Concrete issue 244 28 09 2010

Win Crysta Castles r·cketsl

Step hen Fry -

Turn to Competitions for your chance to win a pair of Crystal Castles tickets.

Concrete Sport talk Norwich City FC and UEA with the Ql host head of his book launch.

Tuesday 28th September 20 l 0 • Issue 244 • UEA's Independent Student Newspaper

STUDENT SEX TRAFFICKER UNCOVERED Channel 4 documentary reveals Business Management student, Shuyu Wang, as West Country sex trafficker.

Chris King News Reporter A documentary has recently revealed that a suspected sex trafficker was arrested in halls of residence at UEA over a year ago.

Mr Shuyu Wang, a Chinese national and Business Management student at the university, was arrested in his room in Col man House in February 2008 by Gloucestershire police, who conducted the investigation, with support from Norfolk Constabulary officers.

Mr Wang was alleged to have been involved in running a brothel in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, although he could have been involved with several more. The police also suspected Mr Wang to have been taking part in money laundering.

His arrest was only revealed following a Channel4 documentary entitled 'The Hunt For Britain's Sex Traffickers', which aired on 1st September of this year.

The raid took place in the early hours of the morning, so as to cause the least possible disturbance to other students in the Colman House halls of residence.

The documentary ·revealed that as well as being a registered student at UEA, Wang

NEWS:

had also previously registered issued the following statement with four other universities in regarding Mr Wang's arrest: the United Kingdom. Two of these "This is currently an on-going have since been identified as · investigation by Gloucestershire the University of Cardiff and the Constabulary and therefore University of Brighton. it would be inappropriate to Police sources believe Mr comment further on this case."

Wang enrolled at one university The investigation into his at a time, before moving on to alleged involvement in the another after his poor attendance management of the Cheltenham of lectures and failure to submit brothel_ came as part of Operation work was fully investigated Pentameter Two, a crackdown on and acted upon by the relevant human trafficking involving all SS university bodies. Police also police forces across Britain and believe that Mr Wang possessed a the Republic of Ireland, which was qualification of some repute from launched in early 2008. his time in China, which may have Gloucestershire Chief assisted his attempts to enrol at Constable, Or Tim Brain, the aforementioned institutions. emphasised the importance of such operations as Pentameter On the run Two: "It's to improve our picture, but equally at the same time to Further investigation has ensure that we go after these led to the discovery that Mr gang masters, the people who are Wang was granted police bail exploiting try~ women, and bring

by Gloucestershire Police some them to justice". time after his arrest, and that in Detective Superintendent October 2008 Mr Wang failed to Alex Drummond, also of meet the conditions of his bail, Gloucestershire, said of the with police sources believing the operation, which resulted in S28 suspect to have illegally returned arrests across the country: "Prior to his native China. Mr Wang to the operation, people running remains a wanted felon in the brothels may have thought they United Kingdom, despite never could escape under the radar, having been formally charged or especially in a well-to-do town like Cheltenham. But now they been to court.

Annie Ogden, Head of know we have the resources to Communications at UEA, track them down."

NEWS:

Clarke appointed os visiting Professor of Politics

Accomodation shortage hits students

Former Home and Education Secretary, Charles Clarke, appointed as visiting Professor of Politics.

Page3

Forty two students left without accommodation as a result of a university miscalculation.

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FEATURES:

SPORT:

cleared

Concrete's guide to Freshers' Week

UEA's ENV school has been cleared by the Russell Muir report of any wrongdoing in the aftermath of the 'climategate' affair.

Page 6

Freshers' Week is the highlight of the UEA calender. Features gives you the essential guide, from the LCR to cooking.

Page 12-13

Concrete Sport provides the lowdown on East Anglia's premier sporting facility the UEA Sportspark.

Page 23

NEWS:

UEA scientists

An mtroduction to the UEA Sportspork

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ANDY POn LEAVES UNION AFTER 12 YEARS Davina Kesby Ne w s Editor

UEA's lnclepenclent Student Newspaper Concrete Newspaper Un ion Hou se UEA Norwich NR4 7Tj concrete.ed itor@uea.ac.uk Ed itor ial: 01603 593 466 Adve rti s ing: 0160 3 592 507

Editor:

Da nny Co llin s

Deputy Editor:

Ste ph Mc l<enna

Chief Copy Editor

Mia Wecker

News Editor:

Dav in a l<es by

Comment and Opinion Editor:

Em ma Parrott

Internationa l Editor:

Ni sa hvita Murt hi

Features Editors:

Ada m Fe nwi ck Sa ma ntha Lew is

Turf Editor:

Ann a Tomson

Lifestyle Editor:

james Dixo n

Travel Editor:

Tom Hunt

Food Editor:

Kyle Spencer

Sports Editors:

Chris King Rob Schatten

Chief Photographer:

Greg Mann

Deputy Chief Photographe r:

Laura Smith

Advertising Manager:

jea n Wi ll s

Distributor

Ross Grant

f-ollowing a role c ha nge as part of a n e w s tra teg ic a ppro ac h for th e Uni o n, /\ncly Pott's e mploy m e nt with th e Union e nd e d o n 24 Jul y. The former Gene ra l Manager, who had beco m e the Uni o n' s Chi ef Exec uti ve in th e res tru ct urin g, d e pa rte d afte r 12 years of se r vice.

Tom Do lto n , Communications Officer of th e Uni o n, sa id , "Ove r th e 12 yea rs th a t Andy has worked for th e Union, w e ha ve see n s ignifi ca nt growth a nd improvement. Not on ly hav e our commercia l se rvic es co nt inu ed to outpe r form t ho se of other s tud e nts' u n io ns but th e se rvi ce in t he Advi ce Cent re has been e nh a nced, a n d reso u rc es

s tarted. Thi s le ft little tim e to rectify potenti a l modul e Ne w s Re porte r cla s h es.

A cha nge in th e w ay In a m essage to all tim e tab les a re processed stud e nts, Professor Tom left ma ny s tud e nts rece ivin g Wa rd , th e Aca d e mi c proth e ir tim e t a b les mu c h late r Vi ce Chancellor, sa id: th an th ey first expec te d : !\ "T he Stud e nt Experience la rge numb e r of stud e nts Co mmittee ha s re qu es ted th e ir d id no t rece ive that th e Unive r s ity make personalised tim e ta b les eve ry effo rt to prod uce until th e Prid ay befo r e te rm tim eta bl es for s tud e nts ....---------------------------,

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This process h as tak e n place during the summer of 20 10. [it] ha s b ee n a challenging proj ect a nd , as a resu lt, a few o uts ta nding iss ues re m a in to be reso lved, m a inly co nce rn i n g fi n a Iis i n g th e a llo ca tion of ro o m s to some

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n e w Finan ce Offi ce r, will be leading on the recru itm e nt process . Bi ll Rhod es is ac ting Ch ief Executive unt il a suitab le ca n didate is found.

T h e Unio n has b ee n s tra tegies impl ementing w hi ch he lp to refoc us t he orga n isatio n's atte n t ion , wo r kin g towards a c hi e ving

a na t ionally recog ni sed awa rd kn ow n as th e St ud e nt Union Eva lua tion Initi at ive, or SUE!. Thi s ne w s trateg ic approach has in cluded th e a ppointme n t of a ne w m e mbers hi p se rv ices ma nager who has ex pe t·ien ce wi th the <1Liditing p 1·ocess for SUE \.

STUDENTS "DISAPPOINTED" BY LATE TIMETABLES

Contributors: Chris King, Geo rgina Wad e, Ro xa nn e Pow e 1~ Cordon Ma lloy, Chang Su Ling, Ka ni s hk Sharma, Alli cia Chin, Jsa be ll e Ca rty, Lauren O'N e ill, Ell e n Steers, Ne il ]e nnings, Tim Marsh, Freya Barry, Susanna Wood, Ha s in a Ali e n, Anna Clayton, Matthew Tay lor, Chris t ine O'Sull ivan, Andrew Livesey, Ha r ry Fis h, Matt Scrafton.

ava il ab le to clubs and socie ti es h ave in c reased".

According to a n a dvert p lace d o n Guardian jo bs, the new Chief Exec utive w ill have a "s ubtl e ye t powerfu l influ e nti a l ab il ity" a nd w ill be s kill ed in "regu la r co mmuni cations to improve th e se rvi ce o ffe re d by th e union to t he s tud en ts", amongst ot hers. They will take responsibility for a range o f union ac tivities, including "ma inta ining a nd e nh a n ci ng th e r e putat ion o f the Union a nd building so lid re la ti o ns hips with key bu si ness pa rtn e rs for th e future" a nd "lea ding and coo rdin at ing the ac tiviti es of th e Un ion's se nior ma nagers so as to e ns ure an e ffi cient, e ffec tiv e a nd fina n cia ll y viab le pe rforman ce in a ll se rvi ces a nd act iv it ies at the Un ion". Rob B l oo m e1~ t he

Fairly unsettled at first with showers or longer spells of rain , bl! becoming somewhat drier towards next weekend.

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in case a ltera tions ha d been necessa ry.

Rac he l Ha ndfo rth, Academic Offi cer for th e Union , sa id: "Th e Un io n is ex tre m e ly di s appointed with th e fa ilure of ea rly provi s ion of t im e tab les for s t u dents for t h is academ ic year. Th e Un ive rsity use d a new IT system wh ich was m e a nt to create in d ividu a l on lin e t imetables for stu dents, a n d had it wo r ked correct ly it wou ld have r es ul ted in a much more efficient system, with

timetab les bein g r e leased to s tud e nts co nsid e rab ly ea r lier th a n us ua l. llow eve 1 ~ the sys te m fa il ed in ter ms o f a ll oca tin g ro o m s to lec tures a nd seminars a nd as s u ch has resulted in s tud en ts receiving their full timetables with ve ry s hort n o ti ce befo re the sta r t o f teaching. Thi s is a regrettable si tu a tion to he in an d we h ope that th e iss u es a 1~e reso lved soo n".

She went o n to say that t he Union t ru s ts th a t the University w ill d o "a ll that it can to ens ur e th a t this does not happen aga in , an d makes considerab le effo rts to com muni ca te with st ud en ts as much as possible about a ny further c ha nges to timetables".

In a dditi on to th e late tim e tables for ma ny st ud en ts, th e sch oo l of Nursing a nd Midwife ry (N/\M) ha s e nco unt e re d probl e ms wit h t he ro o m b ooking sys te m c ha ngeove r.

Accord ing to Facu lty of ll ea lth Conveno r, Liz Biscoe, room s w e 1·e be in g booked for practica l cl ini ca l s kill s w hi c h were n't fit fo r p urp ose J nd tutors had to c ha nge fro m practica l to theory cla sses du e to equ ipment not being avai lab le.

ISSUE 244

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Tuesday 28th September

PRIORITY CAMPAIGNS

ACCOMODATION SHORTAGE HITS STUDENTS Em ma Parrott

The Union of UEA Students will be holding the first ever priority campaigns poll between the 4th and 11th October. Students will be able to vote upon which campaigns they feel most strongly about and wish the Union to prioritise in the upcoming year.

There are eight options being voted upon, which have been collated through the manifestos of the newly elected student officer committee.

Students can vote for 'I'm Hungry for Feedback: 'Go Greener', 'Stop the Street Light Switch Off: 'Fight Fees', 'Education Cuts', 'Graduation Relocation', 'Reveal Hidden Course Costs', 'Better Buses: 'Campus Car Parking', and 'Stand up for Students Who Work'.

Rachel Handforth, Academic Officer, said: "This is a great opportunity for both new students, who can learn about the campaigns the Union is working on, and for returning students who can ensure their voices and priorities are being heard".

Students will be able to vote online, with the Single Transferable Vote system being used.

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News Reporter Forty-two UEA students were left without campus accommodation after university miscalculations resulted in a shortage of rooms.

The second and third year students affected were only informed of the situation two weeks before the beginning of the semester, leaving them disadvantaged in terms of finding alternative accommodation in

Norwich .

In a statement from the Communications Assistant, the University confirmed that it was a miscalculation, on account of the "unexpected level of take up of accommodation", and that they, therefore, had decided to "prioritise new students who have no previous experience of living and studying in Norwich".

The fall-out from the oversubscription is heightened by the fact that the students had already signed a contract, committing themselves to the university-provided accommodation.

Furthermore, it was a clear violation of Article 4.1 of the UEA license terms and conditions, which stipulates that in the event of the license being prematurely terminated by the university, it must be done in writing "by not less than 28 days' notice". Yet the students in question were instead notified by email on the lOth September, just 12 days before their moving-in date.

The University does not deny the fact that a contractual agreement was broken, but insists

that they "deeply regret the inconvenience caused ".

Dan Youmans, Community and Student Rights Officer for UEA, says that steps have been taken to try and rectify the situation.

Affected students have each received £750 compensation from the university, intended to help them find privately-owned, rented accommodation in the city, resulting in a hefty £31,500 payout by the university. £750 is the amount the university decided on as the average cost of one month's rent, a deposit and a bus pass. It is not yet clear whether these students will still be able to sue the university. As the contract is worth up to £3755.92, students could still be legally able to sue the University for anything up to this amount.

The University confirmed this in their statement, saying: "We are offering to help these students find rooms in the private sector as well as offering financial support.

We fully expect to be able to ensure that every student will be able to find local private sector accommodation, and in order to help, we have put additional

resources tnto the Students' Union private sector accommodation service".

In an interview, Dan Youmans told Concrete that extra people have been employed by the University to work in the Home Run advice centre, to provide help to the affected students. However, one of the students in question, second year International Development student, Perry Clark, told Concrete that he does not feel that there has been sufficient support. Perry said: "The support I have received has come in the way of a couple emails giving us links to the 'Home Run' website and such. I haven't even received a phone call."

In recent years the problem of miscalculation has occurred in other universities. Last year, over 1000 students from De Montfort University in Leicester and the University of llertfordshire were put up in hotels after the universities, in a similar situation, accepted far more students than they could accommodate.

Youma ns said: "The priority is to make sure this never happens again.".

NO SPACE AT UEA With dramatic rises in university applications nationwide, UEA was named by the BBC as one of many universities who were unlikely to be offering Clearing places this year.

This will have come as a blow to many A-level students who will not have gained a place at university.

Bath, Warwick and Southampton also said they would have few, if any, places available through Clearing.

SURPRISE PRESIDENTIAL VISIT The President of Sierra Leone made a surprise visit to the Law graduation ceremony in July.

President Or Ernest Bai Koroma visited to see his daughter, Alice Koroma, graduate with a 2:1 in Law. President Koroma is Chancellor of the University of Sierra Leone.

He met with dignitaries from the University including Chancellor Sir Brandon Cough and Vice chancellor Professor Edward Acton before attending his daughter's graduation ceremony.

225 students graduated from the school of Law. The ceremony was followed by a marquee reception by the Broad.

CHARLES CLARK TAKES UP NEW POST Davina Kesby News Editor The former MP for Norwich South, Charles Clarke, has been appointed as a Visiting Professor at UEA. The post, in the School of Political, Social and International Studies, is a part-time position for the next three years.

After losing his seat in the May General Election by 310 votes to Liberal Democrat, Simon Wright, Mr Clarke said he was "leaving open" the prospect of a return to politics in Norwich. He also said: "I am very grateful to UEA for giving me this opportunity to develop my own political thinking after more than 35 years of active political life".

"Stronger relationships" He went on to say that he hoped to help the university in building stronger relationships between academic political studies and active political practitioners.

Vice-chancellor Professor Edward Acton said: "I am delighted that Charles has agreed to join us as Visiting Professor. He is skilled and

academically reflective, knows our city, region and mission intimately, has held great offices of state and been responsible for national higher education policy. I feel sure that our students and the University at large will benefit greatly from his insight."

Professor Hussein Kassim, Head of the School of PSI, said: "This appointment affords an opportunity for students and scholars in politics to engage directly with an experienced politician over a prolonged period that is all too rare in British academia."

Tuition fees As Labour Party Education Secretary, Charles Clarke oversaw the introduction of tuition fees and went on to become Home Secretary.

He is known for his strong views, having attacked Cordon Brown on a number of occasions, calling him "deluded" in an interview with the Daily Telegraph.

He is also vocal in his defence of tuition fees saying that the introduction of fees "was an absolutely important and necessary reform".

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NEW BUS SERVICES new bu s se rvice from th e University to th e s tation via New market Roa d has hce n put in place. Thi s new 30 se rvice w ill operate every 12 min utes Mond ay to Friday at peak tim es during Uni ve rs ity te rm tim es .

In addition to thi s, th e 25 a nd 35 will be o pe ra tin g und er new t imetab les, with the 35 se rvice runnin g at la ter times . 35s from th e uni ve rsity w ill run a t 1.03 a nd 2. 03 in th e mornin g Mo nd ays to Saturd ays .

Bu s passes a rc aV<Iil a bl e r·rom the Uni on Trave l Shop fo r £180 w ith out in s ura nce, £200 wi th . !\

UEA RISE IN THE RAN KINGS UEA has risen in the university wo rld rankings, reaching an all -time high.

The Tim es llighcr Edu cati on World Ran kings saw UEA come in join t 174th with the Unive rsity of Nottingham and Nanya ng Technological Unive rsity in Singa pore.

The rankings a1·c based on a va ri ety of criteri a including teaching, research, citations, industry income and international mix. UE/\ is th e second fastest rising uni versity, rocketing 12 8 places up from 302nd last yca 1~ Rac hcl ll and fo rth, Academ ic Office1· for th e Uni on, sa id: "Th e Union's really pic;1sed with the Unive rsity's place in the rankings - it rea lly pays testament to UE/\'s excell ent resea rch, lea rning and teaching".

In addition to the international success, UEA has also risen in the nati onal league tables, moving from 35 th to 19th, acco l-cling to The Gua rdian .

ED MILIBAND NEW LABOUR LEADER On Sa turd ay, Ed Milib a nd was a nn oun ced as the new La bour pa rty lea der. li e na rrowl y bea t hi s broth e r Dav id, ga ini ng 50.6 5% of th e vo te to David 's 49.35%.

Wh e n it co mes to stud ent iss ues, Eel w ro te in Th e Gu ardian that he wou ld "bin tuition fees" in favo ur of a gradu a te lax. Hi s wo 1·ds we re bac ked by /\a ron Porter, Pres id e nt of th eN US. Eel Mili ba nd is the MP for Don cas ter North and is a fo rm e r adv ise r to Co rd on Bro wn .

CONTEMPORARY CAMPUS CHANGES Georgin a Wade News Re po rter Major refurbi shm ents have bee n taking pl ace on the campus ove r s ummc1; th e mos t noti ceab le of th ese being th e improve ments mad e to both th e libra ry a nd th e LCR, rea dy for th e start of th e new 2010 term .

Th e LCR has bee n a ve nu e for uni ve rsity stud ents a nd th e ge neral publi c a like for deca des, pro viding entcrt<li nm cnt in many form s, in clu din g cl ub eve nts, soc ials and mu s ic gigs; it has been a unique playe r in th e growth a nd developm ent of the uni vers ity. Ove r th e s umm er changes have been tak ing place in order to, in the wo rds of Ni ck Ray ns "imp rove the over-a ll ex pe ri ence of a ll of th ose who co me to the LCR".

Th ere are three ma in a reas th at th e Uni on sought to upgrade: th e venu e for live mu sic, th e clubb ing experie nce a nd making the a rea more sa fe and co mfortabl e for its use rs. Al ong with a new energy effi cient lighting sys te m, ex tra reinforce ment gird ers have bee n allac hcd so that th e intellige nt impact li ghting system ca n be mounted safely.

Th e LCR has also ta ken large steps to imp rove th e aco usti cs so that it will rema in as a venue for th e up coming 02 Acad emy Tour. Thi s has bee n ac hi eved by slantin g th e ce iling in front of th e bar to reverberate

th e so und bac k into th e auditorium .

Along w ith thi s, s pecially des igned domes have bee n fi tted Lo th e roof to a id th e aco usti cs. Thi s mea ns that th e sound wi ll ca rry better in th e pit a nd dance fl oo 1; whil e a lso maki ng it eas ier to take orders at th e bar. /\s th ere have bee n so me qu es tions as to sa fety within th e LCR, th e Uni on has stri ved to make it sa fe a nd more co mfortabl e for its use rs by insta lling clip-o n sea ls within the LCR. Thi s was brought about as a res ult of a s urvey take n befo re the holi days in which th ere was an overwhelm ing opinion th at extra sea ting was necessa ry. /\ long with thi s, the fl oo r has been res urfaced with a s pecia l non-s lip material so as to min im ise the risk of injury.

The li brary has unde rgo ne mass ive cha nges <il so, w ith a redesign and mode rnisation of the lobby a rea with hi-tech s peed gates and a new rece pti on area. Th ere is also a newly built qu ie t rea ding area on Fl oo r 1, co mpl ete with bo th form al and co mfortabl e scal ing, along with benches of va ryi ng hei ghts to accommod ate both la plop and group work.

In additi on to thi s, th e lib ra ry w ill also be improving its green credenti als with th e introdu cti on of recycling bin s for pape1; plas ti cs, glass a nd ca ns. Stu de nts may also no ti ce th at PCs in ope n-access areas <lnd teac hing IT labs have bee n upgraded from Microsoft Wind ows XP to Mi croso ft Windows 7.

ing the sloped ceiling by the bar

STUDENTS PROTEST AGAINST FEES

I

Roxanne Power News Ed itor

Ove r th e mov in g- in weeke nd fo r first years, a g roup of stude nts took to th e squ a re to protest aga in st fees a nd cuts to unive rs ity

fundin g. Th ey ha nd ed o ut lea fl ets whil e s portin g la rge b;1nn e 1·s a nd as kin g peop le to sign th e ir petiti o n.

Accordin g to th e Facehooi< group se t up for the ca mp a ign, th e group a rc "s ta ndin g aga in s t

th e ma rke ti sat io n of edu ca ti o n in our soc iety. in add iti o n to cuts to edu ca ti ona l reso urces a nd to a ll jobs d epe nd e nt on edu ca ti o n".

Th e petiti o n, s igned by a roun d 6 00 peop le ove r th e week e nd, ca ll ed fo r three s ta tements Lo be fulfill ed. Th e fir st of th ese was ca llin g for "Edwa rd Acto n - th e Vi ce Cha nce llor of U l~ /\ - to cond emn tui tio n fees, gra du ate tax a nd a ny equi va le nt sys te m, as we ll as cuts a ffec tin g un ivcrs ity- d epe nd cnt jobs a nd d eg ree fundin g". Th ey a lso asked fo r "th e Vi ce Cha nce ll o r to s pea k o ut aga in st fees ... part icul a rly w ith in Uni ve rs ities Ul< (th e nati o na l assoc iat io n of uni vers ity a dmini stra tors)".

Thei r fi nal pl edge concer ned Sim on Wri ght, th e Libe ra l Democ ra t MP, who or igin a lly s ig ned the NU S Vote fo r Stud e nts pl edge. Thi s s ta te me nt rea d "I pl edge to vote aga in st a ny in crease

in fees in th e nex t pa rli a me nt a nd to press ure th e Gove rnm e nt to introdu ce a fa irer a lte rn ati ve".

1\s th e Lib e ra l De mocra ts have now sa id th a t th ey will a bs ta in on voles co nce m ing fees, th e gro up of s tu de nts has urge d Sim on Wri ght to "ho no ur hi s a nd hi s pa rty's elec ti o n co mmitm e nts to fight for free edu ca ti o n with in s ix yc<lrs".

Mat t Taylo r, a re prese nta ti ve of th e gro up, sa id : "we' re a group of non-a li gned st ud ents; we d o n't have a ny politi ca l a ffili a tion of a ny kind . Th e point of o ur pe titi o n is to ca ll o n our loca l MP (S im on Wri ght) a nd the Vice Cha nce ll o r to co me o ut again s t fees a nd th e pro pose d gra du a te tax, as we ll as uni ve rs ity bud get cuts. Th e 13 row nc Re port is com in g o ut soo n, w hi ch is go ing to ma ke us pay more mo ney fo r less product. We think it' s tim e for s tud e nts to s ta nd up a nd ge t a lot a ngr ier a bo ut thi s".

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NEWS

PROFESSOR WINS BLUE PLANET PRIZE Ascientist at UEA has won a prestigious academic prize. Bob Watson, Professor of Environmental Science at UEA and Defra chief scientist is to be awarded the Blue Planet Prize.

The Blu e Planet Pri ze is an international environmental award which is said to be Japan's equivalent of the Nobel Prize. Professor Watson was chosen because of his significant part in providing scie ntific evid ence for the depletion of the ozone layer in the 1980s. He will receive hi s award in October in Tokyo, where he and fellow award-winner Dr James Hansen will each give a co mmemorative lecture.

Professor Watson, sa id : "I would like to th ank th e Asa hi Glass Foundation and its selection co mmittee for the incredible honour of awarding me th e 2010 Blu e Planet Prize, which has been bestowed in previous years on a group of tru ly outstanding scientists and policymakers. lt is a particu lar honou r to rece ive it in th e sam e yea r as James Hansen wh o has played a critica l role in th e climate change debate".

FREE BOOKS FOR FRESHERS Students starting courses at UEA th is Se ptember have been sent a free Man Booker Prize novel to read before commencing their studies.

More than 5,000 copies of "In Th e Country of Men", by Libyan writer Hisham Matar, have been sent to all new undergraduate and postgradu ate students. The novel deals with a nine-yea r-old's rites of passage and is intended to spark conversation between new students, regardless of what they are studying.

Vice-Chancellor of UEA, Professor Edward Acton, sa id : "Th e id ea is to set the tone for the ir experience of UEA, bridge cultural differences includ ing the division between scie nce and the arts, and encourage the reading of co nte mporary fiction ".

The gift is part of an international initiative which has bee n jointly fund ed

by The Booker Prize Foundation and the University.

PO NA NATO BE RE-OPENED AS LOLA LO Stude nts may have noti ced tha t th e club Po Na Nas is currently shut whil e it is unde rgoing refurbi shm ent. Wh e n it re-ope ns on Friday 12th November, it will be a South Pacific them ed bar called Lola Lo .

ISS UE 244

www.concrete-online.co.uk

concrete. news@uea.ac.uk

UEA SCIENTISTS CLEARED IN CRU CRISIS

I

Gordon Malloy News Re porte r

Thi s July, the res ults of an ind ependent inquiry into the Climati c Research Unit Sca nd al we re released. The ma in a reas that were investigated in thi s review we re regarding data manipulation and wh ether th e CRU had compli ed with the Freedom of Informati on Act. The Independ ent Climate Change Emai l Review was establi shed by th e 路vi ce Chance ll or and was chaired by Sir Mu ir Russe t!. The panel co nclud ed that th e scienti sts involved did not ma ni pulate data,

but also sa id that th ey should have bee n more open about th eir work.

Ru ssell said when ann ouncing th e findings that "the honesty a nd rigo ur of CRU as scientists are not in doubt".

The sca ndal arose when ema ils dating back to 1996 were hacked, with over 1,000 emails a nd 2,000 documents being upl oa ded in vari ous locati ons and publi shed on the internet. Climate change scepti cs suggested th at a number of th e email s poin ted to data manipulati on.

CRU scie ntists defended themselves on th e bas is that the emails had been taken out of a wid er co ntext.

Whil e th e inq uiry di smissed cla ims that th e scientists had manipul ated a nd sup pressed key climate data, it criti cised not only the openn ess of the scientists but also a graph from 1999 which did not see m to include proper labels.

Th e repo rt sa id ; "we do find that there has bee n a con sistent pattern of failin g to displ ay the pro pe r deg ree of openn ess, both on th e pa rt of CRU scien tists and on th e part of the UEA".

1\s a res ult of th e inquiry, Professo r Phi! )ones, wh o had been at th e ce ntre of th e sca ndal, was rein stated with th e newly-c reated

post of Director of Resea rch. Vi ce Chance ll or Eclwa rd Acton sa id that th is new pos iti on saw a "s hi ft in e mphas is of rol e" and would release Professo r )ones fro m so me of th e "administrative burd en" of his previous rol e.

Vari ous investigati ons had been set up to loo k at th e truth behind the sca nd al, mos t of which have supported th e climate researchers.

The investigati on into wheth er th e CRU fa iled to fully co mply with th e Freedom of Information Act co nclud ed that res ponsibility lay with th e university admini strati on rat her tha n with CRU.

OPEN PLAN SPACE FOR STUDENT OFFICERS

I

Davina Kesby News Editor

Over th e s um m et~ th e Uni on of UEA Stude nts has refurb ished pa rt of Un ion House. The offices th at were previ ously occupi ed by stud e nt offi ce rs have bee n knocke d thro ugh to make one la rge open pla n offi ce.

Thi s has bee n done in order to rectify a pro bl em with lack of s pace.

Four ad ditiona l staff have been employed by th e Un io n, which led to a lack of offi ce space, with so me membe rs of sta ff hav ing to share offi ces. Th e id ea of a co mmun al

offi ce has bee n looked at befo re, with th e defea ted pro posa l of a "Ca mpaigns a nd Represe ntatio nal Hub". Thi s id ea was th e refo re revis ited to crea te a space fo r staff, uni on activists a nd stu de nt offi ce rs to wo rk in.

Acco rding to To m Dolto n, Offi ce r: "th e Communi ca ti ons pl ans took so me pos itives fro m th e id ea of th e 'Ca mpaigns a nd Represe ntational Hub' such as the rep lace ment of th e out-d ated hea tin g system whi ch is both ex pensive a nd ineffi cient, and the introdu cti on of oth er eco-friendly

office eq uipment such as se nso ry li ghtin g". He add ed that "th e pla ns did not in cl ude the negative aspects of th e hub, s uch as th e hi gh cos t and th e remova l of society space, in pa rti cul ar the s nooke r roo m".

It is es ti ma ted that the new office has cos t und er 拢3 0,00 0, wi th mos t of thi s money be ing spent on th e rep lace me nt of the heating syste m. Th e refurbishm ent has bee n pa id for out of the Uni on's rese rves and the hope is that the improved hea ting syste m will ultim ately save the Uni on money.

Qu es ti ons have bee n raised

abo ut how the refurbi s hm ent has bee n approved. In th e past, minutes of the Manageme nt Co mm ittee needed to be passed by Uni on Cou nci l before drastic action co ul d be take n. Howeve r, the minutes in whi ch the decis io n to refurbish th e office was made have not yet bee n passed. lt see ms th at, with the cha nge in co nsti tuti o n las t yea r, minutes of th e Ma nage ment Co mmi ttee ca n be passed by the Tru stee Boa rd .

The new offi ce wi ll im prove the "effi cie ncy a nd focus of all th e work that the Un io n does".

NORWICH COUNCIL BY-ELECTION RESULTS

I

Ed Leftwich News Editor

Ga in s were made by th e Labour a nd Gree n pa rti es in Norwich's co un cil electi ons held ea rly thi s mo nth.

Both pa rti es ga in ed a sea t, with th e Labo ur Pa rty re ma ining th e la rges t pa rty with s ixtee n sea ts, a nd the Gree n pa rty in a close second with fourtee n seats. Th e Gree n pa rty had hoped to ta ke the co un ci l, yet fa il ed to take the cru cial La kenh a m sea t fro m La bour.

Th ese electi ons we re du bbed a "mega by-e lection " clu e to th e unu s ually hi gh num be r of seats be ing contested at once. Th e e lecti ons we re tri ggered by a Hi gh Court rulin g made ea rli e r thi s yea r.

Th e previ ous La bour gove rnm ent had decided to make No rwi ch city a unita ry co un cil. Thi s wo ul d have se parated the Norwich a nd No rfolk Co un ty co un cil into two sepa rate e ntiti es. Th e new Co nservative- Lib De m coa liti on reversed th e legisla ti o n still going through Pa rli a me nt during

t he Ge ne ral Electi o n. Pos tp oned election s from May we re left to be decid ed May 201 1. Norwich a nd Nor fo lk County Co un cil challe nged the decis io n in the hi gh co urts a nd had it overturn ed. Thi s decis ion tri gge red Septe mb er's by-e lecti o n, with thirtee n seats up for gra bs.

Spea kin g just before th e election, !<it )ones, a rece nt gradua te of ENV from UEA. who stoo d fo r th e Gree n pa rty in th e

La ke nh a m ward, sa id : "Now is n't a grea t tim e fo r a noth e r electi on, Norwich has gone through four electi ons in two yea rs. Som e peo pl e will be s uffe rin g fro m elect ion fati gue by now! " Th ese four rece nt elec ti ons we re th e Norwi ch North byelecti o n, Europea n El ec ti ons, Ge nera l Electi o n a nd t he mega Bye lecti on.

Ove ra ll, Norwich Co un cil now

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One of t he new co un cill o rs is As h Hay nes, a UEA Developm ent s tud e nt. She stoo d fo r th e Gree n party in th e Town Close Wa rd a nd won he r sea t. Kit )ones stoo d fo r the Gree n party in the Lake nha m wa rd, but los t out to th e Labour ca ndid ate, Vi ctori a MacDonald .

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eo ne re te. 1nlern a ti o 11 a I(i•l uea .ac. u k

AN INTRODUCTION TO UEA Welcome lsabelle Carty In ternationa l Writer

ca pture your atte nti o n. Ti.l ke t hi s o ppo rtunity to explore th e ground s a nd ge t fi.l miliar w ith the hall s if yo u're go ing to be li ving in th e m. join clubs a nd socie ti es, m a ke ne w fri e nd s, hoa rd free s tuff, g rab pos ters a nd plants to d ccori.l te your roo ms a nd kee p a n eye out fo r the rabbits and s quirrel s th a t like to co ng rega te o n patc hes of grass .

((This

UE

a week free from burdens of class schedules and an opportunity for gui ltless fun in th e name lS

Willkommenl Bi e nvenidosl Bie nve nu e !

We lcom e to UEA! You i.lre i.lbout to e mbark on i.l n exc iting adventure into a ne w a:1d undi scove re d e nvironm e nt. Wheth e r your pare nts have se nt you ou t into th e w o rld (or yo u we nt running); whether you've already s een th e world a nd e lec ted to lea rn so m e thin g new; or wheth e r you're vi s iting from a no th e r co untry; o ne thing is ce rti.l in , th e a d ve nture begins with Fres he rs' Wee k!

Th e re arc a mu lt itud e ol a cti viti es a nd e ve nts i.l ll Wi.l iting to Ci.l pti va te yo u i.l nd

So cieti es a nd clubs will be vy ing fo r yo ur a tte ntion a ll week. Why no t try so me thin g yo u' ve a lways wa nted to try but neve r hi.ld the o pportunity"? Wh e th e r it's m a rti a l a rts, a film socie ty o r pe rh a ps eve n a hip ho p o r sa lsa dan ce class, ther e's bo und to be s om e thing for eve ryo ne.

Th e re's st ill t im e be fo re you hi.lve to s ta rt wo rry ing <lh o ut th e fact th a t 90% of yo ur fin a l exztm wi ll p ro bi.l bly be ta ke n fro m the on e lec ture yo u didn't a tte nd o r th e o ne boo k yo u d id n't re;1d 1 Thi s is a week free fro m the burde ns o f class sc hed u les a nd zt n oppo rtunity fo r g ui ltl ess fun in th e na m e of in de pe nd encl'.

So w he th e r you ' re he re for a s ho rt s tint o r for th e lo ng ha ul, we ho pe yo u e njoy yo u1· s l<lY.

NORWICH

White T-Shirt Night

Allicia Chin

Kanishl< Sha rma

Inte rn a tion a l Write r

Inte rnati o na l Write r

Ri c h in its hi s tory as we ll as be in g a mon gs t th e mo s t vibra nt a nd a ttrac tiv e cit ies in Europ e, Norwi c h is con s is te ntly ra te d as o ne of th e to p te n s hopp ing ve nu es in th e UI< a nd is a found e r m e mber o f the Cultura l Citi es Ne twork . it's a pl a ce w he re t he o ld m ee ts th e new.

Th e city's me di eva l co bbl e d s tree ts re m ai n la rge ly intac t, but th e re is s t ill s pi.lcc fo r m o d e rn buildin gs s uc h as th e c ity's newes t ce ntre pi ece, th e Fo r um- a s tunn ing pi ece o f co nt e mpora ry a rc hitec tur e. Its g lass fro nt ove r lo o ks th e co lo urful s ix- d <Jy m ;Irke t a nd refl ec ts th e c ity in all its di ve rs ity.

Norw ich has a ls o a lways bee n a g re at p lace for a n ight out, wit h s tyli s h ca fe ba rs, pubs, c lubs, ci ne m as, th ea tres, res ta ura nts, ni g htclubs , co nce rts, ex hibiti o ns a nd fes ti vals. Wh e th e r you're into a lt e r n;1tive co m edy, class ica l mu s ic, to p Wes t En d mu s ical s or indep e nd e nt fi lms and mu s ic, No r w ic h, with its pl e th o ra o f a rts ve nu es and yea r lo ng progra mm e of e nt e rta inm e nt, will a lways have s ome t hing. for you .

UI ~ A t a kes prid e in goin g to gr e a t le n g th s t o m ake o ur Fr es h ers feel i.lt h o m e w ith fun -fill e d ac ti v iti es an d even t s for th e fir s t w e ek .

On e s u c h eve n t is t h e in famo u s W h it e T-s hirt Ni g ht , exc lu s ively fo r m ed ica l s tud e n ts. As th e n a m e s u ggests, eac h s tud e nt is give n a p lain whi t e l -s hi rt, w hi c h tlwy e<l n d ecora t e w it h so m e thin g t hemse lves.

Students t h en a b o ut con g rega t e <l l th e h d r a ll ow i ng t h em to re lax w ith so m e r efres hm e nt s and dr ink s. Thr o u g h o ut th e n ig ht , th e Me d ica / So c ie ty orga n ises ice br ea ke r s a nd ga m es, e n a blin g s t uden t s to i n teract wit h eac h o th e r. So m e o f th e ga m es i nc lud e fo r m in g a hum a n py ra mid i.l nd ca p t urin g unu s ua l a nd funn y ph o t og ra ph s.

Th e Whit e T-s hirt Ni g ht , is u s u a ll y a n eye o p e n er for i n t er n a ti o nal s tu de nts, w h e n th ey r ecei ve a t as t e o f t h e Eng li s h c u ltur e a n d s tud e nt s for th e fir s t tim e.

Th e g ra nd e nd t o t he e ven in g is t h e pub cr<1w l, w h e r e s tud e nts ca n le t th e ir h a ir d o wn and g r o o ve t o s om e g r ea t mu s ic.

International Student Advisory Team Cha ng Su Ling Intc rn a ti o na l Wri te r Wh e th e r yo u a rc s tud y in g a t UE A fo r seve ra l yea rs o r fo r jus t o ne te rm , th e Inte rn a ti o na l Stud e nt Ad vis ory Tea m w ill he a bl e to h e lp you to ge t th e m os t o ut o f yo u r ti me he r e a nd have a ve ry m e m o ra bl e a nd c njoyil hl e ti m e .

T h e tea m oile rs adv ice rang in g fro m e mpl oy m e nt r eg ul i.l ti o ns, immi g ra ti o n a nd visas, fi nanc ia l a d vice, chil de<1re p rov isio n a nd p e rso na l m i.l tl e rs. Th ey m ai nt ai n ;1 close lin k wit h o rg a ni sa ti o ns s u ch as th e ll o m c Office, UKI SA a nd t he 13 r it is h Counci l e n s urin g th a t co nce rn s a nd need s o f UEA's interna t ional st ude n ts a r c we ll r ep rese nte d .

T he tea m a lso o rgi.ln iscs m a ny soc ial eve nts a nd trip s t ha t run t h ro ug ho ut th e yea r to he lp stu d ents see and d o ac t iv it ies t hat th ey mi g h t no t have th e c ha nce to o th erwise.

All inter na ti o na l st ud e nts a re ke p t up to d a te

w ith im po r ta nt news a n d a d vice t hro ug h th e In ternati o na l Stu de nt e m il il li s t.

Eac h w eek yo u s ho uld receive a n c- bull c tin with imp o rt a nt a nd inte res tin g in fo r ma t io n a b o ut c urre nt eve nts on ca mpu s a nd in t he loca l are a . T h e tea m il lso has their ne w w eekl y upd a tes sec ti o n, wh ich wi ll p rovide s tud e nts w ith t he la tes t in fo r ma t ion fro m t h e Inte rn a ti o na l Stud e nt Ad v iso ry Tea m, in c lu d in g updates to visa regu latio ns and new socia l p rog ra mm e eve n ts a nd ti cke t avai lability. Th e tea m ca n be foun d in the Dea n o f Stud e nts Offi ces o n ca mp us .

student services dean of students' office

Selected

Drinks £1.50 & £2.00

BUY 1 GET 1

FREE

ON PIZZAS

SELECTED DRINKS £2.00

BOTTLES OF HOUSE WINE ONLY£4.99

ISSlll·: 244

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concrete.opi nion@uea.ac.u k

The Lives Of Others The sex lives of publ ic figures have always been scrutin ised in the press, but with the personal lives of Wi lliam Hague and Wayn e Rooney domina ting the summer press, Lou1·en O'Neill asks w heth er private lives and public interest should really go hand in hand.

If you have bee n fo ll owing the ptTss in th e p<lst mo nth a t al l yo u w ill recall the two head lines th;lt domine~ted the media at the tai l end of th is summer. Firstl y, the story about Wi ll iam ll ague s haring a m om w ith his drive r turn ed Specia l i\dvise t; Christopher Myers, for at least one night dur ing the Ge nera l Electio n ca mpaign whi ch ca used much scanda l and w icked whis pe rs to ens ue.

Debates acmss a ll sorts of media pla tfor ms and, presumably, di nner tab les ac ross th e co untry, were held w ith regards to the true nature of M1: !! ague's sex ua lity. He himse lf de ni ed any a ll ega ti o ns of inapprop ri ate conduct, go ing so f~11· as to discuss th e mi sca rri ages in cu rred by hi s w ife in pe rhaps a ra th er strid ent an d fra nkly bi za rre a tte mpt to asse rt hi s 'masc uli ne straightness'.

Whil st th is sto ry created muc h medi a sca nd a l a nd in tri gue, it was based rather solely on hearsay, w ith neither Mr. ll ag ue nor Mr. Mye rs coming forth to admit an affair in a sordi d kiss-and-tell spread.

Fo rt una tely for th e ta bl oids th e second hig story in the press was

the news of Wayne Rooney's costly in discre ti ons w ith £1,200-a-n ight call girl, jenny Thompson, reportedly conducted whilst his wife, and newly appointed na tional treasure, Coleen, was pregnant with their now ten mon th old son, l<ai. ln t his case there

"Why

should

it

matter to the average Manchester United fan whether Wayne haS been Unfaithful to his wife, as long as he keeps scoring goals ?" was a ki ss-a nd -tell sto ry ful l of juicy fac ts fo r the publ ic to get t heir teeth into, prov id ed by the love ly Ms. Thompson herself.

Bo th of these media storms have started debates across the co untry regarding Mr. ll ague and Mr.

Rooney's careers, with some camps ca ll ing for Rooney to be stripped of his mu lti-million pound ;1dvertising Gtmpaigns, and l-l ;1gue to resign from his position as Foreign Secretary.

Others say that their priv;ll e lives need no public interference and that essentially what people do in their own time is their own business.

Frankly I am prone to agree with the latter. i\ftera ll, why shou ld it ma tter to th e average ManchcstCI" Un ited fan whether Wayne has been unfa it hfu l to his wife, as long as he keeps scoring goa ls and doing the job tha t he is paid an obscene a moun t of money to do7 Televis ion personal ity, Amanda Lamb, said on Five's 'The Wright Stuff' t hat l{oo ney should not he allowed to 'get away with it' and s ho ul d be punis hed for be ing a loverat. But as infideli ty is a moral cri me, rat her than a lega l one, s hould he rea lly be punis hed? Whi lst one does not condone his behaviour in the s li ghtest, o ne has to agree th at he has not har med anyone, except his own immed iate Fam ily. Perhaps his pun ishment should he delivered by his wife and not by the public.

As fo r Mr. ll ;1gue, o ne has to question the sensibi lity of sharing a room with an adviser and not think ing it wou ld beco me publi c know ledge and create a med ia s torm . However, th is reporte r thi nks the only wrongdo ing of Mr. llague's was that of sheer naivety and wou ld assume it was an ill -thought ou t attempt to change public opinion of po liticians as money-grabbing opportunists after the expenses scand ;1l of last ye;11·. Furthermore,

if Mr. Hague was gay, it s houl d not matter to the public as it would not render him unab le to conduct his job in a pro fess io na l ma nne t: it is my be lief that what a pe rso n does, be th ey a pub lic figure or not, is their own personal business and, as long as it does not break t he law, it shou ld remain their personal business. But with the pub li c's hu nge r for sca nd <l l <Jn d schadenfreude it is doubtful that the media will ever see it th<lt w;1y.

The myth of iourna listic integrity?

As a senior journal ist for tl1e News of the W orld goes public about the 'several hundreds' of unlawful investigation s into public figures by the newspaper, Concrete looks at the moral implications of the phone-hacking scandal.

Em ma Parrott Com ment and Opinions Ed itor The re appears to he someth ing dee ply iro ni c occurring in t he media in recent months. Wit h a see m ingly da ily dr ip of phonehac kin g s tories an d 'v ictims', th e British med ia is at war, w ith itself.

The prob lem oF ph one- hack in g jou rn a li s ts is not a new o ne, indeed, Cli ve Good man, News of t he World Roya l E clit o 1~ was a rres ted in 2006, cha rged with jus t that.

The a r rest came afte r a Scotla nd Yard investigatio n in to how secret deta il s of Pr in ce Wil liam's life were be ing lea ked to th e press . I in no way inte nd to defe nd th e pho ne hacke rs, but the most sca nd a lo us of s uch leaks was a hook in g Pr ince Willi a m had made wit h a knee s urgeo n -sa ucy !

The s to ry has o nce aga in co me

to the fore-fmnt of the media wit h the publication of an article in the New York Times in September 2010. This is hardly surprising given the elements combined in the sto ry: the Roya l Family, the Murdoch empire and David Came ron's new media aide, i\ndy Co ulso n.

"How far should a journalist go in the pursuit of information?"

No n-M urdoc h pape rs have free reig n to attack t heir Murdoc how ned cou nterparts, and left-wi ng pa pe rs ca n a ttac k Ca me ro n. it is a sto ry whi ch holds mu ch a ppea l to

many people . llowevet; despite much media coverage, thet·e does seem to be a disti net lack of debate as to what th e moralistic guidelines of a journalist should he. Fo r exam pie, former Labour minister Tessa jowell recently came forward as a phone hack ing victim, claiming that her personal phone was hacked into 28 ti mes in 2006. Few wou ld disagree that a journa list's loyalty should lay with the pub lic not the politicians, hut how fa r s hou ld a journa li st go in the pursuit of information?

Furt hermore, how much p ri vacy should our politicians he awarded? it is my belief that if a politician, or any oth e 1· pub li c figure, is doing somethi ng whic h is detrimenta l to the publ ic, th e n we have a rig ht to know, and perhaps the means in whic h th e information was o bta in ed s ho ul d be a seco nda ry co nce rn.

me ti me of the all egations

The p rob le m is if t he information is pe rsonal, private, or even just dow nright mundane, ho ned into by se lf-important jo ur na li sts despe ra te to keep

t heir sto t·ies in th e pape r. Such journalism is disgraceful a nd fu rther dam ages a professio n w h ic h, in a ll ho nesty, is in d isg race often eno ugh a lready.

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ISSUE 244

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liTCHI

The Debate: E-Books For the first time, in July 2010, the number of e-books sold on Amazon.com outpaced that of hardback books by 143 to 100. With this in mind, we ask, are e-books the only possible future for the humble book?

THE. FACT BOX

I

Emma Parrott

Comment and Opinions Editor

The era of the e-book has arrived, and you are either with us, or you are forgotten in the dusty library of the past.

People seem to imagine e-books as clinical, devoid of personality. I could not have agreed more until I used the iBook application on the iPad. Why, it was a portable library!

Complete with bookshelves and front covers, colourful illustrations and turning pages.

Simply . minus the weight.

Minus that irritating feeling of a book corner digging into your spine through your bag. Minus that sinking feeling when you look down at the books you want to take 9ut of the library and realize

you are going to have to heft them home on the 35 bus.

The romantics amongst us may argue that it devalues the written word and that it robs us of Saturday afternoons spent trawling book s hops a nd winter evenings in front of the fire with a good read. The reality, however, is that these are dying traditions.

The only way for Shakespeare and Twain to keep up with us, is to modernize with us.

I

Ellen Steers

Opinions Writer

The first ever e-book was used in the Gutenberg Project in 1971.

The first e-book readers were released in 1998 but were designed for a limited readership.

Amongst authors opposed to ebooks is Harry Potter author; J.K Rowling.

rhe iPad e-book application, iBoo~ is more popular than either social networking applications Faceboo1 or Twitter; with 78% of iPad users having down loaded it.

I'm a romantic when it comes to books. I like breaking the spines and folding over page corners to make the book mine.

The idea of an e-book hasn't, and I doubt ever will appeal to me. And yet Amazon recently announced for the first time, in the last quarter, it has sold more e-books than printed books. Are we in such a technology obsessed society that we are going to lose our beloved paperbacks for pixilated screens?

I understand the sudden love for the portable bookstore.

Devices, such as the iPad or Amazon Kindle, make traveling all the more pleasant without a bag

of books to break your back with.

But the introduction of the e-book shouldn't be at the expense of the printed word.

"I'm a romantic when it comes to books"

I

I believe that there will always be those who, like me, will opt for the printed book. It's a medium that is a source of comfort, much in the way that music lovers still cherish their vinyl records when digital music now has every advantage over them.

Books, and records alike, will give us a sense of nostalgia in years to come, something that I don't think technology will ever be able to achieve.

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ISSUE 244

concrete.features@uea.ac.uk

Freshers' of 201 0: one lesson you won't want to miss So, you've taken the plunge and decided to pack up home and come to university, says Adam Fenwick. This can be a daunting experience, but it's well worth it. The next three years will be some of the best years of your life. To get you up and running check out this quick guide to UEA, giving you the lowdown on campus life, living in Norwich and there's even a spaghetti bolognese recipe too!

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ISSUE 244

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Q&A with Norwich Famous Faces 11

Nick Clegg most overra.t ed public figure" , says Adrian Ramsay.

Sam Lewis gives the Deputy Green Party Leader a grilling.

Born and raised in Norwich and now living in the Unthank area, 29-yearold Adrian Ramsay is best known as a Green Party parliamentary candidate for Norwich South.

Adrian is amongst the many famous faces to have studied at UEA, graduating in 2002 with a first class honours degree in Politics and Sociology, and staying on to complete a Masters in Politics.

Whilst at UEA he was involved in the Peace and Environmental Society, and also set up the Green Party Society that is still going strong today.

As a teenager Adrian had a keen interest in environmental issues, animal rights and global poverty, and after scouring party manifesto decided it was the Greens he agreed with most.

Adrian became the youngest ever Green Norwich City Councillor representing the Nelson Ward, a position he has held since 2003.

During this time Green Party representation has flourished and elections earlier this month placed the Greens only two seats behind the Labour Party. This has placed them as ,the largest grouping of Green Councillors in the country.

In 2008 he was elected the first ever Deputy Leader of the Green Party for England and Wales, and as a parliamentary candidate he has performed well in both 2005 and 2010 elections.

This year Adrian polled fourth in the Norwich South constituency, doubling his vote share to 14.9%, and gaining the second highest result for the Greens.

An 'affordable Norwich' is one of Adrian's key priorities. Adrian campaigns for cheaper public transport, and free home insulation to reduce electricity bills.

The abolition of tuition fees is also high on his political agenda.

He expressed strong opposition to

Charles Clarke, former Labour MP for Norwich South, in 2004 when the fees were first introduced.

Adrian now campaigns for contributions to be spread more evenly via a graduate tax, with higher earners paying greater amounts.

The future is certainly looking promising for the Green Party.

Caroline Lucas's win in Brighton has given the party much needed representation in the Commons.

Support is at an all time high for the Greens, with membership increasing by around SO% in the last two years, and a big turnout at the party conference in Birmingham earlier this month.

Adrian told Concrete Norwich is a strong place to continue expanding their voice in parliament, and that the student population have the potential to make a big impact for the Greens in the next general election.

I

0

.,..5:: 1) Earliest memory:

has taught me so far:

When my sister Anna was born - I was '3 years old and I remember feeling very excited!

Never take people for granted -life is much better when you genuinely listen to others and empathise with their situation.

~) In another life I'd be:

8)

A political journalist or green economist.

3) The

best university was:

thing

about

Meeting so many like-minded people, getting involved in student campaigns and societies, and meeting my girlfriend at a student rally.

Three people (dead or alive)

I would invite to dinner:

Shami Chakrabarti (Director of LibertY). Andy Parsons (comedian) and Tony Benn (former MP and anti-war campaigner) ..

9)

Most treasured possession:

My bike - it's old and battered but never lets me down.

4)

The worst thing about university was:

1 0) If I could pass a new law tomorrow it would be:

Exams!

I'd bring in ~he Robin Hood Tax - a tax on high-risk transactions between big banks that would raise billions of pounds for public services, tackling poverty and building the green economy.

5)

Favourite book:

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

6)

Favourite film:

11)

Guilty pleasure:

A Beautiful Mind

7)

Most important lesson life

Swedish Glace ice cream and Booja Booja truffles.

2)

18)

1 Of all the places I have been to in my life I would recommend:

In the year 2050 I expect or hope to find:

The Scottish island of Arran - the perfect place to get away frQm it all and relax in stunning scenery (when it's not raining!).

I hope that no one is without food, water or shelter. I hope we've made the shift to a green economy, greater social equality, and more respect for the rights of animals.

3)

1 To a fancy dress party I would go as: Sherlock Holmes

14)

Greatest fear:

The streets are full of character the independent shops, market and historic buildings make it a unique city with lots to see and explore.

Make the most of the social and academic opportunities.

Get involved in the student societies they'll open up a lot more doors than you'd imagine and will bring you life-long friendships.

That politicians will continue to evade their responsibilities t~? cut carbon emissions and we'll be faced with runaway climate change.

16)

Overrated public figure : Nick Clegg- was overrated before the General Election, but his true colours are now showing.

· "; l

My most overused word or phrase is:

To a UEA student I would

say:

Thing I like most about Norwich is:

Proud est moment:

Being elected as national Deputy Leader of the Green Party in 2008.

15)

2 0)

19)

HOUSE TO LET In Golden Triangle, / 2 Double, 1 Single Bedrooms.

Sitting Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, Bathroom, 'f==::::::::::::::=::::~~ Downstairs WC. J Furnished or Unfurnished.

£ 750 pcm.

Contact Sally on sallybi@btinternet.com 0 1263 768337 or 07717027791 .

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"So much to do."

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ISSUE 244

15

Tuesday 28th September

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Students Turned On By Switching Off Neil Jennings Turf Reporter Students living in halls will be encouraged to have fun in the dark this academic year by taking part in The Student Switch Off. Halls will compete against each other to come top of the class in energy efficiency and students can get hold of amazing rewards for cutting carbon .

Prizes will be given out over the course of the year to encourage students to save energy and do their bit to tackle climate change. These prizes will specifically be given to students who sign up to become Eco-Power Rangers - residents who pledge to use their energy carefully and encourage their friends to do so as well.

Prizes on offer to students include Ben & Jerry's ice cream, tickets to the LCR and Odeon, NUS Extra cards and energy-saving gadgets. On top of all this, the

winning hall will receive an end-ofyear celebratory event. Other fun events such as film screenings and quizzes will also be held throughout the year.

Last year the campaign was won

by Suffolk Terrace who received a free screening of Prince of Persia at Odeon Riverside. Across all the halls last year, electricity usage was reduced by 11.3%, saving over 136 tonnes of C02 from entering the atmosphere . This fantastic saving was achieved thanks to the 403 students who signed up as EcoPower Rangers (over 11% of those in halls).

So how do you help your hall to win this year? Easy, just take small actions to save energy in halls - switch lights and appliances off when not in use, put a lid on the pan when cooking, don't overfill the kettle and put on an extra layer of clothing rather than turning up the thermostat.

To maximise your chance s of winning some of these great prizes, join the Facebook group - ' UEA Student Switch Off' or check out

http ://www.studentswitchoff.org for mpre details.

The Student Switch Off is part of the defra-funded, NUS-Ied campaign called 'Degrees Cooler' which is trying to encourage the University sector to improve its environmental performa nee.

Cooler' is an 'Degrees environmental program running in 20 universities across the country. it is a big collaborative project between a number of student, university and environmental organisations . The whole program is focused on four areas : energy (use less with a higher percentage from renewables). food (eat less meat and more local ingredients). water (just use less) and transport (less flying, more walking, cycling anc!___ public transport).

Not Your Average Summer Camp Tim Marsh Turf Reporter To most, the words 'climate camp' may sound like a primary school science field trip, but the grassroots social movement is rapidly becoming one of the most effective activist networks in the country. The camp is held for one week a year in different locations around the country and each year focuses on a different issue.

Climate Camp 2010 began under the cover of darkness on the 18th August, when 100 climate activists swooped onto the grounds of the RBS headquarters in Edinburgh a day early to outfox the police. RBS was chosen as the target for this year's camp as it is the UK bank most heavily involved in financing fossils fuels and other irresponsible corporations around the world .

Despite being bailed out by the pub lic duri ng the financia l crisis (now 84% taxpayer owned). RBS continues to fund ecologically destructive projects around the world such as the Canadian tar sands. The decision to choose a bank as a target also represents how climate activists are broadening the climate change debate, challenging the root causes and not just the symptoms. To seriously tackle climate change and the scarcity of resources, there is a need to move beyond a system of

economic growth .

The camp was quite literally outside the headquarters, and, by 2am on the first night, everyone was already busy setting up kitchens and compost toilets. Over the next few days hundreds more activists arrived to participate in the camp, not on ly taking direct action but showing a positive example of sustainable living and democracy in action . The camp operates through consensus decision making; in layman's terms this essentially means there are no leaders and decisions are reached by coming to a consensus on whatever issues may arise.

During the camp, responsibilities are shared by everyone, from pitching marquees and helping cook and prepare the food, to providing defence on the gates. One of the key aspects of the camp is to provide a space where people can learn and share skills that they have, and as a result there were many discussions and workshops throughout the week. Examples include media training, which focused on how to write a good press release, how to deal with difficult questions from journalists, and how to get your message across.

The real focus of the camp, however, is to equip people to take nonviolent direct action, in small or large groups, to confront the root causes of climate change. The

-------- ------------------------------------

following are a couple of examples : on the day before the main day of action, a group of around 150 activists crossed the bridge to the main HQ and nearly managed to occupy the building! While the main group were outside the building, a small group of people with catapu lts launched water balloons filled with molasses at the building. On the day of action itself, RBS operations in Edinburgh were ground to a halt. RBS HQ was closed for the day and branches and other buildings in town were blockaded and occupied. There were also street theatre performances and banner drops throughout the day.

While most of the media's response was negative, the camp managed to successfully highlight the ecologically destructive projects that RBS is involved in, and opened a forum for debate. Through taking direct action, a message was sent to corporate nasties that people do not stand for these investments.

All in all the camp was an incredibly positive and inspiring week, and it is fair to say that the movement will continue to build and build. In the near future is the Crude Awakening in London, a mass demonstration relating to peak oil and climate change.

For more information on climate camp and RBS investment head to

http:/ /climatecamp. org. uk/actions/ edinburgh-2010.

{Photo: divinenephron)

ISSUE 244

16

con crete.lifestyle@uea .ac.u k

Fresher's Vifeek: Not only the strong survive Meningitis, Concrete eases any Fresher worries with the soothing voice of retrospect and experience.

Freya Barry Lifesty le write r Eve ryon e's ex pe rience o f Fres he rs' Wee k will be diffe re nt. Fo r so me it's a cha nce to s trike o ut o n t he ir own, but fo r o th e rs thi s ca n be te r r ifyi ng. Th e importa nt th ing to re me m ber is th at beca use eve ry o ne e lse is new th e re's r oo m to fe e l sca re d o r jus t a b it a nx io us.

If yo u find soc ia li s in g d iffi cult, ta ke yo ur tim e, jo in so me clubs a nd within no tim e you will be fillin g up yo ur ca le nd a r with ne w ac tiviti es a nd new peo pl e. If yo u find ma king new fri e nd s easy th e n th a t's grea t too, jus t bea r in mind yo u mi g ht s pe nd tim e durin g th e sprin g se mes te r t ry in g to avo id some of t he fri e nd s yo u made in Fres he rs' Week.

Wh e n face d w ith th e d a unti ng tas k o f coo kin g for o nese lf it's easy to use Domino's as yo ur

ma in so urce of s us te na nce. If yo u a re a n in ex pe ri e nce d cook th e n don't w o rry; in tim e yo u'll become mo re co nfid e nt. A few ma lfun ct io ns a re un avo id a bl e, but kee p tryin g a nd d o n't reso r t too qui c kl y to rea dy mea ls. Wi t ho ut so undin g co ndesce nd ing, nu t ri t io n is imp o rta nt a nd yo u'll need lo ts o f fru it a nd vegeta bl es to s tave off th e in e vita bl e bout o f fr es he r's flu/pr o lo nged ha ngo ve r. If yo u a re a budding chef, co ng ra tul a ti o ns!

Yo u' re pa rt o f a min o rity a t UEA th a t a re co ntinu a ll y so ught o ut by t hose wh o ma nage to b u r n pasta.

But d o n't ju st s how o ff yo ur roast whil e yo ur fl a tm a tes ea t th e ir burnt cheese on toas t, g ive th e m a ha nd! He lping o ut a fl a tm ate by offe r ing to coo k d inn e r w ith th e m w ill he lp boos t th e ir con fid e nce if t hey see m t o be s tru ggling.

Ni ghtlife a t UEA does n't have to begin and e nd a t th e LCR; how eve r,

Susanna Wood Lifestyle write r

it is a g rea t pl ace to mee t new peo pl e a nd li s te n to g rea t o r awful mu s ic de pe ndi ng, o n tas te. Get ticke ts for t he firs t fa ncy d ress LC R a nd see if it ta kes yo ur fa ncy, if no t, No r w ich has a va ri e ty of p u bs a nd ca fes to pe ru se durin g th e wee k.

Unive rs ity is a fa bu lous o pp o rtunity fo r a fres h s ta rt.

So, take it easy, check o ut a ll th e fab ul o us eve nts o n o ffe r, a nd a bove a ll, e nj oy yo urself 1 Befo re yo u kn ow it yo u'll be a d ec re pit seco nd yea r.

If I' m bo rin g th e n it's beca use I'm a bo rin g pe rso n no t beca use o f wh a t I be li eve", To m quip s, e mph as is in g th a t hi s fa ith, whil s t be ing a bi g pa rt o f him, is no t a ll -d e finin g. Ja m es Powell , a pos tg ra du a te Ch r is ti a n ( Ba pti s t) foc uses o n s im ila r t hin gs whe n desc ribin g t he im pact o f hi s fa ith o n his first year. During Fres he r's Week he tri e d to ge t to kn ow pe op le be fo re me nti o ning th a t he was a Chri s ti a n, s o th a t they

co ul d get to kn ow him w ith o ut any preco nce ived no ti o ns.

So d o n' t w orry a bo ut Fres he r's; whateve r yo ur pe rs on a l be li e fs, eve ryo ne is in t he sa me boa t a nd no o ne wo r t h ge tting t o kn ow w ill judge yo u by yo ur fai th .

Lea rn fro m Ja mes a nd To m a nd go w ith t he fl ow. Re lax, have fun, a nd if in cl in e d, ta ke a dva ntage o f eve rythin g going o n a t th e Chri s ti a n Union.

Student's lifestyle labels: being Christian Lifestyle explores a side of university life that is often overlooked but is, nevertheless, prominent.

-

Hasina Alien Lifestyl e write r

Fo r a Ch r is t ia n, th e firs t yea r o f unive rs ity, especia ll y th e first few w ee ks, ca n fee l like a n extra cha ll e nge.

Th e s tu de nt lifes ty le most co mm o nly po rt rayed in o u r na tion a l me di a is co mpri se d so le ly o f: a compl e te lack of res po ns ibility, rec kl ess s pe ndin g, bin ge dr inking a nd sex. Needl ess to say, th ese as pects of stud en t li fes ty le co nfli ct heavily w it h Chri stia n mo ra lity. Th ese e le m e nts o f unive rs ity life a re o ft e n prese nte d as a compul so ry ex tracurri cu la r ac tivity that eve ryo ne ta kes pa rt in, a nd ca n so me tim es crea te p ressure t o co nfo rm to a ttitu des t ha t d o no t ag ree w ith a fa it h. 0 1~ pe rh aps w orse, fa it h ca n be use d as a la be l, whi ch a ll ows peo pl e t o s te reo typ e o th e rs.

Ra th e r th a n find in g unive rs ity life a chall e nge to hi s Chri s ti a nity,

Tom Gegg, a n Envi ro nm e nta l Geog ra phy a nd Inte rn atio na l Deve lopm e nt s tudent, found th a t bei ng at unive rs ity act ua ll y s timul a te d hi s fa it h. Uni ve rs ity p rovid ed To m w ith t he o pp o rtunity to mee t peo pl e hi s age with th e sa me be li efs, so meth ing t ha t ha d bee n mo re d iffic ult to d o a t ho m e, a nd he me t so me o f h is bes t fri e nd s he re thro ugh th e Chri s ti a n Uni o n.

With a pint restin g o n hi s kn ee, Tom t o ld me th a t w h ils t bei ng a Chri st ia n influ e nces certai n

'No one worth getting to know will judge you by your faith' cho ices he makes it d oes n' t ho ld him bac k in a ny way. "Peo pl e think th a t th e fo und a ti o n of t he Chri s ti a n faith is bo rin g a nd abo ut not having fun, but th at's not tru e.

a menace not to be feared

At unive rs ity, peo pl e a re ill co ns ta ntly - th e chorus of co ughs in lectures durin g w ee k three is tes ta m e nt to th a t. If you are fe e lin g pa rti cul a rly ba d, h o w e v e 1~ d o no t jus t di sca rd yo u r sympto ms as a case o f 'fres he r's flu' o r a ba d han go ver. Unive rs ity ca n, un fo rtun ate ly, be a breed in g gro und for o th er, m o re da nge ro us a ilm e nts.

Me ningitis is o ne o f th ose a ilm e nts, a n infla mm a ti o n o f the linin g o f th e bra in, w hi ch ca n lead to bl oo d po iso ning (se pti cae mi a) .

It's unco mm o n, but s tud e nts a re pro ne to th e di sease as it is eas ily s prea d in pl aces like ha lls. 1 in 4 und e r 25s ac ts as uninte nti o na l ca rri e rs of th e di sease; need less to say, it ge ts a r o und .

Early s ig ns o f th e di sease mea n it is o ft e n mi s take n for flu : sickn ess, feve r a nd ac hing a re co mm o n.

Howeve r, t hese sy m pto ms te nd t o ge t w o rse ve ry qui ckly a nd can be acco mp a ni ed by a b ad hea d ac h e, cold ex tre miti es, a s tiff neck, ex t re me ph o tose ns itivity a nd a dis t inctive ras h. A fa mo us test is to p ress a glass tum b le r aga ins t th e ras h; a sep t icae mic ras h wi ll not fa d e und e r press ure, t hu s lea ving it visi bl e thro ug h th e tumbl er. H o w e v e 1 ~ th e ras h is n't a lways prese nt ea rly o n, if a t a ll .

In fact, a ll th e symp to ms ca n be unre li a bl e; tru s t yo ur ins tin cts a nd see k me di ca l he lp if un s ure.

If yo u we re vacc in a te d aga in st me nin g iti s C at schoo l, be awa re th a t th e re is no vacci ne for gr o up B bac te ri a. Thi s accounts for 8 0 % o f me ningococca l di sease cases, so yo u ca n s till ge t me n ingiti s if yo u we re vacc ina ted. Rega rdl ess, it's o ne inj ecti o n th a t co ul d s till save yo ur life, so if yo u have n' t ha d it t he n it is wo rth co ntac tin g th e Medi ca l Ce ntre.

Howeve r s tupid you may fee l, co nta ct th e Me di ca l Ce ntre (0160 3 25 1600) if yo u a re w o rri e d a bo ut yo urs or so meo ne e lse's sy mpto ms, especia lly if th ey a re ge ttin g w o rse qui ck ly. Ca lling NHS Direct is a goo d id ea, a nd d o n' t hes ita te to ca ll 99 9. Me ning iti s is da nge rou s, a nd will a lways be trea t ed se riou s ly.

ISSUE 244

Tuesday 28th September

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Alone in the Irish Wilderness This summer Tom Hunt experienced the luck of the Irish by cycl ing over a thousand miles w ithout suffering a single puncture! Camping out in the wild, however, proved less fortunate .. .

After cycling many miles, from dawn to dusk, over rough terrain and through busy city traffic, a campsite with showers, washing mac hines and a toi let is a blessing.

Yet, a bless ing t he cash-strapped student can't afford every day.

Consequently, most nights spent touring Ireland by bike involved pitching up at any suitable site beneath trees verging o n picnic areas, perched atop forested hill s, or deep in the undergrowth.

Sleeping out in the wild isn't easy, but it can be rewarding.

Sitting back to enjoy a view no hotel window can offer while you cook a s impl e dinner on a little gas stove is cha rmi ng. Knowing it's free is even better.

Such was the case having sneaked into the Deer Park west of Sligo at dusk. Perched upon a wooded hi ll, the landscape dropped away, revea ling a glimm ering lough (Irish for loch) framed by rugged mountains on one side, while on the other lay Sligo itself and beyond that the open sea, swa ll owing up the day's sun. In spectacular fashion, a s hower cascaded do,w n, creating a monstrous rainbow ~o frame the scene. Only metres away, at the highest point of the promontory, an ancient stone circle stood si lently by. Few places cou ld offer a more suitable location to put up a tent.

Of course, there are prob lems with this method of camping. Even in mid-summer, nights in rural Ireland are chillingly cold and rain is a constant concern. The multitudes of livestock that roam the fields th row up a d in through the darkness, and the lack of traffic on Irish roads, while a re lief to eager cyclists, does encourage the 'donut' phenomenon.

Donut-drivers converge on crossroads and other quiet spots of emp ty space to leave s pira ll ing tyre-marks burnt into the tarmac.

When settling down under canvas on the edge of an empty gravel car park, therefore, expect to be spattered with stones at some point in the night as a n e nginâ&#x201A;Ź revs a nd roars around you, sending its driver spinning and skidding in a loop. By morn ing, the tell-tale signature of a donutter will be singed into the ground.

The most se rious concern, howeve r~ are groups of travell ers, to whom Irish landowners do not take

kindly. Farmers' fields are peppered w ith posts warning any trespassers to steer clear. Open land may be inviting to campers but the best bets are publ ic parks, wh e~e yo u can shelter from view in yo ur own space.

Being in Ireland, an evening spent in a traditional local pub is, of course, a must. Here you will generally fi nd good food, hearty drin k a nd we lcome compa ny on all sides of the country. On reaching the edge of the Ring of Kerry, the largest of the mountainous peninsulas in the south-west of Ireland, a lively bar beckoned, a wonderfu l place to wai t out the sunset, amidst t he babble of native natter. Un like in

"Farmers' fields are peppered with posts warning any trespassers to steer clear."

Brita in, Irish pubs rema in rob ust against the recession, combi ning everything you'd expect from your local and more, attaching offlicenses and groceries, so that even the smallest hamlet nestles a pub at its heart.

Eventua lly, t he comforting glow had to be regretfully abandoned for the cold, lonely outdoors. A Gaelic football pitch on the outskirts of Waterville became the only option for camping under a darkening sky.

The site seemed promising enough, until t he middle of the n ight. Then, quite literally, a _ travelling circus descended. Glaring headlights, co lo urful, flashing bu lbs a nd funfa ir fa nfare blared out as lorry afte r lorry backed in, ripping apart the peace of the Irish countryside.

Voices were raised above the racket and dogs let lo~se around the field. In this situatio n the tents have to come down and the site be abandoned, as any refuge is sought.

Two in the morning can be a trying time to find a hasty back exit out of a walled playing field, so it is best to scout out the area before settling, un less you want to end up sq uatting behind an equipment shed waiting for a far-off dawn in the rain .

Despite the occasiona l set-back, camping in wild Ireland is possible as long as the site has cover, public access a nd an alternative nearby.

Eve n then, after a few nights t he most basic of camping grounds will be warmly welcomed .

Tanzanian Trees for Change

I

Anna Clayton Travel wri ter

It is becoming more freque nt to hear of someone vo lunteeri ng for an international organisation wi th the motive of 'saving the world'. Often people head off expecti ng to be the ones spreading the good ideas, rather than listening to those of the co mmu nities bei ng worked w ith.

Vi llage-to-Village is a small Tanza nian organisation working within Uchira, a large settlement located on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. The majority of its residents are farmers, each facing a bleak future as their main water source, Kilimanjaro's glacier, disappears. The area has started to resemble a desert during the driest months of the year, leaving people with poor prospects.

By helping organ ise events which included games and presentations, this writer was able _ to gather together members of the community to discuss issues affecting them all.

This allowed people to share their thoughts, creating an environment brimming with ideas and e nt husiasm.

One man who came to stand out ab<'Jve all in terms of self-motivation was a smallholder farmer, james Mvungi, a well-respected villager.

james believed that the felli ng of trees within Uchira appeared related to repeated bad harvests and other environmental problems.

By approaching members of his community to discuss his worries, he was able to instigate the format ion of an environmental committee that took it upon itself to set up a small-scale tree nursery, the saplings from these were provided to environmentally aware households, thereby improving the livelihoods of the villagers. Ultimately, without local input, the project would not have been as successful. james is an example of many. __ inspirational individuals working throughout Africa, trying to improve their surrounding environment and the lives of others. These cases are becoming increasingly noted and are playing an important role within Tanzania.

Wonders of Washington Matthew Taylor Travel writer Was hi ngton DC is a great city for politics and tourism. Visits are usually motivated by a desire to experience the political aspect of the US capital.

For instance, the over-riding function of the district of Colombia is to run the federal government. As a result, the city is swarming in politicians and their fami lies, living alongside some of the most poverty-stricken areas in America. It is no surprise, then, that the HBO series The Wire was shot in West Baltimore. Suffice it to say that D.C. isn't a casua l clubbing city.

Despite th is, what is good about the American capital is genuinely amazing. The Washington Mall holds some of the more impressive monuments to former leaders outside a totalitarian regime. The Lincoln Memoria l is one of the few statues prevalent in global media that doesn't look smaller in real life, which could be a testament to accurate camera work, rather than the amazing effect that seeing the marble likeness of th e sixteenth U.S. President towering over you actually has. Anyone who has seen the Vietnam and Korea

War memorials will appreciate that Washington is a city built to impress.

Moving to museums, those owned by the Smithsonian Institute surrounding the Mall are worth a trip ...~ ¡ by themselves, including exhibitions on everything from the Apollo missions to the first US Flag. They each require a day to fully appreciate, so extensive is their remit.

No tourist experience would be complete without mementoes, and at this D.C. excels, selling everything from Republican ties to Obamathemed underwear. Either of these would be a fitting memento to sum up the capital of the land of the free and home of the brave.

18

ISSUE 2H

::!!::~~----------------------~~~~~~~~=~~~~--~--~------------.1 co ncrete. food @uea.ac. uk

Quick Chicken Faiitas 11· you have ever typ ed 'fajita recipes' into a n internet sea rch engine, you will have soo n rea lised that there are hund reds of recipes. Many requ ire you to marinade the meat, us ua lly for betwe e n 1-2 4 hours ! We at Concrete Food rea lise th at most of yo u, es pec ially in yo ur first week at university, will simply not have th e time to s pen d ages coo king dinner. That is why we have devi sed this simpl e rec ip e that uses s hop bou ght flavourin gs th at are add ed straight to pan. Cordon Ra msay may not en dorse it, but it will be fu ll of fl <wou 1: filling and your parents will be pleased to know yo u h<Jve 'go ne out on a good mea l'.

Ingredie nts: • 1 chi cken breast, cut into s trips • Fajita s pi ces (seaso ning mi x, paste, or sa uce. There <Jre variou s bra nd s a round, no ne will be bad, so experiment to find the one yo u prefer) • Pac ket of flour tortill a wraps • Then vegetables includ in g but not li mited to: • Pepp ers, cut into strips (choose co lours to t<Js lc, red a1·e sweetest, gree n a re mo re bitter.)

• Ca rrot, cu t into strips • Mu shroo ms, ca n eith e r be thinly sli ced or roughly chopped • Co urge tte, cut into s trips • Red onion, chopped fi ncl y Option a l acco mpanim ents ca n in clud e: Gu aca mol e Sour cream Sal sa _ .C heese Lettuce

You're going to have to use it eventually...

Concrete Food's guide to the ha lls' com bi-ovens.

Chris tin e O'Sulliva n

Mi crowave Functio n:

Fo od Write r Your microwave-oven is on mi crowave fu ncti on the majority of the tim e, so just pop the food in, set the tim e, p1·ess the start button and voi la, you' ll hZ~ve food.

By now this is probably a good picture of what's go ing on in your r:reshe rs' Week: -You've bee n out eve ry night.

- You've ordered at least one takeaway with so me natm ates . .

- You've spo ken to so many rand om people in the LCR, most of whose names you'll have forgo tten.

- You've coo ked you r entire fl at a fabulous 3 co urse meal. ll old on! PerhZ~ps 'made a pot noodle' sounds more real istic, eh?

No need to worry! We've all been freshers before. This reporter's first night in halls consisted of the LCR and getting home to cook a chi ll ed pizza in the microwave th at .end ed up s uita bl e for frisbee. Not a grea t start! So, here's a quick gu id e to the mi crowave oven.

Ove n Function: Press th e oven funct ion until the co rrect temperature is displayed and press th e sta rt button in ord er to pre-hcat. Once preheatecl put the food in , set th e lime and press the start butto n again.

Defrost Function: Defrosts that food yo u've left in the freezer for ages ' Choose the type of food yo u have and it's weight a nd the microwave wo rks out the time a nd power needed.

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Method: 1) Cut chicken into rou ghly even s ized strips a nd s li ce vegetables up into strips.

2) Heat a tables poon of oil in a frying pan on medium heat.

3) Add th e sliced chicken a nd begin to fry, turning the strips until no pink co lour re ma ins,.thi s s hou ld take about 3-4 minutes.

4) Now add the sli ced vegetab les and fry for a furt her 3-4 minu tes, movi ng the co ntents of the pan round to prevent a nything burn ing.

5) Add your seaso ning/ paste/sa uce and stir ro und for a furth er 1-2 minutes .

6) Hea t up the tortil la wraps in th e mi crowave (thi s is norm ally for a bout lOsecs per wrap but check th e pac ket for exact tim e).

8) Serve with your chose n acco mpa nim e nts a nd enjoy 1

.

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· Concrete Food's guide to rolling the perfect faiita

Pl ace fil ling in centre of fajita, th en fo ld s ides in.

r:rom the top, begin to roll down

Co ntinue rolling unti l the top reaches th e bottom

Slice in enj oy'

ha lf, an d

Eight tips for kitchen survival!

- Read in s tru ctio ns on the back of food pac kets thoroughly.

- Check dates on food, green cheese is not good!

- Try to clean u p after yourse lf as mu ch as poss ib le, your cleaner is t he re tw ice a week but aim to ma ke it a habita bl e place for th e rest of th e wee k.

- Wh enever cooking so mething und er the gril l, wa tch it 1 We have heard endless sto ri es of setting food under th e gril l alight, from fi s h a nd chips to scotch panca kes.

- Find a good pl ace in the kitchen area to leave a ll your pots and pa ns.

-Do n't put a ny metal cutlery in the microwave.

- Microwavea ble pla tes arc a mu s t.

- Grab yourself a shelf in the fridg e, otherwise you wi ll undoub ted ly find it fu ll of bee rs soo n.

very Wednesday

<:lpa dum. Onion Bhi.lji . Chick ~ n K Ut tn<.\.

Puta.o Rice • Onion Salad 2 . Pap d u m. Onion Bhajl. M at un . .

Pulao Rice Onion S lad 3 . Papa l u m. nion Bhaji. Chick .n Tikka M(,\ ' ala.

Pul o Rice & O n i )n, alad 4 . P.apa ium. Onion B h aji. 1 t Rog ' .

1 • Onion ' lad urn. Onion h - Ji. Chick .n o lti.

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ISS UE 244

19

Tu esday 28th September

Editorial Hello, and welcome to this academic year's first edition of Concrete.

It has been a busy summer of news in and around the UEA, and as ever at Concrete, we have endeavoured to bring you the issues that matter to you, the student.

Whether it be an introduction to life at UEA, the latest sports reports and news stories, or music and film reviews, Concrete will be the place to keep abreast of student life this year.

Concrete, of course, cannot run without the input of its readersh ip. Whether you find your forte in news, politics, mu sic or sport, ma ke sure you visit our stall at Socmart today in th e LCR and sign up to get involved . Alternatively,

email Danny Collins on concrete .ed itor@ uea .ac.uk.

Finally, I am obliged to give a very warm and grateful thank you to my sub-ed itors who have put in much time and effort to produc ing thi s first issue of the paper.

Write for YOUR student newspaper.

Concrete is UEA's Independent

Have a great fortnight,

Danny

Newspaper, and prides itself on providing opportunities for students to show case their writing.

If you have an issue you want to report on, email us on : Concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk

PO BOX 410, NORWICH, NORFOLK, NR4 7T] 01603 593466 Concrete is published by UUEAS Concrete Society ©2 010 Concrete. ISSN 1351-2773 Letters should bl addressed for th e atten ti on o f the E itor, Danny Coli ins.

Letters must in ude co ntact details, but we w ill consid er anony mous publ ica ti on. We reserve th e right t o edi t for length and clarity as necessary.

Opinio ns expressed are not necessarily those of the Publisher or Editor.

No part of this newspaper may be reproduced th rough any means without the express perm ission of the Editor, Dan ny Coli ins.

Printed by Archant.

ADVERTISEMENT • ADVERTISEMENT • ADVERTISEMENT • ADVERTISEMENT • ADVERTISEMENT • ADVERTISEMENT • ADVERTISEMENT

Keeping your things safe: At Endsleigh we know how important your valuables are to you, so here are some handy hints to help keep them safe. l.Never leave personal belongings unattended or clearly on display- mobiles, wallets, MP3 players, laptops etc, are all prime targets for "smash and grab" theft. This includes leaving items in cars, whether the r is locked or not.

2. Even if you are leaving your room for a few moments remember to use your window and door klcks- why give opportunist thieves easy access to your stuff? Most thefts occur from unlocked rooms.

3. Mark your valuables in a distinctive way so they can be easily identified, such as using a UV pen to detail your house number and postcode.

4. Be aware of who is around when you're on the phone or sending a text - if your phone is stolen, call your network straight away to immobilise the handset and prevent your phone being used.

5. Bicycle theft has become big business for thieves, particularly on a university campus. Making sure you always use a heavy duty lock and secure the frame of the bicycle, not just the front wheel.

6. Try not to carry large sums of cash or flash wallets around openly as this will invite attention from potential thieves, and try to use cashpoints during the day rather than at night. Similarly try not to keep ms of cash in your room when you are not there.

7. Keep bags closed, zipped and buckled at all times and if someone grabs it, let it go, your valuables can be replaced .

8. Don't leave notes on your door saying you have gone away and how long you will be as this draws attention to an empty room full of valuables.

9. If you are using your MP3 player, change the white headphones for darker more discreet set to avoid unnecessary attention .

10. Avoid putting yourself at the risk of fraud or ID theft by keeping your personal documents stored safely; otherwise if you no longer need them make sure you dispose of them safely using a shredder. Don't to check your privacy settings on social networking sites.

Website: www.endsleigh .eo. u k/ university

Telephone Number: 0800 783 5499

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ISSUE 245

20

con c l"ete.ed ito ria I@uea.ac. u k

UEA Students Conquer the Atlantic Aboard

Royal Navy Warship After a fantastic summer dep loyment in Gibraltar, Officer Cadet Andrew Livesey explai ns why joining the Univers ity Royal Naval Unit wi ll be the best thin g yo u do thi s yea r.

J\ 11 a roun d you th e horizon extends as far as the eye can sec, an d the ho t sun heats dow n on the hack of your neck as you hurt le at twenty three knots through the seas aboard IIM S Raider. This is th e s tory of ten of your fellow students, who thi s summer took command of a Royal Navy warship.

The crew comprised of UEA and Ca mbrid ge students who, as part of the University Royal Naval Unit (UI~NU), a University society, travelled almost 3,000 nautical miles across the Atlantic Ocean to Gibraltar and hack. At twenty metres long, wit h a twin propelled, Vl2 diesel eng in e, IIMS R<lider ge nerates as mu ch power as two f3ugatti Vey ron s!

Thi s s ummer's deployment enab led

students to p1路acticc the sea manship, nav igat ion and le<lders hip s ki ll s th ey learnt at weekly drill ni ghts durin g term time .

Whi lst a hoa,-d th e ship, stud en ts pe rform all the tasks that keep her running: man ning the radar and charts, taking contro l of the ship as 'Officer of the Watch' and even performing engine checks.

'M<ln ove rboard exercises' and hosti ng a high ranking Commodore w ith a traditional Navy cocktail party were just some of the highlights of this year's deployment.

Whilst in Gibraltar, students also attended a prestigious summer ball at II MS Rooke a ll ollywood thcmcd, wine-fuelled extravaganza with performances from incredible live band s.

The lJ RN lJ organises trips throughout th e year ahonrd HMS Raide1~ with destinations around the Ul< East nnd South coasts and European Channel ports, inc lu ding London, Dover nnd Antwerp. The aim is to educa te hi gh ca li bre undergraduates abo ut th e role of the Royal Navy in today's world. lt is not about recruiting s tud ents into ca ree rs within th e ar med forces - there is no co mmitment to join the forces after university. The URNU presents students with unparnlleled opp o rtunities to get paid to partake in a myriad of activities: sailing, hiking, glid ing, kayaking, parachuting, flying camps and more. The oppo rtun ity to attain City and

Guilds awards in leadership and inva luabl e Royal Yachting Association powerboat and th eory qualifications is also available.

13est of a ll , the LJRNU wa nts yo u! Thi s autumn we a rc recruitin g a new intake of enthusiastic, dedicated and committed students to join us. If you think you have the stamina to ke e p up with th e va s t amount of fun we have, th en get in tou ch.

Please visit : http:jjwww.srcfucam.uryj curnu an d cli ck on "joi n" to reg is ter yo ur interest; or emai l a.livcscy@uca.ac.uk with a ny e nquiri es.

Are YOU Made For Sharing?

To ce lebrate the laun ch of their new 'Extra Crunchy' ran ge, Wa lkers Crisps a re reaching out to budding fi lm stud e nts (and crisp fans) with th ei r short-film compet iti o n, 'Ta ke On e, Pass It On'; a unique project which a ims to create a 'never-ending' bag of Walkers cri sps.

Whether you are using a mobile phone camera, wehcam or camcordc1~ the premise is simple: find the most fun and creative way to share your Extra Crunchy, and upload it to the website. The best of the bunch wil l be randomly edited together to create a str in g of s nack- happy people passing their bag from o ne to another!

Th ere is a lso the cha nce to w in so me fanta sti c prizes, in cludin g 拢1,000 in cas h, a So ny ll a nd ycam, the opportunity to s ta r ' nex t' to Lioncl Richic and, of co urse, a n a bund ance of free crisps 1 These will be awarded to creative minds that find th e most unusual location, most origina l shnre, funniest s ha re a nd best fancy dress.

For more inform ati on, o r to submit your 10 seco nd vid eo clip, visit: www. walkers.co.ukjextracrunchy.

.

ISSUE 244

Tuesday 28th September

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Spain's Raging Bu I Charge!s On Sports Editor Chris King analyses the key talking points around this summer's controversial World Cup in South Africa.

While thousands of column inches have been devoted to this summer's World Cup, held on the African continent for the first time in the competition's history, not al l the coverage and comment has been overwhelmingly positive.

Peripheral issues such as the atmosphere in the grounds, as well as transport and policing outside them, distracted from what should have been the tournament's primary focus: the football.

On the pitch, whilst Spain's triumph was lauded throughout the world as a triumph for socalled 'sexy football', the dearth of goals in the group stages, plus the failure of many of the more highprofile sides in the competition means it can never be regarded as a classic, in the mould of Mexico '86. Yet for all its faults, there wei-e some positives to come out of the quadrennial bout between the world's footballing heavyweights:

GOOD • South Africa - Perhaps it didn't bring all the rewards that were hoped, but the World Cup showcased a fully united South African nation, and once again demonstrated the extraordinary power of football to bring people together.

• Ghana - Arguably everyone's favourite team, Ghana were desperately unlucky not to progress further and cruelly denied by Luis Suarez's shameless handball.

Ghana won themselves admirers across the world thanks to their grit, determination, skill and sheer likeability.

• Diego Forlan - Hopefully proved the remaining doubters wrong with his incredible goalscoring display, and showed that he is in fact worldclass.

• Germany's kids - The raw, explosive talents of Sami Khedira, jerome Boateng, Thomas Muller and of course the mercurial Mesut

Ozil were a joy to watch. Imagining where this German team will be in four years time is nothing short of terrifying for any England fan.

• Spain's 'tiki-taka' passing - The Dutch may have invented 'Total Football', but the Spanish have made it their own with the unbeatable 'tiki-taka' playing style of short passing and impeccable movement.

This is why the Spanish won and why they may just continue to do so.

BAD • England fail again- Overpaid, overrated stars, an expensive foreign coach unable to motivate his charges or pick the right team, stultifying draws against relative international minnows, and a hammering from a far superior side whom we were supposedly able to beat. Sound familiar? lt should.

• France- The disloyalty and discord of players such as Nicolas Anelka may have hit the headlines, but it was quite unsurprising given coach Raymond Domenech's incomprehensible ineptitude and staggering ability to hang onto a job in the absence of any notable managerial ability. A total mess, and nothing short of humiliating.

Dutch dirty tactics The Netherlands did excellently in reaching the final, and despite not having the same flair as the Cruyffinspired teams of the 1970s, showed a first-class work ethic and no small

So You Think You Know? Hockey Sports Correspondent Harry Fish presents an introduction to one of UEA's most popular sports clubs, Hockey With a new year just began at UEA, many sports clubs are getting "back in the swing", with UEA Hockey being no different. Now boasting to be one of the most popular clubs at UEA, the club has four men's teams, playing a range of standard to suit all players from beginners' right up to experienced players.

This year, president, Barnabus Abraham, will be hoping to go one step better with the 1st XI, who narrowly missed out on promotion in the sues league last year. With so many teams within the club, there is always a great opportunity to get some game time in. Last year's second and third teams participated in local leagues last year, and will be joined by the new fourth team this season. The club will definitely be pushing forward this year to "show the teams in Norfolk that we are one of the highest quality teams around". Matches are always on a

Saturday or Wednesday afternoon, so anyone can get involved around their studies. In addition to this, there is training which takes place twice a week, all year round. There are also further opportunities with the indoor league, to assure there is hockey going on all year round!

If you do join the club, you will certainly find that there is enough hockey to keep even the keenest of individuals satisfied with what

"We are one of the highest quality

Last year's UEA Men's Hockey lsts narrowly missed out on promotion

teams around."

fundraiser". These are far from the only social opportunities, with the most regular opportunity being post-game on Saturday where all the teams mix to reflect on the day's play along with a few drinks before the LCR. Whether you have played hockey before or are simply

UEA Hockey has to offer!

There is also a very strong team spirit throughout the club, with the men's and women's teams mixing for various socials and events, such as the annual dinner and upcoming "Mike Covell meningitis

looking for a new sport to try, there is plenty of opportunity to be had with UEA Hockey Club, from the most serious of players, down to people who just want to play for fun and enjoy the social side of the club. UEA Hockey will be present at SportsMart and trials are being held on Friday, 5-7 PM.

measure of skill in dispatching Dunga's Brazil, before reverting to dirty, cynical, disgusting attempts to stop a superior Spanish side play football. Not what you'd expect from a capable international side.

• Lack of goals - The group stages saw a dearth of exciting games, but even more frustrating was an almost unfathomable lack of goals. Was it the jabulani ball, were the players tired, or was it just one of those

Alonso fires warning shot at title rivals Fernando Alonso produced another spectacular display at the Singapore ~ Grand Prix to take a third win in five races.

The Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber finished second and third respectively, maintaining their strong footing in the Formula 1 World Championship, while McLaren's Jenson Button was fourth.

Alonso has now taken two straight victories in his Ferrari, both from pole position, and Sunday's triumph lifted him into second place in the drivers' standings behind Australian Webber.

There was disappointment for Lewis Hamilton who, as he did at Monza, suffered suspension failure after a collision with another driver, Webber the man to make contact on this occasion. Elsewhere, impressive drives from Robert Kubica and Felipe Massa saw them carve ~hrough the field to earn points finishes.

The next race is in japan in a fortnight.

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SPORT

www.l'OillTt'tc-onllnc.co.uk

Ipsw ich fight hack into the ga me; fo ll ow ing this result Town sit fo urth in the Champi ons hip sta ndings, maintaining the pressure o n league leade rs QPR. Th ey remain unbeate n away from home thi s seaso n.

I

Matt Scrafton Sports Correspo nde nt

Norwich City suffered a setbac k in a n otherwise imp ress ive start to th eir seaso n wi th a 2-0 hom e defea t to Hull City. Two goa ls in th e las t seven minutes, from Rob crt l<oren and Tom Cairney, ea rn ed th e Humbersid e club a first away win in 18 months. The defea t was a bitter pill lo swa ll ow for a No rwi ch Lea rn which had dominated th e ga me, a nd in pa rti cul a r the seco nd half: where Hull stopper Matt Duke was forced into a se ri es of eye-ca tching saves.

It's bee n a stell a r return to th e seco nd ti er of English fo otba ll for Paul Lambert a nd hi s charges, who proudly sit fourth in th e Championship tabl e, six points behind high-flyi ng QPR. Former Norwi ch City striker Dion Dublin has bac ked th e Canaries to

keep up their recent run of form, which has see n them lose just twi ce in eight games. "Th ey've clone we ll a nd th at is what the fans wanted to see", sa id Dublin, s peakin g during the promotion of his band's new single, hi s venture sin ce retiring from footbal l in 2008.

"Th ey've given themselves eve ry chance to do so mething aga in this year... if you can keep giving away points at hom e to a minimum, th en Norwich have got a great chance". Next up for th e Ca na ri es is a home ga me aga in st Leicester, who will arrive at Ca rrow Road ro oted to th e bollom of th e Championship tabl e.

East Anglian rivals Ipsw ich Town ke pt the press ure up on th e lea de rs w ith an impressive 1-1 away draw at Scunthorpe. After going behind to a first-half hea der fro m Dav id halfMirfin, tim e s ubstitute Pete rs ja ime leve ll ed for the Tractor Boys after 57 minutes. A tac ti ca l shake-up by man age r Roy Keane following th e Scunthorpe goa l saw

ISSUE

:i~~

concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk

Teenage sta rl et Co nn or Wi ckh a m's impressivc perform ances of late have bee n th e ca ta lyst for his first intern ational ca ll up to the Engla nd U1 9 sid e, follow ing the winner he netted for the U17s at th e European Championship Fin al this s umm er.

In th e third round of the League Cup last Wednesday, Town pi cked up a nn e vi cto ry on the road, goa ls from Tamas Priskin an d Garcth Mc/\ul ey enough to sec off a strong Millwa ll s id e 2- 1 at the New Den. Roy Kca ne has moved to stre ngt hen hi s squad with th e loa n signi ng of 20-yea r-old Tottcnham miclfi eld er

Tour of Britain comes to the city Th e To ur of Britain arrived in Norwich as part of the Kin gs Lynn to Great Yarmouth leg of th e race .

Olympic go ld medalli st 13radl ey Wigg ins took pa rt in th e event, which fini s hed in London on Saturd ay 18th Se ptembe r.

Th e Kin gs Ly nn-Grea t Ya rmouth route, the s ixth stage of th e tour~ was wo n by Col umhian /\nclre i Greipe l of Team \\T C in a tim e of 4:09:05. Fellow IITC rider Mi chae \ /\lbasa ni was the ove rall winn e r~ lea ding home by ove r a minute.

Fry ioins City's winning team Celebrity Canary Stephen Fry talks to Concrete Sport about joining the board at Norwich and his hopes for the season ~ R e n ow n e d

intell eclu a l. Ce lebrated co med ia n. Best-selling author. 1\nd, now, the newe -tmember of Norw ich City's board of directors.

Slephen f:ry's global popul a rity has ca rried him far and wid e during a varied ca ree r路 which ha s involved s pell s in telev ision and stage actin g, stand -u p co medy a nd panel-s how hos ting, a n incre <ls ingly ex pa ns ive collection of book titles, one of th e mos t-followed accounts in Twitter hi story and a taxi-tour of th e US/\.

Thi s summer; though, 1:ry ca me home, fin ally acce ptin g a ro le as a directo r at Norwi ch City's football club. "[Joint majority. sharehold ers !

Deli a Smith and Mi cha el Wynn-jon es slowly prodd ed me with suggestive enquiries until th e penny dropp ed and I proffered my se rvi ces," th e 53-year-old sa id in an exc lusive intervi ew with Concrete Sport. f:ry, who co nfessed that "as a chil d I mos tly loathed all forms of s ports, being so uncoordinated a nd hopeless at them", is a life long

City s upport e r~ pointing out that "growing up in Norfolk it was natural to supp ort th em. There's so mething dee p and visce ral a nd perso nal about it.

"NC FC is one of the truly grea t exe mpl ars of a tru e co mmunity club," he co ntinu es . "it co nnects lo the whole city in all kinds of ways. Whe n th e Canaries do well it

"Wh en the Cana ri es do we ll it bri ghtens everyo ne in Norwich" brightens everyone in Norwi ch and Norfo lk. Th e scenes of ce lebration when we went up in 2004 had to be see n lo be beli eved . Every shop window, every pub, every stree t corner proudly fl ew the ye ll ow and green." lli s co nfirmation as a n officia l member of the club's hierarchy, though, is likely to prov ide a

signifi ca nt boost to City's global popula rity. Fry boasts one of th e world's most influ ential Twitter accounts, with over a million followers waiting to poun ce on every link he posts within minutes of its appea ran ce, and a n enormou s fan-base across th e Englishs pea king world and beyo nd th a nks to hi s wide ly-travelled broadcas tin g adventures.

Wh en as ked about hi s fun ction within the club, Fry is less s pecific, almost to th e po int of not being entirely s ure. '"Ambassa dor' is th e word that is most ofte n band ied about," he remarks, "Which means I dine off a go ld plate, have a lot of d inners and end up with an automatic kn ighthood . Plus, you have to ca ll me Your Excell ency.

"No, but shus h. Nois ing <lbroad the virtues of s upporting Norwi ch, reminding peop le that it ex ists, is an exciting, fun an d friend ly club that welcomes all... [Th e ro le will invo lve] rai sing the club's profil e, occasiona lly pump ing fri end ly

billionaires for mon ey."

Perh aps most importa ntly, Fry s hares the ambition s of th e club's current ow nership a nd has set lofty targe ts for Norwi ch to reach in the yea rs ahead. Reminding us of hi s indepth kn owl edge of th e s port, Fry observes th at Norwich's "rightfu l

Europ ca n-ycars were denied us in th e afterm a th of th e ll eysel Stadi um tragedy" a nd hop es that by the tim e th e next World Cup gets und erway, City ca n be "somewhere in the middl e of the Premiership table but starting rea li sti cc1lly to vie for a place in Europe."

ISSUE 245

23

Tuesday 28th September

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UEA Sports park: The Inside Track Sports Editor Rob Schatten presents the essential guide to East Anglia's premier sporting venue, right on your doorstep Ten years on from its construction, over 80 stations to choose from.

If you're new to the Sportspark the Sportspark at UEA continues to hold an important position as one or the gym, and, you're unsure of of East Anglia's most advanced and which of this daunting array of machinery you ought to be using, complete sporting facilities.

Over the past six months, 路 fear not. Personal - trainers are Concrete Sport has put the available to give advice at all times, Sportspark through its paces, and Concrete was able to enjoy the making use of the full range of benefits of a one-to-one consultation facilities on offer and experiencing in which an advisor assessed this some of the personalised coaching reporter's (limited) capabilities and that the Sportspark makes available designed a personalised workout routine. That's one less excuse to get for its users.

One of the most impressive fit already!

Of course, not everyone enjoys features of the Sportspa.rk is the gym, now complete with a newly- the idea of an intense, punishing added weights room. On entry the session in the gym. Many feel more user finds dozens of cardiovascular at ease with a few laps of the pool. machines - tread!71ills, rowing Here, too, the Sportspark has an machines, two types of exercise ace to play, in the form of an ultrabikes, steppers and so forth- as well modern 50 metre Olympic-sized as a comprehensive collection of swimming pool. The pool, usually weights machines, with an extensive split in half during the day by a fully array of stations working every moveable central boom, features an muscle group in the body. For those adjustable floor as its party piece.

This allows staff to alternate who prefer their own routines, the Sportspark saw completion last between two 25m pools with one year of an extension to the gym shallow section and one set of lanes, which allowed an expansion of its or for competitions or swimming collection of free weights, complete club sessions, a single, SOm space with the usual selection of benches with the floor lowered to facilitate With spacious and squat stations. In total, there are diving starts.

changing rooms and a large seated viewing area, the pool is capable of hosting regional and national competitions -and frequently does, with a national age-group gala taking place as recently as last year.

Besides these the Sportspark boasts many other indoor sporting facilities. The Barclays Arena, large enough for three basketball courts or 12 badminton courts, has pullout seating and the necessary equipment to entertain all number of different activities, from korfball to ultimate frisbee. The seating availability means this space can also play host to major events, including a GB Volleyball international against Turkey here last year and a more recent visit from the Robot Wars road show.

Three hard-floored dance studios provide the space for UEA's martial arts and dance clubs, with outside instructors often bringing their classes to the Sportspark to take advantage of the studios. There are five squash courts and further multi-sport availability in the yearold Haydn Morris Hall and a twostorey climbing wall; work starts next month on a new, Olympicstandard gymnastics facility to add another string to the Sportspark's bow.

Although many users may prefer indoor sports during the cold winter months, the same cannot be said for those intrepid souls who continue to use the Sportspark's collection of outdoor facilities all year round.

As well as its four S-a-side and six 7-a-side football pitches, the complex is currently overseeing the construction of three more larger-sized pitches using thirdgeneration astro-turf technology.

All this sits beside six hard-court tennis courts, also used for netball, and the running track, a pre-existing facility which has been adopted and

revitalised by the Sportspark to a standard which now sees it serving as the home venue of the City of Norwich Athletics Club.

The Sportspark features many other assets which go beyond the provision of sporting facilities. There are 60-seat and 150-seat conference rooms available, and last spring one of the Sportspark's meeting rooms played host to a talk by Zimbabwean cricketing pariah Henry Olonga.

Further to this the cafe has seating for over 100 people. Nothing is done by half in this building.

Although its many beginners' classes and keep-fit programs are targeted as much at the public

as at students, the Sportspark's relationship with and importance to the UEA cannot be understated.

The Sportspark hosts the Ziggurat compe~ition and the majority of UEA's ~UCS events (with the obviou~ exception of football, rugby and hockey). In addition, the Sportspark heavily subsidises several clubs and student prices will once again stay frozen ~uring this academic year, the fourth i~ a row.

With over 60 sports catered for and instructors available for classes on many different activities, the UEA has access to one of the country's most impressive multi-sport facilitie~- at a discount price.

World of Sport: Spot-fixing scandals, the USA's return to the top and an eventful Cup night Pakistan's Summer of Shame Compounding the spot-fixing scandal which has engulfed Pakistani cricket this summer, and tarnished the global image of the game, photos released by the News Of The World appear to show Shoaib Akhtar tampering with the ball during the 41st over of his side's innings.

The photograph seems to clearly

demonstrate Akhtar scratching the ball with his left thumb so as to make it reverse-swing. The fast bowler has been accused and subsequently banned for similar offences in the past, notably during a Test Match in Zimbabwe in 2002.

This latest scandal couldn't have come at a worse time for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), as it attempts to recover its shattered reputation.

Basketball: USA ends 16-year wait Team USA have recovered their place at the pinnacle of world basketball.

Despite the absence of all 12 of their victorious Beijing squad, the Americans rallied around emerging superstar Kevin Du rant and legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski to take the title, relying on their speed

and athleticism against taller opponents. 路 Host nation Turkey upset the odds to reach the final, where they were beaten 81-64 by the USA. Lithuania took third place, beating Serbia 99-88 in the bronze medal match. Pre-tournament favourites Spain were largely disappointing, finishing sixth after losses to Lithuania and Argentina.

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League Cup revives the romance

I

In a night of eyebrow-raising results in the third round of the League Cup, there were shocks aplenty as Newcastle 4pended Chelsea 4-3, West Brom tme from behind to eliminate M City, and League Two sides Northa pton Town and Brentford stunned Liverpool and Everton respectively on penalties.

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