in the village of Kastraki, just outside the mountain town Kalabaka. Situated amongst the Meteroa, meaning 'suspended in the air', the sky-scraping black rocks loomed over the landscape, made softer and more beautiful by the lush green forest that wove between them . Exploring this region you can discover the ancient monasteries, their surprisingly decadent gardens and practising monks. Our campsite in Kastraki was magnificent, and this is by no means an exaggeration.

'Camping Vrachos Kastraki', boasted a pool, acres of green grass, sparkling marble toilet facilities (yes, really!) and the most delicious house wine.

The food in Greece is somewhat underestimated. In the evening, smoky aromas would drift heavily

before, and · it was questionable whether many had ever even left the village . Just outside Ambelia, we found the most beautiful camping spot, the regular occurrence of such places made the trip all the more wonderful. lt lay in a dried up river bed in a wide, sun-drenched valley, with a metre-wide clear stream flowing slowly over the grey pebbled bed . We stayed there for about three nights, just exploring the surrounding moun.tains. After a few days and a few (almost snowy!) peaks, we next reached Klinos, an incredibly remote village where we camped on an old football -pitch resting in the side of a mountain, the only piece of flat land for miles.

Returning to Athens port starving, yet wonderfully happy, a local we met told us about the island Aegina. it was cheap to get to, about £20 each for a return . The island ~as beautiful; small, with a large harbour covering a quarter of the island's beach, boats overflowing with colourful fruits. Tiny restaurants litter the sea front with . candle-lit tables on the sand allowing feet to be dipped in the warm ocean during dinner. The sunset is inescapable; large and glowing in Kria Vrisi ('Krya Vryssi' as it translates the darkening sky, it lit up the sea in Greek) which consisted of around front at night, later to be replaced by ten hand-built houses, and one oddly the silvery gleam of the moon. The placed cafe-style building, which stars in Greece are like none seen was clearly only ever used by the in this country and are especially odd local. Ambelia, another village breathtaking on the islands. At on the track, was a struggle. Having night the sky became a blanket of blackness punctuated by thousands been told that this was where we could find food, it was clear that this of bright, gleaming stars and boasting was not the case. Nobody spoke a the clearest Milky Way. lt was the word of English (common in most perfect place to rest our sore feet and of the villages), they had obviously shoulders as we wondered : is Greece never encountered a hiker or tourist the last undiscovered beauty? over from the large stone-built grill, flanked by large tumblers of cold wine . We became addicted to the oil and feta -laden cool salads, juicy green olives and succulent kebabs .

The route we planned over the Pindus mountain range took us through a village at least every two days. We chose to hike over Greece as it s~emed fairly unexplored: this was a definite understatement. The first stop off was a tiny village called

"The stars in Greece are like none seen in this country and are especially . breathtaking on the islands"

TRAVEL 17

Lively Ljubljana Josh Weatherill Lively, spirited and chilled: three words that I would use to describe the too often overlooked Slovenian capital, Ljubljana. I mean, hands up: how many of you could actually locate Slovenia on a map? Well, don't worry, you're not the only one. One Slovene diplomat revealed that regular meetups with their Slovakian counterparts are necessary to exchange wrongly addressed mail!

This compact city, built around the snaking Ljubljanica River, is guarded by handsome Ljubljana Castle which proudly sits upon its forested prominence. With its colourful, clean streets and distinctive blend of Baroque and Art Nouveau architecture, Ljubljana is a joy to simply stroll around. Uncongested roads and meandering pathways which overlook residents' lovingly kept gardens give a more pleasant small town feel than a stressed-out city vibe. A visit to Tivoli Park is a must: a sprawling green space bringing nature right into the city centre. Chestnut-lined avenues front a deeply wooded hill that conceals hidden gems such as the strikingly pink Church of the Annunciation . Feeling hungry? Try the charming central market for fresh Slovene snacks and treats, such as potica - a crisp pastry

rolled with walnuts, cream and vanilla.

Much like our beloved Norwich, Ljubljana boasts a buzzing student population; a fact which is self-evident in the city's laid-back and liberal nature. By night, bar and cafe tables spill out into the narrow cobblestone streets creating an energetic drinking scene, whilst street entertainers dot the atmospheric lanes and many bridges spanning the Ljubljanica . .., After all that walking and drinking, the multi-coloured Hostel Celica provides an affordable place to rest. As a former prison the hotel boasts twenty 'cells', each with their own individual artistic design.

The allure of this beautiful city seems to make people sentimental, and canoodling couples are a ubiquitous presence on the city's various benches. One could say, as the tourist slogan goes, that when in Ljubljana, you feel sLOVEnia.

Student Ski Trip· Sophia Thompson 22 hours on a coach: not the ideal way to travel, but for over 100 UEA students it was the start to one of the greatest ski trips a student will ever experience.

Despite the lengthy journey, I felt gloomy as I arrived back home and realised Valmeniere in France was my final student ski trip. As the next time I put skis on will be out of student life, I reflected on my previous ski trips, one being in Canada.

Valmeniere is a small ski village, relatively unspoilt by university students; that is, until we came along. lt has a distinctive charm; everyone is French and speaks French, which is a bit of a struggle if you are languagechallenged like myself. I adored the donkey farm I saw as I skied onto the other side of the mountain, the oldfashioned ski lifts, and the French charm in the local cafes. Unlike other ski trips, where I felt like I was on a permanent student bender, Valmeniere symbolised French eloquence.

Each ski resort has something different to offer. Val Thoren and Alps

d'Huez, probably the most popular for • students, have great night life, endless slopes and plenty of inexpensive places to stay. Mount Tremblant, typical of Canada, was freezing, resulting in painful frost bite. However, the Canadians do know how to ski and the wide slopes left plenty of room for any serious snow plougher!

When choosing a place to ski, keep in mind the size of the resort, who will be there, and what the slopes are like. You should also consider the weather; personally I would prefer to ski in France with a frostbite-free nose.

Although I will miss UEASS, they have taught me all I need for the perfect ski trip, not forgetting Apres ski.

18 FOOD

TUESDAY 26th JANUARY 2010

concrete.food09@gmail.com

Currying Flavour Concrete Curry Goblin

lt has to be admitted that we are big curry fans, and unfortunately, on the who le, Norwich doesn't boast the best curries in the world . So how does a curry lover get round this?

Well, the easiest way is to make your own. Anyone can buy a jar and stir in the sauce, but thi s never tastes as good as making your own .

Curry powder is easy to make, and the wonderfu l thing is that it can be added to anything, made in bulk and stored, you can add more spice until you find your perfect curry powder. The ingredients here make •

extremely ba sic curry powder, and below are all the other spices that you can add for a more interesting flavour.

Homemade curry powder Perfect curry from scratch Ingredients .

Ingredients

Essential

Optional

5 tablespoons ground coriander seeds 2 tablespoons ground cumin seeds 1 tablespoon ground turmeric 1/2 teaspoon ground ch ill i peppers (Add more or less according to taste)

2 teaspoons ground ginger 2 teaspoons dry mustard 2 teaspoon s ground fenugreek seeds 1/2 teaspoons gro und black peppe r 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Method 1. Mix them all together and keep in an air tight container!

There are quite a few ingredi ents to assemble there, but once your have them, they should last you ages, and the flavour you get is really worth it. Two of the best places to get sp ices

in Norwich are the Market in the centre of the city, where there is a stall devoted to spices and herbs and Ford Yarham, the greengrocers on Gloucester Street, just off Unthank Road. Both do weights by reque st.

Now to turn it into a curry sa uce!

Healthy Desserts? Don't Bother.

Melissa York

Jamie Oliver hates snobs. Nigella Lawson hates waste. Hugh Fearn ley-Whittingstal l hates supermarkets and sa d chickens. Gordon Ramsay hates people (even his wife) . Most of us would keep these idiosyncrasies to ourselves until we got to know you better. TV ch efs, however, delight in parading them about, for they are in an ever-growing, all-cooking throng, jostling for our attention . But there's one thing that TV chefs universally hate t hat they are forced to keep to themselves : low-fat desserts.

Was there ever such an unappealing, oxymoronic, conglomeration of language than ' low-fat dessert'? To a foodie, nothing is more baffling . In order to love desserts, you've got to love food. If yo u'd rather have some yoghurt with your pie instead of cream, then you hate pie . You hold unfathomable prejudices about

genocide. To take _,....... ~.. ...... away the cream is to actively detract the taste sensation of the food

to make yoursel f skinny. And that is against everything the foodie code stands fo r. Similarly, film fans would argue that if you chose to see

Avatar in 2D because you thought you looked silly in 3D glasses, then you sho ul dn't have been seeing Avatar. If you choose to li sten to Wagner on iPod headphones, then you may as we ll po p The Satu rdays on. An yone who ca res about food hates low-fat desserts.

Last week, the Daily Mail decided to ignore war, rising intolerance and po liti ca l apathy in favour of getting angry at Nigella Lawso n for using butter instead of margarine in her egg and bacon pie. (Surely, once you ' ve chosen to eat a fry-u p in pa stry, the choice of lard is somewhat irrelevant) . Frankly, if you choose to be a chef, then you're passionate about food and you will use the ingredients that best serve the taste. You've got hopes and dreams that are unrelated to food whereas that dessert's only function is to taste as luxurious as possible. If you want t o lose weight this January, don't take it out on the food , take it out to the gym.

2 tablespoons oil 1 red onion, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, crushed 1 pinch of fresh ginger 1 tin of chopped or crushed tomatoes

Optional extra chillies Pork, chicken, lamb, bean s, eggp lant etc . Whateve r you fancy.

Pork absorbs flavour really well.

Method 1. Heat the oil in a sa ucepan or wok until it gets really hot.

2. Add the onion and stir well. Mix it up occasionally. As soon as the onions begin to soften and change colour they are cooked.

3. Add the garlic, ginger and any extra chillies. When the garl ic turns light brown, move along.

4. Put in your curry powder to taste,

stir well, and cook for anoth er minute or two.

5. Pour in th e tom atoe s and stir occas ion ally. The tomatoes' water needs to evaporate, so the sauce is thicker.

6. Serve with long grain rice, plain yogurt, naa n bread, poppad ums, chutney, bhajis or sa mosas.

7. Eat.

.. concrete.food09@gmall.com

Take Me .Away!

Duncan Vi cat-Brown delivers a stern lecture on takeaways. lt was always going to happen. You're out of the family nest for the first time, many of you cooking your very first meals. And, worst of all, you're now in charge of ALL your food shopping.

Are you going to buy healthy things?

Or are you going to buy crap? You' re going to buy crap, aren't you . Of course you are.

Don't be too hard on yourself- we all do it. After all, it's far easier to call up Domino's Pizza than it is to cook up a delicious seafood risotto. Leicester University student Hannah Cooper did a survey about fast food consumption amongst university students, as part of her 'Stating the frickin' obvious' degree, and came to the conclusion that a university lifestyle leads, in the vast majority of cases, to an increased consumption of fast food. Try to hold in your surprise.

If you're like 99% of university students · then you won't need to hear that fast food is bad for you for the umpteenth time; anyone still labouring under the impression that Subways are healthy needs lobotomizing. But let's have a sensible discussion for a moment. A decent meal for two, made up of chicken

FOOD 19

TUESDAY 26th JANUARY 2010

thighs (two boxes of four for £4 at Coop), pasta, a little sauce and some veg shouldn't cost more than about £3.50 -good luck finding two decent kebabs for that sort of money.

As for the cooking, it really isn't much of an obstacle. If a meal for one takes more than about half an hour to cook, then you aren't doing it right. If the idea of taking an hour out of every day to cook gives you the screaming heebie jeebies, try cooking far too much, then putting the rest in a Tupperware box and bunging it in the freezer. In this way you can cook a couple of days worth of food in the same amount of time.

Don't try the 'But I don't know how to cook' argument either. You may not have been taught at home, when mummy and daddy were there to do it for you, but now that you're an independent person there really is no excuse. How old are you now? 18?

19? 20? Man up! I'm sure one of your housemates will be more than happy to show you what's what.

So there you have it - prove Hannah Cooper wrong, save some money and get healthy to boot. Consider yourself firmly ticked off.

Concrete's Cocktail of the Fortnight : Naughty Pina Colada

Sticky BBQy Porky.

Good ness Concrete BBQ Gnome

Daniella Hadley

Student life is characterized by a endemic lack of money and one of the best places to make cuts is your food budget. Pork is one of the cheapest meats, but that doesn't mean that it lacks flavour: pork absorbs flavours really well, so the longer you marinade it the tastier lt will be!

Ingredients 1 pork chop 1 small baking potato, cut into wedges 1/2 small garlic clove, finely chopped 1/2 tsp English mustard 2 tbsp ketchup

4 tsp honey 1/2 tsp mild chilli powder 1 tbsp olive oil 1/4 tsp white wine vinegar

Method 1. First make the BBQ sauce by mixing the ketchup, garlic, mustard, honey, vinegar, and chilli powder in a bowl.

Season with a bit of salt and pepper, until you are happy with the flavour.

Marinade the pork in half the sauce to let it absorb the flavours. Set aside the remaining sauce for dipping later.

2. Parboil the potato wedges for 5-6 minutes, drain well, drizzle with the oil, season with salt and pepper, then bake for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through and crispy. Turn the potatoes halfway through the c'ooking time.

3. Meanwhile, preheat the grill and place the pork chop on a baking tray.

Cook for 8-9 minutes, turning halfway through and basting as required.

Alternatively, if your oven and grill are one and the same, you can pan fry the pork on a medium to high heat for roughly ten minutes. Ensure that the por~ is cooked all the way through and the meat is white in the middle 4. Serve the BBQ pork with the potato wedges, using the remaining barbecue sauce for dipping.

So you like pina coladas.

And ge~ng caught in the rain. Screw the rain bit, nobody in their right mind enjoys that. But a pina colada? lt tastes like the milkshakes you had as a child, but if you drink four it'll be the best night you ever had and your worst morning.

But the cocktail was fast becoming an average, older drink, not holding it~ own against the double vodka red bulls and sex on the beaches. That is, until Concrete's last social : cocktails galore, our experimentation brought us here. We now have a pina colada for you with a very naughty, student friendly twist.

...

Ingredients 2 measures of white rum 4 measures of pineapple juice 1 measure of coconut cream 1 measure of cream 1 measure of sambuca 1 measure of vodka

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20 IN FOCUS

TUESDAY 26th JANUARY 2010

Providing Hope For Latvia Get racing for EACH Fran Bradley

Oily L rkln

Hope for Latvia aims to provide fresh and creative solutions to the tough challenges faced by thousands of Latvian fami lies.

Currently 21.4% of the population in Latvia live below the poverty line, and this figure rises to 44.1% for families of more than three. Clearly there is a vast amou nt of difficulty for famili es to su pport themselves, with little job opportunities - it is stated th at there are more than 1,000 people applying for each job.

Hope for Latvi a is a loca l charity run

by International Development Studies graduates John Lee, Dave Marcu s, Fran Bradley and Ad ela Beakhouse, alongside some current DEV stud ents. John was recently awarded a place on the Vodafone Foundation's 2009 World of Difference Programme, which provided people w ith th e opportunity to work for a charity of their choice for two month s. John chose to use th is opportunity to furth er promote Hope for Latvia.

John starts his position of Project M anager immediately and ai ms to " lau nch our corporate sponsorship initiative, train our volunteers and increase the funding for

Wan t to prove that you are the next Lewi s Hamilton or Jenson Button? If so, the EAC H Gra nd Pri x 2010, held on Sund ay 11th Apri l from 9.00am, is th e perfect way to do so . Students and staff are invited to participate in a one hour cha rity kart Grand Pri x at Ellough Park Racew ay near Beccles, Suffo lk. This is the fourth consecutive year th at UEA stud ent Oily Larkin an d his fiancee, Claire Ballam, have organised thi s event, each yea r in aid of a different cha rity. Previou s years' charities have in clud ed th e Ea st An glian Air Ambul ance, Cancer Resea rch UK and British Hea rt Found ation, with £5,000 raised in total.

This year's cha rity, East Anglia's Chi ld ren's Hospices {red. charit y 1069284}, wa s chosen as a result of viewing a documentary about hospices that struck a chord with Oily, who stated that, "t his cause is an incredibly necessa ry and w ond erful one, as

our charity". John was extrem ely stru ck by the depth of th e situation in Latvia, stating "I have recent ly taken a trip to Latvia and seen first hand the conditions there, which are quite horren dous, especially si nce th e recession". We are looking to increase th e input from local bu sinesses and we want to be able to provide Latvian families with ample opportunities to improve th eir situation s. We are always looking for new and exciting ways of increasing our fundrai sing and look to further promote Hope for Latvia on campus."

For more information visit our website: www.hopeforlatvia .org or contact John Lee on 07746855114, john lee@hope forl atvia. org .

The propert1es above are just a small sample of our extensive portfolio of fully furnished 2 - 7 bedroom houses thst we can offer you.

Visit our website to see many more propert1es.

P r ol e tStudentHomes .co.uk 0 1603 763363 •

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it focu ses on the most vulnerable people, who truly need all the help they can get. Hopefully with the money that we raise from our Grand Prix, we w ill help at least one life."

To participate in the event, you must organise a team of three drivers {no more or less) as well as raise a suggested sponso rship amount of £100, whi ch will go straight to EACH . The race entry fee is only £65 per team wh ich covers all kart racing equipment, as well as over 25 minutes worth of raci ng per driver. Trophies will be awarded to th e race and podium winners, as well as the chance to claim overall victory in the Super Fin al at the end of th e event.

Jess Hiscocks of EACH exp lain s, "At East Angl ia's Children's Hospices {EACH}, we have three children's hospice care se rvic es based at M ilton in Camb ridge, Quidenham in Norfolk and

Ipswich in Suffolk. We help local life-threatened children and their families with the emotional and physical challenges they fa ce by providing expert care and a range of other essential support in a home-from-home envi ronment, or in the comfort of their own hom e. As a charity, we rely on public su pport for th e majority of our income of around £5 .8million a year; if the EACH Grand Pri x rai ses £2,000 we will be able to provid e over 30 sessio ns of music therapy to a child or family member. We are delighted to hear Oily and Claire have chosen to su pport EACH this year and we rea lly appreci ate any help you can give them with thi s event."

To book your team today, plea se emai l Oily Larkin at o.lark in@uea .ac.uk or call him on 07847141431.

• concrete.lifestyle@uea.ac.uk

Confessions of a VP,}l

student Guilty of mindless munching, Adam Fenwick admits to his late-night cravings.

I am guessing we have all been subject to the beauty of midnight munching; the antics so often associated with ravenous students that come hand in hand with excessive alcohol intake.

The phrase 'munchies' refers to the deluded state of hunger that is so often satisfied by raiding the fridge at 3am. For me this meant, during my fresher year, that never-ending walk to the nearest supermarket, focusing on the bright glow of the 'Tesco' logo that gradually got bigger as I progressed down Bluebell Road . 70 Pot Noodles and 100 egg and cress sandwiches later, I soon realised that I had spent half of my loan on these midnight feasts.

Equally, the arduous walk from Mercy to one of the many takeaways on Prince of Wales Road at closing time is subject to many a muncher. it's not always a pretty sight, with cheesy chips and the classic kebab in high demand. I remei"T)ber witnessing one student drop their box of chips on the pavement and hastily wolf them down once safely recovered and back in the box (not this humble writer, of course!).

Nocturnal noshing is also a perfect excuse to put off the required reading for the early morning seminar, and you're sure to stumble across a congregation of feasters in the kitchen . This is usually a more sophisticated affair, and rather than finishing off the remains of my cupboard a simple Nachos recipe is always a winner - one bag of Tesco Value tortilla chips, a handful of grated cheese and a pot of spicy dip turns into a delicious midnight meal.

Whether you scoff down the yoghurts at the back of the fridge or finish off a pizza after a night out in town, midnight munching is a dirty habit, but frankly I don't plan on giving up those tasty bedtime snacks.

LIFESTYLE 21

TUESDAY 26th JANUARY 2010

Students: careerist or idealistic?

Sam Lewis investigates the prospects for graduates in the new decade.

Back in September, an article was published about a jobless History graduate from the University of Kent who pounded the streets of London advertising himself. This included dressing as a city worker in a pinstripe suit, but less conventionally wearing a sandwich board pleading to be interviewed . Now, whilst this wasn't the most obvious way of going about job hunting, David Rowe was praised for his innovation and hired that day.

So what does this tell us about the state of affairs we can expect when we graduate? With the extensive growth in the number of students attending university, and the fact that there is not necessarily a comparable rise in graduate-level jobs, is the future a bleak one?

If postgraduate study isn't for you and you are eager to enter the working world, it is probably about time to start considering your options.

During this economic downturn, opportunities may be limited and have even been considered at an all time low. However, as we start to move beyond these times of uncertainty, the value of a degree should not be undermined . A poll for the De"partment of Work and Pensions revealed that 7/10 businesses maintain that a degree strongly enhances the employability of a candidate. Although, it should not be assumed that a degree is in

some way a golden key that opens multiple . doors, and it is important that other things feature on your CV to support your application . With 220,000 graduates joining the job

market in 2008-9, competition is healthy and you need to do as much as possible to stand out.

The most effective way to achieve this is via work experience and internships. These are usually

hard to come by, and it may be the case that the saying "it isn't about what you know but who you know" is appropriate. This should not deter you, though, as they are available and there is no harm in applying for anything that is going. Wheth!'!r this is on a local or national scale, it can give you a valuable impression of the workplace and help you decide on a future career path. The UEA Careers Service is a good place to get the ball rolling; they are able to inform you of any work placements going in your chosen field and can help with building a CV if required . Visiting your advisor could be another option if you are after something subject-specific, or there are many ways to apply online by seeking out a particular employer.

For those who remain clueless about life after university, Milkround. corn operates a handy email alert service that keeps you up to date with current openings. On their website you can also find a full list of graduate employers and a section titled 'what can I do with my degree?', where it details prospects specific to all kinds of areas. With a median graduate salary of £25,000 in 2009, this is enough to motivate any jobless student into finding something that suits you.

Unlike our predecessors, one thing we can be certain about is that

whilst a job may not be guaranteed, debt is. Broadly speaking, in recent years there has been an assumption that students aspire to 'big city' living, heading to the capital for its pace and glamour. The lure. of the city lifestyle now seems unreachable with debt of anything between £15-25,000 looming over our heads. We may look to the media to place the blame on creating this idealistic fixation, and that perhaps we are beginning to witness an end to this trend . This may suggest we should look further afield, and as London living costs soar and graduate opportunities dip, other regions are on the rise. lt is thought many jobs now lie in the North of England and graduates are much more likely to secure a job in the public sector, as opposed to in media or finance.

As we enter this new decade it certainly isn't all doom and gloom.

The advantages of having a degree still vastly outweigh the costs, but with stiff competition, it might be an idea to continue perfecting our coffee making skills.

"The Higher Education Statistics Agency found that three-quaners of female graduates had secured a job within the first six months of leaving university, compared to only two-thirds of their male counterpans."

Wiki wild wild west Sa m Gillespie reveals all there is to know ~bout the wonders of Wikipedia.

Wikipedia was founded by two American entrepreneurs nine years ago and has become on~ of the most widely visited websites on the internet. Back in 2001, most people thought Wikipedia was a wacky project that would at best end up being a quirky on line encyclopedia . lt now has over 14 million articles and is currently the world's largest and most visited referencing website. In the UK it takes ninth place in the most surfed sites, beating other internet giants such as Twitter and Amazon.

The premise was simple: an encyclopedia that can be edited by practically anyone. The range of topics found on the website is staggering and there are articles on anything, from the

economy of China to a list of inventors killed by their own inventions.

Incidentally, the phrase 'Wikipedia it' has become as synonymous with the internet as updating your Facebook status or Googling.

However, its openness has led to much criticism. University lecturers are often shown to despise it (how many -times since coming to UEA have you heard or read the phrase "Wikipedia should not be used as a source"?). lt is worth mentioning that the Wikipedia eo-founders themselves acknowledge that it should not be used as a primary source for research .

Vandalism is also a major problem, with people editing articles with false and often offensive information.

What is to stop you from altering the page on UEA to say that is has 28 students and is based in Venezuela? A vandalism phenomenon that plagues the website is 'death by Wikipedia'.

This is where famous figures are proclaimed dead through the website when they are actually still alive, one of the victims being the well-known TV presenter Vernon Kay. Founders of Wikipedia restricted the complete openness of the site after an incident involving an American journalist John Seigenthaler, who was subject to a hoax article claiming he had been suspected of the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

The incident caused widespread questioning by the US media about

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WIKIPEDIA The Free Encyclopedia

the reliability of Wikipedia and the founders reacted by barring all unregistered users from creating new articles.

Despite the questions about its reliability and legitimacy, Wikipedia will still be used by many as a source of valuable information. lt will probably be the saviour for those of you desperately writing an essay iD the early hours of the morning. Just be sure not to add it to your bibliography!

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22 SPORT

concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk

TUESDAY 26th JANUARY 2010

Canary Corner

Five minutes with: Holly Suthren Concrete speaks to the UEA Women's Rugby president.

Did you play Rugby before coming to

a week: Mondays and Thu rsdays.

UEA?

Ben Frith Sometimes as a football fan you witness events that you will never forget, even if most of them involve penalty shoot outs fro m intern ati onal tournaments of the past.

On August 8 2009, Norwich began life in the third tier with a 7-1 home slaug hteri ng at th e han ds of Paul Lambert's Co lchester outfit.

Complete with the frenzied on -pitch revolt by two season ticket ho lders, th is matc h will always linger in th e back of t he mind of anybody who was present.

Five mont hs on and Lambert •

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was back at Co lchester, t hi s ti me managing a Norwich side hoping to exact revenge on the ir loca l riva ls.

The resu lt: the most antic ipated Norfolk-Essex battle since Derby Day. The tension off the pitch threatened to overshadow the match itself with a compensation agreement yet to be reac hed bet ween the two clubs over Lambert's managerial transfer last August. The bitterness lead between the two clubs Co lchester chairman Robbie Cowling to minimise the ticket allocation for travelling Canaries, forcing a number of Norwich followers to attend undercover in the home end.

After all the pre-match ten sion it was Norwich City that ruled triumphant on a pitch that had cle arly succumb ed to the weather.

In truth, since Chris Martin 's early opener Norwich never looked liked losing. Martin himself doubled the lead before second-ha lf goals from Gary Doherty, Oli Johnson and Grant Holt completed the 5-0 scoreline.

The pick of the goa ls was scored by recent signing Oli Johnson, who has excited crowds during his brief appearances from the bench this

season. Johnson, who two years ago was playi ng for Nostell Miners Welfare FC, is t he latest in a dwi ndling line of former no n-league players climbing the ranks . And he will now dream of emulating lan Wright's infa mous jo urn ey to th e top.

No! I had never played rugby before. My Dad's really into rugby and has pl ayed and coac hed fo r yea rs so I've been around it growing up, and had passed a ball around a few times, but never actua lly played.

What attracted you to playing rugby?

Rugby is a great sport; it is fun, challenging and keeps you fit. lt is not so meth ing many girls have played before; you definitely don' t get rugby lessons during PE at school, so it is important girls don't get put off w it hout even tryi ng it. If I had never gone along to my fi rst training session I would never have realised just how much fun it is.

What's the trai ning like?

Elsewhere the transfer window remains w ide open. Last fortnight this co lumn cor rect ly predicted the departu re of Jon Ot semobor who has since migrated to Southampton having been sidelined at Carrow Road by t he arriva l of Russell Martin .

With less than a week remaining, financially strapped Norwich will remain keen to offload underhigh earner Jamie perform ing Cureton. At the same time though, they will strive to hold on to key assets such as Fraser Forster, who is all eged ly being monitored by Arsenal, Tottenham and Stoke.

Their fantastic form continued however, with a 1-0 win against Brentford despite th e dismissa l of the talisman ic Holt. Chri s Martin con ti nued his searing form with the winner.

We have great coaches who can teach total beginners right up to expe rienced players, so anyone can join at any time of the year.

Training consists of both skill and fitness training; so you can learn and improve your techn ique, tone up and improve your fitn ess whilst having fun at t he same time. We train twice

How have the team been doing this season, and what's the aim for the rest of the season?

We have been doing really we ll this season; we are second in our league and ~ave won four out of our fi ve matc hes so far. Fo r t his term we are concentrating on our last two BUCS matches and we're throLtgh to the second round of t he cup. Also, we have a matc h aga inst th e Old Gir ls in March whkh is always one the highlights of the year, both on and off the pitch!

in touch!

Describe the club in 3 words.

How would you persuade someone

Completely life changing!

to join the club?

Well, for a start, we are UEA Club of the Year 2009! The rugby team is one big family, on and off the pitch. We are currently building up a second team alongside Lakenham Hew ett Rugby Club, so have more mat ches planned and great traini.ng opportunities. Off the pitch we have a paintballing session planned, an end of season ba ll, the opportunity to go on tour to Spain, plus much , much more! If thi s interests you get

What's the social side of the club like?

Socials are amazing! They mainly consist of singing quite loudly, dressing up and pl ayi ng games. We kicked off t he year with a three -legged pub crawl with men's rugby, which is always great fun. Last term we had a trip to Twickenham to watch England ladies take on New Zea land, and as a team we have a small obsession with Nando's!

Ziggurat Korfball: NBS snatch victory and lead Georgina Wade As the New Year is finally here, each participating school donned their sporting finest for the most recently added event to the Ziggurat calendar.

In the spirit of the New Year and in an attempt to depart from the norm, the event chosen for the first fortnight of term was Korfball.

Although the mention of this sport gene rally resu lts in many raised eyebrows and looks of confusion, it is indeed a sport.

Given the fact that the vast maj ority of the peop le playi ng had never even heard of Korfball, let alone played it, the quality of play was remarkable.

Desp ite ma ny a red face and passing comments of "one too many mince pies", the event was a success.

MED got off to a flying start to the year, coming second overa ll and solidifying second place in the stand ings, just 10 points shy of the podium spot . lt was not to be the day for Pharmacy who were not up to form and came in at an uncharacteristic 14th place. Rega rdless of their under

par performance, they are sti ll sitting pretty in the standings in fourth place with 1068 points after their stellar performance in the woman 's swimming before the ho lidays.

However, NBS teamed with Economics, sailed to victory coming in first place with 18 goa ls overall.

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A very smartly played joker card also ensured that their points were doubled, leaving them with a massive 200 points and giving them the lead in the overa ll standings.

The next event on t he calendar will be the climbing challenge taking place this week at the Sportspark .

concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk

SPORT 23

TUESDAY 26th JANUARY 2010

FIGHT CANCELLATION HIGHLIGHTS BOXING'S WOES Manny Pacquaio and Floyd Mayweather Jnr. recently failed to come to terms for their ·proposed ·'superfighr. Rob Schatten examines the failure of boxing to bring together the world's two greatest pugilists.

Rob Schatten Boxing fans should have witnessed one of the greatest fights of the century this March- Filipino sensation Manny Pacquiao against American legend Floyd Mayweather.

Instead, even the greatest wills in boxing can't seem to make this clash of the titans happen, and Pacquiao will be facing up to Ghanaian Junior Clottey instead, while Mayweather may meet Shane Mosley.

No offense to Clottey or Mosley, who are very good boxers in their own right- both are current welterweight title holders - but these bouts don't have the same feel to them.

Pacquiao is one of the outstanding boxers of the modern age, a five-time champion at five different weights.

Mayweather, who announced his retirement in 2007 after essentially ending Ricky Hatton's career, has won six titles, also at five different weights.

But after Mayweather returned to the ring last September, defeating Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas, talks began to circulate about a 'super-fight' between him and Pacquiao, who holds the welterweight title Mayweather

vacated on his retirement.

The two camps worked through the autumn to put a deal together; the venues expected to be in the running to host the fight were Maywe>ather's preferred· venue in Las Vegas, the Staples Centre in Los Angeles or the ·Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. But then, suddenly, the deal fell apart, as Mayweather challenged Pacquiao to random drug tests in the month before the fight.

The Filipino and his camp were furious. Pacquiao launched legal proceedings against Mayweather, claiming that the latter had implied he was taking performance-enhancing drugs. Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, accused Mayweather - who is unbeaten in 40 career fights- of being "scared".

"Mayweather is scared," he said, "and he's just afraid that he's going to get his ass kicked." • Roach continued: "We have passed every test ever given to us.

We go by the commission rules, since when does the fighter make up the rules? When Manny gives blood it takes him t~ree or four days to recover from it. I am not going to have my fighter going into a fight feeling weak and not sure of himself."

Mayweather responded in the new year, retorting that he was "totally disgusted" that he was being blamed for the fight not taking place, and countered, "Manny needs to stop making his excuses, step up and fight."

Beyond this verbal back-and-forth is the fact that this fight is currently not likely to happen: further proof to

some that the sport as a whole is in decline.

BBC journalist Ben Dirs commented in his boxing blog that "this was boxing's big chance to emerge from the slump. If the dunces can't sort this mess out, many will think the sport is .not worth forgiving."

That, indeed, will be the worry for

boxing fans everywhere.

Meanwhile, the war of words continues; Pacquiao told journalists on Friday that he still hopes the fight will happen, but continued to blame Mayweather, saying, "I want to clear my name. I'm very disappointed for what he accused me of."

Progress, inde.ed.

CONFIDENT. PIRATES SET TO SAIL INTO THE PLAYOFFS Matt Beaumont UEA's American football team, the UEA Pirates, are one of the oldest organised teams in the BUCS leagues, and were play-off contenders last year .after winning six of their eight games.

So far, in his first season as head coach, Rob Kerr has led the Pirates to three wins and three lqsses going into the Christmas break.

On their last outing the Pirates came up against Brighton Tsunami, who, having lost to UEA in overtime last season, were out for revenge. The Pirates were still buzzing from their previous 22-11 home win against bitter rivals Essex, and were trying to defend their unbeaten home record for 2009.

Six games on consecutive weekends had taken its toll upon the Pirates line-up, with defence captain Rob Posey and kicker Josh Cronin heading the list of absentees.

In· a first half dominated by defence, a faltering Pirates offense

struggled to take advantage of their dominance on the line, and squandered chances in the red zone.

Brighton, fortunately, were only able to capitalise upon \his once, when an error in coverage led to a touchdown,

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and they subsequently scored their extra point.

The Pirates went into the half time break 7-0 down, but still in the game.

After some choice words from coach Kerr and captain Matt Luck it was

not long before a spirited defence performance left the Pirates' offence in a scoring position within the Brighton 30 yard line, setting quarter back Andy Custerson up to sneak the ball over the line.

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The 7-6 score line buoyed the Pirates, who relentlessly pinned the Tsunami offense back, and eventually scored a safety. Unfortunately, Tsunami worked their way inside the Pirates' 30 yard zone to then score a field goal.

In a cruel twist, with just three seconds left on the clock, the Pirates got a field goal opportunity, only to suffer heartbreak when stand-in kicker and president Matt Berridge missed by inches. The final score was 10-8 to the Tsunami.

So what's next for the Pirates?

Currently, they occupy third spot in the Conference. However, having played the most games, they have to rely on other fixtures to make the playoffs.

Thankfully, their busy schedule in the autumn leaves only two games left in the regular season; a rematch in Chelmsford against Essex on January 31, and an away trip to leaders Greenwich on February 14.

This gives the team time to return to full strength, and force their way into the playoffs.

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concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk

BOXING Rob Schatten discusses the failure of boxing to engineer the Pacquaio t · v Mayweather 'superfight' .

TUESDAY 26th JANUARY 2010

ZIGGURAT

AMERICAN FooTBAll ~<J

CANARIES

Georgina Wade reports on NBS's victory in Ziggurat. Korfball which saw them go top in the standings.

Matt Beaumont runs through a mixed start to the season fo r th e UEA Pirates.

Concrete watches Norwich avenge their 7-1 defeat to C olchester earlier this season .

LAST GASP FRISBEE PROGRESS TO NATIONAL FINALS Chris King UEA Ultimate Frisbee, nicknamed Aye-Aye, stormed to victory in the mixed indoor regionals, defeating Warwick 7-6 in Sunday's final.

Prior to the final, UEA's 1st Team had recorded victories over Birmingham, Cambridge, Lincoln •

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2nd's and Warwick, 7-4, 6-4, l l-0 and 6-5 respectively, putting them through to the upcoming Univers ity Mixed Indoor National s.

Having failed to win just ONCE, suffering a solitary 7-6 defeat to Loughborough , U EA were amongst the top three teams in the tournament before the final began, and as such had qualified for the First Division of the Indoor Nationa ls, with the other five teams involved heading into the Second Division.

On UEA's performance, captain Oily White said " the team has gelled over the weekend, and that final performance shows how far we've come in a couple of days", adding "''m real ly pleased with how everyone on the team has played".

Having finished seventh overall in the most recent nationals UEA will be hoping for a similarly impressive performance in Glasgow next month, in order to round -off what has been

a succe ss ful season for the club.

On UEA's chances, White . said "we're pretty confident that we can ho ld our own against some of the best teams from throughout the country, and hopefully finish in the top four".

Given the strength of the teams involved in the weekend 's matches, suc h a finish is by no means an impossibility, and it will be interesting to see if UEA can hold their own once again at national level.

The final itself was an altogether tense affair, with UEA leading 4-1 and the game seemingly all but over. However, Warwick went on the offens ive, and with just thirty seco nd s rema ining th e sco res were tied at 6-6 . lt appeared that the momentum was with Warwick but UEA managed to claw back the initiative going into the sudden death period, described

by White as "terrifying", and went on to claim victory. individual In terms of performances, Ryan Tarascas, the team's leading scorer, was particularly impressive; however, as White emphasised, it was the team 's performance as a whole that stood out above all else.

For those wond ering about

the reasoning behind the team 's unusual moniker, Aye -Aye, every university team is given a nickname, with UEA's apparently named after a Madagascan Lima in one of the more unusual amongst the weekend 's

teams.

The UEA 2nd team were also in action over the weekend, winning twice, including an emphatic 10-3 victory over Lincoln in their final game.

The upcoming tournament should therefore prove an excellent chance for UEA Ultimate Frisbee to establish itself as one of the best in the country, in what is allegedly the fastest growing sport in the world.

STUDENTS TO VOTE ON NEW SPORTS AND SOCIETIES OFFICER ...

Danny Collins Voting continues today in Th e Hive for the proposed new Activities and Student Development Officer.

The position, which will comb ine the current part-time roles of the Societies and Sports Officers into a full-time position, will take a place alongside the cu rrent fu ll -time executive sabba tical officers.

The proposal comes as part of the ongoing restructuring of the UEA Student Union.

Voting, which began yesterday,

wi ll give st ude nts the opportunity to voice t he ir op ini o n on the position which wi ll be pa id for predominantly by a £5 increase in Sports Associa tion Me m bership, w hich wou ld make next year 's fee £35 .

This price rise is projected to raise £15,000 an d, alongside the £2000 expect ed to be directed from societies funding, should raise £17,000 towa rd s t he post, which is expected to cost £25,000.

Despite the price ri se -the first in four years - Academi c Officer, David Sheppa rd, bel ieves the role is a necessa ry and worthwhile investment, as he explains ; "The

position will give clubs someone who wi ll be able to lobby on t heir behalf.

We wil l have someone to take up clubs' co nce rn s w ith th e Sportspark. " If we had an Activ itie s Officer they could promote Socmart and Sportsmart and he lp to promote th e already-increasing membersh ip numbers."

Issues likely to be ad dre ssed by th e propo sed new positions include th e introduction of the 'Sports Blue' system use d by Oxbridge and many other universities.

Th e system recognises the achievements of student athletes via the presentation of "Blues" and

" Half-Blues" to elite athletes with in the university _system .

Current ly, student sport at the university is run by three positions, one of th ese being a full-til1)e employee.

The new officer would bring this number to four, and give the un iversity a full -time stude nt to repre sent the interests of the un iversities sports clubs as a whole.

The proposal, however, has not been met with universal support as so_me fear a reduction in membership due to the increa sed co st s UEA Women 's Football president, Lois Nethersell, told Concrete, " I

think the officer could benefit the societies in a number of ways but I am concerne d that a ra ise in t he Sport s Ass ocia tion M embersh ip cou ld discourage some people fro m joining a spo rt s team. This in turn may lead to some clubs losing members and not being able to run as effecti vely."

However, as Sheppard explains: "We'd ideally like to find more money for the position from elsewhere, but in the curre nt financial climate t his just isn't possible."

Voting opened yesterday and will continue today between 9am~ 5pm in The Hive .